what's up with all of the Aikido-bashing here?

Question

I don't understand why in the "martial arts" category there's such a pre-occupation with UFC/Pride/submission fighting stuff here and with the Mixed Martial Arts in general. Even more, I honestly don't understand the whole Aikido-bashing here, which seems almost obligatory for some reason.

I avidly study Aikido, and clearly see its basis in jujutsu as well as its real-world "street application"...which I have been forced to do on more than one occasion, with clear success. The whole ground-fighting thing I don't get: why would you roll around on asphalt in order to execute a joint lock that I could do standing?

My question to all dedicated Aikido-bashers: where are your impressions of Aikido coming from? Not all Aikido is the soft, hippy dance-like stuff that everyone thinks it is. The Aikido I study is by no means that!

ADDENDUM: thanks to everybody who answered...most were suprisingly positive.

To Bluto Blutarsky6 and others who expressed interest in seeing a "good" example of Aikido: go to YouTube and search for "Gozo Shioda" (w/o the parenthesis marks, obviously). There are numerous clips of him, but especially check out the black-and-white footage. He is considered one of the greats of Aikido. The Tokyo Riot Police train in his dojo!

Answer 1

I don't think the Aikido bashing is becoming an epidemic by any means.
However I have read it just as I have read it many times abouit Judo an art which was created from JuJitsu before Aikido was. Or to put it into language you'll get one of the ones where you are taught to roll around on the ground and do a joint lock...

People will talk negativly about things they don't know. And keep in mind the majority of people on this blog are between the ages of 12 and 18.
Also Aikido as stated before is difficult to learn proficiently and there is no competitions for Aikido so there is no real way of practicing or testing your skills. Sure there is open Randori but unlike in Judo or JuJitsu, in Aikido it is typically your uki just keeps coming at you with punches and kicks or fake weapons and you take them down. But at no time are your uki's actualy swinging a bat at you as hard as they can.
Now in most other arts this is not happening either. But factor in how popular Karate, TKD, and cerain forms of Gung Fu are over Aikido in the U.S. Also factor in how popular the UFC and MMA has become and people are flooded with BJJ, Muay Thai, Wrestling, grappling. And all of the submissions they do although just as common to Aikido as they are Judo and Jujitsu and even Sambo. The commentators never refference those styles or the names of the technique in those styles. It's always Americana, or Kimora... So do people think Aikido sucks no... But they don't know enough about it and so they all say Aikido sucks BJJ is better or TKD etc...

Answer 2

I, like many who bash it, have very little experience with Aikido. However, I think it has to do with the fact that there are many Aikido dojos that do the soft, hippie, stuff. It's kind of like how many Tai Chi instructors don't teach or train students about how it works in a fight.

From what I have heard from some people, Aikido has some very useful techniques. But I also hear many dojos do not train with resistance. This can lead to a higher learning curve than what is necessary and it can get one of these Aikidoka in trouble against more aggressive attackers. Of course not all Aikido dojos are like this.

I have never bashed Aikido or any martial art. It is no better or worse than any other martial discipline. However, a lousy instructor can make any art look bad. Aikido, like any other martial art, has some very good instructors but also has some very bad instructors.

As for going to the ground, it is usually more a matter of being able to get into a good position on the ground than it is about being able to simply do the joint lock while on the ground. That way if the fight goes to the ground, you can get back up on your feet if you need to.

Answer 3

I'm just guessing, but I think that there are 2 reasons.
1) There are many people here who have never actually participated in MA, they just watch MMA on TV. They mock what they don't understand.
2) Some people seem to think that they can build themselves up by tearing others down. These people are not Martial Artists. Some may be good fighters, but that's all they are, thugs.

I practice Tae Kwon Do, not Aikido, but I respect Aikido & those who practice it.

Answer 4

the reason is that:

everyone believes they have chosen the best art there is. its all perspective. in the 4 months ( short I know) time I spent trying to understand Aikido, I found I couldnt get anything that would be better than what I already used.

so for me, I found that other arts would protect you earlier in your training, and more effectively under stress. as a bouncer I thought that the philosophy was sound, but the randomness of attacks meant that the structure of Aikido was never an option.

so for me, why would anyone want to spend a life time perfecting something like that, when harder and instantly assessed arts are available?

I have learned the samba too, and that requires a compliant partner. and yes, I do associate Aikido with dance. it is structured and self dependent.

Answer 5

aikido is like any other martial art it has good points and bad points.you learn it to find out which is which,keep the good throw out the bad.intergrate it into your own style.or use it as a base and cross train in other styles.ive done a bit of aikido and my impression was it takes a very long time to become proficient in it.

Answer 6

because aikido has a reputation for training with ukes who throw themselves just like TKD has for doing tip tap point sparring and unrealistic strikes, and CMA has for throwing pajama parties disguised as martial arts.

Are they 100% true. obviously not.

I have seen legit and bs CMA guys but have not seen an aikido guy or training that doesn't look like a compliant waltz.

I would be interested in seeing a video if you have one.

The reason why you do a joint lock when you "roll around on asphalt" is because sometimes you just don't have afreaking choice. Likely a grappler isn't going to "roll around on asphalt or hot lava or broken glass" with you, he is going to make sure that you are the one getting scraped on asphalt, burned to death on hot lava or cut in your major arteries on broken glass. Thus you would need to learn to use your joint locks or whatever else you can muster from your techniques to use while on the ground.

Otherwise bieng taken down totally nullifies your skills in that situation and you need to either:
a- learn some skills you can use, or
b- find ways to adapt what your style does standing up, to the ground if possible.

For the record I am probably one of the biggest CMA bashers on this board- and I also currently train CMA. "hippie" aikido gyms should piss you off as much as pajama parties piss me off.

EDIT: most fights are "big men beating each other up" both in and out of competitions, If I had to draw a graph of technique vs. stregth, the amount of technique required to deal with increases in weight (stregth/size) beyond a certain point would spike. You need that much more technique to deal with a stronger, bigger person the bigger the size/stregth gap.

People always say "yeah, but i could do x" but the real question is CAN you.

The only scenario where fights are not that- are with weapons involved.

Answer 7

The reason for it is that Aikido is an art that is very hard to learn & even harder to apply ( in most cases ) given this & the fact that it is often years before you can do anything "cool" it is no wonder that they try to denigrate it

Answer 8

Don't listen to them. Aikido is a great Martial Art it is 20 times better then UFC. UFC is not a true Martail Art like Aikido. There is more to the Martial Arts then who's bigger or stronger. Don't get me wrong UFC is ok. But the fighters are not true Martial Artists. They are just big men beating each outher up.

Answer 9

I'm not an Aikido basher...but i think its cuz seagal is your unofficial spokesman. I love his movies, but he is rediculous.

If it was jason statham it'd be something else.

There are probably other reasons to that i am not aware of.

Answer 10

they think aikido ppl are afraid 2 strike and train unrealisticly...also aikido is decently acplicable to ground