Self Defense - Aikido or Kung Fu

Discussion in 'Aikido' started by Peaceful_John, Jun 21, 2003.

  1. Tireces

    Tireces New Member

    Well, their view of it from that school is likely a bit skewed, seeing as they have a site about "kung fu healing crystals" and whatnot.
     
  2. aikiMac

    aikiMac aikido + boxing = very good Moderator Supporter

    Well, like hisurfer said, aikido can work in "real life."

    What you're seeing there in the dojo is the foundation. You start easy, and gradually work up to more and more "real life" throws. The reason for this gradual process is that real falls hurt. I mean, really, in aikido you're hitting people with planets. That's heavy. And if you get hurt on Tuesday, you can't train on Thursday, and that would be bad for everyone. Aikido is not alone in this philosophy. Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, also softened the way jujitsu was practised so as to preserve students for the next day's class.

    Ask some of the aikido black belts to really do a technique on you without holding back. I'll bet the money in my wallet that you'll fall very hard on the mat and/or have a very sore wrist still a week from now.

    That said, other styles do move more quickly. It's a matter of taste.
     
  3. deCadena

    deCadena New Member

    and if the aikidokas do their technique on you the way it should be done. as the previous post have stated you'll have a sore wrist or even worse a fractured bone.
     
  4. WOspidermonkey

    WOspidermonkey New Member

    Hey Im in a similar dilemma and want to know is how effective is a striking art without a moderate amount of strength. Speed and strength do affect the effectiveness of a striking art. Striking arts also depend on KO'ing the opponent or maiming them enough to get away. Aikido, aiki-jitsu or jiu-jitsu depend on throws, and jointlocks. These dont require that much strength but technical expertise which tends to go down to an adrenaline rush. If anyone has some info please reply.
     
  5. Virtuous

    Virtuous New Member

    If you practice a technique long enough the movements will come naturally and almost instictual due to 'muscle memory'. This takes a LONG time, alot of people simply dont have the desire to train that long and there is nothing wrong with that. Aikijutsu uses atemi liberally, we are taught some basic striking techniques but they arent applied as they would in a striking art. More or less they are incorporated as parts of the technique, used in conjunction with an outside slip evasion etc etc.

    I once had guy come in at me ready to take my head off. I did an out side evasion and gave him a good solid left pop in the kidney/floating rib and then was going to sumi otoshi his butt. However, after I Atemied him he dropped like a sack of potatoes clutching his side, no need to do any thing else. I then promptly left the bar.

    Point of he story is, though aiki may not be a striking art in a strict sense, strikes are used and sometimes thats all you need.
     
  6. Tomiki Ryu

    Tomiki Ryu New Member

    I love Aikido but must admit it takes WAY longer than most other styles to become proficient in and I would NOT recommend it as a first style, or if your primary concern is self defense. Perhaps after you have taken another style for awhile and feel the need to 'branch out' you might give it a whirl. I'm not a big Kung-fu fan. While I'm not going to knock Kung-fu, because I've never tried it, I'll just say that any time I have seen a Kung-fu guy go up against a full contact Karate guy in a tournement, the Kung-fu guy got his butt handed to him.

    IMO if your primary concern is self defence then go with either full contact karate (Kiokoshinkikan is a great style, I've taken it), some kind of combat ju-jitsu or Judo (a good Judo player will mess you up quickly, I've played with a few).

    Thats my two cents anyways.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2004
  7. pseudo999

    pseudo999 New Member

    ahhhh... Kuk Sool. I'm testing for black belt in Kuk Sool sometime this summer, so I thought I'd pop in on this thread. Note: I've studied JKD, karate, jiu-jitsu, taiji, other stuff, and am currently studying bagua zhang.

    Positive: Contains a well rounded curriculum with upright and ground, striking and locking, and external and internal elements. The people are great overall, due in large part because of an emphasis on etiquette. The grandmaster / founder is still active and makes sure that all schools have quality instruction. Also, because of that, your level of mastery is not limited to the level of the instructor at your school.

    Negative: a. Emphasis on etiquette can be superficial (very) and sometimes leads to tight-asses and hypocrites. b. Though containing a well-rounded curriculum, real-world applications were not taught so well in my school. Also, parts of the curriculum (groundwork, for example) are not available except through seminars. c. Even at high levels, some of the internal stuff is clearly not taught. I once witnessed a form performed by a 4th degree black belt who thought the lower your stance during a form, the better. Period. It lacked any sense of internal awareness. d. You have to promise not to study any other martial art to test for black belt. Please note, a lot of the negative stuff I mention occurs in other martial arts and life in general, so it's not as bad as I might make sound.

    Overall, I'd give Kuk Sool Won a thumbs up, but please keep your mind open to other arts. I've seen people in Kuk Sool stagnate because they think they have everything.
     
  8. buddah_belly

    buddah_belly New Member

    I do both kung fu and aikido. My instructor does both though.
     
  9. NewK

    NewK New Member

    Probably found this thread too late to reach the original poster, but I too have just seen this same school he is talking about. The chan wushu gung fu. I am of the exact same opinion as the original poster. I do want to thank him for the reference to Kuk Sool Won. Had he not of mentioned that, I would never have known to look for it. That school is not in the phone book. I will be visiting their school tonight so thanks again.
     
  10. Adhamwho

    Adhamwho New Member

    You should definitely do Kuk Sool Won, it has both Aikido and Kung Fu Techniques including techniques from Taekwondo, hapkido and karate and it also uses weapons training for nunchucks, staff, swords, daggers and a lot of other weapons and it has gymnastics in it and i have been training it 7 years now
     
  11. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Welcome to MAP! This thread is very old and the original poster has probably moved on from here. Why not introduce yourself by making your own thread and telling us about your martial arts experience? :)
     

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