Are you mulling over which self-defense technique will be worth learning? Have you heard about the aikido defense technique? You must have, that’s why you are on this page. But is aikido worth learning? Keep on reading to know about this self-defense technique.
Indeed, an increase in daily street crimes and assaults is a threat for a lot of people. Everybody should know how to flee from dangerous and disliked situations. It’s never a bad idea to learn some fighting techniques training that can be used in real-life fights. Aikido is one of those training that is considered good for self-defense. But we know you have a question. Is aikido effective for self-defense purposes? Let’s find that out?
What is Aikido?
First of all, you need to understand the definition of aikido. A Japanese martial art that is a combination of throws, jabs, locks, and strikes. The literal meaning of the word aikido is, ai means harmony, k means energy, and do means way. This might look unmeaningful to you but it will make sense when you learn about the ideology behind it.
Aikido fight training is not designed to do maximum destruction of the opponent. But it teaches you to endure aggressive behavior and be peaceful throughout.
Additionally, Aikido training allows you to level up your technique game and connect your mental ability and energy to the body.
Let’s talk about the time the training will take to learn. Well, It certainly depends on your competency. If you practice 2-3 times a week, you’ll probably be proficient in one year. Also, it would take 4-5 years to achieve a black belt. But honestly, your passion and devotion will decide the time it would take.
History of Aikido:
Morihei Ueshiba was the person behind the foundation of the aikido. He used to study a lot of different martial arts at a younger age. But one martial art called Daitō-ryū- Aiki-jūjutsu stood out to him. This particular art was a mixture of throwing and joint locks techniques. Besides, a lot of spiritual knowledge impacted the martial art techniques of Ueshiba as well.
Additionally, he was not a fan of damage and blood-shedding in the fight, instead, he teaches love and compassion to others. All of this is the idea of aikido fighting art. This is how aikido art was founded and the meaning of aikido is “A Way of Love“.
Philosophy of Aikido Art:
The philosophy behind this art is peacefulness and unity. All you need is focus and mental resilience to cope with the attacker. You won’t use any extra effort to keep them away, instead, you’ll be using their acceleration to counter-attack them.
You might be surprised to hear about the main focus of aikido fighting training. The main and crucial focus of this art is finding mental peace, building moral values, and eliminating aggression from the inside. But you will get to learn to defend yourself when in dangerous circumstances.
So, if you’re struggling with mental stability and depression lately, learning this art of fighting would be a great decision for your mind and body as well.
How Does the World Know Aikidō?
Aikido is the Japanese art of fighting, as we mentioned earlier, but it has spread across the world since 1951. Minoru Mochizuki took it to Japan and taught students aikido techniques there.
After that, Japanese Aikidō experts took it to different countries such as the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia as well.
Still, the spreading process is continuous and aikido is getting popular all across the world. But here the real question is, is aikido worth learning? Hold on, we are going there.
Focus Techniques of Aikido:
Following are the focus techniques of Aikido self-defense or fight.
- Wrist grabs
- Chest grabs
- Head punches
- Torso punches
- Knife hand strikes
- Throws
- Shoulder grabs
- Wrist Locks
Two techniques are considered crucial in aikido fighting. One is uke while the other is tori. You’ll get to know more about them in actual training.
Aikido Practitioner:
Are there any famous aikido fighting practitioners? Yes, there is. Steven Seagal is the most popular aikido fighter.
Steven was an actor who demonstrated several aikido techniques in his many films. He was born in Michigan, then after teaching in Japan, he moved back to California.
An interesting fact is that he was the first non-Japanese who operated an aikidō dojo.
Is Aikido Effective for Street Fights or Self-Defense?
Undoubtedly, with the aikido art techniques, you’ll certainly feel much safer around the street. But when we talk about its competence, it can’t win against other self-defense martial arts.
As we have already mentioned, self-defense techniques are a secondary focus of aikido fighting art. Also, it doesn’t allow you to do maximum damage to the attacker. Besides, aikido doesn’t teach you how to overcome grappling, scuffling, and sparring as well.
So, speaking of self-defense, aikido in street fight doesn’t do much for you in front of a person who has excellent martial arts techniques. You would surely beat up and won’t have enough opportunity to evade. Nevertheless, you can defend yourself to some extent and somehow manage to elude if ever caught in a fight. That’s all you need to survive.
Is Aikido Useless?
Our previous section certainly made you wonder about the effectiveness of the aikido art. So here we are about to answer your questions.
It would be an injustice to call aikido useless. Aikido fight art is not entirely ineffective. It teaches you some unique fighting abilities that can be helpful in street fighting but sometimes it doesn’t let you win against a martial art expert. You’ll feel a lot more confident and peaceful after learning the aikido fighting technique.
Most martial arts experts consider the aikido fighting technique ineffective and impractical to use in real fights. If you are just looking to learn some basics of fighting then you can definitely consider learning it. But aikido can’t be the best fighting technique in terms of self-defense.
Strength Benefits from Aikido:
Well, if you’re looking for strength and conditioning in a martial art, Aikidō might not be for you. You must not consider it. Why? Because the whole concept of aikido is mental peace and moral values, not developing strength.
If you put strength and force into your technique, you will definitely mess it up. So, you won’t be getting any strength advantages from aikido fighting art.
Is MMA Better Than Aikido?
This is quite a question to answer. Let’s see which one would win.
According to Steven Seagal, Aikidō is one of the most impressive martial arts but MMA seems a little more outstanding when it comes to fighting and self-defense.
Aikido teaches a person how to be calm and stable in a sudden fighting situation which is important in self-defense.
On the other hand, mixed martial arts is great for teaching strong and blunt techniques which includes both grappling and striking. It prepares your body and helps you put together your physical stamina to overcome a real-life fight.
Both types of martial arts offer different kinds of strengths and weaknesses as well. Nevertheless, no one can ensure a successful escape from an attacker. It’s your mental and physical proficiency that would help you win and keep you safe.
If you are planning to get training for real self-defense, we would suggest you go for MMA training.
Is Krav Maga Better Than Aikidō?
The answer is very simple, which is yes. The main focus of krav maga is self-defense and practical for real-world fighting situations. Whereas Aikido has a firm belief in not harming the opponent and tries to settle things with unity and subtly.
We don’t have any intention to hurt any person with high moral values, we love them as well. All we want to say is that love and peace would never help you in a situation where you are pleading for your life. Krav maga is a great way to defend yourself in this conflicted world.
Is Aikido Real?
Is aikido worth learning? You might get the answer from this section well. Let’s be honest here. If someone attacked you in the street, being in a calm situation would be the last thing that would come to your mind. Aikidō doesn’t teach you resilient moves that you can use in fights.
You would get a huge adrenaline rush that will lead to a fight and flight response in your body. That response will make you forget all composure in minutes. All you would need is to throw the hardest punch right in the face of the attacker without thinking about the spiritual values of the aikido fighting training.
Imagine this, a crazy attacker coming toward you to harm you. Would you let him attack you? Of course not. You would attack him back with more force and strength to avoid any harm to your body. This is the only way you can save yourself.
Aikido fighting techniques are not effective for real-world fights. After learning a technique for years with dedication, you need to use it in real-world confrontations. Otherwise, it isn’t worth learning at all.
Did we answer tha main question? Is aikido worth learning? Well, we are avoiding some blunt statements here. You have to think twice about learning it.
Other mentioned martial arts techniques are considered better as compared to Aikidō.
Conclusion:
To sum up, you have to question yourself whether you need mental peace and moral values or you want an effective technique for self-defense. After having an answer to this question, you will be able to decide something better for yourself.
Aikido fighting doesn’t seem effective when it comes to actual fights and defense. Is aikido worth learning? We would recommend you to think twice when deciding about learning aikido.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q1. Can I learn Aikido online?
Learning aikido online can be a bit challenging but you certainly can. It’s a better option to go for a physical training center or any good dojo. Little research about online aikido learning will take you to the good online dojo where you can learn aikido techniques. Such online dojo has pre-recorded videos about all the information you need for aikido.
Q2. Is Aikidō hard to learn?
We neither would say yes nor no. Because maximum techniques are gentle and easy to learn as you don’t have to use extreme power and force. It has a lot to do with timing and your stable senses. Achieving accurate timing is a lot more difficult than using brute force. So, it can be hard and easy for most learners at the same time.
Q3. Does aikido influence religious beliefs?
Yes, it does. The founder of aikidō was a religious and spiritual person. He installed some moral values into the philosophy of training. But there is some dojo that claims it to be related to religion.
Q4. What does dojo mean in aikido training?
Not only in aikido, but dojo is also a word used in many martial arts training. A dojo is a place or a large hall where fighters get to learn about certain training and techniques.
Q5. Will it help me to be in shape?
Yes absolutely. Such martial arts training is great for body toning. Constant workout helps you burn extra calories and build more strength. Additionally, you can increase your body flexibility and agility as well.
