My primary style is Muay Thai and I have taken Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, MMA, and done various forms of grappling in the past. I think the philosophical aspects of Aikido would offer me a whole new perspective on fighting in general (which I'm sure I could use), however, I'm hoping I can utilize some of what I learn in Aikido in my style now... although MT and Aikido seem to be extreme opposites. Having taken Martial Arts that emphasize on 'hardness' or striking, I'd like to try something different and we just happen to have a dojo in the area. Anyways, I'm hoping I can get a few things cleared up. I've done a decent amount of research and I'll be trying a class tomorrow but I'd like to hear from some people who have been practicing Aikido for a while... From what I read, Aikido practices strikes, but it seems that they are mostly practiced to be used so that you can learn to defend against them. So does Aikido ever promote USING those strikes when all else fails or is it pretty much opposed to striking? What could I possibly take from Aikido to effectively blend in with my current kickboxingish style? That's actually all for now. I'm looking forward to studying this new style but I'm hoping to get a few things figured out first. Thank you!
To avoid the whole salad-bar mentality to martial arts... I'd suggest going and training Aikido and actually learning some Aikido. Put out of your mind what you've done before... Muay Thai... whatever. Just focus on the Aikido. You can't half-ass it it. It doesn't work like that. Go in and set the goal for training Aikido to be learning Aikido. As for the strikes in Aikido... years ago when I studied Aikido the strikes were really put on a side burner. They were done half ass and without any commitment .... even those who didn't manage an entry properly weren't getting smashed. That long term has some real negative consequences. Hopefully the place you're training has strikes that are strikes and not some insanely random abstraction that may resemble a strike. Years on from Aikido when I began to study Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu I quickly learned the folly of training with wishy washy strikes. I got steamrolled on more than one occasion by a strike when my entry sucked. Shomen uchi to the dome FTW. A light bulb went on in my head... I'd seen where Morehei Ueshiba had come from and how his art of Aikido had changed as he aged greatly and his mentality and physicality changed. If there is anything to take from Aikido and blend with another style I'd say it's going to be your entry skills (Irimi)... and your ability to off balance (kuzushi) your opponent .
Sounds good. I'm sure directing my opponents balance would come in handy with the clinch as I've learned previously and the mentality in general will surely be of help. I guess I'm just confused as to what more 'modernized' Aikido looks like.. if there is such a thing. From what I've looked at so far, it seems that Aikido tries to steer away from striking... but some dojos like to emphasize on it. I know I'll have to check the dojo and get a feel of it for myself, but I'd like to know where it stands on striking before I go in there with the opposite mentality. Either way, I'm pretty stoked about it.
Hopefully some of the regular Aikidoka's at MAP will chime in... there are several here that have studied for some time and have good insight. My perceptions might have faded with the light of nostalgia as it were. Times like these that I wish MAP member Koyo were still with us. If you search his old posts and threads here at MAP there is always some gem on hard won knowledge waiting to be plucked out. Worth finding them using the search function. RIP Koyo.
I haven't done aikido for over a year (God knows why the hell that is... oh yeah... damn, didn't need to think about all that again :s) but I went to a good class, and while it wasn't especially martial, I was blessed to have trained with some good folks who offered a variety of approaches, including an army guy who wasn't afraid to throw in some smacks and make me work for it, which is bloody rare from what I hear in aikido classes. Anyway, the class I went to didn't really teach strikes, but during demonstrations the teacher did offer "and you could throw in a punch here" or "good place for a kick there," mostly for the intent of breaking balance. We didn't do much in the "here's how to defend against a hook" way of things, but I wasn't there long before I moved away so I don't know if they ever did that approach, but we weren't discouraged from playing around some. Putting their arm behind their head? Your elbow is right there, why not tap them in the snout with it to make their head go back a bit, make sure that's where their weight is going? That kind of thing. It's my humble believe that most martial arts overlap, and what you do in one can be done in another (I used aikido in shotokan karate and tai chi in wing chun, for example), but try not to overthink it. The most applicable way you'll cross muay thai into aikido will be in attributes like leg strength and coordination, given how much focus (ie, not a great deal) they'll likely put on striking.
Hey Folks, Both myself and Chris (Banks) are long term Aikidoka that cross train in Mauy Thai. As Slip mentioned, application of kusuhi and Irimi are of benifit to MT. In the clinch of course but also strikes delivered to a kusushi are much more effective. Most high level Mauy Thai fighters do this automatically. If you study a traditional approach to Aikido striking if 99% of practical techniques, and hard training builds a strong spirit. Again all applicable to Mauy Thai and vice versa. To be honest I'm not sure now Ki Aikido will transfer over, given it generally has very little martial content. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDp2FGVwnzs&feature=relmfu"]Atemi.mov - YouTube[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_GrrpMsOAs&feature=relmfu"]Aikido against kick - YouTube[/ame]
Having trained in both arts for a number of years I find that they cross over very well. Like Makotokai says Irimi and use of kazushi can be very effective in muay thai and like wise muay thai techniques can be used to great effect with aikido movement. I would also agree with Slip that when starting aikido it is better to only train in what is being taught (hopefully good practical aikido!) then once you feel comfortable with the principles look for openings where you could apply kicks, knees etc. this is where I find the arts corss over most. You might find that ki aikido is a little esoteric if you are used to training in muay thai gyms, check it out of course, but maybe try a few clubs and see which suits you best. Cheers.
From what I can tell the quality of practice and tuition in Aikido can vary quite dramatically from club to club. This is certainly true of Ki Aikido where the decent clubs are very rare. Strikes from most Ki Aikido students tend to be useless. Anything that actually poses a threat to you will be delivered from someone with a lot of experience or from someone who has crossed trained. In terms of what you might take from Ki Aikido? I'd have to say it would be something to do with the mental side of things. Ki Aikido takes a different approach to martial arts than traditional Aikido. It tries to sort the mind out first. So there's generally a lot of talk about ki and extending your mind and that sort of thing. If you're seriously trying out Ki Aikido then remember to keep your feet on the ground and your head out of the clouds. Forget anything you've read about philosophy in Aikido or Ki Aikido. Figure that out for yourself.
The amount and quality of striking, and the amount and quality of the "esoteric" stuff (and the degree to which is useful) varies widely and wildly from place to place in Aikido. The best thing is to check out a couple of places and find one that you think you'll like. Best, Chris Aikido Sangenkai
Tried the class today. I'm gonna stick with it. Definitely different from what I've trained in but the emphasis on Ki and the mental aspect of it could definitely contribute to what I already know and just help in certain areas of life. The guy said they don't do any striking in there but the emphasis on evading, countering, etc., could also be added to my MT game. Thanks for all the comments and I'm sure I'll be on this forum more often.
Welcome to MAP and to aikido. A know a lot of martial artists who came to aikido after many years in other martial arts and say that it's made them better at everything. I can't speak to Ki Aikido; I have no experience with it. But I hope it serves you well.
Really depends where you are. Morihei Ueshiba regularly practiced with strikes (on both attacker and defender sides), but many styles have de-emphasized the practice. Best, Chris Aikido Sangenkai
It depends on the individual as well. I practised Ki Aikido and never had an issue with strikes. I saw them as essential. While some of those I practised with really didn't like the idea of being hit or hitting someone else. Which did make me wonder why they were attracted to martial arts in the first place. Too many old men writing books filled with airy-fairy philosophies me thinks.
I take this as you had practice "some" striking. Then there is the question Why wouldn't a "stand-up" martial art for "defense", not have any striking? Name a airy-fairy philosophy
