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Old 10-21-2011, 11:07 AM   #1518
mathewjgano
 
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Dojo: Tsubaki Kannagara Jinja Aikidojo; Himeji Shodokan Dojo
Location: Renton
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,276
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Re: Aikido does not work at all in a fight.

I tend to think like Katherine here. My thinking is that even if all Aikido practicioners are unprepared for even an "average" fight, it's not that important on the whole because most people aren't going to encounter one anyway...let alone that worst-case scenario. What matters is that they make no presumptions about their training. If they make no presumptions about their ability to fight, even a person who has mild athletic ability is going to generally be in a better position to handle themselves than someone who has little to none. Activities which develop coordination and a sense of timing/spacing are generaly going to help rather than hinder, when compared to a complete lack of experience.
My expriences with Aikido don't fit with the presumption of the title, despite coming to Aikido being rather unconcerned with being able to defeat a good fighter (it simply wasn't a prominent part of my search criteria). I thought it could help, but I've always relied on my wits: brains over brawn, because they're more widely applicable/useful for self-defense. Between Kannagara Aikido and Shodokan Aikido, all I've seen is stuff that is relatively useful, but I also see it as depending almost entirely on how the individual applies their mind/intent to their training for how effective it can be. I haven't seen Aikido give false confidence to people any more than I've seen other systems do so; less in fact. Granted I have about 3 years of training experience and minimal exposure, but per my sample that's how it appears.
Then again, I grew up seeing a few things which set a relatively gritty understanding on the nature of self-defense. Many of my friends growing up liked fighting. They sought it out as a leisure time activity (thank you Eazy E and pals)...which again, to my mind, points to a major fallacy surrounding the "system x doesn't work in a fight." Different people comprise the art and some of them go into it with a fairly realistic understanding that doesn't just go away because some guy says he's a martial arts teacher.
I say, go ahead, bag on my martial art; dismiss it outright. As a small guy I've often enjoyed the presumptions of my opponants (in other activities; like Chuck Norris, I've never been in a "real" fight).

Last edited by mathewjgano : 10-21-2011 at 11:10 AM.

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