Aiki Ju Jitsu

Posted by: Tony G

Aiki Ju Jitsu - 10/27/09 03:36 PM

Hi Guy`s, I`m new here so please bear with me &excuse my spelling please.In my area im limited on training fields. Aiki(?) Ju Jitsu is offered & i wiil join next week. Can you guys tell me your opinion of it and how its looked upon & would it hold up to Judo or BJJ? I wanted to take Judo,,but not available here..Thanks Guys,,,Tony
Posted by: Prizewriter

Re: Aiki Ju Jitsu - 10/27/09 06:50 PM

Welcome.

"Aiki" is a mis-used and abused term in Martial Arts. "Aiki" is more of an internal concept. Many arts have internal concepts, such as in Chinese Internal Arts e.g. fajin.

Most people couldn't tell you what Aiki was, much less show you. If this place is legit bonafide Aiki Ju Jutsu, they should be able to show you lineage back to Japan. AikiJuJutsu as we know is fairly recent in its development (as in the last few hundred years!) so it should be easy to verify. Basically if the class is AikiJuJutsu in the stricest sense, it should have a line back to Takeda Sokaku in Japan.

That said, many places use the term "Aiki" for different reasons, (usually to market their system as somehow "special"). So it might not be AikiJuJutsu (a term coined by Takeda) in the true sense. Doesn't mean though that the teacher is comptent, or the class is bad. Just isn't a traditional Japanese system.

Re AikiJuJutsu being better or worse than BJJ/Judo, well, it really depends on what exactly you are defining as "Aikijujutsu"!!! Do you have a link to the clubs website? It will give more information about what they teach.

Generally speaking, you have to determine your goals before you start to learn a martial art. Do you want to meet new people/start a hobby? Do you want to learn it for cultural reasons? Personal growth? Do you want to learn the most effective way to fight? Do you want to get in shape??

If it is the first 3 reasons, a traditional based system might be the way to go. If it is to learn to fight effectively and improve your fitness, BJJ/Judo are just about the best systems you can find IMO.

If you have a link to the Aiki Ju Jutsu school though, that would help a lot!
Posted by: Tony G

Re: Aiki Ju Jitsu - 10/27/09 07:24 PM

Thanks for the reply,,very informative and appreciated,,very helpful.,Ido want to work on my fighting skills & hope to find a close by Judo instructor, as it seems the ultamite for street fighting (just in case),,but i`ll have to start with this probably first. Thanks Again !!!,,,,Tony......
Posted by: Prizewriter

Re: Aiki Ju Jitsu - 10/28/09 08:25 AM

Quote from Self Defense Guru, Marc MacYoung:

"There is no such thing as a nice guy in a street fight. If you have gotten yourself in to a street fight, you've got to be some what of an a$$hole".

It is important to understand the difference between fighting and self defence. They ARE NOT the same thing. Personal opinion, but you can form an effective Self Defence strategy (if you are an everyday person in a civilized country) and not know how to fight. Look at nature. You seen all those wildlife shows where the lion tries to get the gazelle? Gazelle doesn't rise up on its hind legs and attempt to Crane kick the lion or put it in a submission hold, does it? It stays alert, stays with the herd (safety in numbers) and runs like its life depends on it if it senses danger. Its also pretty good at running, as it spends a lot of time practicing this!

Many many Martial Arts are marketed in such a way as to play on the fear of people, to make them feel as though they need to know how to fight, and that fighting is self - defense. 2 very false premises.

The reasons many people feel the need to fight in my experience are psychological. Perhaps if you know how to fight, you might feel safer. Might see it as a way to gain respect among peers. Maybe it will make them feel more in control of themselves and the world around them. I don't know. But those problems run deep, and thinking you can beat someone up won't get to the root of those problems.

For me, arts like BJJ and Judo are interesting sports that are very good ways to stay in shape (if practiced properly). You might also learn about yourself and other people too. They do teach you how to fight in a way, but like I said fighting doesn't = self-defence. Still doesn't take away from the fact that BJJ and Judo are fantastic systems and worthy pursuits.

FWIW, BJJ and Judo are brothers from the same family. They are two variations of Japanese Ju Jitsu (BJJ by way of Judo). BJJ skills translate straight to Judo, and vice versa.