Edwin Neal

i disagree Dmitry... aikido by its very definition MUST work... it IS a martial art... however it is taught this does not change... the physical and philosophical aspects are interdependent... if you don't have one then you do not have the other... the physical techniques are fundamentally sound and effective, and are absolutely essential to attain the philosophical/spiritual goals... how long it takes to gain functional skills in just the physical aspects has been discussed here earlier, but i believe in about a year, depending on the student/sensei... re read post #27 &28...