Poll: How martial do you consider your aikido classes?

AikiWeb Poll for the week of March 24, 2002:

How martial do you consider your aikido classes?

• I don't do aikido
• Extremely martial
• Very martial
• Somewhat martial
• Not at all martial
  

Here are the current results.

I was kind of surprised at the results. A lot of people posted that their classes were "somewhat martial". I have to say, sometimes when I read messages on this site, I wonder if I'm doing the same art as everyone else (or if I'm just extremely clueless)

I think that I have today the "diarrhea of the mouth" since this is my 4th post already.

I don't think the martiality of the class is as important in aikido as in other arts. I noticed that less martial schools put more emphazis on flow which is quite important in the long run.

What is important for me is attacks speed, training intensity and realistic ukemi, as this is what prepares you physically and mentally to a real situation.

In some schools that I've visited, people don't even sweat after one and a half hours of practice. I think this is shameful.

Cheers,
Edward

That is an interesting question?

Do you condisider rough hard training to be extremely, or that it is hobby style martial training?

IF we go to the extreme end of extreme, then it would be a war time, full kill or be killed by each partner or of each partner ... but that would not be Aikido, it would be death-do wouldn't it? That type of training would be looney toon ... no one would ever begin to learn the pillars of Aikido because no one would survive practice. OOPS!

But if we consider it in the context of military training, with injury and death apparrent from techniques ... that might be too much too. Society would take the teachers and the students off to jail if someone was killed ... let's try again ....

How about a throw that hurts alot and turns your brain into jelly because it is so hard you can't keep from hitting your head ... yeah ... that is enough for extremely? Might get you bounced out of the dojo, but hey, you gotta touch extremely somehow?

That would put somewhat in the area of normal practice, at human speed ... enough to sweat and dodge incoming atemi, without more than a loud thump and sore muscles? Yeah, SOMEWHAT martial, how about that?

Just kidding, I just woke up and brain fog is still covering any real thoughts ...

Anyway ... to be extremely martial, we are gonna have to start doing our homework on the human body, it weaknesses, its meridians, and how to activate these weaknesses to get anywhere near extremely martial. If you do your Aikido in the classic style that O'Sensei shows to his students and his students show to you, then you are halfway there. All the four groups ... Judo, Jujitsu, Karate, Aikido, sword ... damn ... thats five! Close enough, move on.

To be very martial, it would mean being a master of Aikido, at least in the eyes of others as we never satisfy our own level of practice, with in corporating weapons, strikes, kicks, and numereous "why did you hurt my little head" techniques, that could be dangerous to the early kyu levels who do not practice with full intent. Physical Aikido, without pressure points, without understanding meridians yaddi yada humpf rumpf bumpf...

Uh, oh, brain fog again ...

So, yeah, that would make the pole perfectly valid, wouldn't it? Normal Aikido practice without trying to hurt anyone, as fast as it can be with whoever you are with ... Somewhat martial?

Or should we call the federal marshall and get a mediator in here to settle this ....

Laugh! This has been a test of your aiki-humor. If you don't get it, throw yourself until you do ... somewhat martially, of course.