Quote:
Originally Posted by oI2ange
Strange, is there a lot of sparring in your Akido sessions? If not, you should consider moving to BJJ or something- BJJ sparring was the most intense workout I've ever done in my life. Your lbs will drop very quickly if you spar a few times a week.
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Not remotely interested in BJJ for a lot of reasons. In fact, the only reason I started working out was to be in better shape for Aikido I don't like ground fighting. (nor do I like punching or kicking.) I think MMA is a cancer on our culture, and even if I was interested, they don't have any BJJ gyms around here (I refuse to call them dojos). I am committed to Aikido for life. It is Budo for me. Fitness is important right now and it will remain important as long as it supports what I'm doing In Aikido. I stayed away from lifting for five years just so my upper body would become more relaxed and supple for Aikido.
I don't know if what we do is considered sparring compared to BJJ, but it is a rigorous, anaerobic activity. Most of the time we go up against Uke, we know what's coming, but he/she still presents a committed attack and will remain committed to fighting back, but it's not a "match." The only true sparring we do is "Randori" when we go up against multiple attackers at once. That's the most anaerobic thing you'll ever do in martial arts. They keep coming until sensei claps.