wow, I used to HATE TOM GREEN and that DUMB ASS obnoxious show of his on MTV. But, I gotta give the man props he can do some really great freestyle rapping for sure. upvote !

I understand what you're saying, TS. I understand that it's a demonstration, which is the reason for the compliance. I also know that the ukemi is taken in such motions as to prevent injury to uke from the lock. Still, that's not my main gripe.

I do believe in the possible effectiveness of many of aikido's techniques and concepts. I have learned a decent amount of aikido, sparred against a number of aikidoka, and discussed aikido theory 'til my ears bled, but my real issue is the manner in which aikido is trained. Without real resistance or hard sparring, how can one learn to apply such techniques effectively in a combat or self-defense situation?

If one were to argue that aikido is meant as a philosophy/religion/way of life, and that sparring is contrary to this meaning of aikido, then that's fine, but that means that that version of aikido will continue to be non-functional in a combat/self-defense sense. Otherwise, aikidoka need to spar and train against lots of resistance for aikido to begin to approach any sort of functional use in a true fighting sense.

One example of this is the kote mawashi. (In English this is the inward wrist-turn lock, and anatomically is a pronating lock.) Applied in a compliant setting, it is really nice, and results in a very painful lock that is nearly impossible to escape once a secure grip is established and the rotation is begun. In a sparring setting standing up, it is a bitch to get the proper hold and lock it in, due to its nature as a fine-motor movement (which is known to be difficult because of the loss of such small control due to the effects of adrenaline, as opposed to gross-motor movement, which is relatively amplified), and wrist control in that particular direction and manner almost never occurs when an opponent is punching or pushing with real intent. In addition, with somebody resisting full force, kote mawashi is countered by a number of simple and natural reactions, including sidestepping before the attacker can line up side by side with his opponent, clearing the attacker's grabbing hand with one's own free hand, stepping straight in for an over-under clinch to perform a leg reap a la judo o-soto-gari or ko-soto-gake, re-grabbing the attacker's grabbing hand and arm-dragging a la freestyle wrestling, punching the attacker in the face with the free hand, ripping one's arm free, or any combination of the above. Hell, you could probably use something straight from aikido like kote gaeshi to counter kote mawashi. I'm not saying mawashi will never work, I'm just saying, somebody attempting kote mawashi must be aware of these counters, and be ready to provide a counter-attack should that fail.

Of course, it's easy for somebody to look at what my breakdown of kote mawashi and say, "Oh, well, in that situation, if my opponent resisted my a with b, I would just counter his b with my c," and we can continue on down the road of hypothetical rock-paper-scissors 'til kingdom come. But my point is, I've countered a kote mawashi when somebody has tried to use it against me in a live setting. Hell, I've used mawashi as a gimmick submission hold when grappling on the ground. I'll often attack with it from guard, especially after going for a juji-gatame (straight armbar), when my opponent will counter by turning his elbow sideways so I can't lock in the hold, and I'll grab the wrist, lock in a secure grip, and begin switching my hips as if going for an omoplata to apply pressure. I've found that using this wristlock, as with most wristlocks, is easier on the ground because I have more control over my opponent with my legs wrapped around his body or trapping his arm at the elbow to isolate the limb, controlling his movement, than if we were standing or clinched up, and because I have more time to secure the hold on the wrist than when an opponent can step out or pull his arm out, and because I can use the full rotation of my body immediately to apply the lock. I know this particular setup and attack works (skip 'til the end, the sub flow begins around 30 seconds from the end), just like I know I can counter a standing attack of mawashi reasonably well, because I've pulled it off while fighting with a fully-resisting opponent. And of course aikido has many more counters and re-counters to mawashi than I know. But if one has not actually played this situation out against a fully resisting opponent, how does one know one can do it, and how can one have developed the proper muscle memory and/or reaction without having gone through the real, resistance-included motions? The techniques are all there in aikido, but I feel that many aikidoka are missing out on the point that learning the techniques and combinations isn't everything, they need to learn how to actually apply them.

I like Yoshinkan and Tomiki aikido and similiar substyles of "hard" aikido that practice sparring regularly and have even begun attempting to implement sparring in tournaments, even though I believe their attempts are somewhat misguided. I also respect aikidoka who do not spar but also acknowledge that they are not practicing for self-defense or practical application, but rather for the cultural and spiritual development - I don't understand it, but I respect it. I only take issue with aikidoka (as well any other martial artists) who claim to have effective self-defence and/or combat skills, yet have never pulled a single move off against anybody other than a person whose designation begins with the letter "u" and rhymes with "boo-kay". In those cases, I'll take my judo along with a heaping of resistance, thank ya kindly, and leave the magic pants for others.

You can check out the backstory on my sift here. Speaking of which, I would appreciate a save on that one...

I love the campiness of dnb videos. this one is quite funny and includes Pendulum at the end (coming out of store). This track actually made it into the UK Singles chart it was so popular!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendulum_%28drum_and_bass_group%29

Pendulum is a drum and bass/breaks group from Perth, Australia. In 2003, the group relocated to the United Kingdom. They have no affiliation with the late 1990s Melbourne based electronic group of the same name who released the album 3 Knocks.

The group is comprised of Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen and Paul Harding. In 2005 they released their debut album, Hold Your Colour. Critically, the album was well-received in both the United Kingdom and Australia. In addition, it was one of the biggest selling Drum and bass releases of all time. Pendulum have also collaborated with The Freestylers, releasing the single Fasten Your Seatbelt. MC Spyda and Tenor Fly also feature as vocalists on Tarantula. They are currently signed to the Breakbeat Kaos Records label.

The Pendulum sound is typically heavy beats accompanied by low, buzzing basslines, overlaid with epic synthesized leads. They've produced various remixes of other artists, the most well-known being their remix of "Voodoo People" by The Prodigy.

"Slam" is still their biggest hit to date, peaking at #34 in the UK Singles Chart after receiving substantial airplay from BBC Radio 1.




*Stares at Farhad*

Flash played illegal parties and also worked with rappers such as Kurtis Blow and Lovebug Starski. He formed his own group in the late 1970s, after promptings from Ray Chandler. The initial members were Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover) and Kid(d) Creole (Nathaniel Glover) making Grandmaster Flash & the 3 MCs. Two other rappers briefly joined, but they were replaced more permanently by Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams, previously in the Funky Four) and Scorpio (Eddie Morris, also used the name Mr. Ness) to create Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. Soon gaining recognition for their skillful raps, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five pioneered MCing, freestyle battles, and invented some of the staple phrases in MCing. They performed at Disco Fever in the Bronx beginning in 1978.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Message_%28song%29

'These positively buoyant vessels use their forward momentum and the downward lift of their wings to literally fly below the water's surface. This radical departure from the typical method of sinking below the surface allows the Dolphins to achieve an unparrallelled level of freestyle performance'

I've always wanted to be a dolphin for a day.

it looks like a genuine dance competition show with rankings and all that. Amusing that they made it to no.1 in the freestyle category. aha. Good gimmick i guess. Although I think they could do just as well as a 'normal' dance group.

Freestyle moustache movement score = 7.8

I've grown up watching skate videos, I remember seeing the video where other skaters breaks mullens freestyle board and gives him a street board. Rodney Mullen used to be a freestyle only skater, the kind of skater that skates on flat ground, no obstacles and just do tricks, they use tiny boards that are easier to flip.. (I believe the background for choosing freestyle was his parents didnt want him to get hurt riding on ramps or stairs)

He used to be THE best freestyler, then he bought over nearly all those tricks to street.. technically, he is just in a league of his own. I believe he invented things like the darkslide, where you grind with the board upside down, and lots of other tricks