First a little background: I only studied Taekwondo for about 3 years and I was a senior green belt about to advance in rank. I dropped out due to some serious health issues and I've been out for about 8 years. I live in a cultural dead zone so real martial art schools are few and far between. Most schools around here are McDojos, including the Taekwondo school I went to. My health is back on track and I want to study a more traditional martial art. One that is not treated as a sport. I am less interested in competitions and rank advancements and more interested in proper technique and the core philosophy of the style. There are only two schools around here I know of that don't fall into a McDojo category. My first choice, a Mu Sool Won academy is 45 minutes away and it would be too far for me to drive there more than 2 or 3 days a week. I'd like to devote at least 4 or 5 days to study. The second, is an Aikido dojo and it is only about 15 minutes away. The instructor was very nice and answered a lot of questions and the style did seem more focused on the things I want. However, I cam home and did research on Aikido and found a lot of negative opinions of it on several forums. So many martial artists seem to have a poor opinion of Aikido but they didn't give any really specific answers as to why. I was just wondering, specifically, why Aikido gets such a bad rap? I'd like to hear from people who have actually practiced it. What are it's pros and cons? I am more interested in it as a practice and lifestyle but I would like to be able to use it in self defense if need be. I am also intending to dedicate many years to it. I love martial arts and have since I was a child. I just want to find the right style and school!