Why do people bash Aikido?

[Buddha1]

Hey there,

I recently started Aikido and train twice a week.

I have also dabbled in Ninjutsu and Karate and in the dojos I have been in, people have had alot of respect for Aikido.

But on the internet people are different - they 'bash' aikido and go on about how other martial arts are so much better.

Could anyone outline for me some reasons why people do this?

 

[Hand Sword]

It goes on and has gone on for ever, seemingly. Don't take it personal, train and be happy.

 

[pstarr]

Those bashes are generally made by people who have never studied real aikido. Ignore them. Concentrate on your training.

 

[Calm Intention]

Hey there,

I recently started Aikido and train twice a week.

I have also dabbled in Ninjutsu and Karate and in the dojos I have been in, people have had alot of respect for Aikido.

But on the internet people are different - they 'bash' aikido and go on about how other martial arts are so much better.

Could anyone outline for me some reasons why people do this?

Other than the Shaolin philosophy and discipline, Aikido ranks(as Shaolin), above all the other arts. The others don't understand, and there is a jealousy too.
Aikido spirit takes much longer to 'know' than the others, and it is its spirit, that the perfection of its techniques derives its essence.

Aikido doesn't cater to the wild spirit,, only those who really have it together can remain within its culture. I say 'culture', because that is how different it really is from the others.

 

[Buddha1]

Thanks guys.

Also, what can you tell me about Kyu Shin Do? Is this a branch of Aikido? If so, how is it different from other branches?

 

[MartialIntent]

Hey there,

I recently started Aikido and train twice a week.

I have also dabbled in Ninjutsu and Karate and in the dojos I have been in, people have had alot of respect for Aikido.

But on the internet people are different - they 'bash' aikido and go on about how other martial arts are so much better.

Could anyone outline for me some reasons why people do this?

Buddha1, you've made some good observations there! Yes if you've encountered that general respect for Aikido I think it arises simply because [most] Aikidoka have a mutual respect for their fellow artists from other disciplines and of course the techniques themselves have a certain uniqueness or je ne sais quoi I suppose that's not found in many others.

Generally [though my style is an exception] there is no competition in Aikido which was one of the central tenets put arising fundamentally out of Ueshiba's philosophy which was poured into what became Aikido - and it was this not seeing eye-to-eye between O'Sensei and Kenji Tomiki which gave rise to Shodokan - but I think this non-competitiveness gives Aikido a slightly different perspective on itself and on other arts but certainly not in a snobbish way, rather in a manner that allows Aikidoka to step back a little and get the wider view. Of course some Aikidoka seem to step back so far that all they can see is a comparison of techniques between one art and the other and fall into the endless trap of rebutting every positive argument put forward on their own art. I mean, this happens with all arts [I'm thinking Ninjutsu] but I'd think it happens to a great extent within Aikido. It's a very petty and self-destructive thing and my advice if you hear it is to ignore it. You know what you can do and you know how good your art is so you do what you can to step back from it and worry less about what anyone else might think. Easy in theory. Difficult in practice!! But something to aspire to definitely. And of course without this inherent bickering and argumentativeness many of the forums would be fairly empty places.

Also there are many folk who will argue that Aikido is no good for "the street" or this or that because there are no flamboyant strikes, obvious grappling or "kill" mentalities, well I'd say that if you keep up your training you'll realise soon enough that you can do damage if you need to. But again that's another bone of contention for some folk when it comes to deriding Aikido and it's the central Aiki principle of the generation and utilization of harmonious energy both on and off the mats. There are plenty who either just don't get it, who can't be assed thinking about it or who simply just wanna use their art to kick the cr*p out of random folk they meet, and in this case Aikido certainly isn't the appropriate forum for expression of those mentalities.

Oh and I just noticed your Kyu Shindo question - this was an art designed by Kenshiro Abbe who like most of the greats is no longer with us. He was a student of O'Sensei and brought a lot of the Aikido philosophy and technique with him to Kyu Shindo. If you get a chance to see it or train in it you'll see how similar to Aikido it is - many branches to the same tree I suppose!!

Hope this is of some help to you. I just wanna wish you good luck and continued success with your training. And don't worry if things maybe seem a little slow for you at this stage or techniques don't quite *feel* right or you're not sure which ukemi you're *supposed* to use because all this'll click - and often just when it feels as if you're making no gains something will just instantly "connect" and off you go. Keep it up, you're doing well.

Respects!

 

[samurai69]

Lack of understanding............

No art should be knocked unless you have at least tried it

 

[Nomad]

Dislike of Steven Segal:mp5: . Unfortunately, he is one of the best known aikidoka to the average person, and thus acts as its' ambassador. *sigh*

 

[tshadowchaser]

Most people have no idea of what can really happen to a person if the techniques of Aikido are used in a hard fashion. Most people only se someone moving smoothly and people flying through the air and fail to realize just how much practice and control this takes.
People just like to talk down at things they are unable to do or understand

 

[Flying Crane]

Maybe because it tends to not be aggressive and seek out competitions. The whole MMA vs. Traditional vs. Reality Pressure Testing debate nonsense.

I have seen some aikido done at a very high level. I wouldn't mess with those guys. When done well, it rocks.

Like every other martial art, when done poorly, it sucks.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Because they can.

There is no real reason, if they understand aikido.

Maybe they had a bad experience with it once, maybe they saw it on TV once, and as previously mentioned maybe they don't like Segal. They are looking for vindication of their training or style, they just want to. Millions of reasons, mostly baseless.

I have sparred Aikido people both good and bad but almost all MAs have good and bad practitioners.

I also feel that, most unfortunately, some aikido schools are going the away of many Tai Chi schools. Make it easier and for health and you get more students.

Basically they bash Aikido for the same reason they bash Chinese martial arts. Well except for the Segal part.

Don't let it get to you and just enjoy Aikido

 

[Jenna]

I agree totally with Flying Crane above that this can be largely attributed to the the non-competitive and aiki aspects to our art and to some folk this and the way most genuine aikidoka try to eschew violence and striking in favour of blending and harmony is like the red rag that these bashers NEED to charge.. but bleh.. if I am being honest I would say I generally see WAY more bashing of other arts outside of Aikido.. Some guys just cannot leave their art and other arts alone it is like picking a scab they know will not heal up correctly when they do.. why?? I do not know but I suspect there are maybe a few even on this forum who may give you an answer why they bash from their own experience of doing it

I would agree with what has been stated by many here already.. just DO your aikido and worry not what the martial charlatans are blethering on and do not be influenced nor drawn into it and if you have found a suitable art for YOURSELF in Aikido then outside dispositions become irrelevant

Or perhaps we aikidoka are just poor misunderstood souls who cannot look after ourselves, ha!

Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[stone_dragone]

People bash aikido because their own art sucks!

Seriously, an art-basher usually lacks the knowledge, experience or maturity in their own art an feel it necessary to see who's master can urinate higher on the tree.

My two cents...

 

[pstarr]

You've got THAT right!

 

[MA-Caver]

Hey there,

I recently started Aikido and train twice a week.

I have also dabbled in Ninjutsu and Karate and in the dojos I have been in, people have had alot of respect for Aikido.

But on the internet people are different - they 'bash' aikido and go on about how other martial arts are so much better.

Could anyone outline for me some reasons why people do this?

Probably because you're learning it and they're not! Spoiled brats!

Me, I'm jealous... been wanting to learn it for quite some time. But past and present *ahem* finances haven't allowed it. Perhaps in the future.

 

[Buddha1]

past and present *ahem* finances haven't allowed it. Perhaps in the future.

It is expensive. At my dojo, $80 to register, then $40 a month. (New Zealand dollars)

 

[Raewyn]

I dont know why people bash aikido, in fact I dont know why people bash other art forms. Maybe they are single minded people! Hey...... who knows! I used to watch an aikido club. They shared a dojo with a jujitsu club I was training with. I used turn up early just to watch the aikido. I found it to be very interesting.
My advise is dont worry about what other people think, take it like a grain of salt, as long as your happy with it!!!

 

[Robert Lee]

If you really look at the M/A in general, Alot of arts get talked down today. Aikido is just 1 of those arts beingf talked down. It is like the child in a way. thinking what they have or do is better. There is more exposer to the different arts today. And with MMA becomeing more well known . And UFC Pride K1 ect, people see more fighting. Then with more people now that has had some kind of M/A training they have to defend there way. Look at JKD it perhaps has more politics then any other art ever had or will have. because its so mis understood as to what is or is not JKD or who has the right to instruct or not instruct. A good Aikido person can defend there self. Will that person get hit Yes But so can anybody. But remember just about every art gets bashed

 

[Drac]

Those bashes are generally made by people who have never studied real aikido. Ignore them. Concentrate on your training.

Read and Heed..

 

[The MMA kid!]

Lack of understanding............

No art should be knocked unless you have at least tried it

even if you have tried it at one school, an experience at one school should not define the entire art, no matter how bad or how good.