OK now don't laugh but I heard Steven Seagal was the best Aikido fighter in the nation. Is this true? Was it ever true? I was watching the extras on his new Deadly Crossing movie (which is awesome by the way) and they mentioned something about it. Anyone know?
He might not just be the best Aikido fighter... he might be the ONLY Aikido fighter... therefore, because he is the only one, he is also the best one. My twisted logic aside... what is an "Aikido fighter"?
Not really relevant to thread title but I've read accounts by people who witnessed Morihie Ueshiba deal with challengers. They said it didn't look much like Aikido.
what's interesting is morihei ueshiba himself said that aikido in practice is mostly striking. and if you look at, say, the iwama pictures, you get a better idea of this. and from his writings, ueshiba also is laying out how aikido is all and no techniques (i know, if that doesn't sound like eastern mystical nonsense) clearly, aikido is much more than the syllabus that kisshomaru codified. there are aikidoka that get that. i'll give segal credit for one thing only.....watching his movies, he's clearly doing aikido. as far as him being a fighter, i can't judge that.
know where your coming from, I've read similar things (a lot on this forum by the late great Koyo). But good luck finding a dojo that puts this into practice.
There is no dojo that puts it into practice because Ueshiba himself did not put it into practice. People love to trot this quote out as evidence that everyone is doing aikido wrong, but the truth is that aikido is -- and always has been -- primarily a grappling art, as was Daito-ryu before it.
I can't really see it as a grappling art it's just...Aikido. Though I can believe the stories about Aikidoka who are also strong high ranking Judoka or at least have a Judo background can really make it work and are pretty formidable martial artists.
I always thought Obata was one guy who could motor...although he is not Aikido per se IIR and claims Aikijutsu instead [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HxupJ8_u9U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HxupJ8_u9U[/ame]
I think I understand what you mean. When I think of grappling I see it as a term that usually involves people who are battling against each other, there is an implied level of physicality. When I think of Aikido it really doesn't fit what I think of as grappling, I tend to see it more as a martial dance. Now, Aikido obviously fits the dictionary definitions of grappling, it is just not the type of practice that the term brings to mind (at least for me).
Hmmm... So on a movie release produced by Steven Seagal they say he is America's top "Aikido fighter". I wonder where they got that "fact" from?
Our opinions about whether or not Aikido is a valid fighting method aside, isn't it an oxymoron to say "Aikido fighter" if you take into account the principles of the art? At least in my former Aikido dojo, we were told Aikido is supposed to stop fights and avoid them peacefully. I don't see the word "fighter" fit in there, but it depends on the particular dojo I guess.
Avoiding a "fight" is the goal. The means by which that is achieved are an entirely different story. Aikidoka don't fight in the same sense a boxer does. We really try to avoid going toe to toe in some sort of protracted scrap. The idea is to neutralise the situation as quickly as possible.
A good number of the early Aikidoka were also Judoka. And a good number were also well versed in other arts as well.
