Aikido Basic Techniques & Implementations

The following are a sample of the basic or widely practiced throws and pins. The precise terminology for some may vary between organisations and styles, so what follows are the terms used by the Aikikai Foundation. Note that despite the names of the first five techniques listed, they are not universally taught in numeric order.

* First technique (一教, ikkyō?) a control using one hand on the elbow and one hand near the wrist which leverages uke to the ground. This grip also applies pressure into the ulnar nerve at the wrist.
* Second technique (二教, nikyō?) a pronating wristlock that torques the arm and applies painful nerve pressure. (There is an adductive wristlock or Z-lock in ura version.)
* Third technique (三教, sankyō?) a rotational wristlock that directs upward-spiraling tension throughout the arm, elbow and shoulder.
* Fourth technique (四教, yonkyō?) a shoulder control similar to ikkyō, but with both hands gripping the forearm. The knuckles (from the palm side) are applied to the recipient's radial nerve against the periosteum of the forearm bone.
* Fifth technique (五教, gokyō?) visually similar to ikkyō, but with an inverted grip of the wrist, medial rotation of the arm and shoulder, and downward pressure on the elbow. Common in knife and other weapon take-aways.
* Four-direction throw (四方投げ, shihōnage?) The hand is folded back past the shoulder, locking the shoulder joint.
* Forearm return (小手返し, kotegaeshi?) a supinating wristlock-throw that stretches the extensor digitorum.
* Breath throw (呼吸投げ, kokyūnage?) a loosely used term for various types of mechanically unrelated techniques, although they generally do not use joint locks like other techniques.
* Entering throw (入身投げ, iriminage?) throws in which nage moves through the space occupied by uke. The classic form superficially resembles a "clothesline" technique.
* Heaven-and-earth throw (天地投げ, tenchinage?) beginning with ryōte-dori; moving forward, nage sweeps one hand low ("earth") and the other high ("heaven"), which unbalances uke so that he or she easily topples over.
* Hip throw (腰投げ, koshinage?) aikido's version of the hip throw. Nage drops his or her hips lower than those of uke, then flips uke over the resultant fulcrum.
* Figure-ten throw (十字投げ, jūjinage?) or figure-ten entanglement (十字絡み, jūjigarami?) a throw that locks the arms against each other (The kanji for "10" is a cross-shape: 十).
* Rotary throw (回転投げ, kaitennage?) nage sweeps the arm back until it locks the shoulder joint, then uses forward pressure to throw.

Implementations

Aikido makes use of body movement (tai sabaki) to blend with uke. For example, an "entering" (irimi) technique consists of movements inward towards uke, while a "turning" (転換, tenkan?) technique uses a pivoting motion. Additionally, an "inside" (内, uchi?) technique takes place in front of uke, whereas an "outside" (外, soto?) technique takes place to his side; a "front" (表, omote?) technique is applied with motion to the front of uke, and a "rear" (裏, ura?) version is applied with motion towards the rear of uke, usually by incorporating a turning or pivoting motion. Finally, most techniques can be performed while in a seated posture (seiza). Techniques where both uke and nage are sitting are called suwari-waza, and techniques performed with uke standing and nage sitting are called hanmi handachi.

Thus, from fewer than twenty basic techniques, there are thousands of possible implementations. For instance, ikkyō can be applied to an opponent moving forward with a strike (perhaps with an ura type of movement to redirect the incoming force), or to an opponent who has already struck and is now moving back to reestablish distance (perhaps an omote-waza version). Specific aikido kata are typically referred to with the formula "attack-technique(-modifier)". For instance, katate-dori ikkyō refers to any ikkyō technique executed when uke is holding one wrist. This could be further specified as katate-dori ikkyō omote, referring to any forward-moving ikkyō technique from that grab.

Atemi (当て身) are strikes (or feints) employed during an aikido technique. Some view atemi as attacks against "vital points" meant to cause damage in and of themselves. For instance, Gōzō Shioda described using atemi in a brawl to quickly down a gang's leader. Others consider atemi, especially to the face, to be methods of distraction meant to enable other techniques. A strike, whether or not it is blocked, can startle the target and break his or her concentration. The target may also become unbalanced in attempting to avoid the blow, for example by jerking the head back, which may allow for an easier throw. Many sayings about atemi are attributed to Morihei Ueshiba, who considered them an essential element of technique.

Article Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido