what do the members of this forum consider to be the true style of aikido,i ask this question because on a different post aikiscotman in a reply stated that iwama style aikido was not what he considered real aikido. i saw terry bayliss sensei in action on a seminar at the weekend and was very impressed even though i don't know what style his background is in,likewise a couple of years ago i was on a seminar and got to see yoshinkan aikido in action and was also impressed so lets here some views which style of aikido do you consider to be the true style of aikido and your reasons why you consider it to be true.
I think that anyone that tries to tell you what the "true style of aikido" is deserves to be hit in the head with a shovel. There are several styles or flavors of aikido currently being practiced that have organizations behind them. Iwama aikido, some claim, is simply a variant of Aikikai, others claim that it is a separate and distint style. With Hitohiro Saito splitting from the Aikikai recently, who knows who is right? In the end, such political facies are much less worthwhile than just finding a good place to train with people that you enjoy.
I don't think there is a single style of aikido that is "true aikido." I think there are many. My understanding of aikido leads me to believe that "true aikido" is the physical expression of underlying spiritual, and even moral, beliefs. The spiritual/moral side is where "true aikido" is found. The physical techniques are just displays of this essence of aikido. We all have different bodies (tall, short, wide, thin, strong, weak, bad knees, good knees) so we will all do physical things a little differently. That's okay. Call it a language thing. On the inside we're all the same, so the spiritual/moral side of aikido should be nearly identical among everyone regardless of their language, so that which is expressed by the physical techniques should be nearly identical among all of us. And if it is, then it's true aikido. I think, anyway.
Personaly I think real Aikido comes from what students put into their practice and not from any particular style. So fars as I know all the teachers who have founded their own Aikido schools are very capable and experienced students.
if you wanna know what true aikido is i can tell you alittle about it,it is to keep everyone family and friend o sensei said(not the exact quote).aikido is a lifestyle to settle the aggressive attitude with a non aggressive way,not to hurt niether the attacker nor the defender.o sensei said aikido is a gift to the world because it settles conflict without hurting people if it is put into the right use.now correct me if im wrong please.
thanks for the interesting reply's so far,now to add to the question,what then are the main differences between the different styles for example yoshinkan,iwama and aikikai,i understand this was the aikido that was taught at the different stages of o'sensei's life but what are the physical differences in there application of techniques.
well i dont really know about all the others but i take tomiki,tomiki is a mixture with a small amoutn of judo,the judo part is pretty much competition to keep skills sharp.a bunch of aikido styles think down upon tomiki because of this fact,but they never put into mind that tomiki was one of o sensei's favorite students and im right now hunting for o sensei's opinion on the fact of competition,such as after he heard how it was effecting students at tomiki's college he was working at.
It is one of my Sensei's favourite sayings "All Aikido is the same". Principles never change. In my experience you can train with five different Sensei and, whilst all claiming Aikikai style, you will find none of them exactly the same. Individuality is the key. You learn the basics and then execute your techniques as hard or soft as you like. Have no set style. Be free !!!! Free as a little bird !!! Ok, I've lost it now. See you friday !!
The competition element of Tomiki Aikido is frowned upon by other Aikido schools and with good reason I think. Aikido teaches people not to compete with an attacker head on. But instead to blend, lead and redirect. The idea of performing Aikido competativley would seem to be self defeating. But on the plus side my teacher has said in the past that Tomiki Aikido students do give good attacks. Personaly I think if you can attack properly then you can make a decent defence. So it's not all bad I guess. On the point about Tomiki being one of O Senseis favourite students, that is neither here no there with regards to wheather competition in Aikido is a good thing or not. It's also a bit like living in a glass house and throwing stones. O Sensei did at one point ask Tomiki to change the name of his style to something like Aiki-Judo. The difference between the style of Aikido I practice, which is Ki Aikido and other styles is the way ki is taught in a more deliberate fasion and the softer application of techniques. The form of at least our basic techniques I think are pretty much what O Sensei taught. There will be some differences for better or worse, but that's just a product of the years and a different approach to teaching.
It's a subtle question, I think. As for styles of Aiki, I agree with Warren above that they're primarily a result of O Sensei's students training with him at different stages. We (students) put a similar question to our instructor and he replied that O Sensei's Aiki became progressively more flowing as he grew older. Perhaps, like Bruce Lee, he was constantly refining his art, or perhaps a result of diminishing physical strength. To address the question of what true Aikido is, consider what true Aikido is not. Aikido is a spectrum of styles that emphasise different aspects of the art; anything that deviates from its basic strategies and tactics is no longer Aikido. Consider the differences between Aikijitsu and Aikido Peace.
The competitive aspect of aikido does not have to be 'head on'. 'Good' aikido and 'competitive' aikido are not neccessarily mutually exclusive.
I've only ever seen Tomiki Aikido in videos. And it did look rough. However competition in Aikido isn't just limited to Tomiki Aikido. People can become competative in the Dojo during a normal practice. I've seen people trying to throw their uke harder and faster than their uke threw them. Straight away they lose the flow and the technique becomes a struggle. Tintin makes a good point. Good Aikido and competatative Aikido do not have to be mutualy exclusive. However put a person in a situation where they either win or lose and most people will focus on winning and not on performing good Aikido. Where competitions are involved people begin to train to suit the judging criteria of the competition. So if style gets you a lot of points like it does in other MA competitons, people will train to look good. I'd hate to see Aikido head down the Discovery Channel XMA path. Not that I think Tomiki Aikido has gone that far. But there is always that danger.
Hope this story brings some understanding on this matter: "... This is... The tale of the Big Tree: This is a short story of an old tree and the Tree had a REALLY BIG Root. It's a tall tree with many branches, and the branches are part of the tree but they're not the tree. Like so many other trees some branches give a lot of fruit, some don't. It's a short story, but we can say for sure that this Tree will grow forever and ever... no matter what kind of fruit their branches give... ... the same thing with Aikido. Like a big tree, Aikido has a strong root, that is: O-Sensei. Or if you like, O-Sensei's teachings. Aikido also has lots of branches, making Aikido a strong tree, while each branch represents each and one of the Uchideshi, who had the rare privelige of living and practicing Aikido with O-Sensei. Like the tree, some branches give a lot of fruit, some don't; in Aikido some teach it like as if O-Sensei was still alive, some don't. Nonetheless, the tale of the branches and their fruits, will be told in another time and place... but it can't be mixed with the tale of the big tree... " Thkz VFarias
what a cool reply from vfarias,now how do we tell a good branch from a bad branch if we're not tree surgeons pardon the pun.
Bad branches are easy to spot warren. Test them and they break under pressure. Some are even visabley rottent.
