What's your take on aikido?

The problem with Aikido is the same as with a lot of other traditional martial arts. Many of the techniques are not born out of actual combative situations, and are rehearsed unrealistically. Wrestling technique, freestyle and greco-roman, was born out of competition. Same with Thai boxing and western boxing. Look at what the Gracie Family did with BJJ.

That's not to say there is nothing to be learned from traditional martial arts, it's just that a lot of worthless garbage has stuck around due to unrealistic competition.

I believe Aikido has a lot of solid techniques. I took Aikido for a brief spell when I was younger. I often hear people criticize how compliant the partner is when doing techniques, and jump and roll on their own account and not because of the technique. If you've ever practiced those techniques, you realize the person jumps and rolls to avoid injury; which often the elbow. It wasn't until years after I stopped going to class, that I came across an instructional dvd. The dvd was in a foreign language, Arabic maybe, but I don't recall the instructor. What I do recall is all the subtleties that I hadn't witnessed when I was younger. I'm not saying the instructor on the dvd would make it in mma, but he showed an ability to flow from technique to technique that I hadn't witnessed and that left me with a higher appreciation.

I posted these videos a while back. They show an aikidoka experimenting with mma competition. I realize that he may not be facing top notch competition, but keep in mind he's not a top notch athlete himself. That, and he has one arm.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLqovX4G8Z0&feature=related[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwt9_G6VcME&feature=related[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYQMhRsNtE4&feature=related[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R797LamA3Vw&feature=related[/ame]

Tetsu Yamazaki doesn't make Aikido look like Seagal does in a movie, but his awareness of how to disrupt his opponent's balance is very evident.

 

this one?

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That's actually a good example. Props to drake for remembering and to PH|LLA for finding it.

 

you could certainly create a highlight reel of aikido like moves being used in MMA.

there is one on youtube that shows two moves being used.