Whoopass Aikido

[mdavidg]

Yes, I created the title to get your attention but it's also for a specific reason. I know that when O'Sensei created Aikido it went through several evolutions and many of those styles are still be practiced today. In fact, one of the earliest versions of Aikido was a "hard style" and it is that style that is taught to all of the Tokyo Police. This style is called Yoshinkan.

Besides Yoshinkan, are there other styles that you know of that have evolved to become a more defensive martial art?

I know of these so far.

Yoshinkan

Tenshin (this is the style Steven Sagal teaches and uses)

Nihon Goshin Aikido

Tenchin Budo Kai

Are there any others that I'm missing?

I've heard of another style that is unaffiliated called Junkyard Aikido but I don't know anything about it. Do you?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Just a note on lineage. So far as we know, Nihon Goshin Aikido is not descended from Ueshiba's Aikido. While it is possible (and even rumored within NGA historiphiles) that Morita (founder of NGA) may have seen or been exposed to Ueshiba's art, the naming similarity comes from both being primarily descended from Daito-ryu and following the naming conventions from the Dai Nippon Butokkukai, who apparently created a designated grouping of arts called "Aikido".

Just hoping to avoid confusion.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Spinedoc]

Additionally, Tenshin is not a separate organization or style. It is still Aikikai Aikido and all rankings come from Hombu, Tenshin is merely Seagal Sensei's "expression" of his aikido.

Even the standard Aikikai aikido is still effective. 88% of it is still the same as Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu. Yoshinkan was merely one of O'Sensei's senior students development of his own style. Gozo Shioda.

Other students ALSO developed their own style. Which is to be expected. Aikido was never meant to be a static collection of techniques but rather an evolving martial art.

There's Yoseikan, Ki Society, Shodokan also known as Tomiki Aikido, Wadokai (Suenaka style, head dojo in Charleston, SC), etc.etc.

All are merely expressions of O'Sensei's senior students Aikido.

TO be honest, the most authentic and probably closest to what O'Sensei did, is Iwama style. Saito Sensei was obsessed with observing and recording everything O'Sensei did, and NOT altering it in the least. He stated that he did not feel it was his place to do such a thing, and he was obsessed with record keeping. He believed in replicating what O'Sensei did exactly.

Here's the rub…..It's ALL AIKIDO. It's all the same once you strip it down. I think Yoshinkan Aikido looks a little weird as it looks much more linear and they rely on kata more, but shihonage is shihonage is shihonage. I can also see that it looks very similar too. Point is, any Aikido is effective for self defense.

The biggest difference isn't among styles, but among dojos. Some dojos are soft, flowery, more spiritual. Some are much more hard, much more martial.

TBH, the most martial aikido dojo I've ever been in was an Iwama style one.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I want "Whoopass Aikido" to be the official name for a system. You already have schools purporting to teach "Combat Hapkido", "Combat Wing Chun", "Combat Jujitsu" and so on, but to me those sound as if they have pretensions of military application.

I wonder - should I wait until I open my own dojo to declare myself the founder and 10th-dan Soke Shihan Great-Grandmaster of Whoopass Jiu-Jitsu, or should I just start selling the instructional videos now?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I want "Whoopass Aikido" to be the official name for a system. You already have schools purporting to teach "Combat Hapkido", "Combat Wing Chun", "Combat Jujitsu" and so on, but to me those sound as if they have pretensions of military application.

I wonder - should I wait until I open my own dojo to declare myself the founder and 10th-dan Soke Shihan Great-Grandmaster of Whoopass Jiu-Jitsu, or should I just start selling the instructional videos now?

When you post the videos, Tony, I'll show up to do one or more of the following:
1) Dispute your lineage. Clearly Whoopass isn't Aikido.
2) Dispute the effectiveness. Clearly anything Aikido can't be effective.
3) Assert that I have a higher rank, more experience, and/or a better understanding of Whoopass, because I actually met Mr. Whoopass several years ago.
4) Ask to be your student.

 

[mdavidg]

Ha Ha. You guys are funny. Whoopass Aikido does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Ha Ha. You guys are funny. Whoopass Aikido does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Yes, and since Tony didn't put the little (TM) after it, I'll be renaming Shojin-ryu this week.

 

[mdavidg]

gp, Thanks for your information. It's funny but I have never been able to find much information about Tenshin so what you say makes perfect sense. Funny but when I do a search on Tenchin Budo Kai, which really is it's own unique style, I get dozens of links for Tenshin.

I know there is another style that is less flowery then many. I forget what it's called.

Yoseikan may be a hard style too but I still need to do more research.

Anyway, time will tell if I will eventually study Aikido.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

On a more on-topic note, mdavidg, I don't know much about Yoshinkan, but I do recall being at an Aikido (Ueshiba) dojo in Lisbon, Portugal some years ago while visiting a friend. Although I was trying to work with their principles and techniques, I'd been studying Nihon Goshin Aikido for about 20 years at the time, so my usual movement style and approach came through. After the first class, some of the senior students asked me if I was a Yoshinkan student. Apparently, we move like them.

 

[Buka]

Ha Ha. You guys are funny. Whoopass Aikido does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Yes, it does. Catchy, and I like it.