The Aikido videos are indeed sad. The saddest part is knowing how surprisingly representative they are of the Aikido mythos, originating with the founder himsel

The Aikido videos are indeed sad. The saddest part is knowing how surprisingly representative they are of the Aikido mythos, originating with the founder himself. Accounts of Morihei Ueshiba and his supernatural adventures in ki are perplexing at best. That being said, I don't think Aikido is as ineffective as the videos may lead one to believe. I recall a similar experience to the one described in the article, when I strolled into the Aikido dojo with a new black belt in TaeKwonDo. The sensei saw my colossal attitude and broke my confidence repeatedly in front of his students. It was entirely open ended; I attacked and he countered. Each attack landed me in a painful pin. And while my strength and stamina were utterly exhausted, he managed me effortlessly. I was made an example; humbled. The core techniques of value are not exclusive to Aikido, however, being borrowed from prior arts, and I believe more practical sources of them are Bujinkan and Krav Maga.