What does Aikido offer people today?

Greetings all,

Some random thoughts on what it is that Aikido may offer to people today,

"If we were to take a straw poll of the reasons that keep Aikidoka practicing Aikido today, I suspect we would likely get a fairly diverse group of answers. The popular ones could be along the lines of -- Self Defence, Fitness, Confidence, Health, Spirituality and our list could clearly go on with a number of other good suggestions.

These are all good reasons to train Aikido, yet at the same time I do think that a similar list could fairly easily be raised for any number of martial arts.

Along these lines then, what is it, that this system of Aikido that dates back to the 1930's really offers for people in our modern world today?"

Continued, - https://dontmakemeangrymrmcgee.wordp...-people-today/

Hi Ben

A question, if you don't mind.

You wrote: "My experience was that training in aggressive martial arts began to negatively affect my personality and brought me unwanted feelings of aggression and began to change my personality."

Which art(s) was that?

An essay by Alex Peterson sensei -- IMO this speaks very well to the subject of what Aikido offers people today (or any other day).

You are missing the point, the main answer you would get from most people who train for long is:

Aikido is fun

And they train because they enjoy it.
Some of those may be able to tell you they have trained other MA but Aikido was the right one for them

All the elements you mention are important parts of the picture which explain why Aikido in a certain dojo is fun for someone.

Amir

Demetrio Cereijo wrote: Hi Ben A question, if you don't mind. You wrote: "My experience was that training in aggressive martial arts began to negatively affect my personality and brought me unwanted feelings of aggression and began to change my personality." Which art(s) was that?

This is irrelevant of the martial art style. This is a problem that comes from the teacher first, and also sometimes the student. Aikido can be nasty, or Steven Seagal would not have used it so successfully in his movies. An Aikido instructor with anger issues can teach an aggressive version of his art, and a wise Kyokushin instructor can encourage his students to resort to their art only if their live depends on it.

When I was doing Karate, everybody talked about this ten year old black belt kid - now old enough to have started his own family - who was so passionate about his art that he trained seven days a week. His parent were exhausted from driving him to and from class, but they could only admit that the kid's asthma seemed to be in remission, and that he never fought at school.

Don't blame the art. Blame first the instructor, then maybe the student.

Demetrio Cereijo wrote: Hi Ben A question, if you don't mind. You wrote: "My experience was that training in aggressive martial arts began to negatively affect my personality and brought me unwanted feelings of aggression and began to change my personality." Which art(s) was that?

Hello Demetrio, in this case I was training in Krav Maga. In the gym we trained around aggression and trained in explosive short burst attacks. It clearly works and achieves its goal as people went on to become very good at the techniques accordingly. It is true however that this is the only gym that I trained Krav in, and other schools may well be different.

Thanks Ben.

Not tryin' to blame the art but I'm starting to see a pattern regarding KM schools, Of course it's only based in anecdotal evidence.

Classic chicken and egg.

People of a type are attracted to a particular type of training and a particular type of attitude is enhanced.

Happens in Aikido, KM, BJJ, etc.

It is interesting to reflect that one of the classic mistakes that some of these people make when they arrive at a Krav Maga gym is that they get hyped up initially and do not pace themselves for the duraction of the training. Aggression is important and has its role in the training, yet we would get the pad and punch / kick repeatedly. People would get up and give it absolutley everything and less than half way through be muscle fatigued and weakly tapping the bag. The actual real training was to measure yourself and build your strength to meet the challenge accordingly.

Mary Malmros wrote: An essay by Alex Peterson sensei -- IMO this speaks very well to the subject of what Aikido offers people today (or any other day).

Dear Mary,As a good friend of Alex Peterson[Hi Alex , how are you doing?] I believe he is imo correct when he indicated that our teachers [Chiba Sensei ]objective was not all about martial effectiveness.Chiba Sensei as far as I am concerned wanted each student to realise his /her full potential both on /off the tatami.Perhaps by working diligently on ones own self , perhaps we can point others in the same direction?I certainly feel as I advance in years [too quickly I may add ] my own goals have changed markedly.No longer do I want or need to be the Ultimate Fighting Machine.Cheers, Joe.

A good thread, but there are other issues for me.

1. As Aikido is so decentralized, anyone can hang up their shingle and offer to be anything. So, we can barely define what Aikido is, let alone any benefits or offerings. There are four dojo in my immediate area, and they are all significantly different from each other.

2. What we claim to offer - how well are we providing it?

Self defense skills cover a wide spectrum, from the dubious, to the brutal.

Spirituality? I am not of the belief that Kotegaeshi automatically puts me on the road to enlightenment.

Less harmful to others? O Sensei told us Aikido was lethal in his guidelines for practice.

Less harmful to ourselves? How many senior students do not have healthy knees or have a litany of chronic injuries?

Not all schools even attempt to teach meditation, some pay no attention to ergonomics or kinesthiology, some talk in religious terms but have little in evidence to back up their "beliefs."

More than the Art, the question I think is what a specific teacher would offer?

'something' attracts people to Aikido (or any other art for that matter).
Whether or not they stay depends simply on how they enjoy practise.
Some will have more profound interest and start walking the path...

You should really find the right teacher that can help you develop in the direction you seek...
during that search a time can/will come that that teacher cannot help you anymore and you seek another or become independent (mastership).

As always Aikido is what you make of it, just like life!