a question for aikidoiain

you said you were able to defend yourself in 3 months with tomiki aikido,tell me the story,and do you think defending yourself in 3 months training is possilble with the aikikai style,if not how long?

Hi Josh,

Yes, after 3 months of "reality based training" I was indeed able to defend myself. You see, we would "act out" actual fight scenarios. Quite often, you would get the adrenalin rush and sometimes even fear during this training style. As well as Tomiki, I also trained in Aiki-Jujitsu during this time.

Around this time, some idiot that used to hang around with the band I was playing with, pulled a knife on me. I didn't know if he was joking or not - so I immediately put a kotegaeshi lock on him and turned his knife toward his throat. Kidding or not, he got the message.

It happened when we were all sitting around after a gig when this guy pulled out his flick knife and pointed it at my throat. Like I said, I just reacted. I couldn't take the chance he was just kidding. It later turned out he was. He simply wanted to see how good my MA was. I guess he found out!

As for the Aikikai Aikido - I've just started that, and I'm finding it very difficult to pick up the basics - yet when we get onto advanced techniques (especially knife attacks) I find them easy! I'm not saying Tomiki is any better than Aikikai - I think it was more to do with "how I trained" than which style it was. I have to admit though, that there seems to be more "economy of movement" in the Tomiki method. Aikikai seems to be more subtle. I do like what I've seen of Aikikai, and think it'll do me good to "go back to basics" anyway.

You should also remember, I did all my Tomiki training outside a dojo environment, so we simply worked on the stuff that could be used on the street - and we could also structure our own training. I should point out that over this 10 year period, I trained under many instructors - only, it was outside the dojo. I met these people through playing in bands, and got free lessons off them. It was great!

Stick with your training. Don't follow my lead - I don't even have an Aikido rank! What do I know?


Iain.

Lie Iain, I had a situation with a knife wielder after only a few months of aikido training-
Yes, Aikido-OF ANY STYLE IS EFFECTIVE.
As you all know I'd rather be fishing, if time and weather permit-even willing to make exceptions there..
Anyway, back in August I was on a night Bluefishing trip.
A fellow got on board and started drinking heavily and he had killed a 1/2 pint of cognac, before the boat left the dock.. I expected to see him hurling (his stomach contents) over the rail ,or passing out- alas, such was not the case.
Soon he was going passive / agressive, and talking to himself. When our lines tangled for the third time, he lost it, and pulled his filet knife on me and thrust toward my gut.!
My mind went into overdrive, and I recalled, that over the last 2 weeks at the dojo, we had been learning sumi otoshi, (I know, spelled wrong), it was either that or kotegaeshi-I stepped inside and next thing he was against the rail, the knife was on the deck, and he was screaming...(funny thing , as I executed the technique, part of my mind was thinking how my sensai would critique my technique- "No, your feet are all wrong..")
Anyway, the technique worked, and like Iain, can testify to the power of Aikido.
Bruce-
I

lain im curious if you have any demos of your band that you could link to me, because id like to here some of the music you made with your band.

So one can learn kotegaeshi in three months, but not how to read another person's intent (or how to choose the company you keep). Perhaps the next three months should be spent on these principles.

I agree with Benjamin. You can reduce the likelihood of being attacked by "avoidance". In my case, it was just part of the business I worked in. The music scene is often full of unsavoury characters, and there was always an undercurrent of violence present - especially at gigs. That was perhaps why so many fellow musicians also trained in Martial Arts.

Lifestyle plays a big part in this issue. I should also point out, that in all the times I've been confronted by a knife-wielder, they just wanted my money (except for the situation I just explained he was just pushing his luck, and got a sore wrist as a result!). That's when I came up with the idea of carrying a "decoy" wallet. However, even now I would always approach anyone that threatened me with a knife as "life threatening", and would react accordingly.

While training, I once asked a Dan grade instructor in Aiki-Jujitsu, "When will I know when to go?" He just said, "Don't worry - it'll just happen". He was right.

I still value the style if training I did with weapon attacks away from the dojo. We used rubber knives (obviously) but even so, you still don't want to get cut. This is good preparation for the real thing I think. It doesn't desensitize you to threat - quite the opposite, it heightens your senses.


Iain.

Sure Jacob,

I've sent you a PM.

I played with so many bands over the years, I've lost count - but this one was the best.


Iain.

How did you learn music?

I heard a Buddy Rich record when I was 9 or 10 and just played along to them. Later I taught myself how to read and notate drum music, then I started teaching too.

Moved to Glasgow for work, and just kept playing all the time. It was all sorts of music. But , I still love jazz - especially Allan Holdsworth and Pat Metheny.

I learned by playing with other musicians, and improvising. I used to love free-form improv, where someone would just start playing and the music would just be created out of this, as everyone else began to interact with new ideas. The music could go in any direction. Sometimes, you'd all be in that "zone" where we are all totally locked as one. Some real magic can be created through improvising.

Do you play?


Iain.

Mark Johnston wrote: How did you learn music?

hehe