Aikido master Gozo Shioda demonstration.

I love the segment that runs from 1:14 to 1:36. He never lets his opponent regain his balance and always works to upset the man’s balance. Thus the ease with which he can keep the man on the mat.

His style of Aikido is still Aikido, but it’s much more rough and harsh. You see more strikes and slams (I even saw a foot stomp), not just gentle redirects. This stands to reason, since Shioda started training with Ueshiba in his early days when it was more aiki-jūjutsu than the more spiritual art that Aikido evolved into later in O Sensei’s life.. I like it. 🙂

part 2:

Watching this gives you a different take on Aikido. Many consider Aikido an art that strives to not hurt your opponent (it’s gentle). I’d say it’s more about not harming your opponent. There’s certainly a lot of hurt and pain being felt by uke in these videos. 🙂