What system of Aikido did Mr.Seagal get his blackbelt in ? Does'nt he teach his own system now? Has anyone seen his Beyond Aikido tape? I've read that its good. Any first hand accounts available?:ninja:

I enjoyed wating the tape.Very insightful on how his students view him.

I believe Steven Seagal started out in Aikikai style Aikido and then went on to his own dojo/style in Japan and elsewhere. Ok, ok, he married into the dojo thing but AFAIK he's a legit. multi-dan ranked Aikidoka.

Haven't seen the video. Hard to tell his real skill from his movies too.

Pierre

Have the viedo. Gave it to a buddy who has dan(?) ranking in hapkido and it took a month to ge it back he darn near wore it out. He loved it.
Have a bootleg copy of one of Seagals early 1990 demos losey sound and jumpy but the techniqes are flawless and smooth.
Movies are one thing real life preformance is another

:asian:

I would appreciate knowing where this tape can be ordered.

Thank you

:asian:

Found it on on a web tv disscucion board. No longer avaible there that I know of Took me over four months after sending for it to get a copy Had to write a couple time for it.
I'll contact you through PM or your E-mail.
TShadowchaser

Originally posted by old_sempai

:asian:

I would appreciate knowing where this tape can be ordered.

Thank you

:asian:

http://www.stevenseagal.com/ss.html

Try this link

:asian:

For the record, Seagal began with a black belt in a traditional Karate style, one that emphasized kicking over punching, before going to Japan and delving much more deeply into Aikido.

Can you tell me where you got the info, I'd like to read more, thanks.


:asian:

You know that Murphy's Law-like coincidence that you don't need something until after you've thrown it away? Less than a week ago, I threw away the information you want...

"Black Belt Magazine" or someone like that ran several issues dedicated to Seagal in the last decade, and just last Sunday I flipped through them again and thought to myself, "No pertinent information in here for me to use." So I threw them out. My collection spanned the last 16 years or so, and I had to make room so I had to get rid of some extra 'junk.'

These were not cheap, no-name magazines full of speculation, but rather researched articles including interviews. I trust the validity of what they said.

If I come across more details, I'll post it.

i am a bag fan of steven seagals aikido.i also have the video "the path beyond thought".i got it from his website.
its his old movies like above the law and hard to kill that got me interested in aikido to start with.

Well Seagal did get his Shodan in Karate first here in the US before going off to Japan to train, now this is where things get fuzzy, Black Belt magazine has time to time said that Seagal went there to study with the Founder of Aikido, small problem Seagal got there about 3 years after the founder had died. And Secondly Seagal did NOT train at the founder's dojo, niether the Iwama or Aikikai headquarters in Tokyo. This is not an attempt to demonize him though, just simply that he trained at his in'laws dojo in Osaka under Koichi Tohei, although who gave him his Shodan is debateable, I had always read that it was Koichi Tohei, although Wikipedia puts it as Rod Kobayashi. This is interesting as Seagal's Aikido bears little resemblence to either on of these instructors. BTW during all this time he was known as Steven SeaGULL, not Steven SeaGALL which came later. All his rank (7th dan) is legitimate through Aikikai headquarters, although coincidentally his 7th Dan came shortly after he donated a large sum of money to the Dojo. The closest current instructor I would train with if you liked that style of technique is Haruo Matsuoka, in CA. A very nice, humble instructor with no airs. Check him out.

Well Seagal did get his Shodan in Karate first here in the US before going off to Japan to train, now this is where things get fuzzy, Black Belt magazine has time to time said that Seagal went there to study with the Founder of Aikido, small problem Seagal got there about 3 years after the founder had died. And Secondly Seagal did NOT train at the founder's dojo, niether the Iwama or Aikikai headquarters in Tokyo. This is not an attempt to demonize him though, just simply that he trained at his in'laws dojo in Osaka under Koichi Tohei, although who gave him his Shodan is debateable, I had always read that it was Koichi Tohei, although Wikipedia puts it as Rod Kobayashi. This is interesting as Seagal's Aikido bears little resemblence to either on of these instructors. BTW during all this time he was known as Steven SeaGULL, not Steven SeaGALL which came later. All his rank (7th dan) is legitimate through Aikikai headquarters, although coincidentally his 7th Dan came shortly after he donated a large sum of money to the Dojo. The closest current instructor I would train with if you liked that style of technique is Haruo Matsuoka, in CA. A very nice, humble instructor with no airs. Check him out.

Wasn't Matsuoka Saegal's leading student for a while. (In addition to a really good stunt guy in a few of his movies.) I thought he was with Seagal up through 4th dan or so, then they split for whatever reasons....But I thought he went back to Japan, didn't know he was still in CA.

Matsuoka did split with Seagal sometime in 1997, I don't know the how's or why's and am not capable of speaking for either of them. Matsuoka is now affiliated with Doshinkan Aikido, with Abe Sensei, O'Sensei's Calligraphy teacher. His current dojo is Ikazuchi Dojo in CA. Now Seagal also had Larry Reynosa Sensei, whom I believe has also split with Seagal. No word on his current affiliation or dojo location.

Also people forget that Seagal also was at one point in time an Omoto Kyo Shinto Priest, who know claims he is a tibetan Buddhist Reincarnated. Although I have talked to some people of that faith, who state that this is not that uncommon, it is akin to paying the RC Church a large sum of money and being discovered that you are the Patron saint of X, reincarnated.

Love him or Hate him, Seagal opened the door for a lot of people to Aikido.

I may be wrong But I thought I was told Seagal did Tomiki aikido. But Do not quote me on this

You would be wrong

You would be wrong
Like I said A may be wrong. I was told this several years back By an Aikido person That Taught Tomiki Aikido. And seagal was very strong in the movies at that time. Thanks for correcting Me.

Well Seagal refers to his style as Tenshin Aikido from Tenshin Dojo, this still falls under the Aikikai "umbrella" organization wise, although his original training was under Koichi Tohei's Shin shin toitsu ryu. Although when Seagal started his Aikido Tohei Sensei was still with Aikikai not resigning his post there until 1974, which was the schism heard round the world!