Aikido application in daily life

Discussion in 'Aikido' started by aikiMac, Feb 11, 2005.

  1. Dave Humm

    Dave Humm Serving Queen and Country

    I think we're saying the same thing different ways (but from differing perspectives)

    I would say, use AIKIDO as the vehicle to improve one's self and daily life not, immerse one's self in a philosophy of a person.

    Regards as always
     
  2. aikiwolfie

    aikiwolfie ... Supporter

    When I take something from Aikido into my daily life, it's always something I've learned in the dojo from the practice of Aikido. Maybe it's just me but I find when I give people outwith Aikido the same respect I give to my uke, things just seem to happen a little more easily. People seem to be that little bit more understanding and willing to help. So I would also say that digging into the philosophy isn't really all that important.
     
  3. TheMasterSword

    TheMasterSword Cunning Linguist

    There is never a clear cut answer for this question or any question that has to do with Aikido (just look at all these threads!!)

    I don't know the Aikido applications in real life or claim that I have the answer to this.... but all I know that for me personally.. I could have a terrible day at work then once I step on that mat everything vanishes... I think clearer than I have ever thought and can react accordingly..... this type of "zone" I try to incorporate into my life.. it could range from having an argument with a girlfriend to havin someone pull a weapon on you... everything can incorporate Aikido's teachings and Aikido's teachings can incorporate anything

    to me aikido in daily life just means greeting everyday as a day to learn something new and to grow...aikido is great because it is a very personal thing and everyone takes something from it and its just something that you cannot explain in full regard
     
  4. Rebel Wado

    Rebel Wado Valued Member

    I hate to say it, but why does it seem so many people that study Aikido try to apply it to life outside of combat as if Aikido specifically addresses these things as part of the art?

    It is fun to joke around about things, like we used to say that driving on a freeway during rush hour used Aikido such as irimi to pass cars. In all seriousness, these are fun examples and not to be taken literally.

    To me, Aikido has a benefit that goes beyond the dojo, but it isn't in applying Aikido to real world but, IMO, it is in providing the human being with necessities to function better in society and in peace of mind.

    The human being has a basic need for physical contact and exertion. In Aikido, one trains regularly with a partner. This provides physical contact. Having this contact in a non-confrontational (not Ego-inflated) way can help to center one's balance in life and be more at peace with the world. A calming effect that transfers beyond class time.

    In addition, to interact with a partner in Aikido, you must be sensitive to their well being and the consequences of one's actions upon that being. This is both promotion of better communication skills and sensitivity to the needs and intentions of the partner as well as your own needs, wants, and goals.

    In other words, in Aikido class, you aren't just learning philosophy, strategy, and technique, but you are developing people skills.

    Aikido is not applying to the world, what I say it is, is people skills. To say this is actually Aikido to me, frankly, and I appologize, but it sounds arrogant to those that train hard in things other than Aikido and get some of the same benefits.
     
  5. Dave Humm

    Dave Humm Serving Queen and Country

    Lets look at any classical Japanese martial art (I mention "Japanese" because that's all I've ever studied)

    Karate, Judo, Jujutsu, Kendo Iaido, Kenjutsu, Kyudo, and of course Aikido just to name a few off the top of my head.

    What do these arts offer the human being ? Lets forget self defence, lets forget physical fitness, lets even forget spiritual or philosophical development, what do we have left ?

    Development of : Discipline, social interactive skills, dedication, tenacity, will power, commitment, honour, team work, confidence, appearance and many more I can't think of right this second.

    What are these traits ? They are aspects of personality, we all have them at some level or another but the study of a martial art has a particular way of generally improving each aspect in a student who is serious about their study.

    It really doesn't matter which art one studies, it's what's inside YOU which counts. Study is merely a focus in which the by product of this long term commited hard work results in what I've listed above.

    Regards
     
  6. aikiwolfie

    aikiwolfie ... Supporter

    I'd say it's because the variouse teachers in the world teaching Aikido who have gone to the trouble of wrighting books have all in one way or another taken the time to draw attention to this aspect of Aikido.

    If Aikido is sold on the idea that it will improve your life above and beyond personal security then Aikido will attract students looking for something more than just a self defence class. And then the cascade begins.

    The health benefits of Aikido were pushed by O Sensei himself. It's something that seems to have always been part of the sales pitch at least for as long as "Aikido" was the official name of the art.
     
  7. Moridin

    Moridin New Member

    Why not talk about restraining "bad guys" till the police or back-up arrives? Or simply to stop them hurting themselves.

    I posted something at the Kung Fu forum and people started saying it's illogical, impossible or bad to restrain people. Cause you'd have to hurt them, use pain to keep them in place.

    I'm still shocked. Don't answer me, i just needed to deal with my shock.
     
  8. Dave Humm

    Dave Humm Serving Queen and Country

    Well... I'm going to reply
    Apart from my 18 year study of aikido, I'm also experienced in prisoner control and restrain applications.

    The basic premise for effective control and restraint (and by effective I mean controlled without undue force or injury to the recipient) requires a minimum of a 2 to 1 and sometimes 3 to 1 ratio. Having additional assistance provides the means to subdue without the need for excessive force. In self defence terms however; we generally consider the reverse as a common situation, a minimum of 1 to 1 or, worse case, a greater number of adversaries.

    Now, consider just how difficult it would be to effectively subdue an attacker who has decided on a violent course of action. And be honest with your opinions. I can assure you, based on first hand experiences it is never easy to achieve, but who said anything about easy ? True; but then if we train in a martial art, in our case Aikido, surely our training should give us the edge?, may be, maybe not. Physical training and skills in mechanical movements are just a part of martial development. We have to look at the core of violence to understand what is needed to deal effectively with it. Simplistically, there are very few rules in a "fight" and those rules which generally exist, exist for those of use who hold moral or ethical opinions, basically our morals or ethics quite often limit the freedom of action to deal 'on-par' with a violent confrontation.

    Looking at the ideology of aikido, we must strive for conflict resolution with resorting to violence ourselves, I personally agree with this philosophy however, it is something which most mere mortals will probably never fully achieve, striving for this philosophy and believing in it are fine but, and this is a BIG but, we also have to be realistic and honest at the same time with one's actual ability. Essentially I'm saying don't kid one's self about either how well you 'think' you'd cope and additionally, how far you might have to go to stop your attacker.
    1, Sometimes you just might not get the opportunity to immobilise but..
    2, Better to restrain someone if you’re given the opportunity than to full on thrown them to the floor.
    3, Providing you are using 'minimum force' to apply one's immobilisation, any pain will be induced by the recipient of the pin thus, if they relax and stop resisting, the majority of the discomfort will ease, but that's up to them.

    Whenever I've restrained prisoners I've always talked to them as I do so, basically explaining as best the situation allows what I'm doing and importantly what will result if that person resists or unduly struggles, often this serves to psychologically reinforce what I’m physically doing because they're already feeling a degree of discomfort, plus the fact they're most likely already face down on the ground with other officers assisting. So no it isn't bad to restrain, quite the opposite but, you won't always be presented with a clear opportunity to do so especially if you're by your self. Under those circumstances, I'm personally looking for a method of kuzushi to make the person fall over before doing anything else.

    Regards
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2006
  9. Moridin

    Moridin New Member

    Yes, i agree.

    I have had to restrain people at work too. Drunk people, violent people. I know it's not easy. I agree. But sometimes you have to for a few minutes or to save your own skin. And i know that 1 man can hold another man if he is trained or prepared.

    So yes i agree. And the police detective that teaches Aikido around here, encourages us to try and break loose when we practise holds and restraints. That's mainly the reason why i believe what i do. I have tried and applied.

    And i'm not shocked anymore that some folk don't agree. My moment of shock has passed.

    Peace.
     
  10. Rebel Wado

    Rebel Wado Valued Member

    You don't get "points" on the street for pinning people. The goal as you basically state is that sometimes you only have to control a situation or save your skin for a short while. Ultimately the goal could be said to be the subjugation of the enemy (basically knock them out, disable them, or get them to give up and stop fighting).

    IME, successful restraints and immobilization techniques come down to communication, pressure (pounds per square inch) and how well you apply them.

    1. Communication is important because you can talk someone out of fighting, convince them to comply.

    2. Pressure is the key to immobilization. If I get my full body weight onto one joint, I can successfully immobilize that joint and the limb. If I instead spread out my force over a larger area, I may not be able to immobilize anything and so that won't work reliably. What is missed often is that immobilizations may lock joints, but they certainly don't control the entire body of the enemy. Instead, immobilizations focus on locking joints AND applying pressure to blood vessels and the breathing of the enemy.

    This is important, lock a joint immobilizing part of the body AND apply pressure to the chest or neck (blood vessels). When the enemy has trouble breathing, they will tire out faster, if not pass out. They will not be as willing to fight!

    Look at how Aikido pins work from the point of view of restricting the breathing of uke. Uke is flat on the stomach with face on the ground. It is not as fast as say a choke out, but uke is in a position of restricted breathing. Eventually they should tire out, the quicker the better.

    3. How well the technique is applied makes a big difference, not only reducing the chances of the enemy countering or getting out of the technique, but also taking into considerations not only the joint lock but also how the technique restricts the breathing/blood flow of the enemy. Also the technique will allow for the best use of pressure, yielding the best leverage.


    What doesn't work is to try to keep someone from moving by spreading out the body weight over a large area. What also doesn't work is in the thinking that since I have part of the body immobilized, the rest of the body is also restricted. Not true, what is to keep someone from biting if the head is not locked? If one hand is controlled, what keeps the other hand from grabbing a knife or gun out of a pocket? etc.
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2006
  11. Moridin

    Moridin New Member

    I did not state "control a situation for a while". I wrote restrain a person for a while. So yes, i mean subjugate the enemy. (in a merciful way)
    And when you know help/police is on the way, you only have to do this for a while. And that can get you points on the streets. :)


    You explain some things very well. The difference between just locking a joint and immobilisations. I wish more people took a look at Aikido as addition to whatever they are studying. Thanks.
     
  12. J D Hughes

    J D Hughes New Member

    For the sake of levity, i often use sayu undo to close doors and my car's trunk :d
     
  13. Brat

    Brat Return of the Brat!!!

    Aikido in everyday life, for me has become this: learning to work with people to get the results I'm after. Just like when someone strikes at you, you have to work with their energy, not against it. You flow with it and lead them where you want them to go rather than throwing windmills. Just so, I'm learning to use people's oppinions and ideas and torque them a bit, and take them down before they know what happened. Not good at it yet, but learning.
    And more physically, I have learned to use the falls and sword stance to avoid being harmed by my own lack of balance.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 30, 2008
  14. Arconan

    Arconan New Member

    Well put Brat,

    And I myself can attest to the way Aikido has changed my life.Its a amazing feeling to take real world situation around in everday life, and apply the same principles that you use when training a specific technique and/or movement in the dojo.

    Personally I think its all due to the mindset that Aikido training embeds in you that changes your perspective on life and how to approach it, accepting more and flowing with it rather to resist.
     
  15. koyo

    koyo Passed away, but always remembered. RIP.

    (1) ICHI GAN is a major principle which states first use the eyes. Become aware and see things clearly and calmly.If I can "see where this is going." I can influence the outcome.

    (2) down 8 up 9 having been thrown struck strangled and generally beasted for years on the mat. I tend to think I am ready to face most problems without fear or panic.

    (3) the ability to act decisively going from alert to 100% attack in an instant.(I have no interest in exchanging blows)

    Of course no.1 is my main aim.



    regards koyo
     
  16. Arconan

    Arconan New Member

    Indeed one of Aikido's many paradoxes, the more you train and make Aikido part of you, the more ways you find to handle life situation peacefully :cool:

     
  17. macker

    macker Valued Member

    Giving me patience. I ruptured my ACL in April, i carried on the mat untill 6 weeks before surgery, 18th November. I am now 5 weeks post op. Not very patient really as my Aikido demonstrated:rolleyes:
     
  18. Spinmaster

    Spinmaster Valued Member

    This is hardly as philosophical and enriching as many of the experiences mentioned here, but I have found aikido to be quite useful while playing mercy! :D

    For those who don't know what mercy is, see:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy_(game)
     
  19. tkddad2

    tkddad2 New Member

    dont fight what resists..if i go right and you go left ill go left with you and turn you back to the right.like our technique if it doesnt feel right change to another technique..dont try to force.if your not using this is every day life you dont understand aikido.
     
  20. Aikidojomofo

    Aikidojomofo Valued Member

    Was at a music festival here in the UK over the weekend and I found a rather good application for Aikido....

    A mosh pit!

    I was rocking out pretty hard to band and the crowd started to go nuts and a big mosh bit ensued.

    Multiple attackers coming at you from all directions, I thought "let's see how many i can avoid/blend with"

    I'll admit that I didn't do very well and I'm sporting a rather large bruise on my hip from an incoming elbow, BUT I did get it to work on several occasions. Saw the attack coming, stepped in, turned out of the line of attack and kept their momentum going with my arms. Sent them flying into someone else!

    Might not be a traditional approach to training but It forced me to keep very aware, move quick and get off the line FAST

    I recommend it!
     

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