I think that many of you make great points, especially Gordon's
distinction between Budo and martial art. I agree that Yoshinkan can
be used effectively in violent encounters, whether on 'the street' or
in the ring, but without testing it how does one know they can use it
for self defence or combat? Again, there is no venue to test out your
aikido unless you happen to do this on your own, and we typically
engage in cooperative practice during class. Would 5'1" female sandan
really be able to execute kata mochi nikkajo if a 6'5" 270 lb.
attacker hell-bent on slamming her into ground atempted to do so, if
she has only ever followed the strict Yoshinkan curricula of kihon
waza and jiyu waza? Without ever testing it on a resisting, fighting,
aggressive opponent, could she, or anyone for that matter, hope to
make it work? It's one thing, I think, to practice it in the dojo,
but, as was stated, it has to be adapted for 'the street'. But other
martial arts, like karate, have venues to make their art more
effective(sparring, competitions).

John, does your dojo generally lean more towards 'applied'
or 'realistic' techniques and attacks? And if so, why?

CBB