> Aikido is extremely effective at protecting against the kinds of attacks that Aikido practitioners practice with
This is true of any martial art, when not on a MMA environment.
> You simply won't react fast enough, their reactions won't match your expectations, and (very importantly) the first solid hit they get on you will leave you in shock because your body is not used to it.
Again, nothing new here. If you are only practicing limited maneuvers, no martial art is of any advantage. True Aikido masters know how to handle the unexpected.
> Seriously, if any of the ideas were at all helpful in real fights, they would be borrowed by other martial arts
They have been, but I agree that they are not an advantage when you want to win a frontal combat. That is why the martial arts mentioned above are considered the "winners".
This is true of any martial art, when not on a MMA environment.
> You simply won't react fast enough, their reactions won't match your expectations, and (very importantly) the first solid hit they get on you will leave you in shock because your body is not used to it.
Again, nothing new here. If you are only practicing limited maneuvers, no martial art is of any advantage. True Aikido masters know how to handle the unexpected.
> Seriously, if any of the ideas were at all helpful in real fights, they would be borrowed by other martial arts
They have been, but I agree that they are not an advantage when you want to win a frontal combat. That is why the martial arts mentioned above are considered the "winners".