“One of my favorite authors on the martial arts is Donn Draeger. I find his material to contain a wealth of information and has been a reliable source for a number of my articles. As a career military man, Draeger spent decades studying and teaching the martial arts in the US and abroad. Most of his formative training was done in Japan.”

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“I am a MMA fighter trained by Alex Reid, I have a strong background in Traditional Aikido. I have studied Traditional Aikido since the age of 5 yrs with my father Henry Ellis 6th dan Aikido - International Birankai - .My father taught me the art of Traditional Aikido as taught to him by Kenshiro Abbe Sensei in the 1950s/60s. The modern misguided Aikidoka say ‘there is no kicking or punching in Aikido !’ Believe me ! there is in my fathers Aikido…see my photos and fight films. The same sad people say on my video comments ‘I don’t see Aikido !’ …..The reason they don’t see Aikido is because they are looking for their stylized dojo Aikido .”

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“How many times in training have you been told ‘Don’t use your Arm/Shoulder, Just relax and move your hips!’.

I have been told this so many times over the years that I wanted to simply pummel the person telling me this! Well if it was so easy, then why could I not do it for so many years!”

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“What is Aikido? Why do we practice this art of throwing and neutralization? To begin with, I do not practice for the sake of self-defense, nor have I felt the need to work on that aspect of life for a number of years. Although it is true that we train through the medium of attack and defense, the art-form and concept is realized mentally rather than physically.”

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“The other day in class, Sensei made several martial arts references I’d heard for the first time many, many years ago. The first was the ‘Dojo Kun’, or training motto. The second was a phrase, ‘Fall down seven times, get up eight.’ This blog discusses the first one, but I bring up the second one so you can think about it on your own and possibly write your own blog about what it means to you.”

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“In some respects dealing with a threat in a confined space is easier than having an infinite amount of space available to work in, as there are less options to consider. In most confined spaces I would imagine that you are either the one trying to contain someone or the roles are reversed and you are the one under threat. Perhaps the situation is that you are working the door and the object is simple, keep the undesirables out of the premises that you are protecting, the confined space then might be the doorway itself… Thinking about this situation it could equally apply to your own home, where you might come up against someone trying to enter your house and you need to protect your family from harm. Other confined spaces you might come across are the bus, train, in your own or someone else’s car, the corner shop, in your home, at the office, who knows the possibilities are endless, so the more you think about it the chances of being caught in a confined space are more likely than out in an open space.”

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“By utilizing disturbance you can circumvent the strength, focus, and potential counterattacks of a live attacker. Often in the vacuum of a dojo we can apply punishing joint locks that make our partners whimper. Unfortunately we are working with a level of compliance that ignores the power of adrenaline charged muscles (which can ignore pain and significantly resist your efforts) and the volatility of swinging fists, feet, and forehead of an opponent that wants to take you out.”

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“First up I found a video that demonstrates an Aikido defense to a hook punch. The part of this demonstration that seems plausible to me is the blending deflection — this I can see work in a fluid situation. However, trying for that wrist grab at full speed (especially when the attacker’s right hand is probably on its way to your head!) could prove challenging in my opinion.”

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“If you take a moment to explore a variety of martial arts, one of the truisms you’ll identify is this: for every martial art, and every organization within a given martial art, there is at least one philosophy behind testing. Some martial arts, for example, heavily utilize testing in an effort to (and I’ll be polite here) ensure the viability of their style as a business. I have written at least once before about a martial arts business close to my home that charged a neighbor of mine close to $400 for their child to test for the next rank. Most of us who approach martial arts training with some semblance of a conscience recoil at such blatant attempts to monetize training, yet clearly this model works, because schools like these are not uncommon.”

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“Just like his father, he followed Tai No Henko with Morote Dori Kokyu Ho. Almost immediately he stopped us and began handing out ‘dames.’ He mocked our entry showing how nobody was turning far enough to face their partner’s direction. It was no wonder the technique was not working. He showed how the stance after the entry was the same one as for the end of Tai No Henko. It seems that in Aikido certain themes tend to recur, which would make it simpler for us, if only we didn’t work so hard to make things complicated.”

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“The FULL spectrum would have to include activities leading up to the actual encounter as well. This is aspects such as awareness, knowledge of the victim selection process and signs and indicators of agitated persons or persons about to commit a violent action. The full spectrum of low tech combat must also include events immediately after an encounter such as gathering witnesses, knowing what to say to police and being able to render first aid. Another aspect would be the day to day and ‘industry’ knowledge and lifestyle that comes with being a modern citizen warrior.”

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“The purpose of this article is to practice and validate the Ki principle (Mind moves body) which is the foundation of Ki-Aikido in our daily life. Therefore, it has no meaning if you just read it without practicing it. The fundamental method of mastering anything is practice. However, it is not enough just to practice, but it is also important to validate how one has changed as a result of the practice.”

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