Looking to join an Aikido club, what should I expect?

[BlackBeltNow]

The vast majority of martial arts are functional, otherwise they would not exist.

Some arts just happen to be practiced more for health or social reasons. In the good old USA where cash reigns supreme you have really weak instructors trying to make a dollar
and that often gives some arts there bad name.

My former Aikido instructor has been a bouncer for over 10 years.
He has escorted many beligerent people out the door using the art, and
has fought some of them that would not leave. Yes some clubs acutally practice weapon defenses. Freestyle. Imagine that.
I have friends that have used this worthless aikido on the Streets.

If you are really worried about your area carry a gun or knife.
Good hand to hand combat is kind of obsolete in bad neighborhoods.

Random thoughts

That is not true.

Martial arts like these are always theory. Are they also practice? You might think they are b/c most of them seem to be "tried and tested" through warfare, but that unfortunately is illogical b/c wars don't work in favor of the side with the best martial art. In war, people get stabbed, shot, and run over. The war field is NOT a legitamate place to test out martial arts, and this is my argument why martial arts that sucks will not go extinct.

Bhuddist monks learn martial arts for self defense. But people don't even attack them in the first place. TKD aeriel kicks were actually designed to kick Japanese horseman off the horses. Do you think this is helped Korea resist Japan? In china, famous kungfu guys were known to duel on rooftops. But in reality all of these are just myths spread by the local kungfu guys themselves so they can get respect and money.

There are many arguments that explain why martial arts were never really tested at all until only recently (sport competition). This is why useless martial arts exist.

PS Look at blackbelt mag. Lots of white trash have their own "system". IN 50 years from today, they can advertise "this system was invented and practiced for 50 years." As impressive as that sounds, now that I explained all this to you, do you think that even means anything? Most arts go untested even if used during war. Cotnrary to some logic, Martial arts is NOT like natural selection, where the less fit die off and the strongest survive. That's not how it works.

 

[jahred]

That is not true.

Martial arts like these are always theory. Are they also practice? You might think they are b/c most of them seem to be "tried and tested" through warfare, but that unfortunately is illogical b/c wars don't work in favor of the side with the best martial art. In war, people get stabbed, shot, and run over. The war field is NOT a legitamate place to test out martial arts, and this is my argument why martial arts that sucks will not go extinct.

Bhuddist monks learn martial arts for self defense. But people don't even attack them in the first place. TKD aeriel kicks were actually designed to kick Japanese horseman off the horses. Do you think this is helped Korea resist Japan? In china, famous kungfu guys were known to duel on rooftops. But in reality all of these are just myths spread by the local kungfu guys themselves so they can get respect and money.

There are many arguments that explain why martial arts were never really tested at all until only recently (sport competition). This is why useless martial arts exist.

PS Look at blackbelt mag. Lots of white trash have their own "system". IN 50 years from today, they can advertise "this system was invented and practiced for 50 years." As impressive as that sounds, now that I explained all this to you, do you think that even means anything? Most arts go untested even if used during war. Cotnrary to some logic, Martial arts is NOT like natural selection, where the less fit die off and the strongest survive. That's not how it works.

i totally agree.

 

[Bubble Boy]

I am 29 and have no plans to compete but just want to learn some self defense and get a decent workout.
- Jiu Jitsu/Kemp
- tai kwon do
- Aikido
I was able to try-out each of these for free. I really liked the Jiu Jitsu/Kemp gym, but it was $110 a month which was more than I was wanting to pay. The Tai Kwon Do gym was mostly a bunch of younger kids and teenagers. Then, I found a little hole-in-the-wall Aikido dojo that is basically in a large garage with no heat or air (which should make for a better workout) and it is just $45 a month. I have been to two free lessons so far and have really enjoyed it. The classes have been pretty small (9 at the first class and 4 at the second) and are mostly men ranging from 20-40.
Anyway, I am thinking about joining the Aikido gym and was looking to get some feedback from those that have taken Aikido before.

Let's not forget bmassey's original post (I edited it slightly to shorten it).
His options are limited.
BJJ/Kempo is too expensive and too far away.
Tae Kwon Do is basically for kids (we all know this!). Not what he's looking for.
Aikido is nearby, cheap, and he ENJOYS it.
In additon, I think it's been established that Aikido has limited real world applications, but it does have some validity in specific situations. Bmassey himself admits this, and is fine with it...for now.
He also says that he's basically looking for a good workout, and that aikido provides this.

BBNow, and a few others, seem to be arguing that taking Aikido does more harm than good. I kind of agree with this. However, as long as bmassey (or any Aikido practitioner) understands clearly the limitations, he / they should be ok. There's nothing wrong with learning some good wrist locks and elbow cranks as long as the limitations are understood. These limitations have been discussed at length in previous posts.

An interesting note (imo). After 3 years of Aikido I switched to Judo (because I finally found a nearby school). When I stepped on the mat the instructor (Ramone Rivera, Black Belt, Camp Verde, AZ) asked if I new how to take a fall. I said yes, becuse of my Aikido experience. He waved me over and threw me as hard as he could with a Tai Otoshi. I hit hard, but "fell" correctly. I remember laying on the mat looking up at his smiling face as he said, "You'll do just fine." I stepped into a judo class six months ahead because of Aikido.

 

[Herculean]

That is not true.

Martial arts like these are always theory. Are they also practice? You might think they are b/c most of them seem to be "tried and tested" through warfare, but that unfortunately is illogical b/c wars don't work in favor of the side with the best martial art. In war, people get stabbed, shot, and run over. The war field is NOT a legitamate place to test out martial arts, and this is my argument why martial arts that sucks will not go extinct.

Bhuddist monks learn martial arts for self defense. But people don't even attack them in the first place. T

I do not mean to be rude here , but i do agree with comments on exaggerations you made and yes everyone(ok some people) knows about these strange systems that pop up all over and we all(again ok some people) know that restricting yourself to one style or strange art will end up with you being constricted because it is narrow minded ... however , you are wrong in thinking that monks where never attacked , the reason they made the system of self defense was to defend themselves from raiders that pillaged the temples(and most importantly to keep in good health) and if you do not think that bandits existed over 2 thousand years ago , and that these bandits had no quarrels in raiding a peaceful temples then think again i only have to point out the viking invasion which was not that long ago to show you this .

but what I think you meant was that they are no longer attacked well then i could most likely agree here but i don

 

[jjmuaythaiguy]

I have now been to three Aikido classes and here are my thoughts so far:

Positives
- I have been getting a great workout. Classes last two hours and you are up and moving the majority of the two hours. The constant movement combined with the 90+ degee temperature make for a great workout.
- So far there has been very little time spent on the "spiritual" side of Aikido. Class consist of stretching for 10-15 minutes and then practicing different moves for the rest of the two hour class.
- A number of the guys there have been practicing Aikido for 10+ years and they have been very helpful and patient with me, which is good because I have felt pretty lost trying most of the moves.

Negatives
- Very little time has been spent on punching and no time spent on kicks so far. Yet, after hearing the reviews on this site and doing some other research on Aikido this seems pretty on par for Aikido.
- Maybe not a true negative but I can certainly tell that Aikido is a martial art that takes lots of time and practice to excel at. There is a huge difference between the guys that have been doing it for 1-2 years vs. those that have been practicing for 10+ years.


As Evil Eye Gouger said, I think the Aikido dojo is really my best option right now. I would love to join the BJJ/Kemp dojo but $110 a month is a bit more than I am looking to spend, plus you have to sign a one year contract. The Aikido dojo is five minutes from my house, $45 a month and no contract to sign so I can quit at any time. Having a wife, an 18 month son and another child on the way, I just can't justify spending the extra $800 a year on BJJ.

I have always been a fan of martial arts but I have never taken any so I figure that anything I learn from Aikido is a ton more than what I actually knew before.

Thanks again for everyones feedback!

Hell yeah bro.

To each his own. You seem like you are learning something and its better than sitting on the couch. There is a aikido club in Hawaii and my boss, who is a retired police officer, said he took aikido when he was on the police force and is in great shape.

5 minutes from your house, no contracts, sounds fine.

To each his own and so long as you have fun and learning something. Enjoy.

 

[Mirada]

The vast majority of martial arts are functional, otherwise they would not exist.

Completely and totally 100% incorrect.


There was a time when for something to exist it was required to be functional, however the advent of advanced society has changed things drasticly. No longer does something even require a purpose to exist. Consider the miniture dog, it can't take care of itself, it can't find it's own food, defend itself from predators or survive on it's own in any way. It is completely reliant on our society for survival.

Many martial arts are the same way. We live in an age where actual hand to hand fights are incredibly rare (considering our population) and many people will live their whole lives without ever being involved in a physical confrontation. This lack of violence allows many martial arts to continue to prosper untested. Our society protects these "arts" the same way it protects tiny dogs, that's why they call them martial arts.


A friend of mine took Karate for ten years, it was a very serious dojo with an emphasis on realism and simple effective techniques. Of course they never sparred full contact and they had strict rules of engagement, and because they never actually hit each other a lot of their technique was screwy (kicking with the ball of your foot for instance)

Anyway he eventually got himself into a fistfight, where he was immediately taken down and beaten into a bloody pulp. He has since abandoned karate. However, for every one person like my friend, there are 15 more back at his Dojo who still have not been in a fight of their own and who still believe absolutely in the effectiveness of their "art". Odds are good that most of these people will never have to test their skills and will confidently pass them on to the next generation.

 

[Madmick]

I've been teaching Aikido for close to 5 years now, and have been practicing it for 13 years. It's good if you keep the reality in the training. Also, Aikido means "the way of harmony". The only principle of Aikido is that you blend with whatever energy is coming your way. It is not about a certain technique or a wrist lock or anything like that. If you remember to not get sucked into the bullshit tradition and mystical aspect of it, the principle is the best.

Remember (I just really can't say this enough), BLENDING WITH THE ENERGY THAT COMES TOWARD YOU IS THE ONLY TRUE PRINCIPLE OF AIKIDO!!!! Not certain moves or techniques, but blending with energy. When a boxer rolls with the punch to take power away from that punch, that is the principle of Aikido, even though that it's not a "Aikido technique". People will tell you about the founder and all of his KI energy and his spectacle of having 4 people push him at once to no avail; DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN THAT SHIT. Take the principle of Aikido that you will learn by observing your movement through the usual techniques and apply that knowledge of harmony with every movement that you do.

That's my advice. Use it if you wish.

I appreciate this distillation of what's actually useful in Aikido, but there are other arts that incorporate this too, and are also applicable in a martial sense (i.e Jujitsu, Judo, etc.).

Also, to the guy on the first page: Aikijujutsu is much more closely related to Jujutsu than Aikido. The reason that guy was tough was because of his Jujutsu.

 

[Madmick]

Completely and totally 100% incorrect.


There was a time when for something to exist it was required to be functional, however the advent of advanced society has changed things drasticly. No longer does something even require a purpose to exist. Consider the miniture dog, it can't take care of itself, it can't find it's own food, defend itself from predators or survive on it's own in any way. It is completely reliant on our society for survival.

Many martial arts are the same way. We live in an age where actual hand to hand fights are incredibly rare (considering our population) and many people will live their whole lives without ever being involved in a physical confrontation. This lack of violence allows many martial arts to continue to prosper untested. Our society protects these "arts" the same way it protects tiny dogs, that's why they call them martial arts.


A friend of mine took Karate for ten years, it was a very serious dojo with an emphasis on realism and simple effective techniques. Of course they never sparred full contact and they had strict rules of engagement, and because they never actually hit each other a lot of their technique was screwy (kicking with the ball of your foot for instance)

Anyway he eventually got himself into a fistfight, where he was immediately taken down and beaten into a bloody pulp. He has since abandoned karate. However, for every one person like my friend, there are 15 more back at his Dojo who still have not been in a fight of their own and who still believe absolutely in the effectiveness of their "art". Odds are good that most of these people will never have to test their skills and will confidently pass them on to the next generation.

This is beautiful. We should sticky this, somewhere.

 

[Madmick]

BBN, it's not that I'm not listening to you. It's more that the Aikido fits best into my schedule and my budget. The gym is only about a mile from my house, cost just $45 a month and the members are more of my age. If I could find these same features at a reasonable price in another Martial Arts close by then I would certainly consider it. So far though I have not found anything near-by that comes close to these options.

My wife already thinks I am crazy for wanting to start taking martial arts at my age so it took some convincing for her to accept the fact that I will be away from home more often and we now have another bill to pay every month (anyone that is married and has kids probably knows what I am talking about). Therefore, driving 15-20 miles to another gym and/or paying $100+ dollars a month isn't really an option for me at this time.

Hey, this may be stupid, but did you try MyPages.com? I searched it and actually learned there's over four times as many martial arts academies within 100 miles of my house than I would have thought looking at three separate county phone books and their yellow pages.

Give it a spin, you might learn about a place you didn't know of before.

 

[Ude_Garami]

Completely and totally 100% incorrect.


There was a time when for something to exist it was required to be functional, however the advent of advanced society has changed things drasticly. No longer does something even require a purpose to exist. Consider the miniture dog, it can't take care of itself, it can't find it's own food, defend itself from predators or survive on it's own in any way. It is completely reliant on our society for survival.

Many martial arts are the same way. We live in an age where actual hand to hand fights are incredibly rare (considering our population) and many people will live their whole lives without ever being involved in a physical confrontation. This lack of violence allows many martial arts to continue to prosper untested. Our society protects these "arts" the same way it protects tiny dogs, that's why they call them martial arts.


A friend of mine took Karate for ten years, it was a very serious dojo with an emphasis on realism and simple effective techniques. Of course they never sparred full contact and they had strict rules of engagement, and because they never actually hit each other a lot of their technique was screwy (kicking with the ball of your foot for instance)

Anyway he eventually got himself into a fistfight, where he was immediately taken down and beaten into a bloody pulp. He has since abandoned karate. However, for every one person like my friend, there are 15 more back at his Dojo who still have not been in a fight of their own and who still believe absolutely in the effectiveness of their "art". Odds are good that most of these people will never have to test their skills and will confidently pass them on to the next generation.

Just because your friend got beat up when using karate does not mean karate is ineffective. I think it depends on the person. I defended myself against someone who outweighed me by 50lbs with a self defense throw I learned in TKD. We never sparred and I only practiced it for 15 minutes tops.

I remember seeing the same throw in the Gracie BJJ book, it was the defense against a side headlock throw. But before anyone says TKD stole this from BJJ, this way long before anyone in the US had eveb heard of BJJ.

 

[BlackBeltNow]

Just because your friend got beat up when using karate does not mean karate is ineffective. I think it depends on the person. I defended myself against someone who outweighed me by 50lbs with a self defense throw I learned in TKD. We never sparred and I only practiced it for 15 minutes tops.

I remember seeing the same throw in the Gracie BJJ book, it was the defense against a side headlock throw. But before anyone says TKD stole this from BJJ, this way long before anyone in the US had eveb heard of BJJ.

I did TKD, and I along with one bro and one cuzin was teh only one who took it seriously. My two relatives only did it b/c our parents forced them, but me on the other hand loved it and I liked to fight. Well I got my ass kicked during a mug b/c I thought I could fight. (unlike mirada's friend, our gym sparred, which i actively participated in)

It depends more than on the individual. That "it depends on the individual" stuff is never true. That's like saying if you go to a comunity college, and you try REALLY hard there in math, you will know math better than a harvard Honors math major.

PS I wanna repeat: even tho I got beat up, I still had faith in TKD!!! Even when I quit I was considering coming back. As I first did BJJ I was still faithful to TKD. 4 months later I found out that a wrestler I met at a local college worked at fairtex, and he told me about the gym, and I liked what I heard, so I joined. And joining fairtex (which has tons of pro fighters, MMAers) and working with them changed how I viewed martial arts. Only after then I began to doubt many TMAs the way I do now.

My doubt in TMA does not stem from that mugging or BJJ, but from training with fighters.

 

[colinm]

blackbeltnow, i think most people on here understand your point totally and i agree with you. the thing is that bmassey doesnt really have any other options at the moment. however, id like to say that i agree with you 100% that you would be better off NOT knowing lots of tma's. i took a traditional jiu jitsu style for about a year (god i hate to admit that) and i've seen the bullshit. i almost feel sorry for the people still in that school, because if they ever get mugged or get assaulted by some drunk that just wants to pick a fight and use their tjj wrist locks, exotic armbars, or weak strikes they are going to get a serious beating. aikido is for non-violent but resisting opponents, as has already been said ad nauseum.

bmassey, FIND A JUDO CLUB!!!! where do you live, there are judo clubs everywhere and they are cheap cheap cheap. ive heard of people paying $25 bucks a month - lots of judo instructors will start a club as opposed to a dojo, they are part time non-professional martial artists, and they only want the other club members to help cover the rent. look hard man. judo is a better workout, its training methods are more fun, and the shit you learn will actually apply to most self-defense situations

 

[bmassey]

I live in Louisville, KY.

I have searched the yellow pages and the Internet but most of the places around here teach TKD. There are a few BJJ places in Louisville but they are either too far away, too expensive or both. However, FiendishOne posted one place that I have not checked out yet but will do so.

 

[colinm]

damn boss, if you live in louisville im sure there is a cheap judo club around. any judo guys in here have a link to a listing of judo clubs? help this guy out please.

 

[Mirada]

Just because your friend got beat up when using karate does not mean karate is ineffective. I think it depends on the person. I defended myself against someone who outweighed me by 50lbs with a self defense throw I learned in TKD. We never sparred and I only practiced it for 15 minutes tops.

I remember seeing the same throw in the Gracie BJJ book, it was the defense against a side headlock throw. But before anyone says TKD stole this from BJJ, this way long before anyone in the US had eveb heard of BJJ.

Way to completely miss the point chief. I wasn't trying to prove that all karate is ineffective, I was simply illustrating how it is possible for an ineffective martial art to survive in today's society.

In other words, go work on your reading comprehension.

 

[TheHighlander]

It depends more than on the individual. That "it depends on the individual" stuff is never true. That's like saying if you go to a comunity college, and you try REALLY hard there in math, you will know math better than a harvard Honors math major.

Actually, if you apply yourself you are going to know the material that you did as well as a Harvard Honors math major. The difference is primarily the quantity of material covered.
At a community college you are less likely to get into say tensor calculus.

My doubt in TMA does not stem from that mugging or BJJ, but from training with fighters.

Fighting and self-defense are different. Non-sport martial arts are definitely at a disadvantage when both people "agree" to fight, either by being in a sport or by two egos going at it. Sport martial arts have a definite disadvantage when they run into situations outside of their rules (likely the case in your TKD vs mugger). The conditioning and intensity offered by sport martial arts are great advantages.

The only way to win a (non-sport) fight is to not fight. Discipline, confidence and awareness are the three best qualities in avoiding fights. TMA's typically do a good job on working on those three. In all cases, a TMA (no matter how crappy) is better than nothing. Coach-potato fu is the worst.

 

[BlackBeltNow]

Actually, if you apply yourself you are going to know the material that you did as well as a Harvard Honors math major. The difference is primarily the quantity of material covered.
At a community college you are less likely to get into say tensor calculus.

exactly. each martial art is different, and it does matter what TYPES of content you are exposed to, not really how good the contnet is.

Fighting and self-defense are different. Non-sport martial arts are definitely at a disadvantage when both people "agree" to fight, either by being in a sport or by two egos going at it. Sport martial arts have a definite disadvantage when they run into situations outside of their rules (likely the case in your TKD vs mugger). The conditioning and intensity offered by sport martial arts are great advantages.

The only way to win a (non-sport) fight is to not fight. Discipline, confidence and awareness are the three best qualities in avoiding fights. TMA's typically do a good job on working on those three. In all cases, a TMA (no matter how crappy) is better than nothing. Coach-potato fu is the worst.

I disagree. Discipline doesn't do anything to avoid a fight. I can't see how it does. Confidence is the worst thing b/c it puts you at risk of being delussioal and into believing you can win a fight, hence increasing the chances of getting hurt. Awareness, yes I guess. Those three words sound good but are misleading. The best way to not get into a fight is "don't piss off the other guy." You don't need fancy vocabulary or key words.

TMA is not better htan nothing. The reason: False confidence in your own abilities. Coach-potato fu, if includes "giving money if the robber asks you to" is better than many martial arts. Like I siad above, a jogger has better survival chance than an aikidoka b/c he knwos he can't fight whereas the aikidoka THINKS he can.

Remember my key word: "False confidence". This is my #1 reason why TMa is worse than not knowing anything.

 

[Mirada]

Uhhh, wake up dude. It takes discipline to ignore that fucking idiot who spilled beer all over you, stepped on your foot and is calling you a douchebag hoping you'll swing so he can shank you.

And if you've already got an air of confidence the odds are he'll find someone less confident to spill, step on and shank.

 

[Gregster]

That is not true.

Martial arts like these are always theory. Are they also practice? You might think they are b/c most of them seem to be "tried and tested" through warfare, but that unfortunately is illogical b/c wars don't work in favor of the side with the best martial art. In war, people get stabbed, shot, and run over. The war field is NOT a legitamate place to test out martial arts, and this is my argument why martial arts that sucks will not go extinct.

Bhuddist monks learn martial arts for self defense. But people don't even attack them in the first place. TKD aeriel kicks were actually designed to kick Japanese horseman off the horses. Do you think this is helped Korea resist Japan? In china, famous kungfu guys were known to duel on rooftops. But in reality all of these are just myths spread by the local kungfu guys themselves so they can get respect and money.

There are many arguments that explain why martial arts were never really tested at all until only recently (sport competition). This is why useless martial arts exist.

PS Look at blackbelt mag. Lots of white trash have their own "system". IN 50 years from today, they can advertise "this system was invented and practiced for 50 years." As impressive as that sounds, now that I explained all this to you, do you think that even means anything? Most arts go untested even if used during war. Cotnrary to some logic, Martial arts is NOT like natural selection, where the less fit die off and the strongest survive. That's not how it works.

BBN: You're ability to pack so many factual errors and logical fallacies into one post never, ever ceases to amaze or astound. As I only have about 15 minutes and not the 30-40 minutes I'd need to even begin to explain how utterly, colossaly, astoundingly wrong you are (starting with telling a guy who used a pro bouncer trained in Aikido as an example that "It's all theory, no practice" when he's obviously put it into practice repeatedly), I'll not bother for now.

To the thread starter: Aikido is like any art-- it has strengths, it has weaknesses. It's not for everyone. I've seen it work in street encounters, so forget all the people saying its' useless...any mention of TMA gets that response since Sherdog is packed with guys who think anything not geared for pummelling pumped-up pro fighters in octagons is inherently worthless.

Expect to take a pretty good amount of time to be proficient; getting good at Aikido is not a 90-day miracle. The techniques are difficult, require still more difficult training to truly master (you'll start out doing nothing but learning how to hit the floor without hurting yourself so you can take ukeme) and take time to master.

Bear in mind Aikido is extremely passive; most of the time you must be attacked to have leverage to use against an opponent. This is a drawback since pre-emptively striking is pretty much not an option. On the plus side, the idea is to render an opponent helpless with only the necessary amount of force or injury, which will help if the law gets involved.

If you're looking to be Billy Badass: King of the Cage then forget Aikido.

 

[aaron_mag]

I did TKD, and I along with one bro and one cuzin was teh only one who took it seriously. My two relatives only did it b/c our parents forced them, but me on the other hand loved it and I liked to fight. Well I got my ass kicked during a mug b/c I thought I could fight. (unlike mirada's friend, our gym sparred, which i actively participated in)

It depends more than on the individual. That "it depends on the individual" stuff is never true. That's like saying if you go to a comunity college, and you try REALLY hard there in math, you will know math better than a harvard Honors math major.

PS I wanna repeat: even tho I got beat up, I still had faith in TKD!!! Even when I quit I was considering coming back. As I first did BJJ I was still faithful to TKD. 4 months later I found out that a wrestler I met at a local college worked at fairtex, and he told me about the gym, and I liked what I heard, so I joined. And joining fairtex (which has tons of pro fighters, MMAers) and working with them changed how I viewed martial arts. Only after then I began to doubt many TMAs the way I do now.

My doubt in TMA does not stem from that mugging or BJJ, but from training with fighters.

BBNow. We've all got stories. I know a guy who was walking with his daughter out of the mall and two guys attempted to mug them (pulled a knife on him). He kicked the guy in the groin and launched him (his adrenaline was pumping so high he had freakish strength). The guy dropped the knife and his partner ran. After a few moments the original mugger got to his feet and hobbled off (the guy I knew had already picked up the knife). That guy was a middle aged dude with no athletic ability.

I know someone else who was far more athletic and a great tournament fighter. He got sucker punched as he tried to 'diffuse a situation', mounted, and pounded. He had to spend time in the hospital.

I know also know a young woman who was getting physically groped on the Max in Portland (public transportation). She was only 17 at the time and wearing her cheerleader outfit. She asked for other riders to help her, but they wouldn't do anything. When she got off the guy followed her. She dropped him with a spinning sidekick and started running. As she was turning the corner he was still back there, writhing on the ground and clutching his ribs.

And I'm sure I know of other TMA people who have gotten their asses handed to them as well. I've known others who have done fine, but noticed they didn't throw one kick when confronted by the situation. They reacted on pure instict (basically ground and pound).

My point is that nothing makes you safe. There are plenty of instances of training working and training totally failing. It doesn't make the training 'bad'. Situations just aren't always perfect. The guy might outweigh you by 50 pounds and be a powerlifter to boot.