I'm sure most readers are very familiar with the fact that almost any video on YouTube (or elsewhere online) about Aikido will have a long string of comments making all sorts of disparaging remarks, such as claims that it's fake, or that it won't work in a real fight. So, here I want to consider some the types of comments we often see, and tease out some of the truth of the matter. The different sides to the issue are interconnected, so it's hard to analyze each aspect completely separately; please bear with me in regard to any convoluted sections of this article.
To some extent, it's hard to blame them for what they perceive. I think to back to the first time I saw a live demonstration of Aikido. Despite having been raised to respect Aikido, and revere its Founder, and to use and incorporate various principles and methods derived from Aikido, when I saw an actual demonstration.... I just did not get the point of what I was seeing. So, if that was true with my background - how much easier for people to misunderstand if they had not been conditioned to have a positive view to begin with?
On claims of being fake: these tend to rest on one of several arguments. Let's look at some frequently-seen types, one at a time.
"Demonstrations are choreographed, and/or that participants are in collusion." To really understand the truth here, we need to understand what Aikido is and were it comes from. It's basically a member of the judo/jujutsu family of arts, out of which it gives a greater amount of emphasis to harmonizing with and using the energy of an attacker. It comes primarily, though enhanced with influence from other arts, and the Founder's decades of work refining a chosen core of techniques, from the Daito-ryu school of jujutsu, which is one of the traditional battlefield arts, connected with the Takeda clan.They are often seen an 'unarmed' arts, but this is not necessarily true. For one thing, many techniques either are derived from, or can be adapted to, methods for disarming an armed opponent.
Those roots are significant because if they are understood, they explain why dojo practice and demonstrations appear the way they do. At this point, I will say that the Founder himself declared that what happens in demonstrations is "fake", which became an issue when he was invited to demonstrate before a member of the imperial family. The significant thing is that Daito-ryu is, again, originally a battlefield art, and therefore its techniques are capable of maiming or killing. In Aikido, the techniques are derived from Daito-ryu, and in fact they have the same potential for damage. However, one of the characteristics of Aikido is the development of a particular ethos of safe training - despite which, injuries still occur. Aikidoists learn first of all how to receive techniques as safely as possible. That is very significant because the techniques are inherently much more dangerous for people who aren't trained in that way of safe reception of techniques (ukemi). Beyond this, Aikido teaches the techniques in applications meant to minimize harm, whereas in jujutsu, especially the original forms, the aim was often maximum harm. People outside Aikido generally have the view that in order to be effective and real, a martial art must try to be harmful - albeit often only for self-defense. purposes. What isn't understood by many is that Aikido has a different practical outcome, but it is in fact an effective use of techniques that can, done in a slightly different way, be used on the battlefield. The properly skilled Aikidoka, or Jujutsuka for that matter, essentially has the choice in many cases of whether to kill or injure, or simply restrain and take prisoner (or release).
Demonstrations... normally performed by a teacher and a group of students, are similar in some ways to dojo practice: neither of them shows battlefield conditions, including the effects of the techniques on untrained, and resisting, foes. This brings us to the "collusion" issue. Resistance will significantly increase the pain caused, and quite possibly real damage or even fatality. As such, yes, Aikidoists on the receiving end of techniques in either demonstrations or training will indeed "cooperate" with the technique - because they do not want to be crippled or killed. And so, instead of a bloodbath, or a pile of maimed bodies, we usually see in demonstrations a stream of people fairly smoothly receiving techniques and getting up or rolling away unharmed.
It is not surprising that people misunderstand and misinterpret that sight! Still, it is precisely because it is, or can be, a highly effective martial art that its practitioners can and do train and demonstrate in ways that may look so easy and harmless. And yet, too, we must remember that unlike most arts that seek to harm or defeat the attacker, in strictly combat terms, the point of Aikido is instead to avoid being harmed or defeated, and to do so with the minimum of harm to the attacker. There are deeper, more philosophical or spiritual levels of understanding of the art, but for this article, we're just considering this basic, external level.
Next, there are frequent claims that it wouldn't or doesn't work in a 'real fight'. There are several facets and variations to look at there. First, based on the comments posted in many places, it's clear that many people judge this on the basis of MMA/UFC competitions. What they fail to realize is that such a tournament is absolutely NOT a representation of a "real fight". Why so? On one hand, in a tournament, there are rules: even in a "no-holds-barred' fight, there are still at least a few rules and holds-barred - such as eye-gouging or attacking private parts. On the other hand, the aim in a tournament is to win a contest, not to kill the other person. In real combat - whether on the battlefield between soldiers or warriors, or on the street among 'civilians', the aim is usually to kill or at least harm the other person. Aikido is not well-suited to competition, and the Founder strictly forbade it. When one teacher did develop a competition method under pressure from a university to conform to athletic policies, it caused a permanent rift with the Founder.
Another common argument from naysayers hinges on the notion that the attacks used in Aikido are not the kinds of attacks seen in real fights, especially in Western countries. But this is actually another case of missing the point and not seeing what is really happening. Once again, it is really a samurai combat art in origin. Knowing that, it should be easy to understand and see that the attacks used in Aikido practice are to a great extent empty-handed simulations of attacks with weapons like swords, staffs, or knives - or techniques to take them away from an attacker. Even that is just the first step in understanding. The aim of Aikido practice is NOT to master a set of techniques, it is to gain the ability to naturally blend with and use an attacker's energy in the most efficient and ideal manner, according to the circumstances.. The techniques are exercises, from one perspective, not techniques, that train Aikidoists in some standardized methods of doing that. They may be performed with or without weapons, and with adjustment to many variables in partners as well so that one should develop the ability to deal with any attack, regardless of what the particular attacks used in dojo practice are. The desired end result, however, is to simply be able to move as required, whether or not it matches any of the pre-set movements which are routinely practiced on the mat.
All that being said, no martial art works miracles or has some secret power. It is really the martial artists themselves that are good or bad, not their arts. It is possible to practice Aikido in many moods, with many motivations, and it is of the utmost importance that one must train in the right way to achieve martial, combat ability if that is one's desire. Unlike some people, I believe that practicing in non-martial ways is also beneficial, but it is very crucial that we are aware of what we are doing and why, and to do them in the way that will lead to the results we want. For Aikido, if we want it to be an effective art in combat or against an assault, then we need to train accordingly. If all we want is a dance-like gymnastic exercise, then we should train in that way... and with people in the same mindset.
All this being said, many martial arts sometimes can be seen being demonstrated or 'taught" by people who visibly lack mastery or even competence. That is certainly "fake" when it happens, but since it is effectively fraudulent, it is hardly representative of the art with which affiliation is claimed.
To those readers who aren't personally familiar with Aikido, except from videos, I urge you to visit a dojo or several, if you can, and see for yourself, and perhaps talk to practitioners or an instructor for greater insight. Or of course, try it out yourself. But don't listen to internet trolls - they usually go by only what they see, but they do usually lack understanding, and vital background knowledge.
For further information, I recommend visiting the Aikido Journal website where among a wealth of other material, all of these issues are dealt with at greater length by experienced teachers.One of the most relevant examples is: Cooperation During Demonstrations by Stanley Pranin (Upon re-reading that last article, it seems likely that it was a large influence on my thougts on the topic.)
Updated May 24, 2015
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