When I worked as an armed and unarmed security guard (did VIP as well), we learned Aikido for EXACTLY the reasons you state: never go down to the ground and be able to separate, make distance and use our weapon! There's another gentleman on TH-cam (I'll leave him unnamed) who teaches a somewhat similar theory...though his Aikido is much more violent. Teaching the "make an accord" vs "dominate" doctrine is, I feel, a closer interpretation of the original than the more violent teachings of Aikido.But, between the two of you, I feel like people can understand what Aikido is good for historically and in a modern sense! It's so nice to see someone who is a practitioner who understands it and refuses to shit all over it (like a certain Aikido youtuber who has turned "MMA"). Thank you for the excellent videos, the amazing insights, and the far more realistic ideas with Aikido!
Yeah, my first aikido instructor used to train security guards. Coincidence? I think not. :) OK. I haven't watched the video yet, but you're right. I'll say it like this - aikido is very good for security guards, because it gives you the opportunity to subdue an unruly drunkard without hurting him and without ending up on the ground. Plus, the osaes that have been taught to me give you the opportunity to let go and move away quickly, if needed.
Rokas made good points and is open to being proved wrong. He is in his way trying to benefit aikido community by exposing charlatans, learning about aikido through the lens of other MAs, discussing nuances of aikido. I do feel Hein knows Aikido deeper than Rokas, but that doesn't deny his own experience and well formed arguments and questions. Aikido to me is an advanced toolset that is fit for advanced martial artist and I'd advise every potential new aikidoka to consider training striking and grappling based MA along or before studying aikido. I think a year practicing just BJJ will prepare you for a confrontation much better than just aikido during that time.
Excellent presentation, and love the self-defense context. Too many people try to find the "fight" in grappling oriented martial arts, when that was never the point.
I've been watching your videos for more than a year now, and I feel like you are one of the only youtubers who really understand Aikido and it's purpose. Aikido does make sense and is a very well structured system, the haters just don't understand the aim and context of Aikido. Thank you for your work !
I agree. To be fair, I am presenting my approach, which is my interpretation of what Aikido is. But I agree, it makes the most sense this way. Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it!
@@ChuShinTani if you take a look at Aikido's roots (specifically daito-ryu aikijujutsu), so, considerating it as an armed martial art, considerating the techniques as principles instead of techniques (because if you look at daito-ryu there are much more variations), and combining it with the other principles and the pacifist philosophy, those interpretations are the most logical ones. In order to get those interpretations, I also looked into many Aikido masters, and I believe that they all knew the purpose and meaning of Aikido, but they don't tend to explain it. In Japan, you don't have to ask questions, and you have to think them by yourself. So, many information is lost, and I think that's why Aikido is so misunderstood in Occident.
@@Diego-hm1wd I think the biggest issue for Aikido being misinterpreted is that most training is not explained in detail and students are expected to learn by emulating. This means that the context and understanding can easily be lost. I know some Sensei who won't even answer questions because it's impolite to ask your Sensei a question or ask for clarification. I think it's a hold over from strict Japanese social rules.
Many years ago, my brother dropped a wooden tanto on the floor while I was engaged in Keiko randori with a student. Completely changed our views on groundwork and grappling. Great video as always. I've always felt that the techniques that I had learned in Aikido were best suited for when you easily had the ability to destroy the opponent but chose not to. Choosing the path of peace rather than simply injuring and killing.
Thanks for sharing! I deeply enjoyed this longer, more-in-depth video! However, I’m very grateful for anything you choose to share, especially for free. 🙏
Totally agree! I post 5 min videos and get comments, "man that was so long, you talked so much".... Ha! I don't think their attention span would allow them to make it through a class!! Thanks for watching!
Great stuff as always. It's amazing how many people don't understand context with aikido and are obsessed with trying to make aikido work by trying to catch punches and attempt wrist locks and takedowns with the arm and other such predetermined techniques they see as aikido, believing that is what aikido is. They then wonder why it is extremely difficult to do. It seems not enough teachers explain this or even know it themselves.
Superb explanation as per usual. When you explain things that way, Aikido is actually the most practical Art for real world situations. Those Samurai lived dangerous lives it would appear. Great presentation.
Great. Another problem I have with double leg etc is that it will go to the ground. Very effective in a cage but in the street the ground is a very dangerous place to be. Effectiveness does not always equate to practicalality
Interesting take! The armed and multiple attackers idea I think can be solved via judo/jjj takedowns but judo doesnt have ude osae. I think the intensity of judo style randori gets people to be able to do those high percentage takedowns well. Sumo does have ude osae and judo intensity randori. I think most aikido not having a seoi or a more developed koshi nage is interesting as well since those techniques are shown in the koryu and judo kata as being good for an attack with a weapon. The koryu also show newaza with someone facing up, but for this armed context I can understand just showing the turnovers
ah, so that is rokkyo, what I do usually is actually rokkyo, not ikkyo. but ikkyo is the second move I do the most. because after rokkyo, you can pin your opponent down while you are in standing up position well, I have experiencing it that aikido move is actually good for fighting one on one, though you cant use it in mma because mma ban small joint control. if you can just use one skill for so many occasions then you dont need to remember massive amount of things which is the best for me
Why do you guys have no leg sweeps? Also, what are your thoughts on the grab and stab we see today so often? I haven't seen any evidence that it was common in medieval combat, thus why has it changed?
The absence of leg sweeps, in my opinion has to do primarily with the context. Aikido, at the level where leg sweeping would come into play, is an art of running around, it's really hard to run and leg sweep. Aikido does have techniques for "grab and stab"- but they are not the focus of the system.
Also Chris I do not find much on the omote kakae dori/front bodyhold on TH-cam. What aikido techniques can be pull off from omote kakae dori and what aikido curriculum offers to break out of kakae dori. Much appreciated if you covered it
You're not finding much about it because it's not core curriculum- it's something that a few groups practice. If you're into it check out Yoseikan Aikido. Also check out the Aikido journal article where Mochizuki sensei tells Ueshiba what he found in Europe and what O-Sensei told him in reply. "Martial Aikido" is basically on the same tip as Mochizuki was 60+ years ago.
Question - Just on the battlefield or weapons scenario of your video explanation, the samurai used other jujitsu styles that also had to survive those situations is it fair to say O'sensei "watered down" alot or too much cause Aikijutsu seams closer to other koryu styles of jujitsu than aikido and has some ground fighting. O'sensei must have really determined for BUDO . Is it possible to show difference of YOSHINKAN and later BUDO aikido and why as far as I know threw out even the Aikijutsu unarmed ground fighting scenario and went REALLY SOFT FLOWERY let's say cause Aikijutsu moves different from aikido even the technique
I think "watered down" is a subjective statement, I think you could just as easily say "streamlined" from another perspective. It depends on your goals, many of the techniques found in jujutsu systems are not necessary for the context (that I believe) Aikido is working on- which would make me say that Aikido is streamlined. However if you want to know about everything you can do to dominate someone in a fight, Aikido might seem watered down.
@@ChuShinTani there must be many proverbs about going seemingly too soft and both self and attacker gets more hurt than a straight forward effective maybe aggressive technique for a lock let's say even though efficient- example wrestling even though staged wwe shows quick aikido fast efficient locks that are painful but not permanent damage hence cadence (same locks different rhythm) and based on real wrestling same locks holds yet no damage unless yah wanted to, clothes line is in aikido and other moves. I enjoyed your videos and await the next - I discretely apply wrestling when looking at aikido moves I must admit but its been awhile
There is tons of clues about why aikido is an art for armed struggle. Why is it so misunderstood among practitioners? I mean there is people in TH-cam that has practiced the art for decades and still have no clue and try to make it work in combat sports context?
Is it Seagals "fault"? His movies gave a very different view on the art, but in I think that Seagal added a lot of karate and Wing Chun to his aikido. Nothing wrong with that, I think it resolves what the art needs if you want to dominate with it.
Hey Chris, you don't hold the martial view of aiki being deployed in kumiuchi? For example "going with the flow" of opponent; let's say opponent is pushing force against you then you pull and by so adding their force unto yours? So basically merging the direction of force with opponent's until they fall into the trap of the waza. Basically using their weight/force against themselves. Also that was a great start with the mune dori pull, and you don't have way stronger to pull off a throw from mune dori if you employ the aiki principle when pushing and pulling. If they resist your pull then you push in the direction they resist and vice versa. I think you have elaborated somewhat about this in the kanren waza series but you wouldn't coin this term as aiki? Take care and hope josh gets better
I'd call what you're describing as "Ju" 柔. In my interpretation 柔 is a physical principle and Aiki 合氣 is an energetic principle. You might find this article of interest www.aikiweb.com/blogs/christopher-hein-7509/differences-between-aiki-and-jiu-2972/ And this one. www.aikidostudent.com/2020/03/19/understanding-the-difference-between-traditional-jujutsu-modern-jujutsu-and-aikido/
@@ChuShinTani it goes down a bit into interpretation of what Ki is. My interpretation of Ki has levels to it, external ki is basically force and direction which can be calculated. An example of internal and external ki manifested is when the conscious mind send the signal to the bodypart to make a move and then it moves. And I think our understanding of aiki is not far off "A bull for example, during a bull fight; the Matador can trick the bull into thinking things that are not true, and make the bull follow a new path." ~ Christopher Hein So I fully agree that aiki is an energetic principle or principle of force and I don't think we differ that much. "While it's not impossible to use Aiki while in physical contact it's less clearly seen, and harder to understand. If you watch film of Judo great Kyuzo Mifune, you can see he often use's Aiki to throw instead of Jiu. He will strike a rhythm with his partner, by beginning to prance a bit, and the second his partner falls into his rhythm, Mifune will throw him. This is a great example of using Aiki in physical interaction, but hard for someone with little experience to see."~ Christopher Hein This would be a great video topic for you to elaborate more on. The differences between aiki and ju and demonstrate. There's a lot to be said regarding external ki, redirecting and so on in order to merge with opponent's. Take care Mr Hein, looking forward to the next one, always a treat
I would argue that the high percentage takedowns as described are only effective in a situation that involve rules. I don’t need a weapon to gouge out an eye. My hanshi stated many, many times that to beat any system, read the rules and do everything the as proscribed. MMA folks don’t realize that are many things that can go wrong on the street, where you’re not protected by rules.
When I worked as an armed and unarmed security guard (did VIP as well), we learned Aikido for EXACTLY the reasons you state: never go down to the ground and be able to separate, make distance and use our weapon! There's another gentleman on TH-cam (I'll leave him unnamed) who teaches a somewhat similar theory...though his Aikido is much more violent. Teaching the "make an accord" vs "dominate" doctrine is, I feel, a closer interpretation of the original than the more violent teachings of Aikido.But, between the two of you, I feel like people can understand what Aikido is good for historically and in a modern sense!
It's so nice to see someone who is a practitioner who understands it and refuses to shit all over it (like a certain Aikido youtuber who has turned "MMA"). Thank you for the excellent videos, the amazing insights, and the far more realistic ideas with Aikido!
Glad you're enjoying the channel! Thanks for the comments- in the type of work you were doing, I believe this kind of stuff make much more sense!
Yeah, my first aikido instructor used to train security guards. Coincidence? I think not. :)
OK. I haven't watched the video yet, but you're right. I'll say it like this - aikido is very good for security guards, because it gives you the opportunity to subdue an unruly drunkard without hurting him and without ending up on the ground. Plus, the osaes that have been taught to me give you the opportunity to let go and move away quickly, if needed.
Rokas made good points and is open to being proved wrong.
He is in his way trying to benefit aikido community by exposing charlatans, learning about aikido through the lens of other MAs, discussing nuances of aikido.
I do feel Hein knows Aikido deeper than Rokas, but that doesn't deny his own experience and well formed arguments and questions.
Aikido to me is an advanced toolset that is fit for advanced martial artist and I'd advise every potential new aikidoka to consider training striking and grappling based MA along or before studying aikido.
I think a year practicing just BJJ will prepare you for a confrontation much better than just aikido during that time.
Excellent presentation, and love the self-defense context. Too many people try to find the "fight" in grappling oriented martial arts, when that was never the point.
I've been watching your videos for more than a year now, and I feel like you are one of the only youtubers who really understand Aikido and it's purpose.
Aikido does make sense and is a very well structured system, the haters just don't understand the aim and context of Aikido.
Thank you for your work !
I agree. To be fair, I am presenting my approach, which is my interpretation of what Aikido is. But I agree, it makes the most sense this way. Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it!
@@ChuShinTani if you take a look at Aikido's roots (specifically daito-ryu aikijujutsu), so, considerating it as an armed martial art, considerating the techniques as principles instead of techniques (because if you look at daito-ryu there are much more variations), and combining it with the other principles and the pacifist philosophy, those interpretations are the most logical ones.
In order to get those interpretations, I also looked into many Aikido masters, and I believe that they all knew the purpose and meaning of Aikido, but they don't tend to explain it.
In Japan, you don't have to ask questions, and you have to think them by yourself.
So, many information is lost, and I think that's why Aikido is so misunderstood in Occident.
@@Diego-hm1wd I think the biggest issue for Aikido being misinterpreted is that most training is not explained in detail and students are expected to learn by emulating. This means that the context and understanding can easily be lost. I know some Sensei who won't even answer questions because it's impolite to ask your Sensei a question or ask for clarification. I think it's a hold over from strict Japanese social rules.
You always turn on the light switch when you explain why. Best explanation to date.
What a nice compliment! I'm glad I can help make things more clear. Thank you for watching!
23 yrs of Aikido and so refreshing to hear straight to the point anthropological highly factual breakdowns…love it!!❤
Great video. Excelent explanation of why Aikido is the way it is.
Thanks 🙏
Many years ago, my brother dropped a wooden tanto on the floor while I was engaged in Keiko randori with a student. Completely changed our views on groundwork and grappling. Great video as always. I've always felt that the techniques that I had learned in Aikido were best suited for when you easily had the ability to destroy the opponent but chose not to. Choosing the path of peace rather than simply injuring and killing.
Thanks for sharing! I deeply enjoyed this longer, more-in-depth video! However, I’m very grateful for anything you choose to share, especially for free. 🙏
You are so welcome!
The day and age where 18 minutes is "really long". Lol. Always good stuff bro!
Totally agree! I post 5 min videos and get comments, "man that was so long, you talked so much".... Ha! I don't think their attention span would allow them to make it through a class!! Thanks for watching!
At about 11:08 Maya is thinking “Gyaku shmaku; I’m not going to ruin this video by pointing out that he’s actually holding my right hand.”
HAHAHA! I wondered if anyone would catch that- I said them both backwards!
Misleading thumbnail... This video is not long enough for martial arts nerds. :) Thanks for sharing!
Ha, point taken! Thanks for watching!
Great stuff as always. It's amazing how many people don't understand context with aikido and are obsessed with trying to make aikido work by trying to catch punches and attempt wrist locks and takedowns with the arm and other such predetermined techniques they see as aikido, believing that is what aikido is. They then wonder why it is extremely difficult to do. It seems not enough teachers explain this or even know it themselves.
Glad it's all making sense!
In my karate school we trained Alkido jujutsu and these were exactly the moves and ideas my sensei taught me
Superb explanation as per usual. When you explain things that way, Aikido is actually the most practical Art for real world situations. Those Samurai lived dangerous lives it would appear. Great presentation.
Hi Maya! 😋And I Hope Josh is O.K.🙃👍🏾
Thanks for always watching!
Great video as usual.
Glad you enjoyed it
Very informative, I appreciate this video. Much of this applies to the Daito Ryu I study.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice breakdown 🙏🖖🤙
Thanks!
Great to watch a lesson💪
Awesome Explanation! For the Martial Arts Nerd!
Great video and explanation. Thank you.
Thank you for watching!
very nice lesson
Thank you! 😃
Great. Another problem I have with double leg etc is that it will go to the ground. Very effective in a cage but in the street the ground is a very dangerous place to be. Effectiveness does not always equate to practicalality
Let me make a note to be mindful when making a gongsao at one of your schools thank you brother lol
Interesting take! The armed and multiple attackers idea I think can be solved via judo/jjj takedowns but judo doesnt have ude osae. I think the intensity of judo style randori gets people to be able to do those high percentage takedowns well. Sumo does have ude osae and judo intensity randori. I think most aikido not having a seoi or a more developed koshi nage is interesting as well since those techniques are shown in the koryu and judo kata as being good for an attack with a weapon.
The koryu also show newaza with someone facing up, but for this armed context I can understand just showing the turnovers
video starts at 6:55 . you're welcome
ah, so that is rokkyo, what I do usually is actually rokkyo, not ikkyo. but ikkyo is the second move I do the most. because after rokkyo, you can pin your opponent down while you are in standing up position
well, I have experiencing it that aikido move is actually good for fighting one on one, though you cant use it in mma because mma ban small joint control. if you can just use one skill for so many occasions then you dont need to remember massive amount of things which is the best for me
Why do you guys have no leg sweeps?
Also, what are your thoughts on the grab and stab we see today so often? I haven't seen any evidence that it was common in medieval combat, thus why has it changed?
The absence of leg sweeps, in my opinion has to do primarily with the context. Aikido, at the level where leg sweeping would come into play, is an art of running around, it's really hard to run and leg sweep. Aikido does have techniques for "grab and stab"- but they are not the focus of the system.
Also Chris I do not find much on the omote kakae dori/front bodyhold on TH-cam. What aikido techniques can be pull off from omote kakae dori and what aikido curriculum offers to break out of kakae dori. Much appreciated if you covered it
You're not finding much about it because it's not core curriculum- it's something that a few groups practice. If you're into it check out Yoseikan Aikido. Also check out the Aikido journal article where Mochizuki sensei tells Ueshiba what he found in Europe and what O-Sensei told him in reply. "Martial Aikido" is basically on the same tip as Mochizuki was 60+ years ago.
Question - Just on the battlefield or weapons scenario of your video explanation, the samurai used other jujitsu styles that also had to survive those situations is it fair to say O'sensei "watered down" alot or too much cause Aikijutsu seams closer to other koryu styles of jujitsu than aikido and has some ground fighting. O'sensei must have really determined for BUDO . Is it possible to show difference of YOSHINKAN and later BUDO aikido and why as far as I know threw out even the Aikijutsu unarmed ground fighting scenario and went REALLY SOFT FLOWERY let's say cause Aikijutsu moves different from aikido even the technique
I think "watered down" is a subjective statement, I think you could just as easily say "streamlined" from another perspective. It depends on your goals, many of the techniques found in jujutsu systems are not necessary for the context (that I believe) Aikido is working on- which would make me say that Aikido is streamlined. However if you want to know about everything you can do to dominate someone in a fight, Aikido might seem watered down.
@@ChuShinTani there must be many proverbs about going seemingly too soft and both self and attacker gets more hurt than a straight forward effective maybe aggressive technique for a lock let's say even though efficient- example wrestling even though staged wwe shows quick aikido fast efficient locks that are painful but not permanent damage hence cadence (same locks different rhythm) and based on real wrestling same locks holds yet no damage unless yah wanted to, clothes line is in aikido and other moves. I enjoyed your videos and await the next - I discretely apply wrestling when looking at aikido moves I must admit but its been awhile
That was not O'sensei who cut off a lot of old way Aikido however his students.
There is tons of clues about why aikido is an art for armed struggle. Why is it so misunderstood among practitioners? I mean there is people in TH-cam that has practiced the art for decades and still have no clue and try to make it work in combat sports context?
Is it the Japanese culture? The WWII occupation of US forces that made the arts to hide the true side?
Is it Seagals "fault"? His movies gave a very different view on the art, but in I think that Seagal added a lot of karate and Wing Chun to his aikido. Nothing wrong with that, I think it resolves what the art needs if you want to dominate with it.
There used to be a school in Ashland VA heard they were legit
Hey Chris, you don't hold the martial view of aiki being deployed in kumiuchi? For example "going with the flow" of opponent; let's say opponent is pushing force against you then you pull and by so adding their force unto yours? So basically merging the direction of force with opponent's until they fall into the trap of the waza. Basically using their weight/force against themselves.
Also that was a great start with the mune dori pull, and you don't have way stronger to pull off a throw from mune dori if you employ the aiki principle when pushing and pulling. If they resist your pull then you push in the direction they resist and vice versa.
I think you have elaborated somewhat about this in the kanren waza series but you wouldn't coin this term as aiki?
Take care and hope josh gets better
I'd call what you're describing as "Ju" 柔. In my interpretation 柔 is a physical principle and Aiki 合氣 is an energetic principle. You might find this article of interest www.aikiweb.com/blogs/christopher-hein-7509/differences-between-aiki-and-jiu-2972/
And this one.
www.aikidostudent.com/2020/03/19/understanding-the-difference-between-traditional-jujutsu-modern-jujutsu-and-aikido/
@@ChuShinTani it goes down a bit into interpretation of what Ki is. My interpretation of Ki has levels to it, external ki is basically force and direction which can be calculated. An example of internal and external ki manifested is when the conscious mind send the signal to the bodypart to make a move and then it moves. And I think our understanding of aiki is not far off
"A bull for example, during a bull fight; the Matador can trick the bull into thinking things that are not true, and make the bull follow a new path." ~ Christopher Hein
So I fully agree that aiki is an energetic principle or principle of force and I don't think we differ that much.
"While it's not impossible to use Aiki while in physical contact it's less clearly seen, and harder to understand. If you watch film of Judo great Kyuzo Mifune, you can see he often use's Aiki to throw instead of Jiu. He will strike a rhythm with his partner, by beginning to prance a bit, and the second his partner falls into his rhythm, Mifune will throw him. This is a great example of using Aiki in physical interaction, but hard for someone with little experience to see."~ Christopher Hein
This would be a great video topic for you to elaborate more on. The differences between aiki and ju and demonstrate. There's a lot to be said regarding external ki, redirecting and so on in order to merge with opponent's.
Take care Mr Hein, looking forward to the next one, always a treat
previouse comment - Sensei I meant CADENCE of movement is different in aikido than aikijutsu
Actually most Aikido lost is about lack of using legs.
I would argue that the high percentage takedowns as described are only effective in a situation that involve rules. I don’t need a weapon to gouge out an eye. My hanshi stated many, many times that to beat any system, read the rules and do everything the as proscribed. MMA folks don’t realize that are many things that can go wrong on the street, where you’re not protected by rules.
Leg takedowns (or anything where you go head first) are really dangerous, eyepokes, exposing neck, etc.