[Balto]

Originally Posted by Darph

Aikido was originally an extension of Judo, designed for old judoka who didn't have the strength/quickness/endurance to compete anymore, but had already mastered the techniques.

Aikido as a stand alone art is truely a terrible joke.

Aikido needs some real competition in the sport to build a real athlete base that represents it.

I don't think Aikido was designed as an extension to Judo.

If anything, Aikido is an extension of Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu, which is not really what Judo is based upon.

The closest relationship between Judo and Aikido seems to be the fact that several high ranking Judo guys were sent to study Aikido later in life. They became very good at Aikido and ended up founding their own branches that sort of blend the two arts.

[armbarking]

If you're interested in learning grappling or realistic fighting abilities then Aikido is not for you. I used to train at an Aikido place and most of the stuff was impractical. Would you like to spend 2/3rds of your training time doing shit you know won't work? I know I wouldn't. Take wrestling, Judo, BJJ, Sambo, boxing, kickboxing or muay thai. Forget aikido.

[pittfrog]

I'll share some lovely aikido haiku with you:

I can throw you from
Any way you choose to strike
Except for that one

Muay Thai, Kyokushin,
Aikido, Daidojuku.
Pick the odd one out

I dodge, you pass by
I stop your head and just pray
That you keep running

Cherry blossoms fall,
Flower petals fight better,
than Aikidoka

[georgejjr]

It's interesting that most of the early aikido masters, including its founder (Ueshiba) were masters in an earlier art (various kinds of jiu jitsu) before starting aikido. From what I've heard, aikido has a lot to offer if you already have the basics down in a full contact art. Aikido by itself is almost always (according to complaints you'll find on some of the aikido websites) too theoretical and co-operative in its training to be particular useful in combat by itself. For example, in their randori its considered disrespectful to resist, or to use feints etc. Its become a dance for many (though not all) of its participants. There are schools of it which haven't gone that way, but apparently they're the exception.

[Sax MMA]

Honeslty.....I watch an Aikido class before our BJj and it looks like a joke....Its just my personal opinion ......

take a boxing or Muay Thai class before you waste your time with Akido...

Just MHO

[masterfighter]

triple post

[masterfighter]

I triple post

[masterfighter]

I never thought id say this about a martial art but lets face it, aikido is useless. Thats the sad truth. They dont do sparring for a start. And if anyone here comes along claiming his aikido club does then he's either lying or putting his wrist joints at risk by having some aikidoka attempt to use a standing wrist lock at full speed (which will fuck up your wrists). Even if sparring was practiced i doubt the right techniques would be taught. I admit some of the very very basics might be of limited use against an untrained opponent, but thats about it. I cant support what other ppl have said about it being usefull if you have other martial arts experiance because i think youd be better off punching a heavy bag in your garage and going to a boxing class once a month. Sorry if thats harsh but i honestly think thats the way it is, and yes i do have experiance in aikido and similar arts.

[Acidshock]

Sort of an old post but saw it and thought I would put my $0.02

In my opinion Aikido is definately useful but not very practical for most people as it takes years of practice. More than the average mma fighter can use without starting at an early age. It takes a couple years just to get moving correctly as the movement is quite different, very fluid. Anyone I have seen that can use it practically has had 10-15 years of experience in it. They also have dabbled in a couple other arts to get some sparring experience(and fill in some left out gaps) because Aikido does not emphasize much in the way sparring but rather mock sparring in which you are placed in an event and are to act accordingly. I found personally that this leaves you a little timid in a match if this is your only experience. Furthermore it you tend not to be able to read attacks as well.

A little summary/clarification about some Aikido. There are a couple different styles of Aikido; the new style is the better than traditional IMO. There is a lot more thought and math into the new style compared to traditional Aikido. The new style works on stance, technique, etc. that puts you at an advantage in an unforeseeable situation. For instance when entering a technique making sure your stance is at a certain degree angle. By use of this angle it reduces and most of the time removes the reach of your opponents hands to your face and puts you in an advantage to open your opponent to your own techniques. The new style also reduces movements and optimizes the movements so that you have power and stance at any given point in the technique. Also a lot of the Aikido techniques, are more effective if you have can obtain a good grip on the opponent which is not very practical sometimes while wearing equipment. There are also some great techniques and pressure points which can be useful in a lot of situations.

As a side note the experienced people(10-15 years) have a ton of useful knowledge and technique which I have seen applied in response to some practical MMA situations. I would recommend Aikido to anyone who is willing to take multiple arts and willing to invest time into Aikido. If you are not willing to commit then it probably will not be useful. Also when you look for an Aikido instructor make sure to talk to them, ask them about technique, stance, etc. Dont be afraid to ask why... however dont do that too much as they tend not to like it but the reason I say to do that is to see if they know why and know the technique. You do find some people which teach Aikido very spiritually which there is nothing wrong with however from a practical aspect if you are using it for technique, etc you want to know that you are working with someone who will empasize the technique and understands its application as well.

P.S. To say Aikido is useless is just not true. Aikido is based on several martial arts which are used in MMA today. However the way Aikido is tought simply takes too much time for the average person who is wanting to compete. Also Aikido discourages competition in order to keep harmony in the dojo. Also anyone who is in the Socal area. I would recommend Phil Greenwood out of Temecula/Murrieta or Robert Bryner out of Los Angeles. Both are excellent at technique and practical application.