[bamboo]

If an aikidoka is grabbing you, he has no clue what they should be doing. We don't grab.


realy? what do they do then (i mean i got no aikido experience)

The problem with grabbing is that your intention is focused on one spot. Aikido is about getting into a superiour position so that you have complete control of your own balance and are then able to affect the other persons balance with hand placement and turning.
As a beginners, aikidoka practice technique, as they progress they should begin to see that all the techniques are basically variations of one common theme...we call it "ikkyo" or the first teaching. As good as someone can be at executing "technique", they will soon realize that most technique simply will not work, its the off balancing and maintaining of a "connection" (read control) that will make the aggressor basicaly through himself.

Grabbing happens, but then their are ALOT of really crappy aikidoka that just don't get it out there.

Many argue this point with me and thats fine, but I will state that I have yet to have anyone without the above stated understanding use aikiwaza to move me.

-bamboo

[samurai6string]

Hey Bamboo, have you ever read "Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere," by Mark Ratti and O. Westbrook? It is one of my all time fav. MA books, and I don't even study Aikido! It is just so indepth and wonderful. I train in Jujitsu and like how some of the ideas are parallel. I'd like to train Aikido some day. I feel the same way about the idea of "techniques" vs the underlying principle behind them. If you understand "why" something works instead of memorizing elaborate moves in sequence, it frees your mind having to overthink itself, IMHO.

[bamboo]

Honestly,

I'm not a fan of the book. It represents only one view of one man (koichi Tohei) while the authors followed him around.
Somelike it, some don't.

-bamboo

[samurai6string]

not to hijack here, but what don't you like about it Bamboo? (just curious, as i said I haven't studied Aikido)

[bamboo]

Exactly what I wrote before. Its one mans point of view through the eyes of people just following him around. People would come to our dojo with a copy of the book under arm and get annoyed because the aikido we practiced was not like in the book.

Like I said, its one perspective and does not represent most of aikido.

-bamboo

[meathead]

a guy told me that he tried aikido and e said it was unrealistic
i didn't get to ask him why does he think that, so do you know why he said it?

[bamboo]

I'm fairly certain I'm not the guy so I don't know what he meant.

Heres the scoop, martial arts training is not realistic period. Like any martial arts, there are good aikido dojos and crappy ones. You have to find what you want.

[JCSamurai]

Bamboo I am an aikidoka (shodan) testing at the beginning of the year 2006 for Nidan, and I must say you are on the ball. great job.

[soktjoky89]

I have 2 questions for you.

Do you know a way to safely handcuff someone from Shinhonage? My sensei's sensei always had a reward to anyone who can figure a way to do it.

Also does anyone have a copy of a film where O'Sensei is up against 5 Marines on a rooftop? If so, where can I get a copy and how much?

[samurai6string]

I've read an account of it in Jay Gluck's Zen Combat, he helped arrange for the Marines to be there. They were MPs I believe. I didn't know there was a vid of it, if there is I would like to see it as well.