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Old 06-08-2009, 09:14 PM   #36
Suru
Location: Miami, FL
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 453
United_States
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Re: Aikido beyond Ueshiba Sensei

I stopped by my local MA store to pick up a mitsu-domoe patch for my do-gi. I wanted to balance it with the yin-yang on my other shoulder. I asked the highly knowledgeable owner what she feels is the most popular martial art nowadays. She said, MMA, unfortunately. I knew exactly why she said that. With the UFC and its off-shoots gaining so much popularity these days (mind you I own UFC Hits Vol. 1, but I don't pay to watch it live), I feel sad that arts such as Carradine's (RIP) Kung Fu, Daniel san's Karate, and Aikido are not being practiced in their pure forms, with all the discipline and respect that go along with them. Forgive the nightmarish run-on sentence. If someone wants to add non-Aikido moves to his/her Aikido, let this person have carte blanche. But, the person can then claim to study MMA, no longer Aikido. Is five years of semi-weekly Aikido enough to be able to kick everyone's ass? No way. But, the life lessons are profound. Martial artists who have attained them often cannot believe the expansion that has happened to their minds. I feel tremendous gratitude. I don't need a Gracie Jiu-Jutsu arm bar elbow snap in my arsenal. Consciously stay out of trouble and the "civilized" world just ain't that bad.

Drew
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