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Old 10-31-2011, 02:17 PM   #1649
George S. Ledyard
 
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Dojo: Aikido Eastside
Location: Bellevue, WA
Join Date: Jun 2000
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Re: Aikido does not work at all in a fight.

Quote:
Alex Lawrence wrote: View Post
No it's only a fight if your attackers actually intend serious harm. It's actually really quite rare for this to be the case, millions of people get mugged or assaulted very year and very few are seriously injured and many of these situations are resolved just as well by people with no training.

Demonstrating that you can get rid of four guys that don't want to fight by showing that you do want to fight isn't really a demonstration of martial skill, it's more a demonstration of the lengths even muggers will go to in avoiding harm to themselves. Confusing the two isn't helpful.
I have no idea what the case is in the UK but this simply is not the case in the US. You are not expected to somehow intuit the other guy's intention. It is your own perception of the threat that is the standard for how one responds. yes, it must seem like a "reasonable" assessment to a jury but the law gives the benefit of the doubt to the defender in terms of his or her own perception of a threat.

In other words if I were threatened by four subjects, it would be my perception that I was at serious risk. The subjects would fulfill all of the requirements for using force. Ability, opportunity, and jeopardy. Clearly four subjects have the ability to hurt me, if they are in my presence they have the opportunity, if they are acting in a threatening fashion, then I am reasonable in my assessment that I am in jeopardy. So the only operative factor would be "preclusion" which would be whether I could safely remove myself from the threat. If I could articulate in a reasonable fashion that I could not remove myself from the threat, then all of the required elements for use of force are present.

The idea that you are supposed to be able to tell what the subjects intend before they do it is ludicrous and is not the law much less a smart way of going about ones self defense. Truly predatory individuals make a study of how not to indicate their intentions before they start and assault. Even with folks who are not necessarily true predators, the "interview" as the interaction just prior to the attack is often called can be very short, even happening before you are aware it has taken place.

Take a look at the works by Peyton Quinn or Marc "Animal" McYoung as to the dynamics of violent confrontation. This stuff is a bit "earthy" for most Aikido folks but it is totally based on real world experience and not wishful thinking.

George S. Ledyard
Aikido Eastside
Bellevue, WA
Aikido Eastside
AikidoDvds.Com
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