steven seagal's aikido

drummingman

drummingman

Blue Belt
what is the name of the style of aikido that steven seagal teaches? what makes it different from other styles of aikido.
does anyone know of any schools in va that teaches his style of aikido? i have seen schools on line in Florida but not in va.
 
check the search engine on the forum for Seagal, this question has already been asked and answered.

or try Japanese martial arts General
 
Drummingman, do you do Aikido already? How much exposure have you had to Aikido in general?

I'm not trying to be offensive or anything, but I wonder are you interested in Seagal Shihan's Aikido because of his movies, or for it's own sake?

To my knowledge, it is very hard to get to Seagal even if you study under him. I'm not implying that you are a celebrity chaser, but celebrity chasers don't have much of a chance.

Seagal is a legitimate Aikidoka. He calls his form Tenshin, from the name of his original dojo, but insists that it is Aikikai style and that there is only one Aikido, invented by O Sensei. There are differences in his art, but to be fair there are differences in execution and form for many high level shihans.

His Aikido might be described as empty hand swordfighting. He loves irimi, or entering. Contrary to internet rumor, he doesn't do "a little of this, a little of that". He maintains a close relationship with the Aikikai.

One of his most influential Aikido teachers was Hiroshi Isoyama Shihan. Some of his long-time (but now former) students are Haruo Matsuoka (http://www.doshinokai.com/) and Larry Reynosa (http://www.makotodojo.com/). Luis Santos is a current student (http://www.tenshinaikido.com/tenshin/index.html). My sensei is a student of Luis Santos, Salvatore Forestieri (http://www.shinjitsudojo.com/).

I don't know of any dojos in Virginia that teach Seagal's style. Not all dojos claiming to teach Seagal's style are good, and not all mainline-Aikikai dojos are soft and ineffective, as is often thought by Seagal fans. You will have to go to dojos and find one that is dedicated to teaching budo, rather than just dancing. They're out there, trust me.
 
i don't do aikido no have i ever.but i have been to a class to watch and i have done a lot of reading on it.
both.i like the way his movies show the effectiveness of his style of aikido(even though its all choreographed it shows the possibility of his aikido in a real fight).and also because i like the way that his style of aikido moves.
im definitely not a celebrity chaser,i just like his style of aikido.
 
I respect that. That's the same thing that got me involved in Aikido. Besides this forum, Aikiweb.com has some great Aikido instruction. I must warn you that reception of Seagal within the Aikido community is very mixed. Some respect him, and try to separate his Hollywood persona from his Aikido. Many don't like him, although many who don't are prone to say ignorant things in public internet forums!

Best of luck to you. Like I said, check out those links I gave you above. There's definitely some solid Aikido in those groups. Try to make it to a seminar if you can. I know our group (Santos Sensei's) will often allow one to come to a seminar even without Aikido experience. Contact him if you are interested. And maybe check out this book: http://www.amazon.com/Beginner-s-Guide-Aikido/dp/0962526908

Stan
 
Drummingman, Seagal Sensei uses ALOT of atemi (strikes) in his aikido in the movies. I've been told that atemi is like the trim in a house...it's there to cover up the rough edges.:) Aikido without atemi for the movies, however, would probably be pretty boring since the subtle nuances to balance breaking and redirection of energy don't come across too well on the screen. Yes, aikido can be effective on the street. There are several threads here about that very thing. If you're around the Roanoke area of Virginia then I heartily welcome you to my dojo to check things out. While mister Seagal wouldn't approve of us (we're Nihon Goshin) we do focus our efforts more on the self defense aspects of aikido than the spiritual. Good luck in your endeavor should you decide to take up the art and remember the invitation to our school is always good.
 
theletch1 said:
Drummingman, Seagal Sensei uses ALOT of atemi (strikes) in his aikido in the movies.
Click to expand...

This is something that I think has made Seagal's aikido look a lot like hapkido at times, as hapkido tends to use a lot more striking, generally speaking.
 
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i have most of those videos.they are on his home movie that he was selling from his website.it's called "the path beyond thought".its very good if you can still buy it.im sure that you can find it on e bay.
a few of the vids i have never seen.thanks for the links.i add a comment on the last link that you gave me.it was in response to a guy that was saying that aikido would not stand up in the ufc and pride.check it out,i think you will agree.
 
You're talking about the 1996 Black and White demo, I assume? You mean you think I'll agree that Aikido wouldn't stand up in a MMA competition? Or that I'll agree that what's shown in that video clip refutes that assertion?

I'm glad you've seen all of "The Path Beyond Thought". Do you recognize Craig Dunn and Larry Reynosa from any of the movies? Dunn was one of the convienience store thugs in "Hard to Kill" and Reynosa was one of the bodyguards at the casino in "Fire DownBelow". Just for fun!
 
i made a post on there saying that aikido would stand up in a real fight.
i did not know that that was larry and craig.thats cool,next time i watch those movies i will look for them.
i just watched the last part of on deadly ground.im really surprised that it did not do well in the theater.it has a good stpry and some good fight scenes.
 
Good posts everybody.. makes a nice change to see a Seagal thread with a bit of info and discussion! Cheers :)
Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna
 
You may also want to check with H. Matsuoka's video series from his dojo, this may give you more insight a la Tenshin ryu Aikido.
 
I have just started Aikido and these videos on certain point leave me kinda skeptical. I don't doubt the skills of Sensei, but sometimes for demos their lives are not made too easy?
For example in those videos of Seagal sometimes they just run towards him and without even touching them he makes the fly away. Like for example in the third video at minute 2:30. I watched it many times even in slow motion and I can't tell anything which would justify the fly. The only thing I saw was Seagal pressing down on the forarm which might cause you to go down on your knees, not fly away.
As a beginner I know I might miss the technique itself, but as many watchers comes natural to think "it's fake".
 
There are some subtleties in the way techniques are done that aren't really visible to someone who doesn't know what to look for. The longer you train, the more visible certain things become.
 
charyuop said:
I have just started Aikido and these videos on certain point leave me kinda skeptical. I don't doubt the skills of Sensei, but sometimes for demos their lives are not made too easy?
For example in those videos of Seagal sometimes they just run towards him and without even touching them he makes the fly away. Like for example in the third video at minute 2:30. I watched it many times even in slow motion and I can't tell anything which would justify the fly. The only thing I saw was Seagal pressing down on the forarm which might cause you to go down on your knees, not fly away.
As a beginner I know I might miss the technique itself, but as many watchers comes natural to think "it's fake".
Click to expand...

Seagal Sensei's randori is in some ways simpler but in other ways more realistic than randori often is practiced. The practice with that throw assumes an all-out attack, and assumes that with the other guys coming at you, you don't have time to do anything else than get that guy off you; i.e., don't get grabbed, don't get stuck, don't get taken down. You don't have time to execute a technique, and definitely not an osae. On the other hand, if uke gives less than a commited attack in high level randori, that throw wouldn't work, but nage wouldn't just stand there. He'd be taking uke out. Going on the offensive. A lot of randori has to do with movement. Moving around the mat so that uke has to come get you, rather than you giving yourself to him.

The mechanics of that throw in particular operate similar to Tenchi Nage; splitting uke's energy high and low, and directing uke downward. But instead of throwing uke to his back, you throw him forward.

If you want a practical example, watch any American Footbal game. People go flying all the time by having their balance upset. There's a lot of dynamic movement in football; it's not all brute strength. In fact, i think a lot of football players, especially the offense, would make great aikidoka.

And don't forget that mae ukemi in the dojo turns into a face plant and maybe a broken neck in the street with an untrained opponent.
 
Stan said:
If you want a practical example, watch any American Footbal game. People go flying all the time by having their balance upset. There's a lot of dynamic movement in football; it's not all brute strength. In fact, i think a lot of football players, especially the offense, would make great aikidoka.
Click to expand...

I once read, years ago, that some football players even went so far as to study dance to make them better able to move fluidly on the line and blend with the opposing force. Aikido would benefit many a professional athlete in improving their movement.
 
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