Practicing both karate and aikido: experiences

Drake · White Belt

Hey everybody

For over half a year I took up aikido next to my weekly karate training (Shotokan) in which I have a 2nd Dan degree. I pick up aikido rather quickly as I do with most stuff I do. What I find challenging is that karate utilizes firm techniques, stopping, maintaining balances and anticipating the opponents reaction. In aikido the movements are more fluid, do not stop, balance works different and an opponents reaction ability is generally disregarded.

I came to question myself: is it wise or even possible to train these two arts simultaneously? Constantly it demands a great sense of consciousness which is fine but I fear the two different styles interfere as where I hoped they would complement each other.

Perhaps people with experience in this can advice

Thanks a lot!
Drake

mushybees · Orange Belt

I train in wado ryu which is a softer style than shotokan based on jujitsu principles. Aikido and wado have a lot of commonalities so cross training would be beneficial for me.
I've never trained in shotokan but my understanding is that it's harder with the mindset of standing one's ground in the face of an attacker. I can see where a stubbornness or rigidity can be detrimental to aikido but I would think an additional approach to your shotokan would be desirable. You know your art, you're just supplementing
Imo, if you're 2nd dan, you should be exploring your art at this stage and making it your own. Within certain parameters of course
I'm a long way off 2nd dan but if my art was prototypical wado ryu at that point I'll be dissapointed with myself.

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Yin and Yang, if you by into the idea behind that philosophy, is everywhere. Hard and soft, light and dark, etc. It sounds like you are experiencing similar in training these two styles.

My advice would be to continue to train both for as long as you can. Will it be a challenge? Certainly. But we don't do these things because they are easy. Will you have to focus more each class on what you are doing? Probably, for some time, until you get used to doing it. But what will happen is that as you spend more and more time training in each, you will see how they start to come together in what you do. You will learn how to do strong, rigid punching and striking along with melding and blending and absorbing attacks using Aiki defenses. And it will be beautiful. It just takes time.

Here's another, less intrinsic reason to continue training in both: you may not get the chance to later on down the line. Life happens, and where once one had an abundance of training time available to oneself, one then finds that his time is taken up by other responsibilities; work, family, school, etc. So, take this opportunity to be selfish and do this for yourself.
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Kusotare · Purple Belt

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Thanks, Kusotare!

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Drake · White Belt

Thanks for the replies and advice guys!

It helped already

mushybees · Orange Belt

I just happened upon this youtube video today.
https://youtu.be/Ow1AnbFLLD0

Nice, relaxed shotokan karate.

Alan Armstrong · Black Belt

Shotokan and Aikido are as complimentary as you make them to be.

Both are Japanese of origin, enjoy and appreciate the similarities and differences.

The knee walking and the Aikido shoulder first type rolling are martial art treasures.

Learning the effectiveness of Akido's soft flowing off line techniques (with the opponent) combined with the hard direct line of Shotokan (against the opponent) are both valid ways of dealing with a situation; depending how severe your intent is, against your adversaries.

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