Is Aikido An Effective Martial Art? Fully Explained
Aikido is a very popular martial art and its story begins in the early 1900s in Japan. In modern times, Aikido is famous thanks to action movie figures like Steven Seagal. He is one of the people who deserve a lot of credit for the rise of Aikido in over 140 countries all across the world.
But, it’s fair to say that Aikido has been on a decline mainly because a lot of people see it as ineffective. We have decided to explore all of its pros and cons, and bring you all you need to know about aikido.
Who invented aikido?
The origins of Aikido go all the way back to the 1920s in Japan. Its founder, Morihei Ueshiba, is often seen as “the great teacher”. He created Aikido as a mix of his:
- Martial art skills
- Personal Philosophy of peace
- Religious beliefs
Aikido has origins in various arts. But it’s fair to say that the core of the art and most of its techniques come from “Daito Ryu Aki jujutsu”. This is because Ueshiba was a master of this art and he used it to create his own style of fighting. Most of the famous throws and joint locks from Aikido come from Daito Ryu and other arts like “kenjutsu”.
The final result of his work was art that focuses on self-defense but avoids any violence. The physical part of the training focuses on fitness, cardio as well as specific techniques one can use in fighting. The mental part focuses on various exercises that will help you relax, get rid of stress, and learn how to stay calm in a stressful situation.
Is Aikido good for street fighting and self defense?
Aikido is not a popular option among people who want to learn self-defense tactics. In fact, aikido training and the moves you learn are not good for any type of real fighting. You will learn a thing or two that you can you to escape out of trouble once the fight breaks out. But overall, other fighting styles like Muay Thai or MMA are much better options, and here is why.
First of all, Aikido is bad for real fighting because its students never spar. They do various live drills against the partner in pre-arranged forms. But they never spar or do any type of simulation against the partner who is fighting back. This is bad because sparring is the only way you can develop timing, reactions and learn how to stay calm in the heat of the moment.
The other issue with aikido is the concept and idea behind it. It is a soft style where the main goal is to learn how to defend without being violent. You should always be careful not to injury the person who is trying to hurt you, which sounds great. But in reality, once the fight breaks out on the streets, you must use force and violent techniques to defend.
Of course, you should be careful not to hurt the attacker too much. But you can’t expect to fight back without using force. These things work only in movies.
Is Aikido good for MMA?
Aikido is not good for MMA, and MMA fighters do not train Aikido moves or use them in matches. This is because the moves you learn are not that practical, and there are far better options. BJJ and Judo will teach you far better throws, pins, and joints locks. This is why most MMA fighters rather choose to train in these two arts than in aikido.
Why aikido is bad for MMA?
Aikido is bad for MMA because it is too soft while cage fighting is very violent. This is the main reason why it is not part of the sport of MMA. The main idea behind aikido is to overcome oneself and not to use violence. It teaches you how to use throws and joint locks to beat the attacker without hurting them. Or in other words, this is the total opposite of what you need for MMA.
The same stands if we move to the technical aspects. MMA fighters are strong, agile, ripped, explosive, and have insane cardio. They train to deliver hard strikes, execute powerful slams or pull on the joints hard to knock out or submit the rival. In aikido training, you won’t develop this type of body strength, mindset, or right fighting skills for MMA.
Also, Aikido techniques do not fit well into the rules of MMA. You can’t use some moves like Nikkyo or Sankyo because these moves are illegal according to the rules. Still, this doesn’t mean that the art is better than MMA by any means.
Is Aikido better than karate?
This is a really hard question. The answer depends on what you want to achieve with your training. Or in other words, better for what? Training both of these arts has pros and cons. But for the purpose of this article, we will focus on mental and self-defense aspects. These are the two main factors when it comes to martial art training.
Karate is a better option for self-defense because it teaches you more practical techniques. It has many styles and forms but the emphasis in most is on fast striking and movement. Students learn how to attack in a blitz, land a strike without being hit back, and use all limbs as weapons. Training includes a lot of full contact sparring that will prepare you to fight at all ranges.
Aikido, on the other side, won’t teach you good self-defense skills neither you can use its techniques in real fighting. Training doesn’t include sparring or any type of live drills. The focus of the art is on overcoming oneself and grow as a person. Even though you won’t learn how to fight, Aikido improves your mental health.
Does this make Aikido better than Karate? The short answer is: NO. Karate is better because it teaches you better fighting skills, and it will also change you as a person. But we can see why some people think the other way around.
Are Aikido techniques deadly?
Aikido teaches many techniques that are deadly or could lead to serious injuries. But this is all in theory as the main goal of the art is to avoid violence at all costs. So you can’t expect aikido to be deadly when the concept of it is the total opposite. But again, it will teach you techniques that break bones, or at least on paper, knock the opponent out cold. Bear in mind that we have never seen aikidoka do this in real life at all, and we probably never will.
If the aikidoka spots the danger, they will, in most cases, give their best to avoid the fight, which is the right decision. They will try to talk their way out of it, run away, or if the fight breaks out, use techniques they know for self-defense. But again, they must use these techniques in such a way so that both parties stay safe.
Is Aikido a deadly martial art? The answer is no, it isn’t.
Can you compete in Aikido?
Aikido has many styles and forms and most do not include any competition. But one form called “Shodokan Aikido” allows its students to compete in matches. Bear in mind that this form differs a lot from the traditional aikido. The moves you learn and the concept of training are much different. It very much looks like the basic level of judo, which is not far from the truth.
Training in Shodokan aikido includes a lot of sparring on a daily basis. Students must spar since that is the best way they can prepare for the matches. And it’s also good for timing, reactions, and self-defense as well.
How do I start training aikido?
The first thing you have to do is to inform yourself about aikido and decide whether you like the concept of it or not. You can even compare it with the concepts and training in other arts, to see if it is really your cup of tea. Once you did that, the next step is to find a dojo near your home where you can start training.
But before you sign up for the classes, we suggest you should ask if the school offers trial classes, which they do in most dojos. This way, you can see the atmosphere in the dojo, how the training looks like, how safe it is, and try some moves.
You can also see whether the dojo maintains a high level of hygiene, and get familiar with the rules of training. Bear in mind that, as in any other martial art, there are good and bad aikido dojos. If you don’t feel good about that specific one, don’t give up. You should look for the other dojos that are maybe better.
