Quote:
Enrique Antonio Reyes wrote:
Hi Guys,
In a recent session. A senior instructor mentioned that he himself will not use Aikido for Self-Defense he then mentioned that Aikido is a martial art and not designed to be used or relied upon for self-defense, that Aikido is somewhat like an art comparable to ballet. (he actually used ballet as a comparison)
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That he said it's a martial art
and not for self defense is interesting. I'm curious what the distinction is. I've heard some folks say Aikido is not a martial art, in that martial arts are arts of war and Ueshiba Aikido is an art of peace. Most (pretty much all actually) martial traditions I know of tend to favor peace, but perhaps it's not as heavily emphasized?
At any rate, it's also my understanding that Aikido should be applicable to self defense. In fact, it's my beginner's perception that Aikido is supposed to epitomize the highest levels of self-defense in which a person can operate with efficiency and powerful subtlety. Of course I'm describing Aikido as I presume it's supposed to be, not necessarily how it's practiced.