# Aikidou Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 28, 2000, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986 "2000-11-28T05:00:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Locke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9a140/32.png) [@Locke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locke)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/1 "2000-11-28T05:00:22Z")
I just started Aikidou, and was wondering with all the wrist techniques (Ikkyo, Nikkyo, Kurigashi, and the like), if there was any chance of permenant injury to the wrists or hands. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/2 "2000-11-28T05:09:07Z")
In any sport, when you do stuff wrong there’s the potential for injury. Stretch well and strengthen as necessary. _counting the seconds until this gets moved to GQ_ ---
**Author:** ![fnord1966](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ad7895/32.png) [@fnord1966](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fnord1966)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/3 "2000-11-28T06:13:41Z")
Just remember, if it starts to hurt, TAP OUT!! nobodys gonna call you a puss just because you tap out. Its there to keep you from getting permanently injured. Wrist locks arm bars and other joint locks do not work on me. My arms are rather double jointed. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/4 "2000-11-28T06:36:32Z")
True… remember to tap out, and be careful. Stretching might seem like a waste of time, but trust me, it’s worth every moment later on… If you’re school is a good one, and your instructors know what they’re doing, there’s little chance of you getting paired up with someone who will over-power you. Take it easy, and TAP OUT!! No loss of face, that’s one of the reasons it’s taught… ---
**Author:** ![Locke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9a140/32.png) [@Locke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locke)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/5 "2000-11-28T22:17:31Z")
I understand about stretching, and have fairly flexible wrists already. My question is, with normal practice(including application of tension to the wrist), would there be any chance of injury in the long-term, due to years of having one’s wrists twisted against their natural direction. ---
**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/6 "2000-11-28T22:32:55Z")
I think that Aikido will be a bit more sophisticated than that. After all, how old is it as a martial art? You’re not moving your wrists in any unnatural way, you’re just moving them in a way you haven’t moved them before. Eventually you’ll get used to it, and you’ll strengthen up for it. Then you’ll be able to block anything you want. Remember, though, it’ll take time before it stops being uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Silly\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Silly\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silly_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/7 "2000-11-28T23:12:55Z")
Steven Seagal practices it and Aikidou is what he uses in his films. It’s about 150 yrs old, if I recall correctly? Tapping out is a good idea, however, I have found that even when you do, you will get sore anyways. They should be teaching you techniques to strengthen the muscles to limit injuries. Have fun!! …SR ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/8 "2000-11-29T00:05:49Z")
Aikido’s not very old, relative to most martial arts. Its creator, Morihei Ueshiba, lived in the era of film, so it’s a 20th-century art. For what it’s worth, I studied [seidokan aikido](http://www.seidokan.org) for a while, and my wrists were never damaged, they just got, er, “looser”. After a few months, my wrists were a lot more flexible, and I didn’t feel much pain. I practiced once in 1991 with Rod Kobayashi, a sixth-degree black belt and developer of the seidokan variant of aikido, and his hands just _hung_ off his arms. A lot of power in those hands, though, and no signs of injury or tightness in the 60+ year old man, so I’ll wager you have nothing to worry about. The only injury I ever got from doing aikido was a shoulder problem. Ground up some cartilage when I rolled incorrectly and planted my well over 200 pound frame right on the joint. Don’t do that. hehe ---
**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/9 "2000-11-29T01:49:43Z")
“Not very old”? Max, it’s an infant! Aikido sounds interesting? How well do you think it would mesh with karate? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/10 "2000-11-29T01:58:13Z")
Extremely well, Surgo. Aikido teaches you a number of great combat lessons, such as how to redirect an attacker’s energy and momentum, how to grab and hold, how to throw with very little effort, how to balance and hold your center, and how to direct your own ki. Combine that with a kicking and punching art, and you’d be pretty deadly. Segal’s moves are just aikido done really, really hard; believe me, aikido can hurt, if you want it to. Of course, the biggest benefit I got from aikido was the fundamental principle of conflict avoidance: it’s not worthwhile to lead the kind of life that tends to get one in fights. Aikido mellowed me out a lot during a time when I was mighty angry toward the world. That’s a lesson more people should learn, methinks… ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/11 "2000-11-29T02:21:28Z")
Aikido combined with Kung Fu (Gung Fu?), Tae Kwon Do and a few others, IIRC, is what inspired Jeet Kune Do. Watch “Dragon”, “Enter the Dragon”, or “Return of the Dragon” and you’ll get a sense for it. And it can be a really good way of getting rid of stress. Two words: shoulder roll. Stuff’s therapeutic. ---
**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/12 "2000-11-29T04:20:41Z")
Actually, I’ve seen Enter the Dragon. I want to be Bruce Lee. To that end I’m going to be very, very toned, rather than big (less effort, right?) Hmm, stellar throws and defense combined with strong kicks and punches… ---
**Author:** ![Locke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9a140/32.png) [@Locke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locke)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aikidou-question/42986/13 "2000-11-29T04:33:13Z")
iampunha, personally I might balk a bit with combining Tae Kwon Do and Aikido, because all the kicks and arial maneuvers take you off center quite a bit, which is bad for Aikido. Gong Fu, however is almost ideal for combination with Aikido, because of its focus on centering. Ninjutsu would also be a good choice, because it utilizes movement in a similiar method as Aikido. Also, to clear up the issue of Aikido’s age, the founder Morihei Ueshiba started his work in Aikido in the early 1920s, and died in 1969. In term’s of Aikido’s effectiveness, I think Max understated it a bit. Aikido doesn’t just hurt if you want it to: advanced Aikido can actually kill with all the different pressure points, and even beginners techniques can be lethal if the opponent is throwing their entire weight at you.