Thinking about Aikido

Hello this is my first post and I hope it is in the correct section.

I have played competative judo to a reasonable level for a number of years but feel it is time now for me to move on to something more permanent (for me judo is full on and as I'm 40 this year I am ready to begin something new as I have absolutely no interest in coaching kids which apart from masters competitions this would be the next step).

I have an interest in Aikido and from what I am informed there is a very good Yoshinkan club in the next town to me.

A few of questions please.

1. Will my judo gi be suitable for Aikido? (They are Mizuno Eurocomp)
2. From what I understand Aikido in the UK is more adult focussed rather than young person focussed like judo?
3. I have the usual judo player injuries reconstructed ACL (no problems since). Is aikido as hard on the body as judo and is it something to be practiced into the silver years?

Basically I enjoyed my judo a great deal but no longer want to compete, move into coaching or continue picking up injuries that heal a lot slower than they used to - is akido a good next step?

Most people I know who have left the judo mat have taken up golf which just aint me.

Thanks for your time.

Jamie Gargett wrote: Hello this is my first post and I hope it is in the correct section. I have played competative judo to a reasonable level for a number of years but feel it is time now for me to move on to something more permanent (for me judo is full on and as I'm 40 this year I am ready to begin something new as I have absolutely no interest in coaching kids which apart from masters competitions this would be the next step). I have an interest in Aikido and from what I am informed there is a very good Yoshinkan club in the next town to me. A few of questions please. 1. Will my judo gi be suitable for Aikido? (They are Mizuno Eurocomp) 2. From what I understand Aikido in the UK is more adult focussed rather than young person focussed like judo? 3. I have the usual judo player injuries reconstructed ACL (no problems since). Is aikido as hard on the body as judo and is it something to be practiced into the silver years? Basically I enjoyed my judo a great deal but no longer want to compete, move into coaching or continue picking up injuries that heal a lot slower than they used to - is akido a good next step? Most people I know who have left the judo mat have taken up golf which just aint me. Thanks for your time.

1) I wear a Judo gi, so I don't think it would be a problem.

2) Can't answer that because I don't live in the U.K.

3) There are many a person who practice well into their silver years. There was actually a documentary on Aikido that showed many of the Hombu residents practicing who were well into their 80s. There are also youtube videos of people like Morihiro Saito Sensei Shihan doing demonstrations up to his 70's.

I would personally say that Aikido is probably a good next step, but 1) I am biased, 2) I never trained in Judo (BJJ is probably the closest I got, had a little Judo thrown in), 3) I am still a youngin'.

Good luck in your journey!

P.S. Golf isn't all that bad!

Aikido can be very hard on the knees, we are prone to acl blow outs. If your graft is very stable and you have no pain and no documented osteoarthritis in the knee, then simple focus on good body mechanics and keeping the support muscles strong should be fine. If you've been left with any wear and tear pain or are developing osteoarthritis in the knee, I'd strongly recommend you avoid suwariwaza, doing aikido from a kneeling position, as it places a lot of strain on the joint interior.
Some research here http://www.zanshinart.com/Essays/AikiKnee.html

Golf will kill you. It is the athletes grave yard. Golf is what you do when your retire from something you can't do anymore. Unless you start with golf. Then your trapped, cause old golfers don't move on, they mulligan -infinite loop- on the 18th hole. I am just kidding. Golf is a great sport I have never played.

I would do Aikido. I think Aikido is very challenging. You may still crave competition. Generally, Aikido doesn't have competition, and there is always exception to the rule, of course. And Aikido is no different. Aikido is very intricate in my opinion, and difficult to do well, and properly. Aikido is something I have been working on doing well. Geez, for people like me it is slow progress with no quick results. And, yea, that is my experience, yours could be different.

Your judo gi should be fine as long as it's white. Most aikido practitioners in the UK use judo gi anyway.

As with your second question it seems that with the aikikai/birankai styles in the UK they are indeed more adult oriented. There are often separate children classes though.

About injuries it's mostly on the knees like Ms. Rosen said. Lots of kneeling and suwari-waza can take a toll after many years. They do say though that if you do your techniques right it should reduce the risk a lot. Another type of injury common with beginners is back injuries but I assume that you are already used to breakfalling and receiving techniques in judo.

Aikido is generally a pretty safe martial arts though you may know that yoshinkan aikido is regarded as one of the hardest styles of aikido as well.

Thank you all for your replies and input.

My knees are no worse than any other 40 year old I guess? My ACL graft was excellent and I have had no problems since.(two years ago)

I have blue and white gi (I wasn't planning on wearing the blue ones to an aikido class).

I'm used to taking a fall and the rough and tumble of a contact sport, but as we get older the injuries in judo take a lot longer to heal and you tend to pick up quite a few. Hence the non competative controlled aspect of aikido appeals to me.

The local club is on a summer break for a month now but I have a feeling I will check them out when they return. Its either that or Iaido.

What is aikikai/birankai style please?

Yes I understand Yoshinkan is considered a 'hard' style.

In general I would say aikido is easier on the body, and has less injuries than judo, but we do get injuries. Most injuries in beginners are from poor ukemi and since you are experienced in judo this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

The labels attached to aikido styles can be misleading. I do yoshinkan, and consider my dojo to be fairly robust, but I know others are much 'softer'. Aikikai dojo also have a very diverse range of intensity of training.

Ignore the label - go to the dojo and watch them train. a few times.

Spike

I like what Spike said.

Birenkai is under Chiba Sensei. Aikikai, but known to be quite "robust"...

snicker...

Best,
Ron

Howdy, you have quite a big advantage with your judo experience ukemi is one of the biggest fears newbie's have, reference the style of aikido maybe you could go sit in on some classes from different schools as I believe the teacher and his style is going to dictate the pace and force rather than the outline style.

Good luck where ever you end up sure you will have a blast

I concur with Spike, this art has alot of Judo throws, and off balancing foot work, you will enjoy the workout. I have a lot of respect for Judo,one of my best friends was a Sandan in Judo( RIP) and I learned alot from him, good luck.