Discussion
Nearly did it 
Aikido Te is like classical Aikido but with strikes added. So if you're a communist union leader and don't like working, aspire to wear a large apron ... OK if you find linear arts like karate too one dimensional and power based, these will be right up your street. Very satisfying.
Aikido Te is like classical Aikido but with strikes added. So if you're a communist union leader and don't like working, aspire to wear a large apron ... OK if you find linear arts like karate too one dimensional and power based, these will be right up your street. Very satisfying.
You should really read Angry White Pyjamas.
P
ss funny account of an English guy doing the Japanese riot police Aikido course.
Good luck in your course!
P
ss funny account of an English guy doing the Japanese riot police Aikido course. Good luck in your course!
Having done Aikido for many years I can only recommend it whole heartedly. I have practiced many different forms ranging from karate to judo, Tai Chi and kung fu. Without wishing to make light of any of the arts I followed the one that gave me the most in return was Aikido. It is a gentle art, it teaches you constraint and the art of mirroring your opponents force. If someone pushes you there is no point in breaking their nose!
There is a mixture of weapons, great for teaching empty hand techniques, and anticipating your opponents intensions.
It teaches correct breathing techniques all of which will help in your everyday life, it also teaches you balance and how to move efficiently. This will become apparent when you start to learn, how much energy is wasted in simple actions. My climbing improved ten-fold after starting Aikido.
Be careful though: there are essentially 2 forms of Aikido:
The Chi Style and the Aikikai style:
Chi is the root of Aikido and is all about centring yourself so that you are solid. It has its benefits, but I think that people took it a little too far, and started to make Aikido out to be a phenomenon. Aikikai looks more at the science of Aikido, your elbow only works in one direction, bend the arm until you are putting pressure on the joint and it hurts! It is that simple, it isn’t a mystical art!
The fun begins when your opponent starts applying pressure to prevent you from throwing him in a direction, so spot this release your pressure, and use his to throw him in the opposite direction.
I have to say I was very worried that there is going to be a break out since Ian Beale started Aikido in Eastenders. And I thought this thread was the start of it!
If you want to read the bible get Aikido and the dynamic sphere, it will take you through all of the principles, with diagrams, much like Bruce Lee did in his Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
Have fun, and if you go to a class don’t just walk straight onto the mat, you have to be invited! Mr Beale should have been beaten with a big bamboo stick for that….
There is a mixture of weapons, great for teaching empty hand techniques, and anticipating your opponents intensions.
It teaches correct breathing techniques all of which will help in your everyday life, it also teaches you balance and how to move efficiently. This will become apparent when you start to learn, how much energy is wasted in simple actions. My climbing improved ten-fold after starting Aikido.
Be careful though: there are essentially 2 forms of Aikido:
The Chi Style and the Aikikai style:
Chi is the root of Aikido and is all about centring yourself so that you are solid. It has its benefits, but I think that people took it a little too far, and started to make Aikido out to be a phenomenon. Aikikai looks more at the science of Aikido, your elbow only works in one direction, bend the arm until you are putting pressure on the joint and it hurts! It is that simple, it isn’t a mystical art!
The fun begins when your opponent starts applying pressure to prevent you from throwing him in a direction, so spot this release your pressure, and use his to throw him in the opposite direction.
I have to say I was very worried that there is going to be a break out since Ian Beale started Aikido in Eastenders. And I thought this thread was the start of it!
If you want to read the bible get Aikido and the dynamic sphere, it will take you through all of the principles, with diagrams, much like Bruce Lee did in his Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
Have fun, and if you go to a class don’t just walk straight onto the mat, you have to be invited! Mr Beale should have been beaten with a big bamboo stick for that….
shadowninja said:
Sounds good. I suspect however that you may have not experienced a decent Tai Chi Chuan teacher (especially if you call it Tai Chi ) and perhaps only certain hard styles of kung fu.
I had an excellent Si Fu teaching all forms of weapon and the true meanings of the forms.
The Kung Fu was an extension of the Tai Chi
There are many reasons why I prefered Aikido over the others, lack of good teaching was not one of them.
Raify said:
You should really read Angry White Pyjamas.
P
Good luck in your course!
Great book! had me in stitches.
Sparring with my Uncle who has been doing Aikido for years is far more painful than with my brother (thai boxing) or my mate (Judo). It also looks so graceful & seems not to attract some of the violent nutters that practice kickboxing or some of the more overtly harder martial arts.
bga said:
Sparring with my Uncle who has been doing Aikido for years is far more painful than with my brother (thai boxing) or my mate (Judo). It also looks so graceful & seems not to attract some of the violent nutters that practice kickboxing or some of the more overtly harder martial arts.
You know why the nutters avoid it? Because they get hurt. They only like dishing out pain in my experience, not taking it.
WingChunDave said:
Sparring with my Uncle who has been doing Aikido for years is far more painful than with my brother (thai boxing) or my mate (Judo). It also looks so graceful & seems not to attract some of the violent nutters that practice kickboxing or some of the more overtly harder martial arts.
You know why the nutters avoid it? Because they get hurt. They only like dishing out pain in my experience, not taking it.
Tell me about it! my uncle almost broke my arm/shoulder/elbow.
It's grace is disconcerting & to a someone who knows nothing about martial arts it doesn't look dangerous in ways others do. I don't mind taking a few knocks, but being twisted into unnatural shapes and dumped on my head in agony is not my cup of tea
If I didn't work away from home I would love to take it up as a mind/body control discipline.
CanAm-TT said:
Sounds good. I suspect however that you may have not experienced a decent Tai Chi Chuan teacher (especially if you call it Tai Chi
I had an excellent Si Fu teaching all forms of weapon and the true meanings of the forms.
The Kung Fu was an extension of the Tai Chi
There are many reasons why I prefered Aikido over the others, lack of good teaching was not one of them.
From my limited experience there seem to be some very strong common themes running through all martial arts (as much as each disciplin wants to be truly unique!).
Aikido and Tai Chi seem very close in spirit. Indeed, all your benefits from Aikido are the ones I find in Tai Chi. I suspect that it's more to do with the individual as to which art is most suitable.
For me I find the internal aspects of the arts more beneficial than the harder external arts but they're not exclusive ideas
If I didn't play Tai Chi then I'd probably give Aikido a go as it always seems to be very measured and serene.
CanAm-TT said:
Sounds good. I suspect however that you may have not experienced a decent Tai Chi Chuan teacher (especially if you call it Tai Chi
I had an excellent Si Fu teaching all forms of weapon and the true meanings of the forms.
The Kung Fu was an extension of the Tai Chi
There are many reasons why I prefered Aikido over the others, lack of good teaching was not one of them.
Apologies, then. The reason I said this was that there are too many schools teaching tai chi as some new age hippy activity. Also I used to think that tai chi and aikido were very distinct, but since delving more into tai chi, I am surprised at how many similarities there are.
Sorry, don't know of any decent tai chi teachers in that area. Try www.taichifinder.co.uk
Any teacher can teach you the popular Yang style long form, which is a good start, then you can decide for yourself whether that teacher is worth continuing with or if you should move on, to perfect the form, techniques, etc.
Any teacher can teach you the popular Yang style long form, which is a good start, then you can decide for yourself whether that teacher is worth continuing with or if you should move on, to perfect the form, techniques, etc.
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