aikido and various myths
You Dwellars know about bullshit already, but for any who haven't had enough yet i'd like to take a moment to say that almost all characterizations of this or that school of martial arts instruction or style are simplistic and/or wrong. To call aikido or judo "defensive" is like calling western wrestling purely defensive. The so-called style is a tool, like a gun or a knife is a tool, and can be used aggressively or not as the practicioner pleases.
The trend to call martial ways "gentle" or paths of peace, or non-violent started after Japan lost WW2. Before that terible lesson Japanese nationlists saw these practices as ways to export Japanese culture to the barbaric aliens outside the shores of Japan.While there has long been a philosophical and meditative aspect to Japanese (and other east asian) martial arts, there origins in , and utility in bloody violence is not forgotten by their cultures of origin.
Now that i've got that out of the way, Hooray for FamilyofV for starting aikido! It can be great fun!
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If you need a straight line, I've usually got a few to spare.
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