I think Tomiki Aikido is better than all the rest!

 

In the end we all do the same aikido but with variations in style.   Although I am a traditionalist in aikido, I have been fortunate enough to be a guest instructor at the British Aikido Association's Leeds Summer School Seminar for the past 15 or so years.   In that time I have learnt to appreciate the value of the Tomiki system of training.   When not teaching I have joined in their classes as a student and been bounced around by kyu grades and dan grades who really know their stuff.   I would defend the merits of both competition, tomiki style, and traditional style in equal measure.   Indeed, just to see whether I could cut the mustard, I recently - at the age of 63 - decided to put on a white belt and train specifically at a local BAA Tomiki Club just to see where I could get to in their grading system;  my object being to learn and demonstrate their Randori-no-kata (their 17 basic techniques) which has to be performed in a very precise way.   I might be a 5th Dan in traditional aikido but I found the exactness of movements required to satisfy the grading panel at kyu level extremely difficult to master (a bit of the "you can't teach an old dog new tricks") as I wanted to revert to "my way" of doing shihonage, kotegaeshi, nikkyo, etc, etc.   I managed to get to Orange belt and did enter a competition as a team member in the Tanto avoidance discipline - the team got  Silver medals despite my losing my bout!!!   I made up for it by training 2 of their players in the open weapons section with a kumi-jo kata - they took Gold medals at the 2007 world championships held in the USA.

How long does it take to become perfect?

 

Take the best practised of each style, define your 'criteria' (as Graham suggested), and then 'decide' which is better.  (Personally, e.g.  I prefer a 'gun-style' to 'un-armed' if brought to a fight.)  Just because one has practiced their own style well, and so cannot easily assimilate another style does not mean that the former is better - it means that they are not flexible enough or practiced enough to take on an unfamiliar variant; Sensei V. Sumpter has adequately shown that he trains first before judging.  If you are proficient in all styles, then I can understand your favouritism one for another according to your own person - anything else is pure provocation for chat forum purposes.

 

BTW what is a sport?  What is an art? Is aikido a sport/art? Which martial art is best? Which variant? Which Sensei? ........ (yawn.)  

 

BTW (2)   I am not sure what the limp ***** refers to - presumably not the best form of attack!

 

Greetings to you all, whatever your style, ability &c. -  in Aikido.

Aikiman.

 

 

'I am interested to know why someone thinks that one style is better than another?'

 

To get you lot talking to each other, The best way be controversial

 

As you can see it's got John going, I thought that being a good Aikidoka meant you have an open mind, But it seems thats not always true.