Aikido and cross-training?

I've recently started taking Aikido(aikikai style, methinks), and I'm interested in taking a striking martial art as well...what other arts are there that have a similar combative philosophy and movement style to aikido(so I don't have to unlearn everything between arts), but works with strikes? I've heard that Tai Chi is fairly similar in some ways, and it seems like that...what other systems are there that fit in well with it?

Thanks in advance, and please no flame wars(this NG looks like the western US...<G> Alex Magidow

While I think cross-training is a great thing for all martial arts I would suggest you wait at lest a year or two before you start cross-training in something other than Aikido. Aikido is hard enough to learn on its own with out adding the added complexities of incorporating anther form on top of it. Once you have a good solid foundation in Aikido then start to branch out and your Aikido will be that much better.

Despair Bear

Alex,

You might see if you can find a good Hapkido/Hwarando school. They incorporate a lot of aikido-like movements with kicks and punches.

Other than that, with a little imagination you could blend about any striking art in with aikido.

I'd be more worried about a similar but not quite the same art (like Hapkido) messing you up than a dissimilar one. I would suggest something that works well with akido's base (it stance, guard, movement style) but was not too similar in technique.

Boxing comes it mind, as does a Silat style like Serak or Pukilan. In the end though, you need to look around at what is available and see what fits your needs best.

Good move. Knowing how to throw a decent blow will make your Aikido (and that of your training partners) better.

Well, it's hard to find a striking art with a similar philosophy to Aikido built into it, since in the nature of striking arts their moves are offensive and designed to do serious damage. At the end of the day, though, how you choose to use any striking skills you learn is up to you - if you prefer an Aikido-esque approach, most striking styles will suit. Notable exceptions probably include things like Wing Chun, where the structure almost mandates that you attack at the first available opportunity, or the system breaks down to an extent.

Personally (having been in your position in the past), I'd look at something like boxing, kick-boxing or some similar style of art. The movement in those styles is very fluid compared to, say, karate/TKD's more solid stances, which don't combine so well with Aikido's natural posture.

It's also worth noting that boxers have some of the fastest hands in the business, so boxing is a very good art to gauge your Aikido against for you to see which Aikido techniques work best for you (and, more importantly perhaps, which don't). It will take a lot of work before your Aikido techniques are effective against boxing punches - several years, probably - but with the right kind of practice, they will be. And learning to box is certainly a step in that direction.

Finally, the techniques in Aikido and boxing-related styles are sufficiently dissimilar that they won't get in each other's way. Others have made the valid point that you have to approach learning a second art so soon with caution, without a firm base in either to start from. The best way I know to avoid that pitfall is to study two totally different (but complementary) styles.

By the way, if you're already studying Aikido, it's well worth asking around at your school to see what sort of striking background others there have. In the school where I started to train, we had people with a wide variety of experience between them - experienced students of various karate styles, boxing, kickboxing and Wing Chun for a start. Between a little help from them and spending a little time before and after the sessions experimenting on the gym's kickbags, I learned to strike to a reasonable standard without taking any formal classes. I also got to experiment with different styles, and learned that for me, a boxing/kick-boxing approach works best. YMMV, of course, but do ask around. It can't hurt, and might provide you with good guidance on the striking style that suits you best.

Hope that helps,

You could always try something like Capoeira - a Brazilian martial art (one of the few (only one ?) surviving western ones).

It's very different from the rigid stances of Karate etc. and 'players' are in a constant dance like movement. There are few fixed blocks - the focus is on evading and counter-attacking. The art is rooted in Afro/Brazilian culture and has a deep philosophy behind it. The 'game' is between two people who are having a 'dialogue' - players 'answer' one 'expression' (move) with another and the emphasis is on keeping a 'flow' of movement. There is also a lot of 'trickery' and feinting involved.

The game is played in a circle. At the front of the circle are the instrument playes. Sitting around the circle are the people who contribute energy to the game - by clapping and singing in response to the leader's chants. Depending on the rhythm of the music the game can be very fast and played at a distance and involve some 'showmanship' or else slower or closer and more aggressive. The music and game are interlinked closely.

Many of the moves will be familiar to practitioners of the oriental martial arts, but there are many differences too. It's a very 'fluid' art.

Some of the styles can involve lots of more difficult movements such as backflips, spinning handstands etc. - but you don't have to be an expert gymnast to be able to play well (even though it might help - all acrobatic type moves are always performed watching the opponent closely and can be changed into attacks in an instant... different to gymnastics...

Here's a nice picture that should explain some of this
http://www.CapoeiraBatuque.org/images/ amen_parafuso.gif

There is also a lot of ground-based movement - close to the floor. When combined with some of the other 'unusual' aspects of the art (being upside down half the time it can be a very confusing and off-putting thing for a would-be attacker to be confronted with. Take-downs (sweeps, throws, etc.), head-butts, elbows and knees are another specialty... 'Normal' punching/chops are not emphasized. Circular type kicks are though (including one or two that are unique to Capoeira).

I practiced Kenpo for many years - and also some boxing. I really enjoy Capoeira now (just a beginner though) and am training hard ! Learning to try things I never thought I would !

Personally, I believe that watching two high-level capoeira players together in a fast 'Regional' style is about the most impressive of any martial art out there... !!! Hmm... if you're not familiar with it, rent the video called 'Only the Strong' and watch the games played during the first 10 and last 10 minutes of the video ! That video might be hard to find - there's a Capoeira player in the Jean Claude Van Damme video called 'The Quest' that should be easy to get a hold of. There's a tournament and many different styles from all over the world are represented. There's a Brazilian fighter who does some very nice looking stuff (I think he actually lives in LA, USA - Caeser Carneiro).

The main disadvantage with Capoeira is that it may be difficult to find a school ! It has only really spread outside of Brazil in the last few decades. The US has quite a few schools in most metropolitan areas and there are some in Europe and Australia I believe...

It was outlawed for many years, since it was practiced by many criminal gangs in Brazil (especially in Rio de Janeiro, etc. and had lots of nasty violent deaths associated with it. Many of the strange looking upside down movements on your hands make a lot more sense when you realise that they fought with razorblades held between their toes...

BTW, it was developed by African slaves brough to Brazil (4 million of them !!!) by the Portugese 400-500 years ago. Until the 1900s it was practiced by close-knitted groups and access was not easy for outsiders. It started in the north of Brazil with the black slaves there and today it is very much alive all over Brazil (particularly in the state of Sao Paulo).

Learning it today, in a civilized environment without razorblades etc., I'm sure many people will point out that it may not be as 'practical' in self-defense as something like Kenpo, but it depends on your point of view and what you want to do... I'm not going to argue with anyone about these fine details. It's a lot of fun and very impressive to watch - and skilled players would definitely put up a good fight !

Cheers,

Here's a link to help you find a school http://www.angelfire.com/tx/Capoeira/learn.html

Actually, there are a lot of surviving western martial arts. They just don't get as much press as the Asian stuff. There are several wrestling arts, not a few stick arts, and even a handful of throw-everything-into-the-bag styles still kicking around.

There are also the indegenous African arts still extant, none of which seem to actually resemble capoeira, as far as I can tell.