I practiced Aikido for a year and a half, and have since moved on to Budo Taijutsu. While I did Aikido, I found that it fulfilled a part of me that had not been before.

Aikido translates directly to “The Way of Loving Ki”. Ai, means love. Ki, there is no real translation for, but my teachers always said, “living energy”. Do, means way. It’s a simple martial art to understand the physciality of, and it is my opinion that nobody truly understands the reality of the spiritual aspects. That is fine, and as it should be.

In response to EEC’s comment, I think that all schools should practice that way, Aikido or not. If you do not have a way to adapt to a situation (violent in nature or not), then you will only be a textbook with legs. Like a surgeon who cannot perform surgery because when they screw up they can’t fix it. Poorly constructed analogy, I know- I’m tired- but it’s still accurate.

I chose to move on to a different art for a number of reasons. My teachers were good people, and knew their Aikido well, but did not seem to have the ability to adapt. I heard “That’s wrong” more in that building than any other place I’ve ever been. For me, I found that it killed the spirituality of the art. Also, I was met with a good deal of reprehension when I began practicing Witchcraft, and decided that Ninjutsu was the art for me, given it’s adaptability, and use of the elements.

My point is that any art is good, if you find the right teachers and the right dojo for you. I believe that if those things are correct, good things will come to you regardless of if you know how to fight.

Finally, in response to Indiana, my money says you’re lying, that you had a bad experience in a dojo, or are just a jerk making a fuss. If it did happen though, it was probably you’re fault for not paying attention, or your tori not being as careful as you need to. Even if you were being as safe as possible, it certainly wasn’t the fault of the art.

Any martial art has the risk of injury, especially if they’re not practiced correctly. I have a live-bladed sword flying around my head and limbs on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes at full speed. Staves and chains and ropes. Shuriken and Teppan.

If you’re really a martial artist, get used to the possibility something could get messed up, it’s just as possile out there in the real world. Not even in combat, necessarily, it could be falling down a flight of stairs when you get up in the morning. That’s an important lesson for everybody.

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