Interview.

Continued..

Neil Hall: Is there a competition side to Aikido, anywhere to test it?

Shane Riley: Not really, I was used to the competition side of Karate then when you had fight for your grades, but in Aikido perform a defence to an attack, you face an opponent and deal with the attack. In Tomiki Aikido there is competition, it's a cross between Judo and Aikido, I have practised in it but it is not my cup of tea. Ours is more traditional Aikido from Ueshiba Sensei, it is more of the older style, a more martial side of Aikido. Abbe Sensei came to England, he was a great Judo man but he had also done the Aikido with O'Sensei which at the time was very vigorous, and was called Aiki Budo. He used to go round and teach Aikido and Judo, he didn't mind being challenged.

Neil Hall: So is your Aikido practical on the streets today?

Shane Riley: Well I've had a lot of success with it, as some of my students have. Also I have taught door personnel in Leeds and also the North and West Yorkshire Police in control and restraint. They have adopted one or two things that I have put across to them. Their instructor was a Tomiki Aikido man and Tai Jutsu instructor. I just went in and showed them a more cost effective or better way of doing it.

Neil Hall: Would you teach the Police or security industry the same things you would teach a civilian?

Shane Riley: No, obviously it is the requirements for the job that we give them. Doormen, Police etc have to be able to deal with the public without causing big damage, i.e. to use arm locks etc for control and restraint. A big part of fighting is the use of peripheral vision and ma' ai fighting distance, also the ability to adapt. In our style of Aikido we try to do this, some would say we are a rough style of Aikido. If you were in a pub or a club and you had to deal with someone who attacked you from an awkward position for example, you would still have be able to make it work by adapting your ma' ai (correct distance).

Neil Hall: Do you think that most people come to martial arts mainly for self- defence?

Shane Riley: Yes, most people do but self-defence is a part of the whole picture, we teach all the weapons part of Aikido, the sword, staff etc, some people might say that this is not practical at all, but it is all inter-linked with each other part of Aikido. Sometimes people see the four foot staff defences and maybe say that that won't work, but they don't realise until it explained that we use the staff as a training aid to the whole, then it makes sense to them. Also I think in Aikido it might take a little bit longer to become proficient at it than some other styles. You can learn to kick and punch quite quickly, but to get the correct ma' ai (distance) in Aikido takes time.

Neil Hall: If you cannot control the ma' ai (fighting distance), does Aikido fall apart?

Shane Riley: No, because you have to adapt the techniques as I mentioned earlier. Ma' ai can be nose to nose or at kicking distance as long as YOU control it. Aikido is also about 'blending', if you pull me I will let you and create a lot of momentum to use against you. Also in our style we teach defences against non-usual Aikido attacks such as 'upper cuts', 'hooks' and kicks, we are well know in Aikido circles as being practical minded, which is why we get invited to their dojos to see Aikido in a more practical light. Also we get invited to other dojos, Karate, JuJitsu etc. so people can see Aikido being used in a more practical way.

Neil Hall: Wasn't the original idea of O'Sensei to deal with an attacker causing as little damage as possible?

Shane Riley: As he got older, he got more philosophical, as we all do, but when he was a young man he was very vigorous and very practically minded. In Aikido we use a lot of slaps, palm heels and backhands that reduces damage to each other.

Neil Hall: So do you believe that you can subdue someone without hurting them, or do you have to hurt them?

Shane Riley: In a live situation principals sometimes go out of the window although you do have to be in control of yourself. If you aren't in control of yourself how can you be in control of somebody else? You are there to protect yourself. Because of the people within our style who may have varied martial arts and self protection skills, we teach, hopefully, things that are going to work. If someone is going to be an aggressor then they are going to get hurt, it unfortunate, but thats the way it is. It depends how they attack you as to how much the level of response is. Also with the arm locks people think they are for pain compliance but they are also for balance compliance.

Neil Hall: Some people might not feel pain if they are on drugs etc.

Shane Riley: Exactly, so with the locks if you can break someone's balance you might get a chance to escape or to throw them over, or into an obstacle. Also there are two things your body does involuntary, one is your eyes water and the other is, you breathe. If you can stop or restrict the flow of oxygen or blood to the brain you will get a result, even if the attacker is on drugs. Going back to what we have done over the years, the Martial Arts Commission (MAC) wanted self-defence registered coaches and Dave Hemmings and myself were one of the first to get qualified for that due to our varied backgrounds.

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