Thread: Aikido & Judo
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Old 05-08-2007, 02:26 AM   #3
Edward
Location: Bangkok
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 803
Thailand
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Re: Aikido & Judo

Having done both, I believe the main difference is that in Judo you have to force the kuzushi on a resistant opponent who plays by the same rules, while in aikido the kuzushi is mainly self-caused by the attacker if Nage's Tai Sabaki is well timed and executed.

However, when you take into consideration Judo Kata, especially the self-defense ones (forgot the names), the same principles apply for both arts. The reason why aikido does not have hip throws (apart from koshi nage) according to a high ranking shihan I met previously is that it adds an unnecessary element of risk to be toppeled by the attacker for instance when executing an ippon seoi nage, the attacker might be able to take you down to the floor, and the situation becomes more complicated with multiple attackers. Sutemi waza in this context become very dangerous. That's why aikido limits the body contact as much as possible and emphasizes keeping one's balance and distance for safety reasons.

PS. Curiously enough I have personally used aikido in real life situations twice and it worked like a charm, while in the same time it is almost impossible sometimes to throw someone who wants to be a smart a** at the dojo and have to surprise them with a Judo-like hip throw to force the technique on them.

Last edited by Edward : 05-08-2007 at 02:30 AM.
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