Josh Gold
I have just completed my 53rd 54th year of aikido training. During that period, I have never been attacked or injured due to an assault or confrontation. I have had two close calls that could have disintegrated into a fight. In both instances, I stared silently but intently at my would-be opponent letting him know I was alert and ready if he were to make the first move. Both individuals backed down and nothing happened. By the way, neither of these incidents happened in bars, establishments I don’t frequent!
This is not to say I have never used aikido strategy or techniques in a real situation. I have on two occasions. Both involved interventions to help a third party, and both occurred on trains in Japan. In one instance, I separated a man who was severely injured from being beaten by another. I did not attack the perpetrator, but neutralized him with a kiai from a close distance. I describe the incident here:
The other incident involved stopping a small drunk from striking a woman with an umbrella. I used a technique on him which neutralized but did not injure him and pushed him off the train at the next stop. You can read about it here:
In closing, I will leave you with this thought. Many critics of aikido forget to factor into their thinking that long-time practice of aikido changes people, often in profound ways. They focus on the perceived lack of effectiveness of this or that technique and how it could not be used effectively in a fight. They may be relying on personal experience or direct knowledge of failed attempts to use aikido in altercations.
Such people should also consider the fact that there are many serious aikido practitioners who have never used or had to use aikido as a defense art in all their lives. Perhaps they assume that this is merely a coincidence. I would submit that this in itself is quite a praise-worthy accomplishment!
When you make aikido training a fixture in your life you begin to carry yourself differently. You address people in a different way, become more diplomatic, and have more confidence. You are more aware of your surroundings and learn to think strategically. You enjoy better health. You know how to fall. The benefits aikido offers are numerous.
Personally, I am an undefeated warrior with a 0-0 fight record!
Tell us about your experiences and how aikido training has affected your life.
Thank you.
I just wrote this article this morning because of a comment on Facebook disparaging aikido. It was the usual type of comment describing how aikido is useless in a fight. My experience with aikido for a long time now has been totally different.
As someone who is relatively new to actual aikido practice, I will say that this is one of the questions I have as well when learning techniques… but I believe part of that problem is that most people who perceive Aikido as useless in a fight or people who don’t train long enough to learn practical application of technique and only train statically with partners that are predictable and easy to spot. I confess to struggling with the same thing and wishing that I could try techniques in a less prearranged fashion, but again as a new student it could just be my lack of understanding of the underlying principles of Aikido. Having said that, I can definitely appreciate that Aikido goes beyond the physical practice and has just as much to do with conflict resolution and thinking strategically mentally and not just physically as well.
It was May 1995, in Skopje, the capitol of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). I was walking down the crowded street, with numerous outdoor restaurants, wearing my U.S. Army uniform, with the U.S. Flag on my shoulder, and wearing a United Nations Blue Beret. Yes, I was armed with a 9mm pistol (locked and loaded, in my shoulder holster), and so was my noncommissioned officer who was accompanying me.
An old Macedonian man came up to me, called me “comrade” and asked me, in Russian, if I spoke Russian. I answered with “nyet” (no, one of the few words I know in Russian). I asked him if he spoke English. He said “nyet.” He then asked me “Parlez-vous français” (French)… I answered with “no.” I asked him “Hablas español?” (Spanish)… no. Then I asked him “Sprechen Sie Deutsch?” (German)… finally a yes… he replied with “ja.”
We started to converse in German. The old man patted my shoulder as we conversed and he was smiling. He then started getting excited and irritated and asked why the President did not get involved in stopping the atrocities in Bosnia (we did enter Bosnia later in December of 1995). At that point, the old man grabbed my right shoulder with his left hand and threw a punch towards my face (katadori-menuchi). Without thinking I executed “Ikkyo” and stopped short of bringing the man to the ground. I then said “Bitte, nicht!” (please don’t). He started crying, and as I released him, he apologized to me profusely.
I then noticed the crowd around me. My NCO looked a little concerned. But as soon as the man started apologizing the crowd dissipated and the old man went back to talk to his friends. He was crying because he was so embarrassed.
As I walked away with my NCO, I remembered the Terry Dobson story about the old Japanese man who calmed down the angry drunk. The same peaceful resolution as with Stan’s experiences. I then thought about the boxing and Army combatives that I learned in my Infantry courses and Ranger School. Imagine if I had reacted with those martial arts or if I were a karateka or other “external” martial artist? I could imagine the newspaper headlines: ‘A U.S. Army officer assigned to the peacekeeping mission in FYROM, armed with a pistol, injures or kills an old man.’
Reacting automatically, and without thinking, with an ingrained Aikido technique gave me the opening to many options. Fortunately, everything turned out peacefully, without bruises, broken bones, or worse. At that point, I realized the Aikido is an effective martial art, even if you are armed. Aikido is more than a physical martial art. Too bad Aikido gets a bad rap from many who do not practice the mental and spiritual side of their martial arts.
Dear Sensei Stanley
Many congrats for your article .Recently i watch a video on youtube , there was an aikido instructor (Steven Seagal’s style )who claimed that practicing aikido with traditional way doesn’t work.The guy was with big muscle and his face was nothing like calm and gently .He was talking about threats , threats everywhere .That we need to be prepared to face all those enemies around us and this is why we need to train aikido in more practical way because traditional way doesn’t work and is not effective. I forgot to mention ,if it is important to say , that i am practicing the “real ” traditional way Iwama style .In my opinion this way of thinking is not aikido .
This is how the Japanese mentality was before the war and according to Morihei Ueshiba lead them to catastrophe .If i remember well from what i have read , O Sensei confess to Hikitsuchi that they need to change the way they approach budo, because aggressiveness was the reason to lose the war.My understanding for aikido is that instead of facing life with an aggresive attitude maybe it is better if we are trying to tuned our spirit with everything happening to our lives ,with nature ,with the spirit of the universe and maybe then will be no reason for fight .
D.Z.
Dear Mr Pranin,
I’d just like to thank you for this amazing website and all the articles and videos you post for all to see and learn from. I liked your recent one about how you’ve never been involved in a fight and therefor are undefeated. I find it sad and disheartening to see so much hate towards Aikido by people who it would appear have no real experience in the art for more than maybe a few classes, who then quit because they couldn’t get it to work or it was too hard for them to grasp the very basic fundamentals in the first few lessons.
I started Aikido in August 2005 and i love it! Its changed my life, the way I see things and how its improved my confidence with communication and other areas of my life. It is such a wonderful Martial Art with different styles that each person can make it their own according to their attitude and attributes. The quote I think of when I see/hear someone badmouthing Aikido is “Aikido works, you’re Aikido doesn’t!”.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this.
J.G.
All you say is valid, providing through long years of correct practice under a teacher (you always get the teacher you deserve), you pass beyond the concious realm of technique. The subtle changes to your aura and attitude are noticable. However persons under stress or in trauma may not note this. They will or can attack.
Recently I was riding the subway at 10:00 in the morning, a young lady sitting next to me. I was holding my smartphone in both hands answering a mail. The train stopped the doors opened. A 30year old careered into the train swung round and started to fall towards me. I had registered this from the corner of my eye. As he fell towards me, as if in a dream I stood faced and blended with him. I connected with him with my middle. My hands were holding my mobile phone. I noticed the young woman slip off the seat beside me, out of harm’s way. The man upended and fell head first to the floor. He started to get up with a glint in his eye. I fixed him calmly telling him in a clear voice ‘get up and sit down over there’. He deflated following my words sat opposite me and smiled sheepishly.
I am 71 years old weigh 75kg and have 36 years of training
Great story, Peter! Well done…
D.Z. makes a good point about the Tenshin Aikido sensei from Chicagoland. I admit I enjoy his techniques immensely along with the other Tenshin stuff I’ve seen over the years. But where is the composure? Although the sensei’s concerns regarding Aikido’s effectiveness in a fight are based on his own personal experience as a bouncer, his angry persona reflecting a position of meeting violence with violence by using international terrorism as an excuse is based on fear. His techniques are excellent, but his lack of respect for the complete vision of the founder (or for that matter his personal attacks on Seagal Shihan while teaching Seagal’s techniques!) are disappointing. This same teacher is honest when he admits in other videos that he might have “other problems” on the street (like lawsuits) if using some of the more lethal techniques that he teaches. He also is seemingly bewildered about the late Kevin Choate Sensei’s explanation to him that avoiding conflict is an effective mode of self-defense.
John Stevens Sensei wrote about an incident witnessed by some of O-Sensei’s students. They had accidentally ventured into a local farmer’s field and the owner verbally attacked and threatened them. O-Sensei begged forgiveness from the farmer and calmly retreated when he could have easily crippled the man–or worse sent in his students after him for some practice!
It is HIS art that we need to be about.
This not-so-humble-sankyu envisions an art that is prepared to be lethal, but also incorporates some of the many other modern conceptions of muteiko. In addition to Tom Collings’s offerings there is The Gift of Fear by de Becker, the Gracies’ Triangle of Assault, Verbal Judo, and my personal favorite Nonviolent Crisis Intervention as taught by the Crisis Prevention Institute (which deals with the transitions between different emotional levels of conflict encountered by police, teachers, and people working in customer service).
We can’t let ourselves be governed by fear and nihilism that spirals into disrespect and aggression–fire meeting fire. Pranin-sensei’s examples show us how the PRINCIPLES of Aikido lead us to the Truest Victory, achieved after Self-Victory, and resulting in Absolute Victory. Rage is not peaceable and is never peaceful!
The only surviving person who spoke at the March on Washington in 1963 is Congressman John Lewis–former student civil rights leader, Freedom Rider, and advocate of nonviolent civil disobedience. While recounting the physical training that students took on to stand up to racist beatings and water hoses in his book March, he writes: “Violence begets violence, but the opposite is just as true. Fury spends itself pretty quickly when there is no fury facing it.”
Beautiful article.
Best regards from Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dear Stan,
I have not been in Aikido quite as long as you have. But I also have had several situations arise where I have had the thought that “this might be the time” where I have to act. I was able to resolve each of them without needing to have physical solution take place. I have always believed that my Aikido training has worked. I continue to think that if I ever find myself in a situation that requires me to actually act, that even if I prevail in the moment, on some important level I will also have lost.
We learn to fight so we don’t have to fight. Fighting is the least desired outcome and must be used as last resort. But if you have to fight, an appropriate and ethical response is warranted. Peace!
As my old friend and sempai Tom Everett once said, “The world needs more lerts. Be a lert today.” The one time in my aikido career I wasn’t clearly winning was the time I let my attention wander to my puppy from the approaching stranger on the San Francisco street one night. Next thing I had a gun in my face. My next mistake was in failing to grab it firmly as I moved off the line. Dojo lesson about not grabbing prematurely. If it’s a gun and you can grab it. grab it. Work out the technical details later. Net effect. My deflection spooked the guy who backed out of reach. After discussing things for a while he gave it up and left. I never carry cash or anything beside a doggie poop bag on late night dog walks. So, he could have shot me, but that wouldn’t have gotten him anything beside the satisfaction. Live by the sword. Die by the sword. Would you rather cancer? Dementia..?
Good article – all I can say is I to have done Aikido for a long time is it useful in a fight, I was a doorman at a bar for 2 1/2 yrs and in that time I stop a lot of fights never once did I hurt anyone seriously and only spilled 2 beers also after that I work in concert security (back stage, front stage and bodygarding when the stars want to go out) for 10 years with the same results. Anyone saying it doesn’t work is not doing Aikido.