Hey,

Just been reading a lot of stuff on this forum that discusses Aikido and BJJ and how they can "help" each other.

So I'm curious.

Aikido is the art derived from Samurai Jiu-Jutsu, the foundational art of the Samurai who were sword-wielding, armour-clad death machines who needed to not just ground themselves to be the base of their swords, be as heavy as a mountain yet as swift as a river, but to be able to still fight tooth and nail if they ever lost their sword, against other sword-wielding, armour-clad death machines. In facing impending and greusome deaths, Samurai spawned one of the greatest Masters of all time, namely Miyamoto Musashi who not just produced some of the greatest martial strategies, art and petry in Japanese history, but also master fighting (ACTUAL fighting as in "I don't like you. I'm going to cut your head off now.", with not one but TWO kitana simultaneously...

BJJ is the Brazillian art (derived from Japanese Jiu-Jutsu) that fights swordless, armourless ruffians brawling in the street after a hard night on the piss, or those seeking fame and fortune in the media-fuelled cages that promote wealthy people watching poor people bash the crap out of each other. In not having to face impending and greusome death, BJJ spawned the Gracies.

How exactly are these two arts similar?

Sure, every martial art ought have similar principles in the basic structure of the art, but Aikido and Bjj, Miyamoto Musashi and the Gracies, are about the same as chalk and cheese in that they're both carbon-based forms.