AIKIDO (martial arts)

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Aikido is lame. Go try brazilian jiu-jitsu. Much better workout, much more practical for self-defense and no emphasis whatsoever on Eastern religion.
 
Clairvaux said:
Is any involved with AIKIDO (martial arts) ?
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Hi.

I have been interested in learning this martial art, especially because of its defensive nature because it tries to avoid injury to the attacker.

Like other eastern martial arts, there are a few spiritual messages in aikido, though far less than others such as yoga, which is too deeply ingrained with eastern religions and should be avoided (in my opinion) in favor of other methods of stretching, meditation and physical well-being.

That said, my quick research seems to find that a number of Catholics have appreciated this form of defense, especially since the mysticism involved in other martial art forms is low and not a requirement.

This link goes to the AikiWeb forums and a thread about the compatibility of Catholic teaching with Aikido training that might be helpful. There is also a Catholic Answers thread that talks about tai chi and aikido that may be helpful.
 
I did Aikido (More appropriately Ki-Aikido) for about 3 years. I absolutely loved it. There isn’t really a ‘spiritual’ aspect to it, but a deep sense of meditation. It was very relaxing and VERY FUN!

Oddly enough, getting thrown around is quite exhilarating and it’s pretty recreational (you’ll work up a sweat). Overall, I’d highly recommend it if not for anything else but the discipline aspect.

Have fun!
 
My whole family (ie my father and most of my siblings - my mother wanted to but cannot for health reasons) are involved in Aikido and love it. They appreciate the utterly non-violent aspect and there doesn’t seem to be any problem with any spiritual messages.
As for me… I’m too lazy.😛
 
Personally BJJ is a good workout but not good for self defense as it is mostly groundwork - it is largely become a commercialization of Japanese Ju Jutsu which covers throws,locks , and ground work. You can have an Eastern ARt without Eastern mysticism. And you can have meditation practices and focus on God. This is where we get Centering Prayer in our Churches today which is acceptable. You can find it under Healing by Divine Grace and Healing By Natural Powers subheading. sju.edu/blogs/icb/index.php?s=alternative+medicine That comes from the Institute of Bioethics under the USCCB. It is a very complicated thing and must be looked into fully not just as a black and white yes and no.
 
The_Bucket said:
Aikido is lame. Go try brazilian jiu-jitsu. Much better workout, much more practical for self-defense and no emphasis whatsoever on Eastern religion.
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Truth.

youtube.com/watch?v=215Ai-2dFIU

BJJ is a lot more effective for self-defense than something like Karate. About 47% of street fights end up on the ground. For striking purposes, Muay Thai is about the best you can get.
 
OAO said:
Truth.

youtube.com/watch?v=215Ai-2dFIU

BJJ is a lot more effective for self-defense than something like Karate. About 47% of street fights end up on the ground. For striking purposes, Muay Thai is about the best you can get.
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A well trained fighter will try to avoid the ground in a street fight for obvious reasons - sidewalks are hard. I personally prefer the Taijutsu methods. My feeling and thought on the matter is in an actual self defense situation you have three moves or less, four seconds or less. Anything more than that is brawling and does damage to both people. Since you like youtube try anything from budoryuninjutsudojo and she does do the Eastern meditation but it is optional meaning you can opt out if you do not believe in doing it.
 
If you haven’t been trained in groundwork, you won’t know how to avoid being taken to the ground, and it will be your back that hits the sidewalk.
 
I did not say that I hadn’t trained in groundwork - as a matter of fact it is a PART of what I do. Also any art trained in nage waza learns ukime before learning their first nage waza.
 
Translated any throwing art learns how to fall and roll before learning their first throw. It is both tradition and good common sense something I have not found a lot of among BJJ trainers. At least the ones a couple generations removed from the Gracies. And yes there is a difference between Gracie Ju jitsu and Brazillian although the BJJ community does not like to admit it.
 
My feeling is that, since the question was posted on a site called Catholic Answers, the poster is more interested in a Catholic faith/Aikido training perspective, not so much the martial worthiness of the art. Some Aikido schools do go hook, line and sinker for the whole Japanese spirituality thing. Most however do not. Obviously, since it is in the art’s name, ki has to come into it at some point. The majority of western schools don’t dwell to much on defining this and leave it to the student to sort out what it means to them. Most schools do bow in and out. I’ve never been in one that fervently touted doing so as a Shinto ritual. Most do it because it’s the traditional way to open class. And in no dojo that I have ever visited was it mandatory to participate in the bowing, if you have reservations or objections.

If you read some of the day-to-day living philosophy, especially that of the samurai, and strip out the religious bits, it makes for pretty sound advice. Same is true of Aesop’s Fables. They are riddled with Greek and Roman mythological references but seeing past that, they do tend to impart a lot of wisdom.
 
OK, two things to remember her - Beichheart.

One ki while being used sometimes in the spiritual sense which is not good can also be used in the physical sense. Aikido is basically the study of energy and redirection of it using small and large joints. Therefore as you are using the opponents aggressive energy you are using ki not in the spiritual sense but in the physical hence why you would find it in the name.

The second part is bowing. Bowing is often misunderstood. Bowing in Japanese culture is like shaking hands in ours. It is a sign of respect. The bowing on and off the mat is just showing respect for the training area and those that have trained before you. It is a warrior art derived from the Samurai ways so there is memory there of ancestors that are dead and gone in battle. Just as we pray for the intercession of Saints who are dead and gone and in Heaven you can also bow to show respect for those people that figured out these ways. If they are in Heaven (warriors we already know the Saints are) then I am sure they appreciate the sign of respect.

I am not arguing but sometimes things can look very spiritually black when they are really not. It just comes down to putting things in a cultural context. Afterall in our culture any time we kneel is not always to pray.
 
I’ve not taken aikido (there’s not a convenient dojo near me), but I recently started to study Tang Soo Do, and we work on a little bit of everything - strikes, holds, groundwork, throws.
A well trained fighter will try to avoid the ground in a street fight for obvious reasons - sidewalks are hard. …] My feeling and thought on the matter is in an actual self defense situation you have three moves or less, four seconds or less. Anything more than that is brawling and does damage to both people.
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Truth. Although I have no problems with doing harm to an attacker.
 
Tang Soo Do is also an amazing art - especially to watch someone that is truly trained in it is a beautiful sight. It, Karate, and I think the third art was Wing Chung (sp?) were all contributors to Modern Day TKD - except Tang Soo Do is in no way a sport art. It is pretty vicious.
 
Another fan of Jiu-jitsu here. Like another poster mentioned, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu does seem to focus on ground work; however, there are other versions that are more stand-up. Personally, I like these types better. If a fight is going to last more than 15 seconds, I want no part of it. So I like a type that is very efficient and gets me out of there fast.

What impressed me immediately about JJ is that right in the first class, when somebody puts a lock on you, you can feel how effective it is. Unlike something like Karate, where you do katas and strike the air, etc. It gets boring really fast.

However, if you are just wondering about the spiritual aspect of a martial art, I suppose Aikido is as good as any.
 
I’m currently training in Isshinryu Karate. I have also trained in TKD for 7 yrs and BJJ for 6 months. As far as stand-up vs ground fighting goes I’d like to stay off the ground if possible but I deffinitely want to know what to do if it goes there.
 
joandarc2008 said:
…except Tang Soo Do is in no way a sport art. It is pretty vicious.
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That’s one reason why I chose it. If I’m going to get into a fight, it means that either my life is in jeopardy, or my family is in danger. I’m not going to mess around - I want the aggressor down and bleeding/broken as quickly as possible.
 
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