Fascinating thread here on Aikiweb regarding a "discovery" that the aikido community is making and "invisible jiu-jitsu:"

http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20793

At first I was somewhat dismissive of this trend, and remember having a conversation with Tim that was along the lines of these folks simply pulling out the old TMA saw "Oh, oh, we have that too!" trying to make claim to things that are otherwise not in evidence in their practice.

However, I now see this as a good thing. It is a legitimate movement to return back to valid, antagonistic, tested martial training in an art that long ago left it behind.

I am interested in this because the dojo we train at is an aikido school in addition to training Tim's jiujitsu. As well, Tim's approach is informed by the Chinese internal arts - only through a much more regularly challenged and tested training technology in his particular standing/groundfighting mix.

I have seen the effect that training in Tim's stuff has had on some of the aikido folks that train with us - in particular in the self defense classes we teach where more "aiki" oriented things have a tendency to occur when doing some of our drills.

It is fascinating and heartening to see a group of people that formerly would have utterly dismissed something like BJJ based on stylistic prejudice now increasingly turning toward it and perhaps finding a way to develop their antagonistic practice.

Just as Tim has done with some Chinese martial artists!

Don't be afraid, people! Traditional artists, Chinese martial artists, aikido, classical jujutsu......"BJJ will not contaminate your deadliness!" It will make it functional. BJJ - especially Tim's - shares the same principles that you have struggled so long and hard to master, only it does so in a way that is immediately transferable and will have you making it work, against resisting opponents, in a few months rather than twenty years.

Welcome!

Very well put.

And I would like the rights to print T shirts that say:

"BJJ will not contaminate your deadliness! It will make it functional."

For stand up fighting I think stand up wrestlkg makes it functional.

Tim,
I'm in need of your Chinese expertise. Are you familiar with the Yit Gung Ging which is a set of qi gong known as the muscle changing classics?

What is the literal translation of Yit Gung Ging?

I'd like to claim that "won't contaminate your deadliness" but that's from a former Navy SEAL, Sebastian Pritchard, the closest dude to a real life Batman I have ever met.

cmon guys, jiujitsu is two guys hugging on the ground for 5 mins...

Only gay if you look them in the eyes though!

Timothy,

Yi Jin JIng literally translates to "Change (of) Tendons (or less commonly Muscles) Classic."