Why do people hate Aikido so much? Is it because they are uneducated about Aikido?

Question

People say Aikido is a "soft" martial art! However Aikido teachs you how to cripple people with locks, throws, submissions AND defend against knive attacks, multiple defenders etc! So HOW IS BREAKING SOMEONES ARM A "SOFT" STYLE OF FIGHTING ! Is it because Aikido teachs mostly defense? REMEMBER the old saying " A good defense is a good offense!" Personally I believe MMA is the best way to train however I don't understand why people bash Aikido!?

GIVE ME UNBIASED OPINIONS PLEASE!

Answer 1

Well in my area in is not popular but it is a great art. i think it was because people such as Segal really were egotistical and made a bad name for the art later in his life.

dont worry about what others think about it, go with what you feel is right about it.

Answer 2

Aikido *is* a "soft" art... what this means, exactly, I'm not sure.

However, I have respect for aikido (OK fine, I like it cuz of the hakamas they wear... you happy?) and I would like to learn a bit more about it, if I ever get the opportunity.

I think many people bash on aikido because it can't be used for MMA or sportsfighting. And you know what, I don't think it can. But there's nothing wrong with that. There are a lot more benefits to aikido than knowing how to break someone's arm. I don't see why it should be altered to fit in sportsfighting.

Answer 3

I agree that many people misunderstand Aikido, but it can not possibly be for lack of knowledge. The MA world is flooded with Aikido books, videos and shows. Heck, I was just flippng through the TV and came to the Fitness channel and they had an hour special on Aikido that read like a highschool Aikido 101.
Aikido can not claim people are uneducated about it. Karate maybe, because there are so many things not Okinawan Karate that use the name Karate. Kung Fu maybe because there are so many varations of Kung Fu. Jujitsu maybe because people only see MMA Jujitsu guys, and not the depth of tradition also available. But, Aikido has managed to keep a single face in the public conscience for decades.

Answer 4

The people that I come across that hate Aikido only know about Aikido from people bashing it on sites like bullshido or hearing stories about Segal acting like a jackass. They criticize that Aikido dosen't train "live" or have any sparing. But love Judo and Ju Jitsu because those arts do. They forget / or never knew that until around mid 1880's Judo was very much like Aikido and Kano deligated the more Aikido like elements into kata so that judo could be practiced "live" in randori and shiai with out injury. If you examine the self defense / non-competition techniques of Judo they are indistingushable from Aikido. The point I am trying to make is that Aikido dosen't train live because the techniques won't work live, they don't train live because the techniques work so well that if the opponent resists he greatly increases the risk of injury to himself.

Answer 5

It is a lack of understanding of Aikido that causes attitudes like this. In additio, there is a general cultural bias and ignorance about the use of the terms 'soft' or 'internal'. These terms don't have the same sorts of meaning in asian society (particularly as it relates to shinto and omotokyo). The idea of internal is used to describe ones energy or spirit (this is the 'Ki' in Aikido), rather than being soft in the western sense of the word. Ki is very important in many martial arts (including Karate, Kung Fu, Tai Chi etc).

Another point may be O'sensei's (the founder) articulation of ideas, particularly towards the end of his life. He would often say things like "To control aggression without inflicting injury is the Art of Peace". He is paraphrasing Sun Tzu, who said that true genius was to win a war without fighting. These sorts of statements are sometimes taken at face value in Western society.

From what I can gather (and I could be generalising), there are a lot of aikido schools in the US which have removed the more technical aspects of aikido (things like kote- gaeshi, ryote-dori, kenjutsu, jojutsu and bojutstu) which meant that people were taught only the simpler aspects of the art - which weren't very powerful.

As for whether MMA is the best way to train, it depends on your motivation. I practise aikido, because I like the cultural aspects and the way it flows as an art.

Hope this helps

Answer 6

I train Aikido and love it. I can, however, see how this style has got the rep. that it has. Looking at it and those who train it, it can seem "fake". Before I was able to train in Aikido I loved it and wanted to train in it but saw it as something that appeared to be fake, I wanted to learn what it was all about. As far as "soft" that comes from the fact that there are no attacks in Aikido, or at least not the way most people view an attack. I know for a fact and through xp, Aikido is not fake in any way shape or form and it can be but dosen't have to be "soft". I use the concepts of Aiki in my other martial arts and they all blend soooo well. I see the view and can understand it but from xp I know that it isn't always as you see or think you see.

Answer 7

I personally think it's a great MA and encourage anyone to pursue the style that best fits them.

Still, commonly what I hear negative about Aikido is that the offensive moves are reserved for those of a really high level and dedication, it focuses primarily (too much?) on defense rather than offense and many of its defensive moves are outdated, like defending against overhead chops, which few people practice any longer.

Answer 8

I really don't know why people hate aikido, like i mean it can be such a deadly sport but people think that since it doesn't use striking taht it can't be taken seriously as a martial art but really u can get ****** up by aikido.

Answer 9

Its not the art itself, its about 99% of the schools teaching Aikido, the way they teach just does not create effective fighters, and even if taught the way it was made to be taught it would still take a very VERY long time for it too be effective in the street, maby 10 years

Also Aikido never want to test their skills against someone, there is no evidence of Aikido being effective for what it was made to do, if there was more evidence of Aikido's effectiveness and not the usuall pre aranged "demos" then people would give it more respect

Answer 10

it might be that those that hate aikido are looking for a more aggressive art because aikido does not require as much energy to hurt another but using the other persons own energy to hurt themselves.

Answer 11

There are no unbiased opinions lol :) There's nothing wrong with soft styles, googleplex got it right. It's using energy & momentum of your attacker to your benefit, instead of stopping/attacking with brute force. It's more fluid, as Bruce Lee put it, "Move like water." Aikido is awesome for that.