Is Aikido effective in real life?

I%26#039;m considering aikido, but it doesn%26#039;t look very effective when being groped or on the ground. Is aikido effective in all situations?





I%26#039;m mostly interested in defence rather than attack, because if I can protect myself first then attack is optional.|||yes it is but not as you see in class.


the basic idea of aikido is the simplest yet best idea in a fight.


whatever comes at you get out of it%26#039;s way. Whatever you do from there on. Atemi (strikes) are not taught without their reason in aikido. in class they are used just as a soft deterrent but nothing stops you from giving a good strike in a real situation.


Aikido makes you very good in recognizing movements and feeling an opponents initiative which helps you in judging the next move.


the locks and throws in aikido don%26#039;t always seem that practical, but if properly applied they can do serious damage. break bones, dislocate joints or kill if need be.


during my years of training I%26#039;ve had a few close encounters myself and indeed effectively used my knowledge in a tight spot|||Yes, but only if you train effectively. This means training in such a way as to see how to apply your skills to a self-defense situation, especially in which the attacker has minimal forward momentum.





What you see in demonstrations is only a portion of the picture. Further, the principles found in aikido can teach you ways to fight from the ground if you examine them well. Your own movement is hindered on the ground, so you have to take the time in training to figure out where your opponent%26#039;s movements leave openings. This isn%26#039;t easy, but why should something so important be easy?





Find a good instructor and set aside your ego to listen and learn. Don%26#039;t question your instructor, but form your own variations, then seek correction. Good instructors learn from their students as well.





Train hard. Your life is on the line.|||Of course it isn%26#039;t. Theoretically, meaning on paper, yeah the philosophy sounds okay: use your opponent%26#039;s momentum, using redirection to combat aggression, and all that stuff. But then again, Aikido emphasizes non-aggression, which equates to non-violence, and that does not make sense in a real fight.





But all Aikido I%26#039;ve seen fails for two reasons: in a fight, you cannot afford to be %26quot;soft%26quot;, and they do not train in an alive manner. In a fight, even if you are being attacked, you cannot rely on the redirection of force. Not only is this rather difficult to do, because things can happen very quickly, but the fact that Aikido doesn%26#039;t really have any attacks means that you cannot utilize a preemptive strike. Also realize that Aikidokas do not spar. They might think they do, but it is not in an %26quot;alive,%26quot; or realistic, manner. This means that the techniques you do learn probably won%26#039;t work because you%26#039;ve never used them on a person that is actually trying to hurt you, not somebody that%26#039;s just standing still, letting you apply the technique.





All in all, no, I wouldn%26#039;t trust my life to Aikido. It might work for some (not really), but for me, I%26#039;d rather study more credible systems.





If you%26#039;re still interested in Aikido, just ask yourself two things: Why would you want to study a non-violent martial art; and if you don%26#039;t think it looks effective, why would it be?|||One of the things you learn to avoid in Aikido is getting into a grappling situation. The ultimate purpose of Aikido is to convince your attacker that you cannot be harmed, and that violence will not work with you.





Aikido is very effective if you are proficient. You learn the timing of moves, so you do not get mesmerized as a punch is coming your way. The intensity of the training means that in a real situation the subjective time compression effect is not as pronounced. You%26#039;ve been in this situation before in training, so you know what%26#039;s important and what%26#039;s not. You learn to react and protect yourself from strikes (assuming your dojo teaches atemi realistically -- I%26#039;m not above slightly banging my uke%26#039;s chin to remind them to get their heads out of the way, unless they%26#039;re a rank beginner). As you progress, you will learn to see and react to opportunities and openings that lead to the Aiki techniques.





Note that this does not come quickly. Because Aikido is subtle and more complext than simply bashing your opponent over the head, it takes longer to master.





One of the common criticisms of Aikido is that in training it seems like uke just falls on cue. There is an element of truth to this, and I%26#039;ll tell you why. Most trainees have not developed to the point where they can (safely) apply power and speed to their technique. As uke, if I am training with one of my kohai, it doesn%26#039;t do anything but stroke my ego if I deny them the ability to succeed in their attempt at the technique. I am loaning my body to them to practice their technique. They may not do it well, but it%26#039;s not for me to make that determination. I move my body, and yes, fall on cue, in response to their attempt in order to give them the full experience of their training. As they progress, I will feel their power and speed, and it will be less like I am falling when I%26#039;m supposed to and more like I%26#039;m being thrown. As students get to a certain level of proficiency I may resist the throw to highlight a weakness in their technique, for example if they allow me to recover my balance after breaking it. I might even attempt a reversal against a student of my own rank or higher, but if I do I have to be very careful, because some Aikido techniques can be dangerous.





There%26#039;s also the possibility that what you are seeing is so subtle that you may not understand what%26#039;s happening until it%26#039;s doen to you. It may look as if I launch myself into a breakfall as my partner performs a technique, but you may not see that I%26#039;m doing so in order to prevent my wrist from being broken.|||Aikido was developed by O%26#039;Sensei Morihei Ueshiba after many years of studying various Japanese marital arts.


He taught this art during the war in the Japanese military and was nicknamed %26quot;god of soldiers%26quot;.


After the war, some of the more lethal movements were toned down and the emphasis shifted to being a more subtle art yet no less effective.


Further there is definite spiritual, philosophical element as well as the promotion of community and the development of the whole individual.





In a real life situation, aikido can be literally devastating, easily handling both armed and unarmed opponents as well as groups of the same.





One does not learn the art of peace quickly however, if one practices with sincerity, honesty and commitment, one will be well rewardedd for the time spent.





Please, take the time to investigate aikido, O%26#039;Sensei and whatever dojo might be available to you. Speak with the local sensei and the students. Ask to take a class and experience aikido first hand. Then, consider your experience and decide if you wish to follow this path.





May it be well with you.|||Hi there





Yes its a good art but its a thinking mans art. It takes years of dedication to master but it can be devistating in the right hands.





No art is perfect they all have their strong and weak points.





Its up to the practitioner to get the most out of them and the only way to do that is to train in them with real intent as they were ment to be trained.





But if you want less stess on the grey matter then theres always kick boxing.





Best wishes





idai|||the little bit i%26#039;ve seen and the theories can be very effective if applied correctly.





however i do question the concept of stretching your back by bending over with a partners weight on it. whats with that? if done incorrectly that could cripple a person.





surely other stretches would achieve the same goal without the risk.|||yes it is very effective. i dont really need to say anymore. go to a class and try it yourself when you do it yourself you will be able to understand different ways to use techniques whereas just watching you well see how they do it then you wont understand as much.|||Yes it is!!!





Aikido stems from daito ryu aiki-jujutsu and avoidance and evasion is key apart from the obvious atemi strikes and throws ,if learned diligently aikido is unsurpassed in my opinion.|||absolutely.just remember,be on the defensive.make your attacker come to you and use his body to keep him off balance.|||It can be, depending on the way people train, not the art itself.