Ive been doing Tae kwon do for about a year. Its great martial art however really quite expensive and often i get the impression that the itf sometimes is more about money than the actual art. Im moving to Uni soon and hence have the opportunity to do either tkd or aikido. Does anyone have a preference to which is a more enjoyable experience? I can find information on the web about aikido so what im really looking for is the general teaching quality, the grading system, costs, and basically whether it has a usefull practical application. Also if anyone has experienced both TKD and Aikido it would be great to hear what you think. Thanks.

Well it might've been your dojang that was charging expensively.... i think the term McDojang comes to mind but whatever... anyway as to your question. Usually the Universities charge less per quarter or semester becuase the class is being held at University ground and therefore doesn't need to worry about dojo costs and the like. I am persoanlly taking both Aikido and Tae Kwon Do and Jujitsu and soon to be taking Capoeira. But it all depends on who's teaching the class, you'll have to try out both classes and see what you like about them. Personally i think that Tae Kwon Do teaches you how to strike hard and fast and always move whereas Aikido teaches you to always be alert and focuses on moving ouf of the attack before applying a technique, so they kind of compliment each other. I've had 2 years experience in TKD and 3 months in Aikido. Good luck choosing

Ok, thanks for the advice, might as well check both clubs out- WHAT DOES McDojang mean and does it only qapply to tae kwon do? Sorry im new...

McDojang/McDojo etc. refers to Dojangs/Dojos more interested in making money than teaching a martial skill.

I agree with you. I'm currently taking Tae kwon do now, and I want to get into Aikido, also. Both are pretty good arts, in my opinion.

ok i am a second degree blackbelt in tkd. i have been practicing tkd for over 8 years and i moved on from my dojang because it became a "McDojang". They wanted me to sign a three year contract to move up in rank regardless of my skill. It wasnt like that when i first started. So i would try aikido i have practiced a little bit of it and it was practical. The arts is as practical as you make it.

If you become pretty good in one martial art (you get to black belt), and you start taking other or another martial art(s), does the experience of the first one you took really help you to advance kinda fast? I'm just wondering because one of our instructors is just a couple years out of high school and I'm pretty sure he had just been taking TKD up until his graduation. Anyway, he received his black belt in TKD around the time he graduated (I think). Now a couple years later and he's a black belt in Judo AND Jujitsu. I think the TKD experience (and his dedication; he took it 8 times a week during High School, I think) are probably the reasons why he got to those ranks fairly quickly.

(I also notice that I say "I think" and similar phrases a lot. I guess thats why I'm taking TKD, workin' on that confidence )

i tend to think it is so. black belt in a martial art mean that you have obtained strength and agility, you learned to move correctly and stand wisely, you have learned how human body works, you have experienced falls, and you have defeated fear of yourself and others. These skills allow you to advance rapidly in many martial arts, including aikido

I fought a mate not long ago that has trained in both TKD and Akido.

He fought in fullcontact (without pads) in Indonesia, so his TKD was excellent.

He told me that he much prfered Akido.

Surficed to say that he owned me comptely. Your stance is very effective agains tkd high kicks.

Both of these arts are excellent and believe it or not, the philosophies of the arts are apparently very similar.

With regards to advancing quickly because you are a black belt. Don't expect to just jump into a new art and advance quickly because you have a BB in another art. Usually the mechanics of different arts will contradict one another and habits need to be unlearned. Especially going from striking to grappling or vice versa. Besides, what's the rush? Enjoy the journey, the destination is only a bonus.