Went to a 'combat' type seminar on the w/end (camo gear strictly optional) held by Glen Zwiers of CQC

Lots of good stuff - much of it quite a bit more lethal than aikido .... or

so i thought actually the toughest guy there was the infamous Dr. Soft my aikido buddy and I was working with him.

 My take home points ( 'cause its difficult to explain

technique on e-mail).

1/ A relaxed hanmi stance with palms facing your aggressor is nice a

non-threatening stance. From here you can use your hands as 'talking hands'

(by waving them around as you talk) to help diffuse a situation. They are

also ready should the situation become more martial.

2/ To consider using palms rather than closed fists for striking / atemi

- because if your not a trained puncher your less likely to break/hurt

your wrists

- its fast because your hands are relaxed

- a 'bitch-slap' looks less like a punch (especially true legally) but

can be just as effective

3/ Irimi movement is excellent self defence

4/ Scratch the surface of aikido and its lethal i.e. after a standing

immobilisation dropping on one knee could be really nasty. also many of

our entrys leave uke vulnerable to lots of nasty strikes.(Its nice to know

these options are there but training in them to much might lead to a change

in mind set, not what we are about in practicing the way of peace)

5/ Aikido is a wonderful art that is martially very effective, however the

addition of a few more skills turn it into a world class 'combat' system

(its no accident that jujutsu systems form the heart of many military

systems). Additions might include striking, ground work and knife drills.

6/Chalking or lipsticking up the business end of a tanto is a great realty

check if you think unarmed vs. knife is realistic.