Aikido is often praised for its philosophical and spiritual aspects, providing a path towards cultivating peace and harmony. However, when it comes to practical self-defense applications, the art has faced significant criticisms over the years.
In a video that resurfaced online, an Aikido 4th-degree black belt put his skills to the test against a grappler, and the results were far from impressive.
The video depicts Levent Altunbas, a Turk living in Australia, visiting the largest Aikido dojo in Vietnam. Despite his questionable credentials as the purported reviver of the “ancient Turkish submission wrestling art of Teslim Alma Guresh,” Altunbas accepted a challenge from a 4th-degree Aikido black belt to engage in a grappling contest.
What ensued was a comical display of Aikido’s ineffectiveness against a trained grappler, even one of Altunbas’ modest skill level. Despite the Aikido practitioner’s years of training and rank, they were seemingly unable to defend against Altunbas’ grappling techniques, which led to a swift and decisive victory for the latter.
This incident is not an isolated case; throughout Aikido’s century-long history, there have been numerous instances where the art has failed to demonstrate practical self-defense applications against other martial arts, particularly grappling-based styles. Critics argue that Aikido’s lack of live, resistance-based training and emphasis on cooperative drills contribute to this shortcoming.
While Aikido’s proponents may argue that the art’s focus lies in personal development, harmony, and spiritual growth, the fact remains that it claims to impart self-defense abilities, which have been consistently disproven in real-world scenarios.
