Thank you for the video, I am glad that I mangaged to see this. Thank you for being the right level of autistic to give me a great insight, your knowledge is kind of mind boggaling to be honest,. This 30 minute reply was everything I wanted and needed. I remember when coming up with the idea to make this iceberg, I thought specifically to myself... O' boy I can't wait to clickbait and meme on all these crazy fake martial arts, Aikido included. And just within the first hour of research I was shown how wrong I was about all of it, and what came with it was the realisation that I was completley in over my head. Something that I feel people with any knowledge on any of the specific arts I covered would find obvious... I don't really know too much. Thats why most of the entires tried to stay very surface level, respectful, and contain critism where appropriate. Aikido is the best example of this, in my research I came away with a great deal of respect and understanding of the art form, and how it stood for something much bigger than the mindless meme and joke infused circle that surrounds it ever warrented. My turning point whilst making stupid montages for the video was the Edward Norton Podcast with Joe Rogan, whilst I feel indfferent about both of those men, Edward really did defend the Art form well in the face of a man who is particularly critical, it 100 percent sent me down a rabbit hole of trying to tackle it more seriously. I feel like that energy comes across in most of my video toward the many martial arts I covered. I wish that I could have had the oppertunity to bump into your channel sooner. Becuase imagine my suprise that the origin story that Edward sold me on... has solid proof that it didn't ever happen. It's funny to me that that is the case. Also, this type of content creator back and forth is what the platform should be like, not witch hunts, or mindless beefs. Thank you again for your graceful reply and for helping add great context, I'll be sure to link this video in the pinned comment of the original video! (Sorry for spelling and grammer, dyslexia is a hell of thing)
(Link to MixedMartialAcademic's original content: ruclips.net/video/xnuW8l7ncY8/видео.html ) Howdy, man! Thank you also for watching; I know it can be a whole thing to find smaller channels in the shuffle of not only running your own thing, but also just... life. I'm very appreciative of your approach to describing martial arts and, despite what some in my niche might say, these arts need folks like you. The reality is that there needs to be a bridge between "people who don't know" and those of us who know, perhaps, so much that it comes off as off-putting (or even cope, let's be honest). So, I really can't understate that I felt even though it might have been at surface level, you treated everything in your Iceberg with the right touch, I think. Also, given its an absolutely MASSIVE Iceberg video, I think it is just unfair to assume crazy depth in every entry anyhow. Compared to your content, mine is very low effort and a hobby, yet I spend a surpising amount of time putting this stuff together. I can only imagine the level of work and time sink that Iceberg video required. To the point of Aikido more speicifcally, in many ways it 100% deserves the criticism it gets. I try to be pretty frank here that Aikido has many, many problems. Folks, even here, often disagree with me and some are even swept up in the dogma that has injured the art. Most, I have found, are not, though. It seems like there are a lot of "disaffected" Aikido people out there who want more from an art they know can be better. And I think that is really the crux of my channel: accepting Aikido for what it is and asking for it to reach the heights it suggests. If any of your viewers make their way over here or are reading this in the future, I think my "sales pitch" would be that Aikido is not going to make you a ring fighter. Nor is it going to make you a warrior sage and certainly not a Jedi. But there are a subsection of techniques here that deserve a second look. If you can cut through the nonsense and are open to experimentation, there is likely something that can be mined from this system... whether that be social, philosophical, or martial is entirely up to the individual. But I digress. Thanks again for your post and your original video. I completely agree that this is really how content creators ought to interact. I think we all graduated from high school a long time ago and we are all trying to make our way on this platform, there just isn't reason why we can't be kind and respectful to one another as a bare minimum. Thanks again for this comment, it was a pleasure and I'll be sure to pin it with a link to your video!
The content is always top notch.. loved the Isoyama Sensei footage and the picture of Ueshiba doing an ankle pick. A great reminder for aikidoka to stop putting aikido into a rigid box. Despite all the talk about flowing and harmonizing, aikidoka (generally) tend to have strict opinions about what constitutes appropriate aikido training.
It’s definitely a weird division in the art-the whole “this is what aikido is” type chatter. It’s always frustrated me when I can pull up film of these techniques happening as part of the Aikido heritage and it still gets dismissed for hand-wavey reasons.
I agree. That’s why I go with the Aikido is everything - techniques are just techniques/vehicles to learn the principles, but the principles (Irimi, Shuchu ryoku, etc.) are what makes it specifically aikido.
Hey Tengu, great video! I've been impressed with your episodes for a while now and am interested in having you on my Modern Aikidoist Podcast for a discussion.
Hi! Sure thing, I’d be happy to do that. I can be reached at tengumartialarts@outlook.com or my Instagram account of the same name (although there isn’t any content there yet). We could also try to organize here, but RUclips can be a bit fickle with notifications. Glad you like the content, hopefully we can get something scheduled!
As a teen, I trained in ki-akido, thru the grapevine, it was often said Tohei sensei expressed that O'Sensei wasn't great at explaining. Wasn't unusual for students to stand and sit repeatedly because students weren't catching what he was talking about, so he make everyone sit to explain again. This was part of the reason Tohei Sensei created his own teaching style, because the HQ dojo didn't want to try a new approach, maybe that's part of the Ueshiba family marketing mentioned here...interesting.
I was going to make that a bigger part, but honestly I just don’t event want to really acknowledge him much. At one point in time, maybe (and I do mean maybe because I’m not even convinced of his earlier stuff) he was alright. But he’s just… a weird dude on top of everything else? Aikido just has some terrible ambassadors on top of already having a poor reputation. There are normal Aikido people out there who do a good job, there are just unfortunately eclipsed by the eccentric people most of us would rather be distanced from.
@@sieciobywatel A bit, yeah. I think both Daito-ryu's Takeda and Ueshiba were a bit into themselves--although they both had a slightly different flavor of it. I don't really think that was transmitted, though. You don't really see too many of Ueshiba's direct students, for example, posturing as a kind of prophet or sole-inheritor of Aikido. Some do, yes, but I think most of the Aikido guys even today tend to be normal people; if not occassionally misguided. I think the eccentric people just capture most of the attention because the Internet is sort of built around clicks and "sober" or "grounded" are not the adjectives that inspire people to give up those clicks.
And it's a double edge sword. I'm also not a fan but he certainly attracted a bunch of people to Aikido, I've seen plenty of newbies talk about him in the dojos I've practiced lol
Demo Aikido has become the primary reference for many practitioners. And yes, alternating hard and soft style Aikido could help make it a more complete art. Yet, I have not found much willingness to cross train from the soft Aikido proponents. Unfortunately, the ones I have talked to believe the Demo Aikido is the ultimate evolution by Ueshiba Morihei. Someone asked recently in a hard style dojo what Aikido would look like if it flowed martially. After practicing traditional Hapkido and applying some of the Hapkido concepts to Aikido, I think I have an idea how that would look like. Unfortunately, I think some people (hard and soft styles) feel they have invested so much time into what they are doing that learning something new can be intimidating. A question I have always asked myself is why do practitioners have to wait for a seminar to learn what they should have already been taught? To control the narrative? And, why do so many schools not have an open mat period to encourage self exploration and time to hone the techniques the individual student is struggling to improve? Again, to control progress? Why are people promoted when not ready and others held back because of arbitrary “one-size-fits-all” timelines? Micromanagement (control)? Why are so many important original techniques omitted or altered for safety reasons? Can’t dojos open classes with a quick safety reminder and “bench” or remove from class those who do not follow safety and disregard the safety of their partners?
I have my own ideas about what it would look like in a martial sense, although I suspect it would put me at odds with much of established Aikido. (Which is fine, at this point in life, I couldn’t care much less) The narrative that aesthetics based Aikido is the final evolution of Ueshiba’s stuff is also something I’ve encountered. It’s just my opinion, but I think that is mostly a narrative spun by higher ranking people to justify their training. To my knowledge, I don’t know of any source that suggests Ueshiba was at all too concerned with aesthetics. Although, in a sense, it is the “highest” form of Aikido insofar as it is what has developed under the art’s self-imposed restrictions (peace, softness, non-competition, etc. etc.) It’s just that those restrictions probably deserve to be cross-referenced with the actual history before we start declaring their product somehow the “ultimate” Aikido. And, yes, much of what happens in Aikido I also believe to be about narrative control and petty politics. These things aren’t exclusive to Aikido, but they do seem to be particularly strong in it.
I train hapkido, and while trying to understand hapkido, which is ostensively linked to aikido, and its relations to the other korean martial arts I have a growing sense of dread. The main korean martial arts (taekwondo, hapkido and tang soo do) are all repackagins of japanese arts. Which seems to me a result of the attempt by the japanese imperial forces of erasing korean culture, and I hope I am incorrect.
I know very little about Aikido but the story you're telling sounds eerily similar to another budo martial art I'm more familiar with, Kyudo. Kyudo has always been more about ceremony/showmanship than practical shooting, yet up until rather recently (past ~80 y) it wasn't actually too different from purely functional military archery. It did lean more towards aesthetics and there obviously was a lot of ceremony but the foundation of the actual shooting techniques was still reasonably solid, the archers could shoot bows of proper military weights with reasonable accuracy. Today Kyudo practitioners are a shell of their former selves in their capabilities. It's not because they lack practice, it's purely a result of how dysfunctional the techniques have become as they put more and more emphasis in to aesthetics. The nice thing about archery is that performance measurements are a lot more objective than many other sports because we can get real tangible numbers from things like measuring the kinetic energy in the arrow (it's penetrative capability) or the accuracy of those shots. The median bow strength at my Kyudo club is 25lbs, the average is 30lbs and the heaviest one I measured was a bit under 40lbs which was being shot by a pretty big guy he was at least 250lbs. Compared to historical weights those bows are like pulling air. *Light military bows* start at 80lbs and the heavier ones typically go up to 160lbs, sometimes more. Kyudoka in the early 1900s were still often shooting those numbers. I'm a small feeble man, closer to a woman in stature (50kg 1.76m or 110lbs 5'9" ) so I shoot 25lbs at the club. Yet with military techniques directly taken from 16th century manuals I can shoot 80lbs, more than triple the weight! With more practice I should even be capable of doing up to 110lbs. This trend isn't limited to just to the strength of bow, modern Kyudo technique is in virtually every functional capacity worse to both military archery and historical Kyudo. And all of this change happened within a single person's lifespan.
This is all really fascinating stuff! I mean, it’s sad that we can find these parallels in one another’s arts, but it shows that it can definitely be a broader cultural trend. I’ve had brief encounters with Kyudo, my first Aikido dojo in Japan was actually right next door to a Kyudo dojo, but I was unaware of the intricacies. I’m also vaguely aware of how it came to be and some of the historical knowledge, but my grasp of it tapers off after the Edo Period. It’s crazy how much can be undone so quickly, yet building back up can seemingly be a multi-generational task. Really fascinating stuff, though. I hope you, or people like you, are doing there best to push for the older variant of these techniques. Even if it has to manifest under a name that isn’t necessarily “Kyudo.”
Given the incentive structure you've described, it seems more likely that the ones to apply aikido functionally will be students of other arts looking for an edge than any student of aikido
I think that rings true. Most of the people doing functionality-based Aikido stuff are either ex-Aikido people or people with a sort of outsider interest in the techniques.
@TenguMartialArts Do you think that the theoretical structure of Aikido is necessary to apply these techniques effectively, or can they be developed outside of the larger system? From an outsider's perspective, it doesn't seem like Aikido has a complex system of stepups that arts like judo or wrestling do. In his videos, Breza often claims (I think correctly) that you can't just learn a double leg--the technique only means something within a larger context. Without that context, I don't really see the point of someone going to an aikido class to learn these techniques if the pedagogy is a collection of disjointed techniques. To apply them, someone will need to integrate them into a system, but it looks like they're going to have to do that legwork themselves. BTW, I really appreciate your contributions to the martial arts community. You remind me a bit of Ben Judkins (Kung Fu Tea), who was a big influence on me as a high-schooler interested in academia.
@@torrinmaag5331 Before I jump into this, I want to point out that this is a really great comment you have here and cuts to the heart of a lot of Aikido issues. I'd pin this if I didn't feel obligated to have the link to Mixed Martial Academics original video up there. And, its an honor to be comapred to Mr. Judkins, flattery will get you everywhere. To your point, yes, absolutely. Aikido is fairly barren in regard to set up. It isn't completely void of it--we do have what is called "henka waza," which is taught much, much later in most curriciulums. Henka Waza is essentially "changing technique" and its akin to what some people might call "chain wrestling," except Aikido. It probably wouldn't surprise you to learn I'm a big proponent of this being extracted from the far end of the curriculum and plopping it right near the fundamentals. But even this isn't really a "set up" strategy so much as it is a method of linking together several technique attempts under the assumption that, eventually, something will stick. The "set up" in Aikido is often given to Atemi (strikes), but guess what is probably the least trained component of the Aikido curriculum? ...It's the strikes. Beyond that, I've long advocated that there are wrestling positions that enable Aikido: Russian 2-on-1, Standing Arm Triangles, a Standing Gift Wrap, and forcing the opponent to post his hands on the ground. All these things isolate limbs which is a crucial ingredient for the vast majority of the Aikido curriculum. I could go into even deeper detail here, but I have videos coming out on this fairly soon. I'll just leave it at, yes, this is probably the least developed part of Aikido and is where I would devote most of my time course correcting. As for joining an Aikido class, I do still think its need if for no other reason than to build a solid understanding of mechanics and burning the techniques into muscle memory. The reality is that, yes, Aikido lacks systemization and this is a huge issue. But even the best system in the world doesn't really matter if you're still thinking through the individual techniques like: "Okay step 1, I do this, step 2..." By the time you get half way through step 1, the person has escaped back to neutral or is even attacking you. The reality is that you really aren't going to find another place to train that muscle memory outside of an Aikido class unless you put together your own cabal of Aikido-outsider enthusiasts. Which is possible, but usually more work than just finding a dojo. Is this state of affairs ideal? Of course not, we hope that eventually Aikido can offer both the chance to get the muscle memory down AND offer the systemic context to actually fire off compentent attacks. Unfortunately, you are correct in that--at the moment--systemization is going to be up to indviduals. On one hand, this kind of sucks because there is no one place to point people to. On the other hand, I think it is sort of an exciting time. I wouldn't yet call this interest in a "martial Aikido" a movement, but it certainly is a growing sentiment. You have channels like mine, Martial Geeks', Chris Hein's, Aikido Silverdale's, and several more starting to crop up. At the same time, similar things are happening in the Karate world with Karate Breakdowns and Iain Abernathy's work. So I think we are starting to see the creative, chaotic beginnings of something. It just remains to be seen if the sentiment can transform into tangible, lasting, beneficial change. So, yes, things aren't in a great state in Aikido. I don't think anyone I just mentioned would argue otherwise, either. But it is also an interesting time, even if it might not be super accessible at the moment. My hope for the Tengu channel is that I can contribute to this growing sentiment. In a long, long term sense, I'd love to even teach my interpretation to people and give other people's interpretations a platform to spread. This was all a long-winded way of saying you are correct. I also, for the record, am a big Breza fan and agree with him more times than not. Techniques in isolation only go so far. And then, yes, Aikido needs a more systematic approach to application and, when it develops one, to make it accessible to people who maybe don't have the time or resources to be mad scientists about it today in the name of a better tomorrow. I suspect the development toward that point, though, is going to take time. Barring some massive shift in the landscape, I think a truly "martial" Aikido that can stand next to other combat sports (just as an arbitrary point of comparison) is likely still a generation or two out. Which sucks, but its the long game.
Lots of food for thought. I’m pleased you’ve used Tomiki (Shodokan) aikido as your backdrop, with a seminar classes, not demonstrations. Nariyama Tetsuro Shihan.
Martial arts "alt history" is sometimes I delve into, and oh my lord there is a LOT of potential ways to deviate. Like you said here Aikido seems to have been at the right place at the right time, but also Ueshiba had some ties to ultranationalist figures. Many were invested and even executed for it after WW2. It's hard to see him ever being arrested for it but perhaps if he was put on a government watch list of sorts... what happens to Aikido, and if it never gains the popularity it did, who takes the place? The Butokukai is also a fun one, since its martial arts institute (budo senmon gakko) was in Kyoto... a city the Americans planned to blow up with Little Boy, until it narrowly avoided being bombed thanks to Mr. Harry Stimson.
Steven Seagal is a polarizing figure, embodying what I call "Elvis syndrome"-a talent derailed by ego and fame. While his post-Hollywood antics have turned him into something of a caricature, his pre-Hollywood career deserves recognition for its genuine impact on Aikido. Esteemed figures from both ends of the Aikido spectrum, including soft lineage and calligraphy master Abe Seiseki, hardline Hiroshi Isoyama, and even Kisshomaru Ueshiba, the son of Morihei Ueshiba, all held Seagal's Aikido in high regard during his prime. 10th dan Aikido and Shodo master Abe Sensei once stated in a published interview that he had promoted Seagal to 5th and 6th dan because Seagal's Aikido was the best he'd ever seen, although he later regretted the comment-not because of Seagal's technique, but due to concerns about Seagal's persona and the influence of such a statement. Personally, having now over 30 years on Aikido, I admire Seagal's Aikido technique before his fame and share Abe Sensei's opinion, but I despise the figure he became. Seagal is a clear example of someone who hasn't aged well. Love him or hate him, the truth is that Seagal was the true disseminator of Aikido. No other master, much to the disdain of purists, came close to his success in making the art popular worldwide. Abe Sensei, who was not only a direct student of the founder but also Morihei Ueshiba's calligraphy teacher, had a unique relationship with the founder. Their bond, breaking away from the traditional master-disciple structure, was more akin to a friendship. His opinion on Seagal, therefore, cannot be underestimated. Another direct disciple of Morihei Ueshiba, Hiroshi Isoyama Sensei (the current head of the Aiki Jinja and known for his heavy form, which greatly influenced Seagal's style) would hardly say anything negative about him. Kisshomaru Ueshiba not only admired Seagal but also taught at Seagal's Tenshin Dojo in Osaka on several occasions. He conferred upon Seagal the 7th dan while Seagal was still in his 40s-a feat unmatched by anyone else. These are well-documented facts. Having trained at his dojo myself, I can attest to the strong technical foundation Seagal built, much of which is carried on today by his former top student, Haruo Matsuoka Sensei, who continues to teach in the U.S. under a different dojo name. Meanwhile, the original Tenshin Dojo name is still used by Seagal's ex-wife, Miyako Fujitani, who continues to run the same dojo in the Juso area of Osaka, where Seagal taught for over a decade. Remarkably, there is still no proper video documenting Seagal's pre-Hollywood work and technical prowess. Similarly underexplored is the question of why Stanley Pranin, arguably the greatest Aikido historian and the founder of Aikido Journal - the largest publication on the art - entrusted his life's work to one of Matsuoka Sensei's top students, signaling the enduring influence of Seagal's lineage. Another poorly covered and broadly misunderstood story is that of MMA fighters reaching out to Seagal. Despite the controversy surrounding it, this speaks to the unique space Seagal occupies in martial arts history and the recognition of his unique approach to Aikido. Seagal's Hollywood success, however tarnished, played a pivotal role in popularizing Aikido outside Japan. Without that exposure, Aikido might still be confined to a niche corner of Tokyo, quietly preserving its classical Japanese roots. Whether that's a blessing or a curse remains open to debate.
Dude, you've just put a thought that I had into words beautifully when you talked about the nationalist roots of aikido. Not too long ago, youtube started recommending me videos from a channel called "Kuro Obi World", where different masters of traditional japanese martial arts demonstrated their moves. Initially it seemed pretty normal, if a bit banal - most of my understanding of martial arts comes from the MMA sphere, but I do come from a TMA background (my main martial art to this day is still kung fu, even though my teacher has cross-trained in MMA and our style is very much informed by it), so I can appreciate a good form. But then the demonstrations became weirder and weirder - what first started as showing cool bunkai soon turned into "sitting with kata", where the karate master in the video would show how to sit correctly in seiza, and how powerful of a pose it is. And these demonstrations were full of these strange, half-related, biomechanical explainations of why things should be done how the instructor says - like when sitting in seiza, he would ask his training partner to try to keep him sitting, and show that if he sat in the correct pose, they couldn't. Again, I can appreciate a good kata, but is the seiza really a crucial part of the biomechanical process of fighting? Can you show me some sparring footage where you use this, please? This didn't really make sense to me until I remembered that I once saw a video (I think it was Jesse Enkamp's, but I'm not entirely sure), where the person interviewed remarked on the split that happened between different styles of karate - those that thought of themselves as "Karate-do" and those that didn't. The "karate-do" schools were part of the right-wing nationalist japanese movement, while the non-do ones (like kyokushin) were more left leaning. And this distinction made everything click into place: these weird explanations weren't real demonstrations of combat effectiveness - rather, they were retroactive justifications for their existence. It's essentially like a kind of memetic cultural darwinism: the foregone conclusion is that these katas are essentially perfect, and these pseudo-rational explanations go to show that every little detail in these katas was in fact designed from the start. This, in turn, goes to show how perfect the japanese tradition is as a whole, how wise were the ancestors who invented it were, and how well the japanese nation would do to follow them. It is, in essence, a kind of nationalistic mythologiesing. Karate as propaganda. This also explained the sheer arrogance of these videos: the karate master teaches his moves to a professional boxer, he demonstrates kata in a shaolin temple. Rather than going to these places as a student or documentarian, to learn about these masters of their craft, all he does is teach - because why learn, when you can spread the already-perfect tradition of the most glorious nation? This kind of breaks my heart, because as a student of kung fu (and a person who almost finished their philosophy degree), I think there is genuine power in the concept of "Do" or "Dao". Despite how much I like training MMA, I think MMA culture puts way too much importance on the concept of "efficiency" - or, to be more accurate, they have a misguided belief that they can alway find the most efficient path and take it. MMA is always so self-serious, always lacking in sense of play and imagination, and I found that the closer I got to traditional martial arts, the more people allowed themselves to feel the genuine magic that can present itself when one hones their abilities and craft to the highest level. It's always amazing for me to slip a few punches in boxing, to land a questionmark kick in muay thai. These are moment when you know that you are truly whole, in some sense. This skill, this kung fu in the original sense - a skill acquired through hard work and practice - is the realm of perfection, even though it is unreachable. But then, the magic of martial arts, if you go in too deep, can turn into delusion, which can be exploited. And the forces which might want to exploit this delusion can range from the pathetic, like a sad McDojo owner just trying to empty your pockets, to sinister, like cases of physical and sexual abuse, to downright evil, as is the case of the right-wing, imperialist interpretation of "budo".
Pretty much agree with everything you’ve put here. A lot of Japanese martial arts are very conservative and quite a sizable slice of them are pretty self-congratulatory to their own detriment. I also completely agree that there is value in the “Do” concept, even if it’s gets warped. And same with the position on MMA where they sometimes focus too much on the whole “efficiency” idea without any deviation to make other considerations. To be honest, I think most innovations in competitive martial arts initially begin with someone accepting that-for a while-they are going to be inefficient. Because nothing new or experimental starts out on the same playing field as long-tested tactics. I think that notion keeps people on pretty rigid tracks most of the time, unwilling to branch out and just try new things. Of course, the TMA often do this, too, it’s just their rhetoric is that experimentation “isn’t traditional.” I just don’t like shoving things into unnecessary boxes, but it seems like both ends of the martial arts spectrum still find ways to do it. It’s kind of a shame.
"The "karate-do" schools were part of the right-wing nationalist japanese movement, while the non-do ones (like kyokushin) were more left leaning." The Kyokushinkai was never left wing in any sense of that word. Masutatsu Oyama himself was associated with Yakuza people possibly since he was a teenager. Some sources claim he was an errand boy for them. Almost all of the organizations that sprung up after he died had connections with the criminal underworlds and issues with the law. Not to mention that Oyama himself stated that he fought US military personnel stationed in Japan because he was angry at them for his friends deaths during the war. Another source even claimed that he had a nervous breakdown because he couldn't commit his duty as a kamikaze pilot. Did he become more lucrative oriented afterwards (meaning he didn't have a problem training foreign students) sure but "leftwing, liberal" etc. not even close. As for Karate adding the Do and becoming Karate-do. Yeah that happened because of Japanese nationalism but in the sense that if anybody wanted to succeed in their style being accepted in the mainland they had to accept adding the Do and fitting in with Ju-do, Ken-do, Kyo-do in the Dai Nippon Butokukai organization. The adding of the Do suffix however wasn't the main nationalistic part concerning Karate from Okinawa. The nationalistic part was changing the original Karate kanji from Tang-hand(fist) 唐手 to Empty-hand (fist) 空手 . Also, let's not forget that Funakoshi added the keikogi, color belts and ranking system from Judo in other to make things smoother for the acceptance of Karate.
I have a lot too thank for this video. It puts a lot of my thoughts into perspective. I am one of the minority. My background. I cross train capoeira Angola (not modern) 12 years, aikido 7 and lately Thai Boxing 1,5 years. 1) Shiragawa does not only do demonstrations. He does something very important for young audience like me, 34 years old. He does meet Thai champions, does modernist click bait RUclips channel with “anime fonts”. Does cross train. Is fit. Open for audiences. When I found his channel I was more inspired than this. MMA stuff. 2) in Oslo we have 5 aikido clubs. I train at sentrum Aikido where all the “experienced” and older people go after they graduate, and OSI Aikido student club. I still continue in the student club because of young people and athleticism. I go to Thai boxing because of same weight class and same age, I stick to the student club too the same reason. I cannot experience the jutsu part at Sentrum as much. I need people at my age, weight competition class. I cross train Thai Boxing, the Aikido community knows, I talk about the issue of cross train, modernisation, internet culture, spicing it up for new generations… and meet wall. In the aikido community it’s problematic. On the other hand in the MMA club I mention I do aikido and started the MMA started respecting it since I started go out and spar and use it in clinches, I do modern stuff, i like martial art memes, internet culture, post modern culture so to say. I like young audience and modernisation. Super contrast… It such a problem and I see this video address itt and my own struggles with martialization and adapting aikido to a internet, meme and internet culture since the hierarchical structure are 50 old man and not young people. Another thing I don’t have Hakama after 7 years and people want me to grade. I have the ability to get it but…. I find it weird to be judged by people who don’t spar, and the grading committee is constituted of 90% old 50 year male. I am not a 50 year old guy and want to be judged on my technique by people at my skill, weight class and so forth. 3) Another thing is that I have to demonstrate a form/choreography or kihon, which keeps me from grading since I have to learn a set of choreographic skills and not applications. It’s even weirder about traditional arts and male female ratio, in Thai boxing I meet women. They kick ass. And then in aikido it’s grading it’s 90% old man in the grading committee… and judge female aikidoka. Where are the women in the committee? That maybe another thing we should address is this patriarchal structures.
Spot on. I love Aikido because it's a very creative art, but it's washed out by blind tradition and a fixation for the form. Like, it's not complex: We have an entire body, multiple limbs, why focus only on the arms? And I don't mean we need to change the core concepts, it's not about incorporating other styles, but really about using the entire body and, of course, physics.
This video is martially artful. 26 minutes video to counter gracefully a 3 hours video, this is like martial art: a complex technique always has at least a simple counter
Hot take: aikido is objectively the MOST useful and practical martial art. Reason: You will, without a doubt fall down WAY more times than you will ever be in physically violent encounters. Especially the later you get in life.
One has to train all martial arts enough time to judge which one is the most useful. And if there is such martial art, it would be the most useful for him only. Falling is important but there are systems which practice falling on hard ground without protection and with shoes on. I think this kind of practice is even more useful. I started aikido only because of ukemi and after 15 years, I am still not satisfied with my ukemi. I am looking for a ways to improve it which go beyond aikido.
What exactly is the name of the aikidoka you mentioned twice as an example for very dynamic demonstration aikido (eg at 17:00)? Can‘t find „Shida Kawauchi“ …
I wish I had a link to the article I'm thinking of but the Aikido Journal has an enlightening article featuring a quote from either an Aikido or Daito Ryu instructor explicitly saying that the demos used "non martial" techniques meant to bring in (impress) people who knew nothing of fighting. Ever since reading this I've come to believe this is a significant factor in how Aikido, and to some degree Daito Ryu, became the flippy nonsense it is. It really seems like people stopped being let in on the secret. Or perhaps there ARE still people who know but it's only heads of orgs. Though if that were true you wouldn't see the occasional senior instructor attempt some kind of real fight.
Sweet, a very solid argumentative response to a video i've never seen about a subject i basically know nothing about. Very informative thank you! I'm a iaido student and have heard many negative things about aikido especially regarding their use of a sword. I've also heard that aikido was about countering weapon when you don't have one yourself, and that weapons have been mostly taken away from aikido techniques. Is there truth in this statement ?
Oh boy, this is a can of worms, friend. So I’ll preface everything here with this: I am not a swordsman, I’m not even really a weapons guy. But I’ll supplement my response with some historical anecdotes. I think the current consensus is that, yes, the Aikido tradition grew out of weapons work. However, I’m seeing more and more people shifting towards the idea that the techniques work best when the person doing Aikido is the armed individual. There is a whole channel sort of devoted to this basic idea called Chris Hein’s Approach to Aikido. I usually differ weapons-interested folks to his expertise (he’s actually done stuff live under this premise). I personally gravitate to the unarmed expression because that just happens to be my interest, but also I think it’s a more likely avenue to get people involved in Aikido. Those opinions are my own, though. I know Kendoka or the HEMA crowd would probably, understandably, disagree with my sentiment. As for the quality of Aikido weapons work, I feel fairly confident in saying it’s kind of trash. Even internally, there have been high ranking Sensei that have openly said that they should stop doing sword work at demonstrations because there are “real swordsmen” in the crowds and they (the Aikidoka) are embarrassing themselves. While I’m no weapons expert, I’ve been around people much more adept than I with a knife, for example, and I find Aikido’s knife work to be a far inferior technology to what’s out there. Having said all that, a counter argument to this has always been that the weapons work are just tools to help communicate principles and the actual efficacy isn’t the point. Personally, I kind of feel like this is cope. I suspect many Aikidoka quietly feel the same. I know of many, many Aikido people who have gravitated towards Iaido, Kendo, or even prominent older sword styles to better grasp the sword component. Same thing with the short staff. Weapons work still exists in Aikido, but it remains of contentious quality. Many dojos in America that I’m aware of supplement Aikido with some style of Iaido. Take that as you will. So… what you’ve heard is sort of true? I do think, in a historical sense, these techniques make the most sense in a weapons context. Although keep in mind that Aikido didn’t invent this stuff, plenty of other styles contain the same techniques. But the quality of Aikido’s weapons work is dubious. I feel Aikido has had a few accomplished swordsmen in its ranks over the years, but I’d also say it was not their Aikido training that got them there… it was generally some other art. Hopefully that answers your question! I’m glad you liked the content.
@@TenguMartialArts thanks for your reply to my earlier comment, I can share a different perspective as a HEMA practitioner, during our dagger class we would wrestle with the instructor dropping a dagger in front of us (more for fun rather than practicality) but we ended up fighting for the dagger well because I was so focused on weapon retention (I didn't want to give the opponent the advantage of a weapon while I had nothing) I held onto the dagger which had me get shoulder thrown. While more of a judo/jujitsu related technique I often wonder how much psychologically weapons play into it and if it can help with aikido.
Also on a side note I do agree that unarmed is probably the best for akido as weapon based martial arts while more popular than before are still a niche within a niche
Best channel on aikido together with Christopher Hein's podcast and RUclips channel (I'd like to hear you two on a podcast having a discussion). But now I need to ask you to not necessary show this "different" aikido (I'm not a fan of this, sorry, American "show me what you got") but explain it in details: the kind of training, also the context, inside and, if it has one, outside the training hall and the ultimate porpose of such a thing. And how far it would be from kicking, punching and wrestling (great stuff but how much "martial"? And how much a fun activity for modern leisure time, a sport in a word?). Because I have the feeling that the so called "martial community" is the place in which on different trends, different people can sell a dream. Today is the turn of sport people to sell, yesterday was karate, kung fu, ninjutsu and even aikido! Anyway it seems to me that the most marketable product was and is "the triumphant bar fighter dream": in these dream the young man and the grown up (only chronologically) man stand up victorious in the bar. Everyone likes to make fun of Steven Segal but meta-funny is that these dream is exactly the same scene we see in "Above the law".
Yeah, I'm a big Hein supporter, but as of yet I've really got no direct contact with the guy. I am always happy to send people his way though, especially for the weapons-minded folk! So, to your point, yes, I agree that a lot of this has to be more clearly defined. What I will say is that this content IS coming. I tend to view my RUclips channel as one, cohesive work. This often means I gloss over things I've spoken on before or, vice versa, gloss over things that I know I have in the pipeline. To your specific point, the last year or so has involved a lot of "macro-level" type content which is really to set a foundation of context for more detailed videos. I know this isn't really how RUclips intends content to be consumed, but my general idea is to produce content that sort of assumes you're "caught up." I could do a better job of organizing related content into relevant playlists for sure, but, again, the concept is that this is sort of like a university program. For the last bit, its been "Tengu's View of Aikido 101," that way when I get truly granular, people have some understanding of where I'm coming from. Part of the issue with this is that RUclips channels, by design, constantly have new people on them, which means some degree of review or direction to old content is (frustratingly) necessary. That "under the hood" creative stuff aside, I do have a plan to get to the place you're referring to. For me, however, I will say that I don't see the need for competition between "self defense," "sport," "aesthetics & fitness," etc. While these are absolutely all different, I'd gladly teach them all without ever implying one has a monopoly over the "true" or "pure" expression of the art. In fact, I came up through the ranks in a dojo that taught Karate, Judo, and Aikido. A trend that I found there was that, eventually, almost everyone cross-trained, even if that wasn't their initial plan. So, for me, my goal is really just to get people in the door. Keep in mind, I don't have a dojo, but even on RUclips, my primary goal has been to defuse the notion that Aikido--or even martial arts more generally--HAS to be for "X" thing. It is very true that this isn't very eloquent for marketing, but it IS a more sincere, transparent reflection of what training really is. My recent focus on "martial" Aikido has primarily been a result of the fact that people seeking that expression of the style have far fewer options as opposed to the more aesthetic expression. It is very difficult to find a training venue that aligns with all the stuff that comes with training Aikido martially, so I could at least contribute to that demand and... proto-movement(?) here. In short, what is the ultimate purpose of this sort of training? That would be up to the individual. If you want it to be leisure, sport, or self preservation--that is all fine. The key is actually making the conscious choice and ackowledging that whatever you choose IS what you are doing. It could even be multiple of these things. But personally, I think all expressions of Aikido are valid in so far as they are honest and not a pseudo-religion. As for specific technical details, I probably won't cover too much on the weapons or aesthetic side there. Mr. Hein has the weapons covered, imho, and it isn't all that difficult to find a dojo that focuses on aesthetics (whether they advertise it or not). I do have videos coming very, very soon that will start to break down my view of what a "martial" Aikido ought to look like. It isn't definitive, other people will have other opinions--that is fine. However, I think I'm mostly focused on a sport-side with it. The reason isn't because I favor combat sports or anything, but because I think developing that direction is what will pull people into the art. Once they join up, they will be much more open to discover the full range of what is on offer--just like how people would always eventually cross-train at my original home dojo. Or, at least, that is the theory. I also agree with what you're saying about the sort of "bar room fantasy." A lot people want that. For all the "functionality first" rehtoric that gets pushed online, people will still watch John Wick movies, for example, and decide they want to learn that. Even though cinematic martial arts and functional martial arts are vastly different fields. I don't have a direct answer to that; I'm not really in the business of leveraging people's fantasies for gain. I think all I can do is be honest about what my vision is and what I can offer. If people want to be a part of that, I'm more than happy to support them the best I can with my limited resources. Hopefully that answers your question? Apologies for the long-winded response, but there is a lot to unpack there.
Thanks a lot. No need to apologize, that's what I esteem: people who explain their wiew for as long as it needs. And that is true also for your channel, again maybe the best in the field, and maybe because you don't worry to dive deep into long reflections, showing old footages as a background (RUclips incongruous award). I'll wait for your future videos but regarding the sport direction, I have to say I agree: it seems the fatal need. But this possible path makes me also think about Kano's skeptical view on the total "sportification of judo" ( I remember him talking about swords in judo practice as I remember, who does?, Goshin jutsu, mostly aikido). But the only thing that modern judo seems to be is a sport (a good one indeed), but nothing more then a one on one grappling sport. Again, thank you very much.
@@danielepinzuti4022 Over-sportification is certainly always a worthy concern. My hopes would be that the other expressions would offer as a counter-balance, but some bridges just have to be crossed when we come to them, for better or worse. And no worries! Glad to help give some clarity to things!
I'm one of those martially minded aikido people... And I had to hear through my all career that I'm doing it wrong. 😾 Fortunatelly I also met 2 or 3 like minded teachers in the past.
Shirakawa ryuji, as mentioned. He not only does very athletic and aesthetic aikido demos but lots of fun videos crosstraining with other martial artists/athletes including stuff like teaching aikido moves to pro wrestlers and attempting to throw or pin huge sumo and rugby guys
This is dope I didn't want to watch that whole video bruh idk why but my content retention span is dead like I'll only be able to watch some shows I'm never watching movies
The “hopping up quickly” drill is my favorite way to train Aikido in the more “aesthetic” way. The cardio needed is actually pretty intense and it’s always fun to see who tires out first or if you can hit like.. 30, 50, 100 falls or whatever. In the athletic sense, it is martial useful given the stamina you build up, but it’s obviously not a pure reflection of a match or anything.
I disagree with Aikido not being "wrestling or Judo" I studied both Judo and Aikido and they complement each other so much that at times I would find myself doing Aikido in Judo and Judo in Aikido. It was all the same to me. Look at Toshu Randori...it looks like Judo. Which is why I think of Aikido as a standing grappling art. Of course I come from an offshoot of Tomiki's Aikido.
Oh hey, I watched and just posted a comment there. I train pencak silat and the video was making fun of it in a non informative way. To be true, silat was highly being mythicized in the past. Rpping of rears and inner strength and other mcdojo crap. Silat now especially styles developed in the netherlands like bongkot harimau is not like that and silat in general had to get rid of the bs due to being in close proximity to kickboxing and other martial arts which attracted way more people. Now, for example, pressure points are not targeted directly but used as a possible plus, especially when grabbing. It deals with local laws in regards to self defense. It deals by first targeting easy to hit vital areas, especially the eyes or strike to the stomach. Training focuses on drills to end a fight as quickly as possible, mid to hard warmup to build stamina and muscle hardening to build resistance and stretching to prevent injury. Mild sparring to better undertand how to use a move in a real confrontation.
Yeah, I think the original video is kind of an "intro" into common formulations of various styles. On one hand, I can sympathize because the scale of research for a 3 hour video is massive, so its only natural some stuff is only surface level. On the other hand, I feel like its a video more geared towards people with a passing interest as opposed to folks like you or I who are clearly way deeper into the rabbit hole of our respective arts. But, again, an Iceberg video that did every single art the justice of a super thorough deep dive would be like 10 hours long and probably require hundreds of hours of research. There were other things in the video that I'd probably whip sources out on if I wanted to go full obnoxious turbo-nerd, but I think it was mostly designed to be light-hearted entertainment. At the very least, I was appreciative of the fact that it didn't come across like a mean-spirited subscriber grab that is all-too-common in some corners of the space. No one is going to know every little miniscule thing about a given style so I appreciate that at least most them seemed like they were afforded some sincerity and genuine curiosity, even if the information wasn't always on point. In general, I think some creators are just more geared towards the sort of hobbyist martial arts guy who have an interest, but aren't really "all in." Then there are other channels like mine which get very granular about their interests. Not that this is a criticism of channels aimed more at "normal" people... clearly, those channels are far, far larger than mine probably ever will be lol. And I'm not saying that from a place of envy, its just how it is. The deeper into a niche you go, the less of an audience there is.
Also, sry english isn't my native language, I'd like to add that pencak silat, the pencak part of it, is due to the history and artform and is an expression of it. The "dances" are used as a form of drill to understand a move and body mechanics. They are also used for grading and learning specific aspect like stances. They are designed in a way to force you to move the right way, to learn. Trainer teaches you about a real confrontiation and how to react then, not to use the drill. You are absolutly right with your comment, the video was allready 3 hours long, hard to go into certain details. I just wished the view was more positive and more in favour of modern day silat.
As a mid 40's, high ranking (5th dan) aikido instructor, I see the higher age range of students. I train BJJ (blue belt) too to increase my skillset. Aikido has a deservedly bad image and I hate the recent idea that aikido is "the budo of peace". Aikido has no image and, as you say, the people at the top can't or won't change any time soon.
People just have a very vested interest in the status quo. I think there are probably more people (even among those veterans) who are aware of the problems and feel some urgency about them, but there really isn't any channel to opening voice these concerns due to hierarchical structures. Worse yet, some of these people go online and try to blame the detractors. While lots of online people certainly don't have a clue what they are talking about, I think the negative press Aikido gets is a symptom of its problems, not the source. That negative spotlight wouldn't exist if the mismanagement inside the art didn't exist. So shouting in the digital void just seems... very out of touch. I think the art needs a lot of change, but what should be any easy change is just some transparency. I'd have a lot more respect for the various styles if, instead of doubling down on the same old failing premise, they came out and just admitted they weren't reaching people the way they should anymore and that reality needs to start being reflected in the martial art. I genuinely believe that would be a solid first step. But... that would also mean swallowing a bitter pill and a lot of humility. Nor would it be an instant fix or an instant turn around of public perception. I just don't see Sensei--especially not Japanese Sensei--coming out and admitting problems. The issue in my eyes, though, is that stubbornly trudging along doing the exact same song and dance in spite of all the signs is equally as embarassing. Clearly, people inside the art disgaree, though.
@@Carbonator5000 I can't utter the word "implication" without thinking of that show. And "Science is wrong... sometimes" is a near legendary joke even in my family. You're in good company here haha
Aikido which emphasizes of training uke is good aikido. Look at modern warfare: How do you think? Is it more important for a modern professional soldier, compared to samurai of the old to know locks and throws against a single ooponent, or it is more important to be more athletic, to be able to run, jump, roll, climb, etc. etc. I think people difine the word "martial" too restrictive, judging by the modern gladiator-like sports. The problem for aikido is not the overexaggeration of the demonstrative aikido but the perception of aikido as non-requiring physical fitness. That leads to today's result when aikido is viewed as a laughing stock, because old and fat people train with other old and fat people trying to look good. As for Shirakawa sensei, I love what he does and I think there are different kinds of skill a martial art can develop. He shows skills that many other schools neglect. I have trained for years under a system, mainly influenced by Chiba sensei. It teaches many different skills. Anyway, trying hard to show-off as a more "martial" martial art during demonstrations, practice sessions or exams does not pay off very well. It leads to injuries with time. I see the same problem in many wrestling and BJJ systems which I have also tried. When injuries reach a critical point, any skill becomes useless. So better trying to be less martial, more skillful and most importantly, practice in a proper way avoiding injuries. I do know which aikidoka is worse: the one who has no idea how to hit, has never trained simple straight punches and kicks or the one who has no idea how to control his movements and becomes dangerous for the uke and for himself at the same time. Regretfully, dojos are full with black belts of both types. So, typical aikido dojo usually sucks. Inspite of all that, I love aikido and will go on practicing and teaching it.
I am 54 and a black belt. I love Aikido but it has suffered in marketing. It is a great art and very effective, but MMA and BJJ are winning at marketing.
Agreed. There's a huge difference between war, self defense and sport. An old woman learning boxing will not beat Mike Tyson, and neither will an old woman practicing aikido. But aikido is useful and effective of trained properly. Fundamentally, we're responsible for our own training. I think,even in Aikido, people don't really understand the training method of aikido.
This whole thing I hear people repeat that "Justu is practical and Do spiritual" bothers me on a whole different aspect than what you're talking about. My issue is that, this perspective doesn't take into account what the founders of the various "Do" martial arts said. Nakamura Taizaburo sensei has a whole book where he explains the reason for his developing Toyama Ryu and Nakamua Ryu (as well as their forerunners, like the Gunto Soho). His criticism was that he meant the Koryu had completely forgot how to use swords, and he also criticizes military recruits for not being able to cut, despite extensive Kendo practice. To sum up his argument, he was providing practical training in an aspect of martial arts he thought was lacking. Similarly, Kendo started appearing in the 1700s as Gekiken. Again, the reason was that some teachers found that people may be good at kata and performing techniques, but were not able to fight due to a lack of sparring. Through the practice of Gekiken, practitioners got to gain experience in sparring. During the Meiji Revolution, it was said that the schools who practiced Gekiken, like Hokushin Itto Ryu and Tennen Rishin Ryu, produced the greatest swordsmen during the conflict. Kendo came from this practice of Gekiken. Even today, many Kendoka consider Kendo as the "real" swordsmanship, and Koryu as antiquated and degraded nonsense that has forgotten its roots. In Japan, I have repeatedly experienced headteachers, teachers, and students of both Koryu and Gendai Budo openly and crassly criticize the other. Sometimes to a rather disgraceful degree, imo. Both with the idea that they are doing the real stuff, and the others are just doing watered down bs. So it's not the idea that practitioners of the "Do" arts are just doing it for the spiritual practice. It was always intended to be a very practical core of a certain martial principle. At the same time, it's also not the practitioners of the "Jutsu" arts idea to mainly focus on the spiritual either. They typically consider their Koryu practice as the real practice as well. The reason that the spiritual aspect is prevalent throughout Japanese martial arts, whether they are "Do" or "Jutsu", is because, as you say, it's always been that way. Reading the texts of the old martial masters, like Yagyu Munenori, you'll find that the texts are heavily spiritual. The texts of the Katori Shinto Ryu are heavy in esoteric religious practices. Even the legendary Go Rin No Sho is named and structured after the Buddhistic principle of the five wheels (Gorin 五輪). So it's all spiritual. When you're maintaining an ancient martial art, you bring that along with you. As it's core teachings. And when you make a new martial art that's intended to teach the true teachings of the samurai, then you have to incorporate what made the minds of the samurai "undefeatable", which is their spiritual practices. So there's no "one is practical and the other is spiritual", neither one way nor the other. They are both trying to most accurately incorporate both.
What you’re getting at is basically where I’ve arrived, too. I think these things need to be taken and analyzed on a case to case basis. Whether they are “Jutsu” or “Do” by themselves doesn’t actually tell us much about their aims. I suspect people’s infatuation with the idea more so comes from wanting to have clear cut categorization and a simple timeline, but life isn’t like that. As for the martial arts criticism of each other, I agree. The in-fighting is baffling, but it’s also kind of a story as old as time. It’s tough to find a martial art that, at least at one point, hasn’t claimed it was “the best ever.” I just find this to be a very childish marketing tactic. Just state what your art trains for and then produce students who do that thing to an expert level… profit. An art that goes out of its way to demean another art is just advertising it’s insecurity, imho.
people who are into martial arts tend to know so much specific details but tend to forget the bigger picture and that is how a specific martial art developed and how it tried to preserve its own cultural heritage. Even newer self defense systems like krav maga get mythicized as being a solution to every problem when its own history is rooted in modern warfare, troops running around with heavy gear and plate carriers and the moves and mindset of krav maga is still influenced by that. Karate and other arts from japan are still encoded with an honour code in regards to its own students and when dealing with a threat. other arts like FMA or Silat are more rooted in mysticism as a result to presserve and protect certain moves against other tribes and other people from outside to not lose a possible advantage. It's more fluid because of the dance and music culture and uneven jungle and swamp area. You don't see that many chunky muscular people runing around there. The folk are hardened and lean, not big soldiers. Fans of martial arts would benefit more when training a specific art or using critic to another art when they would focus more on how their own art developed through culture and enviroment.
I'm surprised you haven't referenced the "Hein's Approach to Aikido" channel. He has a current, functional take on the art that doesn't seem to conflict with any of your posts, although you're both on slightly different tracks.
I actually have brought him up before in older content. I usually direct people interested in the weapons side of things to him as that’s not really my forte or core interest, but yeah, I think he’s doing good stuff
I had spent 25 years of competing in other martial arts (boxing, karate, wrestling) before I found aikido. Growing tired of the injuries sustained in the other martial arts, I found aikido was a martial art that had potential and I could grow old with. 28 years later and after running my own dojo for nearly 14 years, I've drifted back to sparring and the development of a functional aikido. Pay attention to what we are doing in VA Aikikai. It matches with the direction you say aikido needs to go. ruclips.net/video/DmrepqZI9_c/видео.html
I’m not saying you have never trained in Aikido. I’m wondering, if you know what needs to be done with Aikido, why aren’t you doing it? Right now you just sound like a less whiny version of Rokas.
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Thank you for the video, I am glad that I mangaged to see this. Thank you for being the right level of autistic to give me a great insight, your knowledge is kind of mind boggaling to be honest,. This 30 minute reply was everything I wanted and needed. I remember when coming up with the idea to make this iceberg, I thought specifically to myself... O' boy I can't wait to clickbait and meme on all these crazy fake martial arts, Aikido included. And just within the first hour of research I was shown how wrong I was about all of it, and what came with it was the realisation that I was completley in over my head. Something that I feel people with any knowledge on any of the specific arts I covered would find obvious... I don't really know too much. Thats why most of the entires tried to stay very surface level, respectful, and contain critism where appropriate. Aikido is the best example of this, in my research I came away with a great deal of respect and understanding of the art form, and how it stood for something much bigger than the mindless meme and joke infused circle that surrounds it ever warrented. My turning point whilst making stupid montages for the video was the Edward Norton Podcast with Joe Rogan, whilst I feel indfferent about both of those men, Edward really did defend the Art form well in the face of a man who is particularly critical, it 100 percent sent me down a rabbit hole of trying to tackle it more seriously. I feel like that energy comes across in most of my video toward the many martial arts I covered. I wish that I could have had the oppertunity to bump into your channel sooner. Becuase imagine my suprise that the origin story that Edward sold me on... has solid proof that it didn't ever happen. It's funny to me that that is the case. Also, this type of content creator back and forth is what the platform should be like, not witch hunts, or mindless beefs. Thank you again for your graceful reply and for helping add great context, I'll be sure to link this video in the pinned comment of the original video! (Sorry for spelling and grammer, dyslexia is a hell of thing)
(Link to MixedMartialAcademic's original content: ruclips.net/video/xnuW8l7ncY8/видео.html )
Howdy, man! Thank you also for watching; I know it can be a whole thing to find smaller channels in the shuffle of not only running your own thing, but also just... life.
I'm very appreciative of your approach to describing martial arts and, despite what some in my niche might say, these arts need folks like you. The reality is that there needs to be a bridge between "people who don't know" and those of us who know, perhaps, so much that it comes off as off-putting (or even cope, let's be honest). So, I really can't understate that I felt even though it might have been at surface level, you treated everything in your Iceberg with the right touch, I think. Also, given its an absolutely MASSIVE Iceberg video, I think it is just unfair to assume crazy depth in every entry anyhow. Compared to your content, mine is very low effort and a hobby, yet I spend a surpising amount of time putting this stuff together. I can only imagine the level of work and time sink that Iceberg video required.
To the point of Aikido more speicifcally, in many ways it 100% deserves the criticism it gets. I try to be pretty frank here that Aikido has many, many problems. Folks, even here, often disagree with me and some are even swept up in the dogma that has injured the art. Most, I have found, are not, though. It seems like there are a lot of "disaffected" Aikido people out there who want more from an art they know can be better. And I think that is really the crux of my channel: accepting Aikido for what it is and asking for it to reach the heights it suggests.
If any of your viewers make their way over here or are reading this in the future, I think my "sales pitch" would be that Aikido is not going to make you a ring fighter. Nor is it going to make you a warrior sage and certainly not a Jedi. But there are a subsection of techniques here that deserve a second look. If you can cut through the nonsense and are open to experimentation, there is likely something that can be mined from this system... whether that be social, philosophical, or martial is entirely up to the individual.
But I digress. Thanks again for your post and your original video. I completely agree that this is really how content creators ought to interact. I think we all graduated from high school a long time ago and we are all trying to make our way on this platform, there just isn't reason why we can't be kind and respectful to one another as a bare minimum. Thanks again for this comment, it was a pleasure and I'll be sure to pin it with a link to your video!
I fucking love this channel so much, thank you, Tengu!
My pleasure! I’m glad you like it!
Agreed. This S tier content.
The athleticism requirement you mentioned is definitely overlooked! Ukemi is such an amazing value that a lot of people misunderstand n my opinion. 😎
The content is always top notch.. loved the Isoyama Sensei footage and the picture of Ueshiba doing an ankle pick. A great reminder for aikidoka to stop putting aikido into a rigid box. Despite all the talk about flowing and harmonizing, aikidoka (generally) tend to have strict opinions about what constitutes appropriate aikido training.
It’s definitely a weird division in the art-the whole “this is what aikido is” type chatter. It’s always frustrated me when I can pull up film of these techniques happening as part of the Aikido heritage and it still gets dismissed for hand-wavey reasons.
I agree. That’s why I go with the Aikido is everything - techniques are just techniques/vehicles to learn the principles, but the principles (Irimi, Shuchu ryoku, etc.) are what makes it specifically aikido.
Hey Tengu, great video! I've been impressed with your episodes for a while now and am interested in having you on my Modern Aikidoist Podcast for a discussion.
Hi! Sure thing, I’d be happy to do that. I can be reached at tengumartialarts@outlook.com or my Instagram account of the same name (although there isn’t any content there yet). We could also try to organize here, but RUclips can be a bit fickle with notifications.
Glad you like the content, hopefully we can get something scheduled!
@@TenguMartialArtsI'll be watching that episode of the podcast thank you very much haha
I've been waiting to see this comment for so long, this is the mashup we need right now!
oh look, a new podcast.
As a teen, I trained in ki-akido, thru the grapevine, it was often said Tohei sensei expressed that O'Sensei wasn't great at explaining. Wasn't unusual for students to stand and sit repeatedly because students weren't catching what he was talking about, so he make everyone sit to explain again. This was part of the reason Tohei Sensei created his own teaching style, because the HQ dojo didn't want to try a new approach, maybe that's part of the Ueshiba family marketing mentioned here...interesting.
I've also wondered how much damage steven seagal did to akidos reputation effect how people percieve it? Especially as he got older and less athletic.
Nvm you (although briefly) touched on Seagal lol
I was going to make that a bigger part, but honestly I just don’t event want to really acknowledge him much. At one point in time, maybe (and I do mean maybe because I’m not even convinced of his earlier stuff) he was alright. But he’s just… a weird dude on top of everything else?
Aikido just has some terrible ambassadors on top of already having a poor reputation. There are normal Aikido people out there who do a good job, there are just unfortunately eclipsed by the eccentric people most of us would rather be distanced from.
@@TenguMartialArtswasn't a narcissistic personality embedded in Aikido since the beginning?
O-sensei was a trickster, all things considered.
@@sieciobywatel A bit, yeah. I think both Daito-ryu's Takeda and Ueshiba were a bit into themselves--although they both had a slightly different flavor of it. I don't really think that was transmitted, though. You don't really see too many of Ueshiba's direct students, for example, posturing as a kind of prophet or sole-inheritor of Aikido. Some do, yes, but I think most of the Aikido guys even today tend to be normal people; if not occassionally misguided. I think the eccentric people just capture most of the attention because the Internet is sort of built around clicks and "sober" or "grounded" are not the adjectives that inspire people to give up those clicks.
And it's a double edge sword. I'm also not a fan but he certainly attracted a bunch of people to Aikido, I've seen plenty of newbies talk about him in the dojos I've practiced lol
Thank you! Informed, well explained video.
Demo Aikido has become the primary reference for many practitioners. And yes, alternating hard and soft style Aikido could help make it a more complete art. Yet, I have not found much willingness to cross train from the soft Aikido proponents. Unfortunately, the ones I have talked to believe the Demo Aikido is the ultimate evolution by Ueshiba Morihei.
Someone asked recently in a hard style dojo what Aikido would look like if it flowed martially. After practicing traditional Hapkido and applying some of the Hapkido concepts to Aikido, I think I have an idea how that would look like. Unfortunately, I think some people (hard and soft styles) feel they have invested so much time into what they are doing that learning something new can be intimidating.
A question I have always asked myself is why do practitioners have to wait for a seminar to learn what they should have already been taught? To control the narrative? And, why do so many schools not have an open mat period to encourage self exploration and time to hone the techniques the individual student is struggling to improve? Again, to control progress? Why are people promoted when not ready and others held back because of arbitrary “one-size-fits-all” timelines? Micromanagement (control)? Why are so many important original techniques omitted or altered for safety reasons? Can’t dojos open classes with a quick safety reminder and “bench” or remove from class those who do not follow safety and disregard the safety of their partners?
I have my own ideas about what it would look like in a martial sense, although I suspect it would put me at odds with much of established Aikido.
(Which is fine, at this point in life, I couldn’t care much less)
The narrative that aesthetics based Aikido is the final evolution of Ueshiba’s stuff is also something I’ve encountered. It’s just my opinion, but I think that is mostly a narrative spun by higher ranking people to justify their training. To my knowledge, I don’t know of any source that suggests Ueshiba was at all too concerned with aesthetics. Although, in a sense, it is the “highest” form of Aikido insofar as it is what has developed under the art’s self-imposed restrictions (peace, softness, non-competition, etc. etc.) It’s just that those restrictions probably deserve to be cross-referenced with the actual history before we start declaring their product somehow the “ultimate” Aikido.
And, yes, much of what happens in Aikido I also believe to be about narrative control and petty politics. These things aren’t exclusive to Aikido, but they do seem to be particularly strong in it.
I also did Hapkido before I did Aikido, and I think that learning both of them can give one a well-rounded view of the material.
I train hapkido, and while trying to understand hapkido, which is ostensively linked to aikido, and its relations to the other korean martial arts I have a growing sense of dread. The main korean martial arts (taekwondo, hapkido and tang soo do) are all repackagins of japanese arts. Which seems to me a result of the attempt by the japanese imperial forces of erasing korean culture, and I hope I am incorrect.
I know very little about Aikido but the story you're telling sounds eerily similar to another budo martial art I'm more familiar with, Kyudo.
Kyudo has always been more about ceremony/showmanship than practical shooting, yet up until rather recently (past ~80 y) it wasn't actually too different from purely functional military archery. It did lean more towards aesthetics and there obviously was a lot of ceremony but the foundation of the actual shooting techniques was still reasonably solid, the archers could shoot bows of proper military weights with reasonable accuracy.
Today Kyudo practitioners are a shell of their former selves in their capabilities. It's not because they lack practice, it's purely a result of how dysfunctional the techniques have become as they put more and more emphasis in to aesthetics. The nice thing about archery is that performance measurements are a lot more objective than many other sports because we can get real tangible numbers from things like measuring the kinetic energy in the arrow (it's penetrative capability) or the accuracy of those shots.
The median bow strength at my Kyudo club is 25lbs, the average is 30lbs and the heaviest one I measured was a bit under 40lbs which was being shot by a pretty big guy he was at least 250lbs. Compared to historical weights those bows are like pulling air. *Light military bows* start at 80lbs and the heavier ones typically go up to 160lbs, sometimes more. Kyudoka in the early 1900s were still often shooting those numbers.
I'm a small feeble man, closer to a woman in stature (50kg 1.76m or 110lbs 5'9" ) so I shoot 25lbs at the club. Yet with military techniques directly taken from 16th century manuals I can shoot 80lbs, more than triple the weight! With more practice I should even be capable of doing up to 110lbs.
This trend isn't limited to just to the strength of bow, modern Kyudo technique is in virtually every functional capacity worse to both military archery and historical Kyudo. And all of this change happened within a single person's lifespan.
This is all really fascinating stuff! I mean, it’s sad that we can find these parallels in one another’s arts, but it shows that it can definitely be a broader cultural trend.
I’ve had brief encounters with Kyudo, my first Aikido dojo in Japan was actually right next door to a Kyudo dojo, but I was unaware of the intricacies. I’m also vaguely aware of how it came to be and some of the historical knowledge, but my grasp of it tapers off after the Edo Period.
It’s crazy how much can be undone so quickly, yet building back up can seemingly be a multi-generational task. Really fascinating stuff, though. I hope you, or people like you, are doing there best to push for the older variant of these techniques. Even if it has to manifest under a name that isn’t necessarily “Kyudo.”
Given the incentive structure you've described, it seems more likely that the ones to apply aikido functionally will be students of other arts looking for an edge than any student of aikido
I think that rings true. Most of the people doing functionality-based Aikido stuff are either ex-Aikido people or people with a sort of outsider interest in the techniques.
@TenguMartialArts Do you think that the theoretical structure of Aikido is necessary to apply these techniques effectively, or can they be developed outside of the larger system?
From an outsider's perspective, it doesn't seem like Aikido has a complex system of stepups that arts like judo or wrestling do. In his videos, Breza often claims (I think correctly) that you can't just learn a double leg--the technique only means something within a larger context.
Without that context, I don't really see the point of someone going to an aikido class to learn these techniques if the pedagogy is a collection of disjointed techniques. To apply them, someone will need to integrate them into a system, but it looks like they're going to have to do that legwork themselves.
BTW, I really appreciate your contributions to the martial arts community. You remind me a bit of Ben Judkins (Kung Fu Tea), who was a big influence on me as a high-schooler interested in academia.
@@torrinmaag5331 Before I jump into this, I want to point out that this is a really great comment you have here and cuts to the heart of a lot of Aikido issues. I'd pin this if I didn't feel obligated to have the link to Mixed Martial Academics original video up there. And, its an honor to be comapred to Mr. Judkins, flattery will get you everywhere.
To your point, yes, absolutely. Aikido is fairly barren in regard to set up. It isn't completely void of it--we do have what is called "henka waza," which is taught much, much later in most curriciulums. Henka Waza is essentially "changing technique" and its akin to what some people might call "chain wrestling," except Aikido. It probably wouldn't surprise you to learn I'm a big proponent of this being extracted from the far end of the curriculum and plopping it right near the fundamentals.
But even this isn't really a "set up" strategy so much as it is a method of linking together several technique attempts under the assumption that, eventually, something will stick. The "set up" in Aikido is often given to Atemi (strikes), but guess what is probably the least trained component of the Aikido curriculum? ...It's the strikes. Beyond that, I've long advocated that there are wrestling positions that enable Aikido: Russian 2-on-1, Standing Arm Triangles, a Standing Gift Wrap, and forcing the opponent to post his hands on the ground. All these things isolate limbs which is a crucial ingredient for the vast majority of the Aikido curriculum. I could go into even deeper detail here, but I have videos coming out on this fairly soon. I'll just leave it at, yes, this is probably the least developed part of Aikido and is where I would devote most of my time course correcting.
As for joining an Aikido class, I do still think its need if for no other reason than to build a solid understanding of mechanics and burning the techniques into muscle memory. The reality is that, yes, Aikido lacks systemization and this is a huge issue. But even the best system in the world doesn't really matter if you're still thinking through the individual techniques like: "Okay step 1, I do this, step 2..." By the time you get half way through step 1, the person has escaped back to neutral or is even attacking you. The reality is that you really aren't going to find another place to train that muscle memory outside of an Aikido class unless you put together your own cabal of Aikido-outsider enthusiasts. Which is possible, but usually more work than just finding a dojo. Is this state of affairs ideal? Of course not, we hope that eventually Aikido can offer both the chance to get the muscle memory down AND offer the systemic context to actually fire off compentent attacks.
Unfortunately, you are correct in that--at the moment--systemization is going to be up to indviduals. On one hand, this kind of sucks because there is no one place to point people to. On the other hand, I think it is sort of an exciting time. I wouldn't yet call this interest in a "martial Aikido" a movement, but it certainly is a growing sentiment. You have channels like mine, Martial Geeks', Chris Hein's, Aikido Silverdale's, and several more starting to crop up. At the same time, similar things are happening in the Karate world with Karate Breakdowns and Iain Abernathy's work. So I think we are starting to see the creative, chaotic beginnings of something. It just remains to be seen if the sentiment can transform into tangible, lasting, beneficial change.
So, yes, things aren't in a great state in Aikido. I don't think anyone I just mentioned would argue otherwise, either. But it is also an interesting time, even if it might not be super accessible at the moment. My hope for the Tengu channel is that I can contribute to this growing sentiment. In a long, long term sense, I'd love to even teach my interpretation to people and give other people's interpretations a platform to spread.
This was all a long-winded way of saying you are correct. I also, for the record, am a big Breza fan and agree with him more times than not. Techniques in isolation only go so far. And then, yes, Aikido needs a more systematic approach to application and, when it develops one, to make it accessible to people who maybe don't have the time or resources to be mad scientists about it today in the name of a better tomorrow. I suspect the development toward that point, though, is going to take time. Barring some massive shift in the landscape, I think a truly "martial" Aikido that can stand next to other combat sports (just as an arbitrary point of comparison) is likely still a generation or two out. Which sucks, but its the long game.
Mixed Martial Academic’s original video: ruclips.net/video/xnuW8l7ncY8/видео.htmlsi=zOKBRTmKl7PZhBRI
Lots of food for thought. I’m pleased you’ve used Tomiki (Shodokan) aikido as your backdrop, with a seminar classes, not demonstrations. Nariyama Tetsuro Shihan.
Martial arts "alt history" is sometimes I delve into, and oh my lord there is a LOT of potential ways to deviate. Like you said here Aikido seems to have been at the right place at the right time, but also Ueshiba had some ties to ultranationalist figures. Many were invested and even executed for it after WW2. It's hard to see him ever being arrested for it but perhaps if he was put on a government watch list of sorts... what happens to Aikido, and if it never gains the popularity it did, who takes the place?
The Butokukai is also a fun one, since its martial arts institute (budo senmon gakko) was in Kyoto... a city the Americans planned to blow up with Little Boy, until it narrowly avoided being bombed thanks to Mr. Harry Stimson.
Great as always, thank you!
My pleasure! Glad to deliver
Steven Seagal is a polarizing figure, embodying what I call "Elvis syndrome"-a talent derailed by ego and fame. While his post-Hollywood antics have turned him into something of a caricature, his pre-Hollywood career deserves recognition for its genuine impact on Aikido. Esteemed figures from both ends of the Aikido spectrum, including soft lineage and calligraphy master Abe Seiseki, hardline Hiroshi Isoyama, and even Kisshomaru Ueshiba, the son of Morihei Ueshiba, all held Seagal's Aikido in high regard during his prime.
10th dan Aikido and Shodo master Abe Sensei once stated in a published interview that he had promoted Seagal to 5th and 6th dan because Seagal's Aikido was the best he'd ever seen, although he later regretted the comment-not because of Seagal's technique, but due to concerns about Seagal's persona and the influence of such a statement. Personally, having now over 30 years on Aikido, I admire Seagal's Aikido technique before his fame and share Abe Sensei's opinion, but I despise the figure he became. Seagal is a clear example of someone who hasn't aged well. Love him or hate him, the truth is that Seagal was the true disseminator of Aikido. No other master, much to the disdain of purists, came close to his success in making the art popular worldwide.
Abe Sensei, who was not only a direct student of the founder but also Morihei Ueshiba's calligraphy teacher, had a unique relationship with the founder. Their bond, breaking away from the traditional master-disciple structure, was more akin to a friendship. His opinion on Seagal, therefore, cannot be underestimated. Another direct disciple of Morihei Ueshiba, Hiroshi Isoyama Sensei (the current head of the Aiki Jinja and known for his heavy form, which greatly influenced Seagal's style) would hardly say anything negative about him.
Kisshomaru Ueshiba not only admired Seagal but also taught at Seagal's Tenshin Dojo in Osaka on several occasions. He conferred upon Seagal the 7th dan while Seagal was still in his 40s-a feat unmatched by anyone else. These are well-documented facts. Having trained at his dojo myself, I can attest to the strong technical foundation Seagal built, much of which is carried on today by his former top student, Haruo Matsuoka Sensei, who continues to teach in the U.S. under a different dojo name. Meanwhile, the original Tenshin Dojo name is still used by Seagal's ex-wife, Miyako Fujitani, who continues to run the same dojo in the Juso area of Osaka, where Seagal taught for over a decade.
Remarkably, there is still no proper video documenting Seagal's pre-Hollywood work and technical prowess. Similarly underexplored is the question of why Stanley Pranin, arguably the greatest Aikido historian and the founder of Aikido Journal - the largest publication on the art - entrusted his life's work to one of Matsuoka Sensei's top students, signaling the enduring influence of Seagal's lineage. Another poorly covered and broadly misunderstood story is that of MMA fighters reaching out to Seagal. Despite the controversy surrounding it, this speaks to the unique space Seagal occupies in martial arts history and the recognition of his unique approach to Aikido.
Seagal's Hollywood success, however tarnished, played a pivotal role in popularizing Aikido outside Japan. Without that exposure, Aikido might still be confined to a niche corner of Tokyo, quietly preserving its classical Japanese roots. Whether that's a blessing or a curse remains open to debate.
Spot on!!
18:05 I think Kuroiwa's "conversion" into an aikidoka is one of my favorite stories in aikido
Dude, you've just put a thought that I had into words beautifully when you talked about the nationalist roots of aikido.
Not too long ago, youtube started recommending me videos from a channel called "Kuro Obi World", where different masters of traditional japanese martial arts demonstrated their moves. Initially it seemed pretty normal, if a bit banal - most of my understanding of martial arts comes from the MMA sphere, but I do come from a TMA background (my main martial art to this day is still kung fu, even though my teacher has cross-trained in MMA and our style is very much informed by it), so I can appreciate a good form. But then the demonstrations became weirder and weirder - what first started as showing cool bunkai soon turned into "sitting with kata", where the karate master in the video would show how to sit correctly in seiza, and how powerful of a pose it is. And these demonstrations were full of these strange, half-related, biomechanical explainations of why things should be done how the instructor says - like when sitting in seiza, he would ask his training partner to try to keep him sitting, and show that if he sat in the correct pose, they couldn't. Again, I can appreciate a good kata, but is the seiza really a crucial part of the biomechanical process of fighting? Can you show me some sparring footage where you use this, please?
This didn't really make sense to me until I remembered that I once saw a video (I think it was Jesse Enkamp's, but I'm not entirely sure), where the person interviewed remarked on the split that happened between different styles of karate - those that thought of themselves as "Karate-do" and those that didn't. The "karate-do" schools were part of the right-wing nationalist japanese movement, while the non-do ones (like kyokushin) were more left leaning. And this distinction made everything click into place: these weird explanations weren't real demonstrations of combat effectiveness - rather, they were retroactive justifications for their existence. It's essentially like a kind of memetic cultural darwinism: the foregone conclusion is that these katas are essentially perfect, and these pseudo-rational explanations go to show that every little detail in these katas was in fact designed from the start. This, in turn, goes to show how perfect the japanese tradition is as a whole, how wise were the ancestors who invented it were, and how well the japanese nation would do to follow them. It is, in essence, a kind of nationalistic mythologiesing. Karate as propaganda. This also explained the sheer arrogance of these videos: the karate master teaches his moves to a professional boxer, he demonstrates kata in a shaolin temple. Rather than going to these places as a student or documentarian, to learn about these masters of their craft, all he does is teach - because why learn, when you can spread the already-perfect tradition of the most glorious nation?
This kind of breaks my heart, because as a student of kung fu (and a person who almost finished their philosophy degree), I think there is genuine power in the concept of "Do" or "Dao". Despite how much I like training MMA, I think MMA culture puts way too much importance on the concept of "efficiency" - or, to be more accurate, they have a misguided belief that they can alway find the most efficient path and take it. MMA is always so self-serious, always lacking in sense of play and imagination, and I found that the closer I got to traditional martial arts, the more people allowed themselves to feel the genuine magic that can present itself when one hones their abilities and craft to the highest level. It's always amazing for me to slip a few punches in boxing, to land a questionmark kick in muay thai. These are moment when you know that you are truly whole, in some sense. This skill, this kung fu in the original sense - a skill acquired through hard work and practice - is the realm of perfection, even though it is unreachable. But then, the magic of martial arts, if you go in too deep, can turn into delusion, which can be exploited. And the forces which might want to exploit this delusion can range from the pathetic, like a sad McDojo owner just trying to empty your pockets, to sinister, like cases of physical and sexual abuse, to downright evil, as is the case of the right-wing, imperialist interpretation of "budo".
Pretty much agree with everything you’ve put here. A lot of Japanese martial arts are very conservative and quite a sizable slice of them are pretty self-congratulatory to their own detriment.
I also completely agree that there is value in the “Do” concept, even if it’s gets warped. And same with the position on MMA where they sometimes focus too much on the whole “efficiency” idea without any deviation to make other considerations.
To be honest, I think most innovations in competitive martial arts initially begin with someone accepting that-for a while-they are going to be inefficient. Because nothing new or experimental starts out on the same playing field as long-tested tactics. I think that notion keeps people on pretty rigid tracks most of the time, unwilling to branch out and just try new things. Of course, the TMA often do this, too, it’s just their rhetoric is that experimentation “isn’t traditional.”
I just don’t like shoving things into unnecessary boxes, but it seems like both ends of the martial arts spectrum still find ways to do it. It’s kind of a shame.
"The "karate-do" schools were part of the right-wing nationalist japanese movement, while the non-do ones (like kyokushin) were more left leaning."
The Kyokushinkai was never left wing in any sense of that word. Masutatsu Oyama himself was associated with Yakuza people possibly since he was a teenager. Some sources claim he was an errand boy for them. Almost all of the organizations that sprung up after he died had connections with the criminal underworlds and issues with the law. Not to mention that Oyama himself stated that he fought US military personnel stationed in Japan because he was angry at them for his friends deaths during the war. Another source even claimed that he had a nervous breakdown because he couldn't commit his duty as a kamikaze pilot. Did he become more lucrative oriented afterwards (meaning he didn't have a problem training foreign students) sure but "leftwing, liberal" etc. not even close.
As for Karate adding the Do and becoming Karate-do. Yeah that happened because of Japanese nationalism but in the sense that if anybody wanted to succeed in their style being accepted in the mainland they had to accept adding the Do and fitting in with Ju-do, Ken-do, Kyo-do in the Dai Nippon Butokukai organization. The adding of the Do suffix however wasn't the main nationalistic part concerning Karate from Okinawa. The nationalistic part was changing the original Karate kanji from Tang-hand(fist) 唐手 to Empty-hand (fist) 空手 . Also, let's not forget that Funakoshi added the keikogi, color belts and ranking system from Judo in other to make things smoother for the acceptance of Karate.
I have a lot too thank for this video. It puts a lot of my thoughts into perspective. I am one of the minority.
My background. I cross train capoeira Angola (not modern) 12 years, aikido 7 and lately Thai Boxing 1,5 years.
1) Shiragawa does not only do demonstrations. He does something very important for young audience like me, 34 years old. He does meet Thai champions, does modernist click bait RUclips channel with “anime fonts”. Does cross train. Is fit. Open for audiences. When I found his channel I was more inspired than this. MMA stuff.
2) in Oslo we have 5 aikido clubs. I train at sentrum Aikido where all the “experienced” and older people go after they graduate, and OSI Aikido student club. I still continue in the student club because of young people and athleticism.
I go to Thai boxing because of same weight class and same age, I stick to the student club too the same reason. I cannot experience the jutsu part at Sentrum as much. I need people at my age, weight competition class.
I cross train Thai Boxing, the Aikido community knows, I talk about the issue of cross train, modernisation, internet culture, spicing it up for new generations… and meet wall. In the aikido community it’s problematic.
On the other hand in the MMA club I mention I do aikido and started the MMA started respecting it since I started go out and spar and use it in clinches, I do modern stuff, i like martial art memes, internet culture, post modern culture so to say. I like young audience and modernisation.
Super contrast…
It such a problem and I see this video address itt and my own struggles with martialization and adapting aikido to a internet, meme and internet culture since the hierarchical structure are 50 old man and not young people.
Another thing I don’t have Hakama after 7 years and people want me to grade. I have the ability to get it but…. I find it weird to be judged by people who don’t spar, and the grading committee is constituted of 90% old 50 year male. I am not a 50 year old guy and want to be judged on my technique by people at my skill, weight class and so forth.
3) Another thing is that I have to demonstrate a form/choreography or kihon, which keeps me from grading since I have to learn a set of choreographic skills and not applications.
It’s even weirder about traditional arts and male female ratio, in Thai boxing I meet women. They kick ass. And then in aikido it’s grading it’s 90% old man in the grading committee… and judge female aikidoka. Where are the women in the committee? That maybe another thing we should address is this patriarchal structures.
Spot on. I love Aikido because it's a very creative art, but it's washed out by blind tradition and a fixation for the form.
Like, it's not complex: We have an entire body, multiple limbs, why focus only on the arms?
And I don't mean we need to change the core concepts, it's not about incorporating other styles, but really about using the entire body and, of course, physics.
This video is martially artful. 26 minutes video to counter gracefully a 3 hours video, this is like martial art: a complex technique always has at least a simple counter
Curious, have youbtrained with Obata Toshoshiro in California before?
Not at all
Hot take: aikido is objectively the MOST useful and practical martial art.
Reason: You will, without a doubt fall down WAY more times than you will ever be in physically violent encounters. Especially the later you get in life.
One has to train all martial arts enough time to judge which one is the most useful. And if there is such martial art, it would be the most useful for him only. Falling is important but there are systems which practice falling on hard ground without protection and with shoes on. I think this kind of practice is even more useful. I started aikido only because of ukemi and after 15 years, I am still not satisfied with my ukemi. I am looking for a ways to improve it which go beyond aikido.
What exactly is the name of the aikidoka you mentioned twice as an example for very dynamic demonstration aikido (eg at 17:00)?
Can‘t find „Shida Kawauchi“ …
Oh found him:
Shirakawa Ryuji 😂
youtube.com/@shinburenseijyuku?si=fxlsZ9t0QtybBlJb
You’re looking for Shirakawa Ryuji!
ruclips.net/video/511gKtE_pFA/видео.htmlsi=YG0f0M5jhfuiOb62
I wish I had a link to the article I'm thinking of but the Aikido Journal has an enlightening article featuring a quote from either an Aikido or Daito Ryu instructor explicitly saying that the demos used "non martial" techniques meant to bring in (impress) people who knew nothing of fighting.
Ever since reading this I've come to believe this is a significant factor in how Aikido, and to some degree Daito Ryu, became the flippy nonsense it is. It really seems like people stopped being let in on the secret. Or perhaps there ARE still people who know but it's only heads of orgs. Though if that were true you wouldn't see the occasional senior instructor attempt some kind of real fight.
I do vaguely remember reading the same article, but I can’t recall which Daito-Ryu guy it was either.
Sweet, a very solid argumentative response to a video i've never seen about a subject i basically know nothing about. Very informative thank you!
I'm a iaido student and have heard many negative things about aikido especially regarding their use of a sword. I've also heard that aikido was about countering weapon when you don't have one yourself, and that weapons have been mostly taken away from aikido techniques. Is there truth in this statement ?
Oh boy, this is a can of worms, friend. So I’ll preface everything here with this: I am not a swordsman, I’m not even really a weapons guy. But I’ll supplement my response with some historical anecdotes.
I think the current consensus is that, yes, the Aikido tradition grew out of weapons work. However, I’m seeing more and more people shifting towards the idea that the techniques work best when the person doing Aikido is the armed individual. There is a whole channel sort of devoted to this basic idea called Chris Hein’s Approach to Aikido. I usually differ weapons-interested folks to his expertise (he’s actually done stuff live under this premise).
I personally gravitate to the unarmed expression because that just happens to be my interest, but also I think it’s a more likely avenue to get people involved in Aikido. Those opinions are my own, though. I know Kendoka or the HEMA crowd would probably, understandably, disagree with my sentiment.
As for the quality of Aikido weapons work, I feel fairly confident in saying it’s kind of trash. Even internally, there have been high ranking Sensei that have openly said that they should stop doing sword work at demonstrations because there are “real swordsmen” in the crowds and they (the Aikidoka) are embarrassing themselves. While I’m no weapons expert, I’ve been around people much more adept than I with a knife, for example, and I find Aikido’s knife work to be a far inferior technology to what’s out there.
Having said all that, a counter argument to this has always been that the weapons work are just tools to help communicate principles and the actual efficacy isn’t the point. Personally, I kind of feel like this is cope. I suspect many Aikidoka quietly feel the same. I know of many, many Aikido people who have gravitated towards Iaido, Kendo, or even prominent older sword styles to better grasp the sword component. Same thing with the short staff.
Weapons work still exists in Aikido, but it remains of contentious quality. Many dojos in America that I’m aware of supplement Aikido with some style of Iaido. Take that as you will.
So… what you’ve heard is sort of true? I do think, in a historical sense, these techniques make the most sense in a weapons context. Although keep in mind that Aikido didn’t invent this stuff, plenty of other styles contain the same techniques. But the quality of Aikido’s weapons work is dubious. I feel Aikido has had a few accomplished swordsmen in its ranks over the years, but I’d also say it was not their Aikido training that got them there… it was generally some other art.
Hopefully that answers your question! I’m glad you liked the content.
@@TenguMartialArts thanks for your reply to my earlier comment, I can share a different perspective as a HEMA practitioner, during our dagger class we would wrestle with the instructor dropping a dagger in front of us (more for fun rather than practicality) but we ended up fighting for the dagger well because I was so focused on weapon retention (I didn't want to give the opponent the advantage of a weapon while I had nothing) I held onto the dagger which had me get shoulder thrown. While more of a judo/jujitsu related technique I often wonder how much psychologically weapons play into it and if it can help with aikido.
Also on a side note I do agree that unarmed is probably the best for akido as weapon based martial arts while more popular than before are still a niche within a niche
Best channel on aikido together with Christopher Hein's podcast and RUclips channel (I'd like to hear you two on a podcast having a discussion).
But now I need to ask you to not necessary show this "different" aikido (I'm not a fan of this, sorry, American "show me what you got") but explain it in details: the kind of training, also the context, inside and, if it has one, outside the training hall and the ultimate porpose of such a thing. And how far it would be from kicking, punching and wrestling (great stuff but how much "martial"? And how much a fun activity for modern leisure time, a sport in a word?). Because I have the feeling that the so called "martial community" is the place in which on different trends, different people can sell a dream. Today is the turn of sport people to sell, yesterday was karate, kung fu, ninjutsu and even aikido! Anyway it seems to me that the most marketable product was and is "the triumphant bar fighter dream": in these dream the young man and the grown up (only chronologically) man stand up victorious in the bar.
Everyone likes to make fun of Steven Segal but meta-funny is that these dream is exactly the same scene we see in "Above the law".
Yeah, I'm a big Hein supporter, but as of yet I've really got no direct contact with the guy. I am always happy to send people his way though, especially for the weapons-minded folk!
So, to your point, yes, I agree that a lot of this has to be more clearly defined. What I will say is that this content IS coming. I tend to view my RUclips channel as one, cohesive work. This often means I gloss over things I've spoken on before or, vice versa, gloss over things that I know I have in the pipeline. To your specific point, the last year or so has involved a lot of "macro-level" type content which is really to set a foundation of context for more detailed videos. I know this isn't really how RUclips intends content to be consumed, but my general idea is to produce content that sort of assumes you're "caught up." I could do a better job of organizing related content into relevant playlists for sure, but, again, the concept is that this is sort of like a university program. For the last bit, its been "Tengu's View of Aikido 101," that way when I get truly granular, people have some understanding of where I'm coming from. Part of the issue with this is that RUclips channels, by design, constantly have new people on them, which means some degree of review or direction to old content is (frustratingly) necessary.
That "under the hood" creative stuff aside, I do have a plan to get to the place you're referring to. For me, however, I will say that I don't see the need for competition between "self defense," "sport," "aesthetics & fitness," etc. While these are absolutely all different, I'd gladly teach them all without ever implying one has a monopoly over the "true" or "pure" expression of the art. In fact, I came up through the ranks in a dojo that taught Karate, Judo, and Aikido. A trend that I found there was that, eventually, almost everyone cross-trained, even if that wasn't their initial plan. So, for me, my goal is really just to get people in the door. Keep in mind, I don't have a dojo, but even on RUclips, my primary goal has been to defuse the notion that Aikido--or even martial arts more generally--HAS to be for "X" thing. It is very true that this isn't very eloquent for marketing, but it IS a more sincere, transparent reflection of what training really is.
My recent focus on "martial" Aikido has primarily been a result of the fact that people seeking that expression of the style have far fewer options as opposed to the more aesthetic expression. It is very difficult to find a training venue that aligns with all the stuff that comes with training Aikido martially, so I could at least contribute to that demand and... proto-movement(?) here.
In short, what is the ultimate purpose of this sort of training? That would be up to the individual. If you want it to be leisure, sport, or self preservation--that is all fine. The key is actually making the conscious choice and ackowledging that whatever you choose IS what you are doing. It could even be multiple of these things. But personally, I think all expressions of Aikido are valid in so far as they are honest and not a pseudo-religion.
As for specific technical details, I probably won't cover too much on the weapons or aesthetic side there. Mr. Hein has the weapons covered, imho, and it isn't all that difficult to find a dojo that focuses on aesthetics (whether they advertise it or not). I do have videos coming very, very soon that will start to break down my view of what a "martial" Aikido ought to look like. It isn't definitive, other people will have other opinions--that is fine. However, I think I'm mostly focused on a sport-side with it. The reason isn't because I favor combat sports or anything, but because I think developing that direction is what will pull people into the art. Once they join up, they will be much more open to discover the full range of what is on offer--just like how people would always eventually cross-train at my original home dojo. Or, at least, that is the theory.
I also agree with what you're saying about the sort of "bar room fantasy." A lot people want that. For all the "functionality first" rehtoric that gets pushed online, people will still watch John Wick movies, for example, and decide they want to learn that. Even though cinematic martial arts and functional martial arts are vastly different fields. I don't have a direct answer to that; I'm not really in the business of leveraging people's fantasies for gain. I think all I can do is be honest about what my vision is and what I can offer. If people want to be a part of that, I'm more than happy to support them the best I can with my limited resources.
Hopefully that answers your question? Apologies for the long-winded response, but there is a lot to unpack there.
Thanks a lot. No need to apologize, that's what I esteem: people who explain their wiew for as long as it needs. And that is true also for your channel, again maybe the best in the field, and maybe because you don't worry to dive deep into long reflections, showing old footages as a background (RUclips incongruous award).
I'll wait for your future videos but regarding the sport direction, I have to say I agree: it seems the fatal need. But this possible path makes me also think about Kano's skeptical view on the total "sportification of judo" ( I remember him talking about swords in judo practice as I remember, who does?, Goshin jutsu, mostly aikido). But the only thing that modern judo seems to be is a sport (a good one indeed), but nothing more then a one on one grappling sport.
Again, thank you very much.
@@danielepinzuti4022 Over-sportification is certainly always a worthy concern. My hopes would be that the other expressions would offer as a counter-balance, but some bridges just have to be crossed when we come to them, for better or worse.
And no worries! Glad to help give some clarity to things!
Have you seen Kuzushi Kev? His video on hand fighting was pleasant,and highlight an attractive skill exclusive to Aikido.
Yes! He actually regularly comments here-I’m pretty sure we are mutually subscribed to each other.
I'm one of those martially minded aikido people... And I had to hear through my all career that I'm doing it wrong. 😾
Fortunatelly I also met 2 or 3 like minded teachers in the past.
Just a note: Draeger was from the mid 40s on, he was done by the seventies
Who is the teacher at 16:40? He is very impressive.
Shirakawa ryuji, as mentioned. He not only does very athletic and aesthetic aikido demos but lots of fun videos crosstraining with other martial artists/athletes including stuff like teaching aikido moves to pro wrestlers and attempting to throw or pin huge sumo and rugby guys
This is dope I didn't want to watch that whole video bruh idk why but my content retention span is dead like I'll only be able to watch some shows I'm never watching movies
17:46 interesting point you made about getting up after tossed down similar to wrestling
It’s a part of living in 2024 lol, I don’t blame you. I try to make my content as concise as I can, but some of these topics are dense
The “hopping up quickly” drill is my favorite way to train Aikido in the more “aesthetic” way. The cardio needed is actually pretty intense and it’s always fun to see who tires out first or if you can hit like.. 30, 50, 100 falls or whatever. In the athletic sense, it is martial useful given the stamina you build up, but it’s obviously not a pure reflection of a match or anything.
I'm 54, and I'm almost the baby in my Aikido Dojo. Numbers are not looking good in the long term.
Not at all, unfortunately
I disagree with Aikido not being "wrestling or Judo" I studied both Judo and Aikido and they complement each other so much that at times I would find myself doing Aikido in Judo and Judo in Aikido. It was all the same to me. Look at Toshu Randori...it looks like Judo. Which is why I think of Aikido as a standing grappling art. Of course I come from an offshoot of Tomiki's Aikido.
Oh hey, I watched and just posted a comment there. I train pencak silat and the video was making fun of it in a non informative way. To be true, silat was highly being mythicized in the past. Rpping of rears and inner strength and other mcdojo crap.
Silat now especially styles developed in the netherlands like bongkot harimau is not like that and silat in general had to get rid of the bs due to being in close proximity to kickboxing and other martial arts which attracted way more people.
Now, for example, pressure points are not targeted directly but used as a possible plus, especially when grabbing. It deals with local laws in regards to self defense. It deals by first targeting easy to hit vital areas, especially the eyes or strike to the stomach. Training focuses on drills to end a fight as quickly as possible, mid to hard warmup to build stamina and muscle hardening to build resistance and stretching to prevent injury. Mild sparring to better undertand how to use a move in a real confrontation.
Yeah, I think the original video is kind of an "intro" into common formulations of various styles. On one hand, I can sympathize because the scale of research for a 3 hour video is massive, so its only natural some stuff is only surface level. On the other hand, I feel like its a video more geared towards people with a passing interest as opposed to folks like you or I who are clearly way deeper into the rabbit hole of our respective arts. But, again, an Iceberg video that did every single art the justice of a super thorough deep dive would be like 10 hours long and probably require hundreds of hours of research.
There were other things in the video that I'd probably whip sources out on if I wanted to go full obnoxious turbo-nerd, but I think it was mostly designed to be light-hearted entertainment. At the very least, I was appreciative of the fact that it didn't come across like a mean-spirited subscriber grab that is all-too-common in some corners of the space. No one is going to know every little miniscule thing about a given style so I appreciate that at least most them seemed like they were afforded some sincerity and genuine curiosity, even if the information wasn't always on point.
In general, I think some creators are just more geared towards the sort of hobbyist martial arts guy who have an interest, but aren't really "all in." Then there are other channels like mine which get very granular about their interests. Not that this is a criticism of channels aimed more at "normal" people... clearly, those channels are far, far larger than mine probably ever will be lol. And I'm not saying that from a place of envy, its just how it is. The deeper into a niche you go, the less of an audience there is.
Also, sry english isn't my native language, I'd like to add that pencak silat, the pencak part of it, is due to the history and artform and is an expression of it. The "dances" are used as a form of drill to understand a move and body mechanics. They are also used for grading and learning specific aspect like stances. They are designed in a way to force you to move the right way, to learn. Trainer teaches you about a real confrontiation and how to react then, not to use the drill.
You are absolutly right with your comment, the video was allready 3 hours long, hard to go into certain details. I just wished the view was more positive and more in favour of modern day silat.
As a mid 40's, high ranking (5th dan) aikido instructor, I see the higher age range of students. I train BJJ (blue belt) too to increase my skillset. Aikido has a deservedly bad image and I hate the recent idea that aikido is "the budo of peace". Aikido has no image and, as you say, the people at the top can't or won't change any time soon.
People just have a very vested interest in the status quo. I think there are probably more people (even among those veterans) who are aware of the problems and feel some urgency about them, but there really isn't any channel to opening voice these concerns due to hierarchical structures. Worse yet, some of these people go online and try to blame the detractors. While lots of online people certainly don't have a clue what they are talking about, I think the negative press Aikido gets is a symptom of its problems, not the source. That negative spotlight wouldn't exist if the mismanagement inside the art didn't exist. So shouting in the digital void just seems... very out of touch.
I think the art needs a lot of change, but what should be any easy change is just some transparency. I'd have a lot more respect for the various styles if, instead of doubling down on the same old failing premise, they came out and just admitted they weren't reaching people the way they should anymore and that reality needs to start being reflected in the martial art. I genuinely believe that would be a solid first step.
But... that would also mean swallowing a bitter pill and a lot of humility. Nor would it be an instant fix or an instant turn around of public perception. I just don't see Sensei--especially not Japanese Sensei--coming out and admitting problems. The issue in my eyes, though, is that stubbornly trudging along doing the exact same song and dance in spite of all the signs is equally as embarassing. Clearly, people inside the art disgaree, though.
2:50 I knew your real name was Charlie Day!! 🙃😝
There IS NO Pepe Silvia!
@@TenguMartialArts
ruclips.net/user/shortshEFc-ePaVjI?si=hPKGjsFA5bHpriFB
I love this show a little too much. 🙃
@@Carbonator5000 I can't utter the word "implication" without thinking of that show. And "Science is wrong... sometimes" is a near legendary joke even in my family. You're in good company here haha
Aikido which emphasizes of training uke is good aikido. Look at modern warfare: How do you think? Is it more important for a modern professional soldier, compared to samurai of the old to know locks and throws against a single ooponent, or it is more important to be more athletic, to be able to run, jump, roll, climb, etc. etc. I think people difine the word "martial" too restrictive, judging by the modern gladiator-like sports. The problem for aikido is not the overexaggeration of the demonstrative aikido but the perception of aikido as non-requiring physical fitness. That leads to today's result when aikido is viewed as a laughing stock, because old and fat people train with other old and fat people trying to look good. As for Shirakawa sensei, I love what he does and I think there are different kinds of skill a martial art can develop. He shows skills that many other schools neglect. I have trained for years under a system, mainly influenced by Chiba sensei. It teaches many different skills. Anyway, trying hard to show-off as a more "martial" martial art during demonstrations, practice sessions or exams does not pay off very well. It leads to injuries with time. I see the same problem in many wrestling and BJJ systems which I have also tried. When injuries reach a critical point, any skill becomes useless. So better trying to be less martial, more skillful and most importantly, practice in a proper way avoiding injuries. I do know which aikidoka is worse: the one who has no idea how to hit, has never trained simple straight punches and kicks or the one who has no idea how to control his movements and becomes dangerous for the uke and for himself at the same time. Regretfully, dojos are full with black belts of both types. So, typical aikido dojo usually sucks. Inspite of all that, I love aikido and will go on practicing and teaching it.
I am 54 and a black belt. I love Aikido but it has suffered in marketing. It is a great art and very effective, but MMA and BJJ are winning at marketing.
Nope
Agreed. There's a huge difference between war, self defense and sport. An old woman learning boxing will not beat Mike Tyson, and neither will an old woman practicing aikido. But aikido is useful and effective of trained properly. Fundamentally, we're responsible for our own training. I think,even in Aikido, people don't really understand the training method of aikido.
This whole thing I hear people repeat that "Justu is practical and Do spiritual" bothers me on a whole different aspect than what you're talking about. My issue is that, this perspective doesn't take into account what the founders of the various "Do" martial arts said. Nakamura Taizaburo sensei has a whole book where he explains the reason for his developing Toyama Ryu and Nakamua Ryu (as well as their forerunners, like the Gunto Soho). His criticism was that he meant the Koryu had completely forgot how to use swords, and he also criticizes military recruits for not being able to cut, despite extensive Kendo practice. To sum up his argument, he was providing practical training in an aspect of martial arts he thought was lacking.
Similarly, Kendo started appearing in the 1700s as Gekiken. Again, the reason was that some teachers found that people may be good at kata and performing techniques, but were not able to fight due to a lack of sparring. Through the practice of Gekiken, practitioners got to gain experience in sparring. During the Meiji Revolution, it was said that the schools who practiced Gekiken, like Hokushin Itto Ryu and Tennen Rishin Ryu, produced the greatest swordsmen during the conflict. Kendo came from this practice of Gekiken. Even today, many Kendoka consider Kendo as the "real" swordsmanship, and Koryu as antiquated and degraded nonsense that has forgotten its roots.
In Japan, I have repeatedly experienced headteachers, teachers, and students of both Koryu and Gendai Budo openly and crassly criticize the other. Sometimes to a rather disgraceful degree, imo. Both with the idea that they are doing the real stuff, and the others are just doing watered down bs. So it's not the idea that practitioners of the "Do" arts are just doing it for the spiritual practice. It was always intended to be a very practical core of a certain martial principle. At the same time, it's also not the practitioners of the "Jutsu" arts idea to mainly focus on the spiritual either. They typically consider their Koryu practice as the real practice as well.
The reason that the spiritual aspect is prevalent throughout Japanese martial arts, whether they are "Do" or "Jutsu", is because, as you say, it's always been that way. Reading the texts of the old martial masters, like Yagyu Munenori, you'll find that the texts are heavily spiritual. The texts of the Katori Shinto Ryu are heavy in esoteric religious practices. Even the legendary Go Rin No Sho is named and structured after the Buddhistic principle of the five wheels (Gorin 五輪). So it's all spiritual. When you're maintaining an ancient martial art, you bring that along with you. As it's core teachings. And when you make a new martial art that's intended to teach the true teachings of the samurai, then you have to incorporate what made the minds of the samurai "undefeatable", which is their spiritual practices.
So there's no "one is practical and the other is spiritual", neither one way nor the other. They are both trying to most accurately incorporate both.
What you’re getting at is basically where I’ve arrived, too. I think these things need to be taken and analyzed on a case to case basis. Whether they are “Jutsu” or “Do” by themselves doesn’t actually tell us much about their aims.
I suspect people’s infatuation with the idea more so comes from wanting to have clear cut categorization and a simple timeline, but life isn’t like that.
As for the martial arts criticism of each other, I agree. The in-fighting is baffling, but it’s also kind of a story as old as time. It’s tough to find a martial art that, at least at one point, hasn’t claimed it was “the best ever.” I just find this to be a very childish marketing tactic. Just state what your art trains for and then produce students who do that thing to an expert level… profit. An art that goes out of its way to demean another art is just advertising it’s insecurity, imho.
people who are into martial arts tend to know so much specific details but tend to forget the bigger picture and that is how a specific martial art developed and how it tried to preserve its own cultural heritage. Even newer self defense systems like krav maga get mythicized as being a solution to every problem when its own history is rooted in modern warfare, troops running around with heavy gear and plate carriers and the moves and mindset of krav maga is still influenced by that.
Karate and other arts from japan are still encoded with an honour code in regards to its own students and when dealing with a threat.
other arts like FMA or Silat are more rooted in mysticism as a result to presserve and protect certain moves against other tribes and other people from outside to not lose a possible advantage. It's more fluid because of the dance and music culture and uneven jungle and swamp area. You don't see that many chunky muscular people runing around there. The folk are hardened and lean, not big soldiers.
Fans of martial arts would benefit more when training a specific art or using critic to another art when they would focus more on how their own art developed through culture and enviroment.
I'm surprised you haven't referenced the "Hein's Approach to Aikido" channel. He has a current, functional take on the art that doesn't seem to conflict with any of your posts, although you're both on slightly different tracks.
I actually have brought him up before in older content. I usually direct people interested in the weapons side of things to him as that’s not really my forte or core interest, but yeah, I think he’s doing good stuff
@Tengu, do Steven Seagal.
I had spent 25 years of competing in other martial arts (boxing, karate, wrestling) before I found aikido. Growing tired of the injuries sustained in the other martial arts, I found aikido was a martial art that had potential and I could grow old with. 28 years later and after running my own dojo for nearly 14 years, I've drifted back to sparring and the development of a functional aikido. Pay attention to what we are doing in VA Aikikai. It matches with the direction you say aikido needs to go. ruclips.net/video/DmrepqZI9_c/видео.html
Another guy who says that he knows how to fix Aikido but doesn’t train in Aikido. Whatever
I've been in Aikido for nearly 20 years and have rank in two styles. Not sure where you got this information, friend.
@@TenguMartialArts there’s a difference between doesn’t and never has.
I’m not saying you have never trained in Aikido. I’m wondering, if you know what needs to be done with Aikido, why aren’t you doing it? Right now you just sound like a less whiny version of Rokas.