I’ve decided to dedicate an entire article to explaining whether you should learn Aikido or not. Now, this is a controversial topic, so I’ll understand if some of you will disagree with me and my opinions. However, I’ll also state many facts in this article, so it’ll definitely give you another perspective that you want to know and understand.
First, let me give my overall opinion on whether you should learn it or not.
Learning Aikido is a fantastic choice because it teaches you effective and practical fighting skills, primarily grappling, which are exceptionally effective for self-defense. Grappling is, in our sense, takedowns, throws, submissions, and joint locks. Another reason to learn it is because of all the physical benefits.
Alright. Hopefully, you don’t disagree with me yet. And if you are, that’s fine. In the rest of this article, I’ll expand on this answer and give you more details than you thought you could know about the art of harmony (Aikido.)
There are so many things I want to cover already, so it’ll be best if we dive in!
What Will I Learn in Aikido
The first topic we’ll review is the fighting techniques you’ll be learning in Aikido. Before we do that, however, know that when translated to Japanese, it’s called the way of harmony, which is very important to understand, and you’ll see why soon. So what will you learn in your fighting journey there?
In Aikido, you’ll primarily learn to grapple, which includes takedowns, throws, joint locks, and other submissions and grappling moves. Furthermore, you’ll also learn to strike, including open and closed-handed-punches. What most people don’t know is that you’ll also learn to kick fiercely.
So yea, you basically are learning everything and anything. But there’s a crucial aspect of this harmonious martial art we haven’t covered.
You’ll learn to use the opponent’s momentum against him. For instance, if your opponent rushes onto you, you’ll learn to use that to (1) counter his offensive rush, and (2) attack using his momentum to cause more damage and come out on top.
That’s why it’s a unique fighting style—I highly recommend you learn it. And now that we know what it teaches, let’s dive into whether it is worth learning or not.
Is Learning Aikido Worth It?
Alright. So for this section. I’ve decided to gather not only my opinion but also those who have been training in it for a few months. The few months here are important because it derives from the opportunity of being biased. But before we get into that, here’s what I’ve seen from my personal experience.
Learning Aikido can be worth it if you want to learn more of a harmonious martial art rather than a completely aggressive one. You can find your inner peace faster while learning to fight, which is unlike other more aggressive martial arts, such as Kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA, and Boxing.
Now, for the rest of this section, I’ll include a few quotes from students who state whether they’re happy with their choice or not.
This newbie is definitely satisfied that she made the right choice by selecting Aikido as her martial art to study!
Tracy Calder – Aikido Student
Aikido can be pretty fun, it’ll teach you to move and fall better than the average person (by a lot, eventually). Aikido also “can” work pretty well in self-defense.
My advice, see a few classes before and watch how the sensei teaches. If you feel good with the vibe the sensei projects, then, that’s the right place for you.
To wrap this section up, my advice is to think about whether you’re looking to learn an aggressive fighting style or not. If you have no issues with going with a more peaceful martial art, Aikido is more suitable than more aggressive ones, such as Muay Thai, MMA, and even Kung Fu and Karate.
Benefits of Learning Aikido
Learning Aikido is extremely beneficial. Do you know just how many more benefits you’ll gain simply from keeping up with your training schedule? It’s quite amazing to me if I’m completely honest, as few people utilize the net positive this martial art can bring to your life, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually.
The benefits of learning Aikido are as follows:
- Increased confidence
- Better physical shape
- Higher self-esteem
- Learning to fight
- Learning to observe your opponents (in anything in life)
- Reduced stress
- Being more peaceful
- Learning to “let go”
- Lower violence and aggression levels
These are just a few of the benefits you’ll experience from vigorous, consistent training. So it’s more than worth it to start your training!
Can Aikido Be Effective in a Street Fight?
Today, there are two sides concerning the effectiveness of the art of harmony. In simpler terms, some people think that Aikido can be effective while others think the opposite. So here are the facts.
Aikido can be effective in a street fight if you’re observing your opponent properly and using his momentum against him. For instance, if your opponent rushes into you, you can evade his motion and take him down in the other direction, which will make it easier to take him down and finish the fight from there.
This is a practical move you can actually do once you find yourself in such a complicated scenario. Think about it, when someone rushes into you, there’s nothing you can really do other than try to evade and take him down.
This is what Aikido teaches you; how to use everything you and your opponent have to gain the upper hand in the fight,
Is Learning Aikido Hard?
Learning Aikido, like everything worthwhile in life, is considered hard because you won’t see any meaningful results in the first few weeks of your training, which will make it more difficult to stick with your training routine. What you can do to counter that is find a meaningful purpose that’ll motivate you.
All in all, it’s definitely a hard thing to stick to. Although not as physically demanding as other more intense martial arts, such as Kickboxing and Boxing, it’ll definitely be hard to learn the techniques and stick with them.
So keep that in mind!
Am I Too Old to Learn Aikido?
Age is a big concern for many people who have yet to start learning Aikido, or any other martial art for that matter. Therefore, it’ll be best if we cover this section now, so you can remove this limiting belief from your head as soon as possible and start your fighting journey.
You’re not too old to learn Aikido, as there’s no age limit for learning it. Although you might be a bit out of shape and start with a slight disadvantage compared to the young trainees, you’ll eventually get to them when you start your training and notice rapid progression – if you work hard enough.
Final Words
All in all, Aikido is one of the best fighting styles you can learn. You’ll learn a critical lesson in your training, which is to observe your opponent and utilize his movements against himself.
If you think about it, you can utilize such an observation skill in so many other things in life. Seeing what your opponent does and reacting accordingly is something, I believe, many people would want to have in their lives. So appreciate the fact that you’re learning it.
Aikido is a fantastic martial art. However, you can learn other ones that originate from the same region. Follow the link to read about the seven most effective Japanese martial arts in the world that you should definitely learn!
Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
Is Aikido a Grappling or Striking-Based Martial Art?
BJJ vs. Aikido – Which Martial Art Is Better?