Quote:
Byron Foster wrote:
Why train outside of Aikido?
Why look outside the box? What could be out there?
There seems to be an implicit premise in that question that Aikido is a complete martial art system, that contains within it all the physical movements, techniques, theoretical framework and beginners-to-advanced teaching syllabus required to reach master level.
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...and there's an implicit premise in your post that a "complete martial arts system", whatever that is, is what we all want and need.
This is something I really don't get. When you buy a car, do you expect it to be the be-all and end-all car, the car that can do everything? Well, no doubt some people do. We call those people "crazy". Normal people just look for a car that's right for their purpose, whether that is transporting four kids to soccer practice or hauling blocks of cement to a building site or going as fast as you possibly can around a track.
Or, if you want to put it in a martial context, what's the "best" fighter? Gee, I don't know. Put me in one situation and I'll take Mongol light cavalry, put me in another situation and I'll take a seasoned bouncer, and in another I'm definitely going to want a Marine platoon sergeant.
Given that, for the large majority of us, our fighting really is purely theoretical, and any fighting we might possibly encounter is within a specific context, I don't get the endless froth and fury about a "complete martial arts system". Even if such a thing existed, which it doesn't, it's not what any of us needs. If someone finds something sufficient to their needs, why would they look elsewhere?