New to Aikido, some questions.

Hey everyone, im 17 years old, and lately ive been thinking about getting into Aikido. I wanted to become involved in some sort of Martial Art, and pretty much decided that thiswas the one.

Well, here are my questions,

1 What exactly is Aikido (hah)
2 Are there many competitions and tourneyments?
3 Is studying Aikido really worth it?

Thats about all, dont mean to sound dumb =)

Thanks alot guys.

ScottHedstrom wrote: 1 What exactly is Aikido (hah) 2 Are there many competitions and tourneyments? 3 Is studying Aikido really worth it?

1. http://www.aikidofaq.com/ <--FAQ's about Aikido
2. no
3. depends on what your personal goal is

I'm curious how you were able to decide Aikido was the art you wanted to study when you still have those questions unanswered.
(sign the bottom of your post with your real name btw)

well, i have just been thinking about it, and my father was telling me that this was the form (aikido) that delt with pressure points, and not so much physical strain, etc...


Scott Hedstrom

If all you want is joint locks, perhaps jujutsu would be better?

and no physical strain depends on your point of view...

To your questions.

1. You are right. It's complex, messy and everyone has their own opinion. Hunt around here a bit. This is not an uncommon topic round these parts and while it might not be discussed directly, it's probably the most common undercurrent of threads we have. See Eric Sotnak's primer at

http://home.neo.lrun.com/sotnak/primer.html

for more information.

2. Not many but there are some. Look up Tomiki Aikido for more information. Generally, Aikido is non-competitive. Well, we try to keep it that way.

3. It has been for me and I would have to imagine for everyone else around here.

[Edited by Erik on December 9, 2000 at 06:10pm]

Hi Scott,

Aikido means different things to different people (and at a different periods in your training). It is common to start Aikido as a self-defence, though other aspects become apparent.

One thing you'll learn, for instance, is that pages and pages of words are no substitute for experience. Best thing is to go along to the dojo and see what it is like, and also try out other martial arts and see how you enjoy them. I've never known any dojos to require a commitment to long term training when you start.

Ian