Contradiction in Aikido?

Question

I find it a big contradiction that Aikido is an

"art practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury"

But at the same time people say that their techniques are too deadly to be used in competition and that it's likely that if the person doesn't know how to flow with the technique that they will end up with a broken arm or something

So which is it? because last time I looked the regular guy on the street didn't know how to break fall

Answer 1

a lot of it has to do with the initial philosophy is to do no harm.
as O sensei said it himself. Whoever allows for hatred or violence to come into their hearts has allready lost the fight" against an unarmed opponent you can use the techniques as taught in class just as you practice them in class and stress the opponent to make him see the error of his ways. (I've been faced with a few situations where this proved helpful without even having to truly hurt my opponent) However when in threat of life and limbs....
the origin of the techniques are the jiu jitsu of the samurai who used these techniques to break limbs dislocate joints or indeed kill their opponent and their battle reputation proved that they were extremely efficient at it. When practicing I've often had an opponent go just a little further than comfort allowed which made me feel the efficiency of the techniques myself. I've been within inches of breaks or dislocation and even had my trachea nearly broken once.
The techniques are useful and dangerous but aikido is as our creator so aptly named it
the art of peace

Answer 2

Hi there

The contradiction comes from the time in which the art and its philosophy were created. Its true you cant practice the techniques of Aikido or Jujutsu on Joe public. Its well known that Judo and BJJ were created for the sole purpose so that they could be used in competition effectively and safely without incapacitating your opponent. The truth is that the origins of aiki and jujutsu come from samurai arts. Killing arts to be precise. The average person has no reason to kill another but he does need to be able to protect himself. Hence the contradiction lies with the times, needs and purpose. You will find this applies to lots of modern martial arts. I don't think many people would turn up to training week after week to regularly receive a dislocated shoulder or have their hands cut off. So its been tailored to suit just has sports fighting has.

Does it create a false sense of security for the practitioner?

Well that's another question all buy itself just depends what you think real fighting is?

Best wishes

idai

Answer 3

If you read the book: "Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere", there is a chapter that deals with four stages of morality when encountering an opponent. The first and lowest is when you attack another person without any provocation and use the techniques to maim or k1ll him, this is the stage where most students fall, it is the beginner's stage. Because one is still unenlightened and merely treats the art as a way to physically defeat other people. The second stage is when you provoke another person to attack you first and then you maim or k1ll him, this too is an unenlightened stage since you still have the intention of physically harming another. The third stage is when you do not do anything to provoke another and try to avoid him but he still attacks anyway and you are forced to use the techniques but end up maiming or k1lling him for fear he might get up again and come after you. This stage, though still an unenlightened stage at least is a step in the right direction since you make an effort to avoid and only defend when attacked unprovoked. The last and final stage is when you avoid your opponent and when left with no recourse, use the technique to merely control him and neutralize his attack without causing him any serious harm or injury, kinda like being your own referee and stopping the fight when he taps out or when you see that he is in danger of being seriously injured, you just neutralize his attacks again and again until he gets tired of kissing the dirt or finally realizes the futility of attacking, this according to the founder was the ideal stage or level to aspire to in Aikido. But this requires serious dedication in training your mind and body to be able to have the patience to endure repeated attacks without resorting to violence until he quits. Unfortunately only a few ever reach this stage, especially since Aikido requires a diligent lifelong commitment to master and most students today get bored by the time they reach the second stage and usually backslide on their training(I myself have been guilty of this) forcing them to resort to force and violence to resolve conflicts due to lack of dedicated training. In a way, the contradiction is caused not by the techniques(which when applied correctly will not seriously injure an opponent), but by ignorance of the core Philosophy of Aikido which is Love(for human life), Peace and Harmony.

Answer 4

I think you have to take a very close look at any style that claims to be "too deadly to be used in competition" maybe its just "not realistic to begin with"

I mean Jujitsu and brazlian jujitsu are the two grappling styles most feared by wrestlers and favoured by special forces and they compete with each other all the time.

As a greco wrestler high level we cross trained with the best aikido guys and they did not give us any sort of workout. We were lifting and throwing them and controlling their hands easily.

Some of their stuff looked like it might work okay against guys with knives, and maybe against the average guy who had never done any grappling but we found them very basic level.

We were respectful and so forth but still were asked never to come back, because we did not let them throw us.

Answer 5

The contradiction comes from the individuals point of view. You are taught some very dangerous techniques but also arm bars, pressure points, and locks to control an individual. By controlling you ensure the safety of yourself and your agressor. Better to create enough pain to control that to destroy with one technique. The key to any martial art is CONTROL, first and formost. Having control means words cannot hurt or intice you-blows can be avoided- and your reaction can keep your adversary at arms length.

Dr. Tommy Skelton
6th Dan- Sho Kon Ryu

Answer 6

Aikido is the S.h.I.T this style was created for total devastation and total domination quick and precise.A Master in a ring match would injure all opponents.