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Old 01-26-2001, 06:14 AM   #10
Sam
Dojo: Kyogikan Sheffield
Location: UK
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 90
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The idea that any martial art is better or easier is not something that anyone can judge.
The only thing that really counts is the quality of the instruction received in that art.
Because I do aikido of course I think that what I have chosen is the best. I have done a lot of different arts and I was drawn to aikido by the personality of the intructor and the quality of his instruction.
It is unfortunate that you have had a nasty experience which has led to you seeking personal protection skills and any art that is taught well and studied diligently will give you personal protection skills.
Why I like aikido is its subtle nature. I have trained for six years and I couldn't describe it in one sentence and I don't feel 'tough' but I have taken care of myself when I needed to. A beneficial side effect of being thrown as part of your training is that if you decide you are not going to fall over, very few people will be able to knock you down even if they catch you by surprise.
An art that teaches aggressive kicking, punching, shouting and imaginary blocking is dangerous because those people believe they are fighters, but cannot apply the shouts and pretend punching to real life.
What I'm trying to say is judge by experience (learning the art) rather than what a paragraph in a leaflet will tell you.
A small note on ju-jitsu (this will probably get me in trouble). The brazilian jujitsu you talk about is probably the gracie brothers style. It is not classical ju-jitsu and is just a small collection of techniques copied from classical ju-jitsu. It is really a style of street grappling which it very good at what it does, but you will reach a point quite quickly where you have learnt all they have to offer and you may feel disolusioned.
Traditional ju-jitsu evolved into judo and aikido and only now exists as daito-ryu ju-jitsu taught mostly in Japan. Most other schools are a mish-mash of random techniques without any real system. My experiences of ju-jitsu has left me very concerned about both the students welfare and what is being taught out there. If you look though there must be good jitsu instructors, just make sure of their quality.

Good luck

(sorry to bang on everyone)
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