Hawaii is very influenced by Japanese culture. So after I moved there when I was 12, I started learning aikido.. translated to the way of harmony. It was very different from the karate that I had seen in all the movies. I enjoyed it and stuck with it all through high school and even my first year of collegel. (why did people stare at me as i rollerbladed acrossed campus in my aikido gi??)
Then the movie Above The Law came out and it was badass. I moved onto Brazillian Jiujitsu after watching the early UFCs, but I always like to see aikido and am glad I experienced that.
I was thinking I might get back into aikido after seeing how it has really progressed in the following vid, but after more thought.. I just like to watch it and it was never really something that as exciting as BJJ.. like when practicing it in class. It also never even made me sweat or felt like a workout at all. I just don't get it on a mental or spiritual level (I wish it was like that for me), so its benefits for me are minimal.
anyway, check out this vid of modern aikido..
