First it should be noted that the title of this spin off thread (Using Daito-Ryu's Aiki Without Harm) would make a reasonable definition for "aikido".
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Dan Harden wrote:
To stick to the idea of the thread and to answer Chhi'mèd more directly:
How exactly do you see the dominate force affecting the opponent? How would you see a power differential as being the studd of aiki? Some may wonder and equate it with the effect of using muscle or MMA skills, sicne their predominate repsonse may be to blend and move out of the way.
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I see the dominate force affecting the opponent such that the opponent is immediately weakened and basically shut down on contact to falling straight down at nage's feet and/or going into self-maintenence mode. The feeling is something like all of a sudden finding yourself underwater by suprise.
However, I'm sure some people attack such that they protect both more kamikazi types as well as have pretty good structure as well as have fantastic internal/external fighting skills. My assumption is that this situation would probably wind up trading blows. The thing to note is that aiki blows are pretty much fight-enders. There simply cannot be too many people who can take several of those.
In 10 years, will Dan be able to even handle that kind of attack and do no harm? Not sure, but I'll say that approach has the best chance I've seen so far. (The approach I HAD been going for was to develop even better keep away skills so that by the time contact was ever made I would have some tactical advantage from them over-reaching themselves on top of my having developed superior aiki power from my aikido-proper training. Now I see that I can focus on the aiki a lot more and learn to do no harm from this paridigm.)
These skills are not the same as the typical MMA skills (although I have great respect for them). I would say my opinion at present is that:
MMA with aiki power - turned into a force of doing least harm SHOULD BE the physical aspect of aikido that powers misogi training as well as provides proper context for the spiritual studies of aikido if you ask me. If you don't agree, that's fine, but that's where I plan to take it myself. (Ha and when I do, I can post about it and it will not belong in non-aikido martial traditions.)
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Dan Harden wrote:
Do you suppost that if I attacked you you could blend and take me or control me? How would that be different then what you do now? How is this control of forces beffiting of aiki? Say if you throw a punch or try to grab me?. Your friend was experienced in tuning MMAers-including one who appeared on the UFC, how did you perceive aiki...do affecting his movement when he tried to enter for a throw?
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You maintain your internal harmony the entire time you move, so while I can _possibly_ blend with you and play keep away while staying relatively close, there is no way that I can take control of you until my internal harmony is on par are superior to yours. Which is the case in aikido-proper as well I might add. It's just that your internal harmony takes things to an entirely new level for me.
Compared to the average joe my internal power and my finesse to hide my weaknesses were generally more than enough to deal with people from all sorts of other martial arts fairly well. Against people who do not have well developed internal power/aiki - I can move, blend, and control lots of people inside and out of aikido. I was just on my slow aproach to attempting to re-invent what you've already been doing for 12-14 years when I met you and happily realized I had a chance of getting much further than I had dreamed possible.
Quote:
Dan Harden wrote:
Have you formed any opinions of your own about how aiki...do can truly transform your own Aikido™ and make it very potent as a martial art?
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As I said:
MMA with aiki power - turned into a force of doing least harm SHOULD BE the physical aspect of aikido that powers misogi training as well as provides proper context for the spiritual studies of aikido if you ask me.
Rob