Aikido day November 27, 2021
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December 15, 2021 -
Ferenc Németh -
26 December 2025.
Since I prepared a surprise with an aikido instructor, I agreed with him on what he wanted to show. He was also surprised by this opportunity. I received an answer from Csaba Molnár (Aikikai 5.dan) that he wanted to show basic things that simplify our lives in the case of certain techniques, useful "tricks". To keep the whole day's program together, I compiled a summary of the important points of aikido practice based on similar ideas.
Posture
- Let the gaze on both the tori and the uke be toward the other, let us not look down.
- The connection begins when the gazes meet.
- In the gaze, the intention is reflected, if any :-)
Attack
- In the case of catch/grab attacks, it is often a problem that the catch can pull the attacker who does not attack otherwise.
- This is not the case with shomen uchi.
- The attack must reach the tori, otherwise we will practice differently than the original target.
- This should be constantly monitored.
- When the uke touches the tori is the beginning of the attack and not the end!
Detour from the direction of the attack
- It is necessary that we do not collide.
- Exit the line of attack (not a big step, natural).
- Irimi, which may not mean moving forward, is determined by the intensity of the attack; it can be sideways or backwards.
Establishing the connection (extension)
- Why the catch? The catch may occur because the hand is approaching the uke with a punch-like motion to which it must respond.
- Setting the location of the catch: If you are in a normal (starting) position when attacking and your hands are up before the attacker gets there, the hand can be easily swept and the attack can reach its target. If our hand is between us at the same time as the attacker strikes, the attacker does not foresee this, it confuses him, forcing him to react. Tori's hand doesn't rise aimlessly into the attack, he has a real intention towards the uke.
Setting up distance
- The hands rise.
- Steps.
- Atemi - steering in the right direction. From an aikido perspective, the atemi is not a knock out-like movement that meets the attacker frontally, as aikido uses the other's movement. The knock out is effective but stops the attacker.
- Using the atemi, both parties learn. The tori learns to quickly calculate the distance, as his job is to touch the uke. The uke learns to react to the atemi, if necessary he puts his hand up and pulls his head away.
Changing the direction of the attacker
- It’s not just the tori that needs to get out.
- The direction of the attacker must also be changed.
- The two together give the total correct distance between the two parties.
- The diversion is not violent, it does not stop the attacker, it changes its direction.
Hand movement
- The contacting hand never moves vertically or horizontally, but obliquely from bottom to top or from top to bottom. As the body rotates, it is like a wave.
Initial distance
- Steps, circle movement.
- It is initial because it plays an important role at the beginning of the process, giving us time to process the attack.
- After the uke loses its balance, the distance may decrease.
Second detour from the direction of the attack
- This is required for most techniques.
- After the dodge, the uke searches for his target again and turns to the tori. If there is no second detour, a frontal encounter occurs, therefore, the technique will not take the attacker to the point of irimi, but in a weaker “blurred” direction.
Loss of balance (distance reduction)
- Keeping the uke moving.
- Letting go of the uke, I won't work against it.
- The moment of grasping: if it is too early, I hold myself back.
Technique
- It's good if uke doesn't even know what's going on :-)
Precise finishing (fixing)
- It may come in handy on the exam.
Practice, practice, practice
- So that the movements are not difficult to evoke, a lot of repetition to build into our muscles.