Aikido in MMA
If Aikido is so damn good and superior how come we don't see it in the MMA? Its a great question. The glib and unsatisfactory answers range from
The founder expressly forbade Aikido practitioners from engaging in competition
Yet he himself and many of his top students took on all comers in private matches. Surely its the same thing proving that the art works and constantly challenging yourself.
The techniques in Aikido are killing techniques and are too dangerous to be used in competition
Pretty suckful answer but there is a grain of truth to it. Aikido after all was the skill set of the armed samurai - I can't see the rules of any MMA tournament allowing contestants to enter with 1m long razor blades. I think though, that this has become a useful excuse for aikidoka to not be challenged or threatened themselves. The MMA comps look pretty dangerous to me! Others might argue that 2 blokes going face to face in a ring on a semi padded floor deprives aikidoka of their early warning skills and deprives a throw of its full effectiveness.
Aikido is about peace and harmony - why would any true aikidoka want to step into the ring?
Taking the high road, this somehow denigrates MMA as beneath the moral and righteous superiority of Aikido practitioners. Its convenient but is somewhat running away from the fact that Aikido is a martial art, it was battlefield tested and probably needs to remain tested to keep the practice honest. Anyone practicing Aikido for its morality needs to understand that it is based on martial practice and that this is the path the founder set out to follow in developing peace and harmony.
My personal view is that Aikido as we learn it today is kata only and that the application of that kata can look somewhat different and that the principles underpinning Aikido together with O'Sensei's oft quoted but poorly adopted 'Aikido is 90% atemi'
Video is from the site of Rik Ellis professional cage fighter who is also serious about his Aikido. He says:
"The same sad people bleat on my video comments " "I don't see Aikido " ".....The reason they don't see Aikido is because they are looking for their stylised postured choreography dojo Aikido.
Anyone who has had to use Aikido in a truly hostile situation will tell you that it looked nothing like the training in the dojo, one needs to be able to adapt him / herself and their technique to any situation. For me, my Aikido is in my mind / technique / body"