I;m thinking about studying Aikido again, but with the brutality in street fighting, anyone suggest anthing?

I'm not a violent person, but drunks and idots are getting tiresome.Though I have changed my social settings. I was formally trained, but I need something more defensive in street fights. I've served in US NAVY, and don't pick out fights. I ain't going to jail for anyone.

I;m thinking about studying Aikido again, but with the brutality in street fighting, anyone suggest anthing?
You should consider Aikido's cousin Hapkido. Hapkido is a more tactical style art than Aikido but follows many of the same principles because the founders of both arts studied Aiki jujitsu under Takeda, then went on to create Aikido (Usheba) and Hapkido (Choi) So since you trained in Aikido prior it wont be too difficult to transition to Hapkido. The biggest difference between the two arts is there are far more striking, kicking techniques and grappling in Hapkido. But the joint locking techniques and the principles of movement are derived from Aiki jujitsu. I've been doing Hapkido for 10 yrs and I use it on a regular basis because I am in law enforcement. Where the emphasis is control with minimal damage. But the training allows me to escalate force AS NEEDED. Hence it will help you avoid jail and civil liability
Reply:China kongfu may be a better choice.
Reply:Very wise Sir!!!





Aikido is an excellent art ,derived from aiki jitsu you are quite right in being passive as jail is not an option but to defend ones self is Paramount ,stick with aikido and include jiu-jitsu and boxing if you can and they should suffice !!





Good luck :)***
Reply:Aikido is an excellent art, but the large circular movements and redirection of force may not work as well against enraged or experienced fighters. Perhaps you can tighten your aikido skills by learning Small Circle Jujitsu. It will compliment what you already know and make it more effective for street situations.


To truly train yourself to be effective in any situation or range you should learn western boxing and/or Muay Thai for your striking, and jujitsu and/or judo for your grappling. This way no matter where a conflict may go you can finish the fight.


Good luck and train hard!!
Reply:both kung fu and aikido use aggressive footwork to maintain mobility in a fight. both attempt to manipulate he opponents center of gravity instead of using head on strength vs. strength.





fighting with finesse does take time to develop. how long did you train in aikido before? If you know your basic stance and strikes in a style, you will be able to pick up the little details faster. If you start a new style, its back to square one.





I have been studying a short fist kung fu style for a little over nine years and I love it. Very usable against one or more persons.
Reply:If you want to do Aikido you can keep on doing it but you should take up another striking art aswell, there are so many to choose from, or take a couple of self defence seminars and work on your punches on the bag at home while training Aikido, there are many options
Reply:A mix of Jeet Kune Do principles along with your Aikido knowledge would seem to work for you. Look up Jeet Kune Do online and use the principles to enhance your fighting ranges.





My own personal Quanfa is a blend of Jeet Kune Do and Aikijujitsu and I find that the intercepting, trapping, low kicking, boxing/fencing elements, joint locking, circular throws, evasions, grappling, ground fighting, dirty fighting, and coordinated energy techniques works very well for real-life self defense.





Just use what works for you and what does not. I can sit here and talk all I want but it is entirely up to you to figure out what you need to discover in order to properly defend yourself.
Reply:As you suspect most aikido as taught will get you hurt on the street.





As international level greco wrestler I crosstrained with other styles and generally aikido were not even any use to us as a workout like judo and sumo guys are etc. I think more because they were only small dojos of regular guys, and they did not train full strength.





I have been critical of aikido since but recently learnt some of their techniques(now I am older and less pompous :) )and if they had a better basis of balance, control, and setting the moves up, some could be very nasty.





I would not like to lock up with a guy who can actually create position to get aikido to work is what i am saying. I would suggest if you like the sport do something like greco or judo at the same time.
Reply:If you want to take Aikido take a practical style of it such as Shinbu,Yoshenkan,Tomiki. Any of these three styles will work very well on the street. these do full contact no holding back
Reply:Try Kajukenbo.
Reply:Aikido is a good style to study, especially one you can study your entire life and has benefits on multiple levels, physical, mental and even a spiritual component.
Reply:Take mixed martial arts(MMA). It trains in an alive manner, there is no room for BS techniques that don't work. You are trained from standup, clinch, takedowns, and ground fighting.





Why would you train something else? Seriously.
Reply:from my point of view, aikido technics are lethal. you may share the same view if you see deeper, not on the form.


besides, aikido practice will teach you not only the technics but also everything. your mental, etc.


aikido is deeper than it looks. :)
Reply:Systema...taught to Russian special forces...





http://youtube.com/watch?v=O7_dzu4TQDs