It is often said that Aikido sounds great in practice, but upon impact, doesn’t work. The idea that you can use someone’s strength against them and quickly disarm them with beautiful looking choreographed movements seems wonderful. When Aikido practioners entered MMA in its early days, they lost and they lost very badly. It was clear that Aikido had more in common with choreography than fighting.
However, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu applies the same type of objective to fighting, but the vital difference when compared to Aikido is what SBG Founder Matt Thornton calls Aliveness. Watch any Aikido demonstration and the opponents are complying with the Sensei. In Jiu Jitsu by contrast, there is sparring where even the coach is resisted by his students. Poor techniques are quickly eliminated and what is found to work best under pressure is kept. Technique in Jiu Jitsu constantly evolves and students develop their own style usually based on their personality and physicality.
You will also find many BJJ clubs are full-time academies with highly dedicated coaches and students, with many of the former being employed full-time in coaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in full-time dedicated facilities. By contrast, most Aikido schools rent a room a couple of days per week. Our own club also includes the opportunity to study Muay Thai Kickboxing for those who want to study striking as well.
