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Michael Varin wrote:
It's comments like this
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Mert Gambito wrote:
As for Anderson Silva, count me in as a big fan too. However, I'm curious how he would do in a static push test while relaxed in shizentai or on one foot against a fully committed pusher/uke, with the only point of contact between the parties being where the push is occurring. If those assigned the "aiki proficient" tag by those who've trained with them are known to use their aiki to profound effect whether in motion against motion (to Dan Richards' points in the OP) or motion-in-stillness against motion, e.g. Sagawa and Koichi Tohei in the past, Dan Harden and Howard Popkin (vetted as recently as a few days ago here on AikiWeb) in the present -- all proponents of solo exercises / aiki-taiso (as was O-Sensei) -- then you'd expect similar abilities in others assigned the tag. Well, maybe Steven Seagal has Silva doing torifune and circling a jo overhead, and it's just not documented on YouTube.
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that confuse the situation. |
I think I was successful in differentiating between martial prowess of different stripes.
You can find push tests in aikido, Daito-ryu and Hakkoryu. In addition, the initial contact between nage / tori and uke is, in essence, a push test during waza.
Dan Harden teaches a number of MMA folks. The ones we've met in Hawaii had no prior exposure to anything like aiki-taiso of any flavor, yet they now see the value of push tests and motion-in-stillness solo training. One of them routinely trains at BJ Penn's UFC gym in Honolulu, then goes to a park in Waikiki to work on six directions, spiraling, etc. When I meet him to do push tests, they're more like push and pull tests, with single- and double-legs (i.e. aiki from the back of the knees), pulling for standing fit-ins / judo uchi-komi, etc.
The time is coming when mixed martial artists will bow into Chris Li's Aikido Sangenkai classes. It would've already happened if the MMAist I mentioned above wasn't so busy on the weekends running a business.