Customer Reviews

Aikido: Tradition and New Tomiki Free Fighting Method

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I did Tomiki Aikido in Sydney Australia for 14 years and this is the best book I have seen on "our" style, which is also known as "Aikido Kyogi" or Sport Aikido. Kenji Tomiki modified the Aikido of Morehei Uyeshiba, "O-sensei", so it could be played as a sport in Waseda University in Japan. Skilled students test their mettle by fighting with rubber daggers (tanto). It is extremely hard to defend against an opponent who not only resists fiercely but who knows every trick you have learned! Traditional Aikido practicioners are wary about competition because there is a danger it will give young students an inflated ego, but with good instruction this is rarely an issue. What I liked about this book was its clear, easy to understand grading system. I learned under one Tomiki grading system (based mainly on the blue book by Dr Lee Ah Loi) and later had to change to another. I longed for a system such as this when I instructing. I ran a small club in North Ryde, Sydney, for a number of years, but I am no longer active. The "Dynamic Sphere" is the best book I have ever seen on Aikido. This is the best book I have seen on Tomiki Aikido. -- David Harvey, Sydney, Australia.

I have studied many styles of aikido,but this is the best book I have seen on tomiki aikido. I have learned lots of techniques to add to my training. I enjoyed reading about the history of tomiki aikido. The book was easy to follow and I loved doing the tandoku-renshu.

I used this book when I was training in Tomiki Aikido. It was a great help in learning the basics and I enjoyed reading about the history of Tomiki Aikido. In my opinion the descriptions and photos are good enough to learn from providing you are taking instruction in Tomiki or any other type of Aikido.

The reason I think it's great for all Aikidoka is because all Aikidoka should be familiar with the so-called different styles within Aikido. The meaning of the word Aikido is 'The Way of Harmony' and if this is to be true then all Aikidoka need to respect each other and their so-called styles.

This really is a good book and well worth reading. It's a great study aid in conjuction with the blue book by Lee a Loi, The Dynamic Sphere and of course professional instruction in the art of Aikido.

'Dream in light years, challenge miles, walk step by step'. Living Aikido.

Having seen other books on the subject of Aikido, I can definitely say that this one gives credence to Aikido in general and to the Tomiki-style as well. Compared to "Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere" it ranks better than that book in explaining certain fundamental issues such as Tsugi/Ayumi-Ashi (footwork) and helpful falling exercises clearly. Also, the documentaion of effective/non-injurous Atemi-waza in addition to standard Aikido is something not covered in the Dynamic Sphere. Although, I would have to say the organization and total content of Dynamic Sphere was greater...

Aikido:Tradition and Tomiki New free fighting method is an excellent book and I'd recommend it as a necessary supplement...

One thing I noticed while reading this text was that the techniques were simple, common-sense, and didn't seem to need an in-depth understanding of "ki" to work. Tomiki aikido was apparently influenced by the randori (free practice) of judo, and as such it appears that anything needlessly complex was thrown out. The techniques in this book can be used, in conjunction with the "blending" principle key to aikido, to push, pull, or twist an opponent off ballance. I have to say that I was immediately able to grasp the practical nature of the techniques, and incorperate them into live-sparring excercises, mostly grappling. There are techniques for locking, throwing, off-ballancing, counterattacks, kneeling, knife defense, defense vs. strikes, and solo drills. The footwork diagrams were clearly presented. I'd say the addition of counterattacks for the basic techniques was a nice bonus, as was the inclusion of the belt-grading syllibus. On the down side, the photos were pretty bad and some of the explainations were a little brief for my taste. In the end, most of the techniques are fairly common-sense, and can easily be applied within the context of aikido, though making them work against a trained fighter might prove difficult. I'd make this a nice supplementary text for most martial artists, and perhaps a study guide for aikido-ka, especially those studying Tomiki.

It's difficult for anyone to learn Aikido from a book or DVD. However, this is a great book for demonstrating the Kihon (or Randori) No Kata, the first 17 techniques and the counters to the 17 techniques, the Ura Waza No Kata. I am taking a class in Tomiki Aikido. I'm not quite a year into the class and as I progress it seems this book's value is increasing. That is surprising to me and so I'd put this book alongside the popular title "Aikido: The Dynamic Sphere" favorably as it relates to understanding the empty hand aspects of Tomiki training. If your Tomiki Aikido school teaches weapons, there's little of that in this book, just some tanto disarms. But, again, for the price, this book is a treasure.

The material presented in this book is good and pretty extensive. It starts with the fundamental exersices, and then explains numerous applications and techniques. However, the photos are not clear at all. They are b/w, small, and with no arrows to show the directions of the movements. I believe that this book needs to be re-published with higher quality of illustration.

The material presented in this book is not bad at all, however the photos make it almost impossible to benifit from it. They are small, unclear, b/w, and with no arrows showing the directions of the moves. I believe that this book needs to be re-edited, then published again.

The material presented in this book is not bad at all, however the photos make it almost impossible to benifit from it. They are small, unclear, b/w, and with no arrows showing the directions of the moves. I believe that this book needs to be re-edited, then published again.