The cult of the one true aikido
Why every group thinks they're special, how the "secret transmission" mythology is poisoning aikido communities and what we can do about it
A brutal Facebook debate recently exposed something ugly we all recognize but rarely discuss: the "we have the real aikido" syndrome that's poisoning the art from within.
Rob Liberti called out Iwama-style practitioners for claiming superior knowledge while lacking demonstrable skills. His question cut straight to the bone: "If your method is so superior, where are all the skilled practitioners it should produce? Is there even one?"
The response? Predictable tribal warfare. Iwama defenders. Aikikai critics. Internal power advocates. Everyone claiming their lineage holds the secret while others are deluded.
But here's what nobody wants to admit: we're all doing the same thing.
Every group thinks they're special. Every lineage has its "secret transmission" story. And while we're busy defending our version of the truth, the art is dying around us. Time to ask some uncomfortable questions about what we're really protecting - and whether it's worth saving.
The delusion exposed
The debate revealed the inconvenient truth: every aikido group has the same delusion.
Iwama:
"We trained longest with O-Sensei during the war years when it was just him and Saito Sensei."
Yoshinkan:
"We preserved the pure pre-war techniques before O-Sensei went soft."
Aikikai:
"We're the official headquarters - the direct family lineage."
Tomiki:
"We added realistic pressure testing that others lack."
Everyone else:
"Those mainstream groups lost the real essence that only we maintain."
The pattern is always identical:
Our teacher got the secret transmission.
Everyone else is doing watered-down imitation.
It's like wine enthusiasts who trace every bottle back to the same famous vineyard, as if proximity to greatness automatically transfers quality. Except we're all making the same claim about the same founder.
Meanwhile, as Steven Bender noted in the thread, most practitioners never develop beyond basic structural techniques. The promised "ki tai" level - where movement becomes effortless and guided by internal awareness rather than muscle - remains theoretical. The internal skills stay mythical.
Here I disagree. Internal development is established science in sport psychology—it's called 'flow state,' and this quality can be systematically developed through structured practice. Here's how to apply it in aikido training.
The real problem isn't that internal skills are impossible - it's that we're too busy defending territorial claims to actually develop them.
The institutional protection racket
Organizations don't preserve technique - they preserve territory.
Look at the documented history. When Tomiki introduced competitive aikido to university students, the Aikikai didn't engage with his methods or test their effectiveness. They simply excluded him. Announced over loudspeakers that "this isn't what aikido is."
Why? Because competitive aikido was attracting younger practitioners faster than traditional training. Membership numbers matter more than skill development.
The Kisshomaru quote about "friendship through aikido" that sparked this whole debate is a marketing copy. The same man who preached unity spent decades systematically excluding anyone who trained differently.
Every aikido organization operates the same way:
Create mythology to justify existence
Exclude competitors to protect market share
Maintain certification monopolies
Punish innovation that threatens control
When your business model depends on being the "authentic" source, you can't afford to let other approaches succeed. Better to discredit them as "not real aikido" than compete on results.
This isn't about preserving O-Sensei's legacy. It's about protecting institutional power fifty years after his death.
The skills gap nobody talks about
Going back to the debate, here's the question that makes everyone uncomfortable: Where are all the masters?
If these "superior" methods actually worked, we should see consistent results. Instead, we get excuses and exceptions. But they're exceptions, not products of any particular system. Meanwhile, the "one true way" advocates remain stuck in basic structural techniques while claiming advanced knowledge.
But here's my real question: How does any of this matter?
Even if someone finally develops internal skills to move all MMA/BJJ fighters at once - and then what? How does it help anyone? Aikido could be so much more than a contest over who can knock people down most efficiently.
The toxicity cycle
And that's where the real damage happens. Superiority claims create defensive communities. Criticism becomes heresy. Questions become attacks. Energy goes to defending the system, not improving it.
New students inherit the tribal mentality before they learn basic techniques. They're taught to dismiss other approaches before understanding their own. The community becomes about being right, not getting better.
Meanwhile, practitioners who ask honest questions get labeled outsiders. Those who cross-train get viewed with suspicion. Anyone suggesting evolution gets accused of corrupting the tradition.
We've created isolated echo chambers where delusion reinforces itself. Where loyalty matters more than competence. Where protecting the myth becomes more important than developing the person.
The art isn't dying from external criticism. It's suffocating from internal toxicity.
The solution space. So what actually works?
Not extensive technical debates about correct form. Not historical research into who learned what from whom. Not calls for "unity" that ignore the root causes.
Here's what might actually shift things:
Stop asking "Is this real aikido?" Start asking "Does this solve real problems?"
When aikido principles help executives navigate difficult conversations, nobody cares which lineage taught them. When conflict resolution techniques actually defuse workplace tension, the historical purity becomes irrelevant.
Move from martial art to methodology.
Instead of defending aikido against MMA comparisons, apply it where it actually has value:
Leadership presence and authentic authority
Positioning in conflicts without escalation
Stress management through embodied awareness
Team dynamics based on natural flow and timing
Measure results, not credentials.
Can your students handle pressure better after training? Do they communicate more effectively? Are they less reactive in difficult situations? These questions cut through tribal mythology.
Create space for honest conversation.
The tribal boundaries only matter inside institutional walls. Independent platforms, cross-training opportunities, and result-focused communities dissolve the artificial divisions.
When aikido becomes about helping people solve real challenges, the "one true way" arguments lose their power. You can't fake results when someone's actual life improves.
The art survives by being useful, not by being pure.
This is why I started Aikicraft - an independent publication free from institutional politics and tribal loyalties. A space where we can have honest conversations about what works, what doesn't, and what aikido could become if we focused on helping people instead of protecting traditions.
No lineage gatekeeping. No purity tests. Just practical exploration of how timeless wisdom can solve present-day challenges.
And if you want to be part of the solution - sharing insights, asking better questions, building something worth saving - write to us at hello@aikicraft.org.
The art needs voices willing to move beyond "my teacher said" toward "this actually helps people." Be one of them.