Aikido Techniques - Mysterious Defensive Martial Art From Japan

 Aikido techniques use evasive movements and throws to avoid your attacker's onslaught and unbalance him. Further Aikido techniques include a variety of throws to take him to the ground, where joint locks and pressure points are used to hold and subdue him.

The techniques used in Aiki-do are part of a defensive martial art which does not need kicks or punches to deal with an opponent.

These Ju Jitsu type grappling skills were highly prized by the ancient samurai because they enabled an enemy to be captured alive.

And today these Aikido techniques are highly regarded by many police departments, both in Japan and overseas, because Aikido techniques can subdue a violent person while minimising any injuries to the prisoner.

That doesn't mean that Aikido techniques cannot injure people. They surely can. But an expert can use Aikido techniques to subdue without injury. And usually will choose minimum violence. But, believe me, breaking an attacker's wrist or arm is extremely easy.

Arresting a violent person may look good in the movies, but it is quite difficult to do in real life, and it is especially hard if you are trying not to hurt your attacker.

Every street-fighter knows it's a lot easier to pick up a gun or a baseball bat and stop the guy who's running at you... but that's *unskilled* brute force. It is also combating violence with more violence, and that is something Aikido's founder, Morihei Uyeshiba ("O-Sensei"), preached against doing. In his later years, he saw violence as a form of temporary insanity.

Aikido techniques are mostly defensive, and they certainly can be... But Aikido throws can be quite devastating to someone who does not know how to breakfall.

These Aikido techniques came mainly from Daito Ryu system of samurai Ju Jitsu. Those ancient warriors used weapons like swords and spears during combat, but learned their grappling techniques as their "ace in the hole" for desperate situations, such as being unarmed in the middle of a raging battle.

Come the 20th Century, those Budo techniques were mastered and then refined by Morihei Uyeshiba, who first coined the name Ai Ki Do, which loosely translates as "Way of Spiritual Harmony".

They became Aikido techniques, designed to subdue but no longer to cripple or kill.

One of Master Uyeshiba's first pupils, was Kenji Tomiki, who was also a protegee of Count Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo. Tomiki Sensei understood the benefits of teaching in a structured manner, like Judo, and he developed a new system of teaching and modified his Aikido so it could be safely played as a sport by university students.

This adaptation, which was the only way Professor Tomiki could persuade his university employers to allow an Aikido Club there, horrified the other Aikido schools because founder Morihei Uyeshiba had always said he forbade any form of contest because it could give the contestants a bad attitude (meaning they would become to egotistical).

Under the Tomiki Aikido system, also called Shodokan Aikido (from the name of Tomiki's first dojo, or school), students learn 17 fundamental aikido techniques, the Randori No Kata (also called the Junanahon no Kata in Japanese). Students learn these throws and responses from static (standing still facing your attacker), from a knife attack (with a rubber tanto), and from being grasped at the wrist by their opponent/training partner.

Sixteen of these techniques, with many variations, can be safely done in free practise (Randori) with a training partner. The excluded technique (maeotoshi, number 15) is much too likely to break your partner's elbow when practised at high speed.

Full contest is only required of the young male students. Women and older men are excused.

In Shiai (competition) under JAA rules, there are two referees. One contestant is given a soft rubber knife (tanto) and is allowed three minutes to attack his opponent. He can score one point (Ippon!) for every clean strike to the heart area of the chest. The defender has to avoid the knife and try to throw the attacker. Each clean throw also scores one point. Believe me, it is much harder defending than attacking!

After two minutes the contest stops and the attacker hands the knife to the defender; then they start again.

This is a highly efficient way of testing your techniques, for your opponent is usually equally skilled as you and knows every technique and counter that you have in your repertoire... You have to learn to "go with the flow", to relax and feel what the other person is doing.

Aikido has to be unique, for when a training opponent manages to throw you, and for that split-second when you are sailing through the air and about to smash onto the mat, your mind can be saying to you, "Hey, what a fantastic throw. Wow! What a great Aiki technique!" There is no anger that your training opponent has thrown you.

Fortunately, your breakfall (ukemi), the act of landing safely, is a reflex action.

When you learn Aikido, nobody is going to throw you until you have first learned to fall and roll safely. The first rolls and breakfalls you learn to do are easy. The throws get progressively more difficult as your tumbling skill grows to handle them safely.

May I add here that I have crashed a motorcycle at high speed in my younger days, without wearing a helmet. My rolling skills not only saved my life, I actually came up standing without a scratch. Not that I would try it again deliberately, though.

And a friend, Orazio (Ray) Mazzone, who now runs my old club in Sydney, says his son slipped on a wet rock at the beach and would have smashed in the back of his skull... It was only the breakfalling he had learned in my Aikido classes which saved the young man.

The controlling body for Tomiki-style Aikido (also known as Shodokan), is the Japan Aikido Association (JAA). A web search on JAA and/or Shodokan Aikido and/or Tomiki Aikido will find you many sites and clubs around the world.

Randori no Kata
aikido techniques

Basic 17 Aikido Throws and Holds of the Tomiki system

(Aiki-Randori-ho Junananhon no Kata)

(This include Shodokan Aikido or Japan Aikido Association, Fugakukai Aikido or Karl Geiss Ryu, and Kikusui Aikido schools).

They will first teach you the Basic 17 Aikido Techniques, which are sometimes known as the Junanahon no Kata (or The Kata of 17).

All the Aikido techniques in the Randori no Kata were carefully selected by Professor Kenji Tomiki as being safe for freestyle-practise (Randori).

He started with 12 aikido throws... then 15, and later 17.

This aikido kata is divided into four progressive sections of Aikido techniques.

Click on each of the links below to see a moving picture, and description, of all these Tomiki Aikido techniques:

Atemi Waza

(Aikido Attack Techniques)

01 - Shomenate (Aikido front attack)  

02 - Aigamaeate (Aikido regular attack)

03 - Gyakugamaeate (Aikido reverse attack)

04 - Gedanate (Aikido low attack)

05 - Ushiroate (Aikido rear attack)

Hiji Waza

(Aikido Elbow Techniques)

06 - Oshitaoshi (Aikido elbow control)

07 - Udegaeshi (Aikido elbow wind-up)

08 - Hikitaoshi (Aikido elbow pull-down)

09 - Udegarame (Aikido entangled arm twist)

10 - Wakigatame (Aikido side control elbow lock)

Tebuki Waza

(Aikido Wrist Techniques)

11 - Kotehineri (Aikido rotated wrist throw)

12 - Kotegaeshi (Aikido bent-wrist throw)

13 - Tenkai-Kotehineri (Aikido reversed wrist rotation throw)

14 - Shihonage (Aikido's "Four Directions" arm windup throw)

Uki Waza

(Aikido Floating Techniques)

15 - Maeotoshi Elbow-Bar Aikido Throw

16 - Sumiotoshi (Corner Drop aikido throw)

17 - Hikiotoshi (Pull-Drop aikido throw)

The remaining Aikido techniques Professor Tomiki put into a set of old-style forms he called the Koryu No Kata and these are taught to more senior students - the black belts.

These Koryo Kata techniques are not done in free practice or in competition, because they are too complicated or too dangerous. (But there are international Tomiki Aikido competitions where pairs of participants are judged as to how perfectly they can perform these aikido Kata.

The old-style Koryo Katas are done only by Yudansha (Dan grades). Parts of them are also done by 1st Kyu Aikido students who are getting ready for their Shodan (1st Dan black belt) examination.

I hope you find this list useful, and that you will find a good Aikido class to learn and practice in.