Welcome to AikiWeb Aikido Information
AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information
AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.

Sections
home
aikido articles
columns

Discussions
forums
aikiblogs

Databases
dojo search
seminars
image gallery
supplies
links directory

Reviews
book reviews
video reviews
dvd reviews
equip. reviews

News
submit
archive

Miscellaneous
newsletter
rss feeds
polls
about

Follow us on



Home > AikiWeb Aikido Forums
Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > AikiWeb System

Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history, humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 10-24-2004, 12:30 AM   #1
AikiWeb System
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,320
Offline
Poll: How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understanding aikido more deeply?

AikiWeb Poll for the week of October 24, 2004:

How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understanding aikido more deeply?
  • I don't do aikido
  • Critically important
  • Very important
  • Somewhat important
  • Not very important
  • Not at all important
  • I have not done any other martial art
Here are the current results.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-24-2004, 03:32 AM   #2
James Giles
Dojo: North Florida Aikikai
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 53
United_States
Offline
Re: Poll: How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understanding aikido more deeply?

I selected the "not very important" answer. I am finding that in order for me to approach learning and understanding Aikido, I have to put previous martial arts experience on a back burner. Where other martial arts rely more on sight, aikido seems to rely more on the sense of touch and feeling.

Also, the more I train, the more I realize that Aikido is all about sustaining life and giving uke a second chance. It is about forgiveness and understanding and letting uke learn from his/her mistakes without killing or causing great injury to him/her.

I suppose taking other martial arts in the past has helped me some with my balance, confidence, etc., but it really doesn't help me to understand aikido.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-24-2004, 11:59 AM   #3
SeiserL
 
SeiserL's Avatar
Location: Florida Gulf coast
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 3,902
United_States
Offline
Re: Poll: How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understanding aikido more deeply?

IMHO, my past training has helped me tremendously to understand the application of Aikido.

OTOH, my past training has been something that keeps getting in my way, especially because I've never stopped cross training.

Lynn Seiser PhD
Yondan Aikido & FMA/JKD
We do not rise to the level of our expectations, but fall to the level of our training. Train well. KWATZ!
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-25-2004, 03:03 AM   #4
Bridge
Dojo: Slough Aikikai
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 130
United Kingdom
Offline
Re: Poll: How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understanding aikido more deeply?

The only benefits I've noticed have been purely on body conditioning and awareness. Hardly any effects on understanding as such.

The reverse is far more true.

I find aikido has helped me understand some of the karate that made no sense previously. Especially the techniques that looked like they would need lots of strength to pull off.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-25-2004, 06:32 AM   #5
Dazzler
Dojo: Bristol North Aikido Dojo
Location: Bristol
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 659
England
Offline
Re: Poll: How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understanding aikido more deeply?

I started Goshin Jujutsu practice just after gaining my nidan rank.

This was very much a modern style with an emphasis on effectiveness in combat. Over the years it moved more and more towards the mixed martial arts way of practice encompassing boxing, grappling and vale tude.

For me it helped unlock the potential of my aikido. I could see where the 'exercises' could be taken to make them effective in a situation and answered so many of the 'what if question' that exist regarding the so called in-effectiveness of aikido strikes and techniques.

The result of this was that I could practice Aikido without continually trying to force the exercises into a martial mould and instead focus on the higher level practice of aikido principles and bases.

I'm not sure I could have made this breakthrough with aikido alone.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-25-2004, 09:23 AM   #6
L. Camejo
 
L. Camejo's Avatar
Dojo: Ontario Martial Arts
Location: Mississauga, Ontario
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,423
Canada
Offline
Re: Poll: How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understanding aikido more deeply?

Practicing in other styles benefitted my Aikido in a variety of ways. The reverse is also true.

Judo and BJJ training helped me to gain deeper understanding of kuzushi principles, body mechanics principles for kansetsu and shime waza and how to apply the aikido principles of body movement while on the ground (still working on that last one).

Training in Chinese and Korean arts (JKD, Wing Chun, Tajiquan, ITF TKD), I got a different appreciation of application of ma ai in my Aikido and was able to explore a variety of aspects that would affect atemi waza principles, especially in the area of targeting, Jin and hand/foot positions, shapes and angles.

Other Jujutsu training such as Daito Ryu and Akayama Ryu reminds me of martial applications of very simple and basic movements found in Aikido that may appear harmless at first.

Non-martial training in Qigong has really helped in the energy and mind focus department, bringing the other principles together quite nicely without confusion so far.

Just my few cents. I'll always be a proponent of cross training. I believe its good to see oneself from within and without to get a comprehensive perspective of things, same goes for MA.

BTW I voted "Very Important".
LC

Last edited by L. Camejo : 10-25-2004 at 09:26 AM.

--Mushin Mugamae - No Mind No Posture. He who is possessed by nothing possesses everything.--
http://www.tntaikido.org
http://www.mushinkan.ca
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-25-2004, 11:23 AM   #7
suren
Dojo: Aikido of Silicon Valley
Location: Fremont, CA
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 248
United_States
Offline
Re: Poll: How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understanding aikido more deeply?

I'm glad my first karate teached approached his teaching as budo and that's the most valuable part I've got from him.

Other very important part I've got practicing other MA before Aikido is to be patient, to concentrate on what is taught, not to expect miracles in couple of days and be discouraged, to be persistent.

Then of cource the body physical condition, which helps me to concentrate on the technique.

Plus maybe the ability to deal with different types of pain and to understand my "body language".

And of cource it gave me advantage of understanding the right way to do atemi.

I guess that's enaugh to vote "very important".

Last edited by suren : 10-25-2004 at 11:26 AM.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-26-2004, 05:48 AM   #8
bbleeker
 
bbleeker's Avatar
Location: Diemen, the Netherlands
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 18
Netherlands
Offline
Re: Poll: How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understan

For me, it hasn't been important at all, but I've only done a little bit of karate.

Berna Bleeker
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-26-2004, 06:04 AM   #9
PeterR
 
PeterR's Avatar
Dojo: Shodokan Honbu (Osaka)
Location: Himeji, Japan
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 3,319
Japan
Offline
Re: Poll: How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understanding aikido more deeply?

Even with the resistance randori (testing of technique) that we do there is a tendency to get insular - to me its very clear which people have stepped outside the box.

Where there is no testing of technique it becomes even more important.

Peter Rehse Shodokan Aikido
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-26-2004, 10:44 AM   #10
Amendes
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 130
Offline
Re: Poll: How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understanding aikido more deeply?

As my Sensei has a background in alot of arts, we tend to have some extra fun stuff thrown in, mostly silat and sometimes some stretches that I've seen in qouigong <Not sure of the spelling>.

Anyways when asked why he added silat to this in he simply replied "Because thats how I was taught when I was learning."

:-P

As for James' quote about Aikido not relying on sight as much as feeling, I tend to agree with you.
I know for fact there is an Aikido sensei who is very good at teaching, and can see just about everything her students do when performing techniques with them. The only thing that might surprise you about here is she is blind.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-26-2004, 11:44 AM   #11
JMCavazos
Dojo: Aikido Center of South Texas
Location: Houston,Tx
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 151
United_States
Offline
Re: Poll: How important has experiencing other martial arts been for you in understanding aikido more deeply?

I voted "not very important".

I have studied Shotokan Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Ju Jitsu (grappling) and Aikido. How important has experiencing other martial arts been for understanding aikido? Well, really, none!!! I have an understanding of how kicks and punches come and what a grappler would like to do if he takes you to the ground, or what a ju jitsu person looks for when they're looking for an armbar, choke, etc... As uke I can probably kick & punch better than your regular "John Doe". But, as far as understanding and bettering my aikido, well --- not really.

As a matter of fact, my students who have cross trained or come from other martial arts have habits that aren't aiki in nature and depending on how long they've been exposed to those other martial arts could take a long time to un-imprint (I know there is a better word for this). Sometimes it is counter productive, especially when they start saying: in "so and so martial art" we do this...... It seems to get in their way instead of help.

I think that cross training is fine. But when you are in aikido, do aikido, when you are in tae kwon do, do tae kwon do. Cross train - don't get cross confused. I think that it is more important to get a solid grounding in basics before branching out to other martial arts. In my opinion, a good grounding in basics probably takes a person to about a sandan level. If you want something else at that point, then I would say it is OK to search out another martial art to supplement aikido. Starting out in a "bunch" of martial arts as a beginner, in my opinion, only serves to confuse a person, not making the other martial art better.

Remember, this is only MY opinion as through MY experiences. Shotokan since I was 15 yrs old to my 20's, Tae Kwon DO in my 20's, Ju Jitsu in my 30's, Aikido in my 30's & 40's. Aikido is by far the most successful for ME.
  Reply With Quote

Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Omoto-kyo Theology senshincenter Spiritual 80 06-10-2022 08:32 AM
Self-defense art? Michael Varin General 227 08-21-2012 09:22 AM
Aikido in Amsterdam, Terry Lax style... tiyler_durden General 11 11-03-2008 08:31 AM
Women and Everybody Else in Aikido George S. Ledyard Teaching 113 03-16-2008 07:27 PM
Train in Aikido for Martial Arts chadsieger General 62 06-06-2002 12:50 AM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:59 AM.



vBulletin Copyright © 2000-2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited
----------
Copyright 1997-2024 AikiWeb and its Authors, All Rights Reserved.
----------
For questions and comments about this website:
Send E-mail
plainlaid-picaresque outchasing-protistan explicantia-altarage seaford-stellionate