I got to read about Morihei Uyeshiba in a magazine and all his students were saying that even today at 85 years old he is still sparring no hols barred with his students and with his son. Tell me though, how is it that you guys in Aikido style beat down strong opponents so easily? Morihei just flipped everyone on their faces like it was nothing.
What was the date of that publication? As for the rest, it only looks easy. If it really was easy, everyone would be doing it.
I only studied Aikido for a short time on and off (less than a year overall) I'm enjoying other stuff I can still do while young, before I go back to it. So i'm no great authority but...In short, Aikidoka basically understand movement, and the way the body moves, instead of blocking a strike, which breaks the movement they 'blend' with it, and change the angle of the movement to where they want it to go, some focus a lot on 'Ki', some less. But the short of it is, Aikidoka just understand how the body moves.
I know he dies a long time ago I can say that much... Hell I don't even think most of his students are alive anymore.
Black belt magazine last month re-published a story they did about him in 1968. And quite a few of his students that were young toward the end of his life are still around.
The simple answer to this is... Don't believe everything you read in magazines ! Define "no holds barred" this means many things to an equally many people. The founder was truely a remarkable person, there's no doubting this however; there has unfortunately been much sensationalising about his abilities. Additionally the Japanese language does not always translate directly into English and some of the older translations were possibly taken out of their true context. The best way to judge for yourself would be to train with 2nd generation aikidoist such as TK Chiba Shihan, Y. Yamada Shihan and talk to them about their experiences at Hombu. Dave
O Sensei was an extraordinary individual who became famous for his Aikido. Practising Aikido does not necessarily make you into an extraordinary person - most of us break or get weak much younger than he did. (I recall reading about enormous feats of strength and endurance in his youth, so I assume the physique was there to begin with. I'm guessing but his reflexes etc may also have been part of his natural ability which was then honed through training. If 'ki' means simply 'life energy' he reputedly also had that in abundance - aikido is not for the lazy.) We ordinary guys have to start very young and practice like hell for decades to become good (and still learning). IMHO the reason aikido serves us so well is that because it takes such a long time to learn WELL, a good student has time to consolidate and apply the techniques and to mature mentally as well as physically. Bad students don't tend to last long in the clubs I know - they drop out because they look for quick results or they get kicked out because they want to learn a MA to hurt others on the street. If you have the patience and find the art attractive - go for it. It will last you a lifetime!
