I was pointed to this article by a
friend - though not about aikido or a mainstream art, it begs the
question: Are all martial arts not quite what they should be?
With most arts now studied as a hobby,
pastime, leisure activity, tailored as it were to suit and literally an age
away from their real application and purpose; are the arts being watered down,
losing their real focus and impact?
Even Aikido tends to be more and more
leaning to the art side - beautiful and effective, but moving away from its
real state as a martial art which is descended from a variety of practical combat
arts.
I always make a point of showing my
students the reality and full potential of each movement i.e. Its combat potential - what its reality is or
could be.
Read the following article by John
Clements:
Sword fighting is not what you think
To borrow a famous line, the problem with most people trying
to understanding the true nature of historical sword combat is not that they're
ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so. Click to read more….
Do the points raised apply to your art
as well?
Who
is John Clements?
John Clements is a
leading authority on historical fencing and one of the world’s foremost instructors of
Medieval and Renaissance fighting methods. As a long-time Western martial
artist who has been studying historical fencing since 1980, John is the most
prolific writer on the subject of historical fencing. He has practiced European
cut-and-thrust swordplay and for more than thirty years, taught on it in 15 countries, andresearched
arms and armor on four continents. He instructs both nationwide as well
as internationally and (since 2005) from his one-of-a-kind private facility, Iron
Door Studio, based outside Atlanta, Georgia. (ref: http://www.thearma.org/Director.htm)
