Grievances against Aikido

One of the most fundamental questions asked of any martial art is “does it work in a real fight?” Despite all martial arts being art forms that are to a greater or lesser degree aesthetically satisfying and inspirational; they are primarily martial systems of self-defence, some created for war, others created for the street. Thus although all martial arts have intrinsic worth in the practice of and perfection of their techniques, not all are as equally effective in real self-defence situations. Now, arguably whether a martial art is practical for self-defence will depend on the cultural context and the law of the country. For example Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been proven to be an effective system for self-defence in a one-on-one scenario as statistically it is said that between 90-95% of all street fights end on the ground. That statistic has been disputed recently and renewed statistics argue that around 70-75% of fights result in at least one person being forced to the ground. So even taking conservative estimates learning a form of grappling to defend yourself is a very wise course of action and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an almost exclusively ground fighting system. However, if you were attacked by multiple attackers you would not be able to protect yourself effectively with BJJ.


Circumstance is paramount to the effectiveness of any martial system – your environment, whether your attacker is alone or with a group of people, whether your attacker/s are intoxicated with alcohol in a bar or pub, or whether you are being mugged on the street for your wallet at knife point will determine how you react – what time, space and opportunity you have in order to use any knowledge and training in self-defence. If you are on the street it is likely that you have far more space in order to create distance and prevent a mugger from entering your personal space; if you are in a bar or pub the likelihood is you are in a crowded environment with less space and a greater threat that more people will become involved in any altercation.

This brings me to the focus of this blog: how effective is Aikido in a real life self-defence situation? I am using the case-study of Aikido deliberately because of Aikido’s non-violent philosophy. I am also using Aikido because I have experience in Aiki Jujutsu, which incorporates Aiki techniques yet with a focus of complimenting and increasing the effectiveness of the more combative jujutsu techniques. Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba – referred to by Aikidoka across the world as ‘O Sensei’ – was profoundly influenced by his own mystic Shinto beliefs that led him to develop his system of Aikido to be as ‘humanitarian’ as possible. Aikido is said to be the way of harmony, meaning that an Aikidoka (a practitioner of Aikido) should blend their energy with that of their attackers, utilising the body's own energy called in Eastern mysticism Ki. Aikido, as its name suggests, stresses this emphasis on Ki (some Aikido styles more than others). Therefore there is a strong philosophical or even spiritual aspect to Aikido, many Aikidoka seeking to learn how to become a better human being through the practice of their art. While this emphasis on the non-violent approach that the art takes through its Aiki principles is commendable is it realistic?

The problem with arts such as Aikido and Aiki Jujutsu is that there is no sport, no sparring or as it is referred to in Judo randori. All Aikido demonstrations you find on the internet are purely exhibitions only. As sport is anathema to the philosophy of Aikido and Aiki Jujutsu it creates the problem of compliance amongst Tori and Uke (Tori being the practitioner of the technique, Uke the partner simulating the attacker). The difference, however, between Aikido and Aiki Jujutsu is the way in which each arts' history has influenced its philosophy – Aiki Jujutsu is an ancient martial art that traces its origins back to Feudal Japan and was developed as a system for self-defence used by the Samurai on the battlefields. This history means that its use of aiki is far less spiritual in nature and far more practical than Aikido with the suffix ‘Jutsu’ carrying with it far more combative connotations. The art was developed to save Samurais’ lives in real war scenarios. Aikido’s history as a modern martial art is very different. The result of WWII upon Morihei Ueshiba’s worldview was very apparent in his development of Aikido. Ueshiba became disillusioned with the more violent techniques of the more traditional elements of Aiki Jujutsu that influenced his art in the aftermath of the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Japan’s loss to America in the war in the Pacific. This is partly why there are so many different styles of Aikido, some stressing the more combative elements and others the more spiritual depending on when the students of Morihei Ueshiba studied under him.

Compliance is one of the biggest problems for the sceptic and doubting Thomas of Aikido. The Uke is taught how to fall and roll properly known in Aikido as ukemi. Thus the Uke in any Aikido demonstration employs acrobatic rolls and falls in order to prevent serious injury, which gives the illusion of a dynamic and powerful technique. Conversely, in the street an Aikido technique would look very different and far less aesthetic than in the dojo. Not only would people not roll out of a wrist lock in a real street fight but they would not be compliant. It is incredibly hard to blend your energy with an aggressive attacker who is tense and strong, especially when a lot of the set up attacks for an Aikido technique are not always realistic. This goes back to the art's Aiki Jujutsu roots.

In Aiki Jujutsu wrist locks were used in order to break an attacker’s grip, which was to prevent a Samurai from drawing his sword or dagger, or possibly to steal said weapons. Many of the wrist locks techniques found in Aikido and Aiki Jujutsu are still relevant for police officers in weapon retention scenarios – in 2010 of the 56 officers killed on duty in America, 7 were killed with their own weapons (source fbi.gov). Statistics may vary for other countries but weapon retention is a serious issue for police officers facing dangerous and violent criminals. In the street or in a bar though wrist grabs are a far less serious problem. Wrist locks can work from a punch, theoretically, but the level of skill and the reaction time of the practitioner would need to be seriously good in order to prevent the punch from connecting. Reaction is always slower than action.

If the Aikidoka is dogmatic about the application of Aikido techniques without first deploying strikes, known in Aiki Jujutsu as atemi, and being absolutely dependent on grabs then they can very easily find themselves in danger. Applying techniques without strength is incredibly difficult in a fight conducted in real time. Fear or panic will send adrenaline coursing through the body and our instincts will be to tense up making it extremely difficult to relax. The same could be said of Aiki Jujutsuka, but there is far more room for pragmatism in Aiki Jujutsu in responding to a real life situation. Now I am analysing the weaknesses of Aikido from a western perspective and do not have experience of Japanese street fights, but with the rise in popularity of MMA and K1 kickboxing in Japan there is a far higher likelihood of an attacker having some knowledge of kickboxing. Of course there is still the possibility someone might just try and grab your wallet or your brief case etc. in an opportunistic ‘grab and run’ scenario, from which you can apply a wrist lock or a throw but in many aggressive situations people will fight with their fists or feet. Where Aikido and Aiki Jujutsu have an ‘edge’ over striking arts is in its weapon defence. Yet even then reaction time is paramount to safety when someone is either threatening to or actually attacking you with a knife or sharp objective capable of piercing skin and flesh. Again compliance can become a stumbling block if you have not immobilised your attacker swiftly and competently as you could easily find yourself in a wrestling contest.

In conclusion I have many doubts about the practical application of Aikido in its strictest spiritual application in a real life self-defence situation. The philosophical principles behind much of Aikido may be commendable and meritorious but the compliance factor and the unrealistic set up attacks, namely being too dependent on wrist grabs or arm grabs make it an incredibly difficult art to use effectively. Even though aiki techniques are dependent on contact between attacker and victim where they do occur the use of aiki in Aiki Jujutsu is far better, especially when adapting the art to making it a relevant and contemporary self-defence system. Aiki applied in Aiki Jujutsu uses smaller circles thus creates less wasted motion and is more realistic in tight, bar fight situations; it is also more of a distraction technique, subtly shifting your attackers mind frame from attacker to defender, allowing the practitioner to use one of the Jujutsu techniques to immobilise their opponent. Of course the effectiveness of any art is almost entirely dependent on the skill level of the practitioner, but I would be very wary of arts that are too ‘idealistic’ in their principles.