I also was interested in Aikido and dabbled in it a bit, but I haven’t found a dojo that I liked. There are some very proficient Aikido practitioners out there, but the odd thing I have noticed about a lot of them is that they do tend to get a little too “spiritual” for me. I guess I’m not ready to “become one with the universe”. There are a couple of different styles of Aikido, the Yoshinkan style is pretty brutal, and they can definitely hurt you bad. As for black belts vs novices execution of technique, I can only say that is typical of any MA, not just Aikido. It is definitely an
art that requires intensive practice to execute properly. IMHO their primary goal is spiritual development. If you read O Senseis biography and philosophy, you will understand Aikido much better.
“judo wasn't quite what I was looking for either. It is mostly geared toward competition and it seemed like only about 10% of what I was learning and seeing taught to the upper belts would be useful on the street. I also found out that judo has the highest incidence of injury of all the martial arts.”
Unfortunately, it is true that much Judo instruction is geared towards competition (which is not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion). However, as I stated in another post, once you study it in depth for a while, it is truly a comprehensive MA. Of course, I’m biased. Only 10% useful? I’m surprised. What did you think was
useful and what wasn’t? I think a big part of the problem is that when someone is watching it from the outside, it’s often not apparent what is actually going on (again, not unique to Judo). You can get injured doing Judo, for sure. I lost count of all the bruises, bumps, fat lips and scrapes. I have been seriously injured on a couple of occasions, including broken ribs, but I would add that both times were my own fault. I’m not sure if the injury rates are the highest of any art, but I will agree it’s not for the faint of heart. I once read a statistical analysis of sports injuries and Judo was way down on the list. IIRC Basketball was number one. Judo has a rough and tumble reputation and it does require a considerable amount of strength, but ultimately it is about finesse.
“I was pretty sceptical but went to watch a class. It was great. The instructor is a black belt in karate and has been studying BJJ for 8 years. He is a good teacher and the things he was teaching the white belts were things that they could use on the street immediately.”
First off, I love groundfighting. However, my criticism of BJJ is that it’s not very well rounded. If you are using this to supplement your Karate training, great. But as a stand alone system it has significant flaws. Ground fighting is only one element of a
larger picture. Most Judoka are very proficient groundfighters as well, but the focus is on remaining standing. Laying on the ground is great if you are engaged with only one opponent, but if you have more than one, it is really going to suck when you are rolling around with one guy only to have his buddy kick you in the head with a steel toe boot.
BJJers are very good at what they specialize in. A lot of people are sold on the idea that 99% of fights go to the ground, and that might be true of untrained opponents, but I think this is largely true of people who have no specific training on how to
stay on their feet like Judo practitioners are. If you are familiar with the UFC you might have noticed how it has evolved over the years. At the beginning, the BJJ guys dominated because they were operating outside the normal paradigm of MA competitions and the rules favored their particular style of fighting. Once other MA guys figured out that they needed to fill in that gap in their knowledge, it changed considerably. Everybody is crosstraining now, and the groundfighters have gotten pummeled more often.
I haven’t been following it closely at all in recent years but from what I have seen there is a dramatic difference in todays matches compared to the first ones. There is more stand up fighting now. The rule changes are a large part of this, but the
rules were added for legitimate reasons. In the first matches, there were no time limits. While at first this might seem like a good idea, it is not entirely realistic. Like I mentioned, in the real world of multiple opponents, you are vulnerable when you are on the ground for extended periods of time. Some of the matches went on for ridiculously long periods, with opponents locked in a stalemate. If you are laying on top of someone for 45 minutes, that person better be your girlfriend. There ARE BJJ guys who are extremely proficient that can take on multiple opponents on the ground, but they are few, and they are in a dojo environment.
When you go to the ground, you give up your mobility, which is not usually a good idea. You give up your ability to deal with multiple opponents and you give up the option of escape. In Judo matches the primary method of scoring is by performing a clean throw where the opponent lands hard on his back. Depending on the execution of the technique, you can either win the match outright, or score points (actually, fractions of a point, but I’m not going to get technical here). You can score by pinning your opponent (definitely NOT for 45 minutes, though) or by forcing your opponent to submit (tap out) by using an armbar or stranglehold. There is a (short) time limit on ground techniques, however. If you are ground grappling and the referee sees no measurable progress, he will stand both competitors up and restart the match. This makes sense from a martial as well as a
spectator standpoint. You can choke someone unconscious in a few seconds if you are proficient, so this is not unreasonable. If you find that your opponent is successfully defending against your attempts at pinning, choking or jointlocking him, then you are better off trying something else instead of wasting titanic effort and lots of time trying to wear him down.
Throwing techniques are very effective when executed correctly. Getting slammed on the mat is an eye opening experience. Getting slammed on pavement is a sure trip to the ER. When dealing with more than one opponent, it makes more sense to
stay on your feet and strike or throw your opponent clear in order to deal with another threat rather than pull one guy down with you and then have his buddies do the river dance all over your head.
With all that said, I have used MA for self defense on a few occasions, and twice it went to the ground. Both times that I went to the ground, it was over very quickly, probably less than a minute, and I used strangleholds both times. Every situation is
different and on those instances I chose not to do anything more dangerous because the situation did not warrant it. The nice thing about strangleholds is that you can easily vary the amount of force depending on the situation, but this requires that you show self restraint.
It’s good to know what to do on the ground, but being well rounded is important. You have a Karate background, which is good. I have worked out with former Karate guys who transitioned to Judo and they have a good foundation. They move
quickly, they are good at spotting openings and of course, their atemiwaza is good. I’m sure you will do well in BJJ.
Semper Fidelis,
Tom