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All arts have great things to offer, but also have their drawbacks. We go through a number of martial arts and provide an overview breakdowns of their advantages and weaknesses. These can give you ideas for good arts to cross train in or which art(s) which may suit your own particular interests. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

It is often taught that Aikido's heritage was the ancient Japanese battlefield, where it's techniques were born. Is this true? This episode is a conversation which is a follow up to the previous episode (ep. 167) with Ellis Amdur where he goes into the history of aikido back as far as Sokaku Takeda. In this episode, we go back much farther into Japanese history and cover the development of the samurai, their weapons, and armor. A link to Ellis' book, which we discuss on the show - Old School: Essays on Japanese Martial Traditions (Expanded Edition) https://edgeworkbooks.com/old-school/ For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

Facing someone who is faster than you are seems impossible to survive, but speed can be countered. We can train to be fast ourselves, but there will always be someone faster. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

Reg shares his background with live weapons training and how it helped him improve his aikido and both self-defense and self-protection skills. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

It is commonly believed and stated that aikido is about conflict management. Is it true and does aikido training really cover conflict management skills? There is more to it than meets the eye. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

What is the martial mindset and how should martial artists use it within our training. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

Budo, the way of the warrior, is the underlying principle of the martial arts path. We explore Budo in this in depth discussion. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

We discuss the state of aikido prior to covid, the impact of covid, and where aikido may go from here. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

Our discussion goes into detail about the role irimi (entering) plays in aikido, and how necessary it is to be balanced with more passive movements and tactics. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

Ki is probably the most confusing word in all of the martial arts. It is also a major red flag which may point out a charlatan instructor. We will dig in and try to get to the bottom of the issue of ki. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

Our discussion covers the timings of attack (go no sen, sen, sen no sen, and sensen no sen) and their relationship to self-defense. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

We do into depth on the topic of Aikido's history and the many influences which brought it about. Our discussion includes Sokaku Takeda and Morehei Ueshiba, and the martial influences of both men. We also discuss the influences of some of the influential seniors such as Kenji Tomiki, Gozo Shioda, and more. Here are links to some of the sources mentioned in the discussion. Tenjin Shinyo-ryu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGFlk-hsyHE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4e8Rzkz_Fw Yagyu Shingan-ryu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8dobbUP7lU Ono-ha Itto-ryu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7jQXBai9-k Yagyu Shinkage-ryu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfhtYKQ-iU0 Hozoin-ryu Yari: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lnmg6g4R6c Kashima Shinto-ryu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI-sR6BGH7s Pre-war Embu at Omoto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmMgMRS9bSc Maniwa Nen-ryu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIgzMdtZ_HI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xrBgqXAJTY Hidden in Plain Sight by Ellis Amdur: https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Plain-Sight-Esoteric-Traditions/dp/1937439321 For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

We discuss 'the Fence', made widely known by Geoff Thompson. We discuss using the hands as a protective barrier for situations which pose some potential for violence to occur. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

There is a difference between self-protection and self-defense. We go into depth on the differences and ways to think about how that affects our mindset and training. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

Our discussion goes into depth of Kenji Tomiki and the organization he founded: Shodokan. Tomiki was a prominent figure in the aikido world, and he brought some very innovative ideas to teaching aikido. Shodokan Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Tomiki/ "Supplementary" youtube channel : https://www.youtube.com/c/nytomiki Al's school: https://www.watanabejudo.com/ For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

Why is aikido is difficult to describe? People are often confused about what it is, which is a major obstacle for attracting students. We discuss the problems and practical ideas for improving aikido's image. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

What is it to build high level skill, and transfer that skill to students? For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

Grappling is an important part of the skill set of a well-rounded martial artist. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG

An in depth conversation on what martial artists often misunderstand about conflict, how it turns into violence, and the profound affects it has on self-protection and self-defense. Coach Blauer's website: https://blauerspear.com/ Making Friends with Fear ebook: https://getknowfear.com/ebook Know Fear Podcast: https://knowfear.libsyn.com/ Essentials of Personal Safety (Live Online Course): https://blauerspear.com/eops

An in depth discussion on what traits are specific to aikido, both physical as well as spiritual/philosophical. For more information about Spirit Aikido Online: http://spiritaikido.com/spiritaikidoonline Paypal tipjar: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B6AX94H6N4HBG