Electrical Blog
One of the most astonishing facts in the combative world is that Aikido Art does not work well on the street. The reason this is astounding is because it is derived, for the most part, from Daito Ryu Aiki Jujitsu, which is one of the most street wise arts in existence. Interestingly, it doesn’t take much to transform Aikido into a formidable combative art.
To understand why the ‘Gentle Way’ is not good for the street one must understand the founder’s purpose. Morihei Uyeshiba, who designed the art, designed it around his enlightenment. This is to say that he designed it for people to love their neighbor.
Of course Morihei could destroy his neighbor, so he lost nothing in loving him. The modern Aikidoka, however, studying an art distilled for peace and brotherhood does not have that ability, and so the art becomes unworkable. Thus, one has to explore the art for movements that do not enter and present themselves as ‘get along’ techniques.
In classical aiki instruction the attack is exactly prescribed, and it is designed to feed the flow of the receiver, and therefore the ‘spirituality’ of the receiver. What one should do is, after delivering a flowing attack designed to fit the defender, is apply an attack in a more rugged way, that is not designed to fit into the flow of the receiver. Thus, the defender must solve the problem of being attacked the way he would be attacked in real life.
If an attack is offered, say a lapel grab, with the arms extended straight, one must explore that attack with the elbows bent. Further, the attack must be explored with the motion of the attack to the sides, or in conjunction with the movement of feet in any possible direction. Thus, the defender learns to not just go with the direction of the technique, but to make the flow work no matter which way the technique goes.
The procedure I am describing here is nothing more than exploring all the possibilities of motion, and not just the politely described entry movements of a zen shaped art. This is the procedure we used in down and dirty karate schools, and we managed to stay polite, and yet became aware to all the things that could happen in a real fight.
I have meant many Aikidokas over the years, and the better ones have always subscribed to some deviation what I have said here. Many a night I stayed late, after class, after the polite students had departed, and explored the possibilities necessary to survival on the street. And for any Aikido practitioners out there who object to my opinions as I state them here, I suggest they look into the Hell Dojo of Ushigome, and other histories of O Sensei.
In reality, with the attention to detail, Aikido can be one of the most street wise arts in the world. It does take an enlightened mind, however, to embrace not just love and kindness, but the reality of violence. These, however, are the principles we embrace in the art of Matrix Aikido.
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Tags: martial arts instruction
Posted in Martial Arts · April 22nd, 2010 · Comments (0)
The Martial Arts, and this includes Shaolin kung fu, are passed on through unique strategies of motion. They are, at their source, a mythology created to represent a unique logic . They are the science of an ancient culture, passed down to us by dance.
Thus, to know the martial arts, we must ask ourselves what martial science were the ancients trying to formulate and offer. Science is science, however, and I think you will find that the real reasons for the five animals are simple and expedient. Also, you will find that there is a distinct method of motion behind the animals.
The tiger is an aggressive animal, and he is always on the attack. Claws and teeth, he drags down his enemy and tears him apart. Thus, the direction of the Tiger is forward, and all he does is attack.
The Crane is a lighter animal, giving way with deflection as he sets up and uses the legs. He does not rely on flight, but rather manipulates the attack to set up his kicks. He does not charge, but fights at a certain distance, and never lets that distance collapse .
The Snake coils and twists and allows the attacker to get close. The artful deflections of the crane become full blown traps and locks under the traps of the snake. Thus, the snake gives way without giving way, and the enemy falls into trickiness and deception.
There is some contention as to whether the fifth animal is a monkey or leopard, and I usually choose the monkey. Whichever animal you select as the best representation of Shaolin Kung Fu, the major characteristic of the animal is tricky footwork and the ability to acrobat and gyrate out of the fight. Thus, the Monkey (leopard) has the ability to change tactics and reset the fight to whatever animal characteristic he is strongest at.
The fifth animal is the dragon, and this is an imaginary animal which represents all the attributes of the other four Kung Fu animals. The dragon is the embodiment of understanding and employing all animals so that they work as a smooth and embracive strategy. Run, manipulate, trick or flee, the dragon can do anything, smoothly and with perfect timing.
The five animals found in Shaolin Kung Fu represent geometry of motion in space, and a distinct selection of distance of combat. Practice each animal until you have mastered the abilities of that animal, then blend them all together. This is the always winning strategy for combat as developed by the Five Animals of Shaolin Kung Fu.
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Tags: martial arts instruction
Posted in Martial Arts · April 14th, 2010 · Comments (0)