Firt Time of Fall

I am in no position to comment on how good Doshu is but the first time he ever threw me, it changed a large part of my outlook on Aikido. Up till that time I was unsure about what "strong" technique was. I would try to ensure that my technique was clean and crisp, and there was good extension of Ki.

Doshu indicated for a morotetori attack and I complied. As he led me around him, I thought: "Boy, there isn't much strength here. Grabbing him is like grabbing smoke. He isn't really even leading me around." As I was completing the 360 degree turn into the iriminage, I thought: "I guess I should look for a place to land so I can take a good fall for him." At that point, I found myself staring up at the ceiling. I didn't understand how I got there. It was kind of like a time warp. The instant I had thought about falling, I had already fallen, so smoothly and softly that I didn't notice having done so.

Was it a "strong" throw? Was it a quick one? I don't know and I figure it really didn't matter anyway. I was down there where I was supposed to be.

I still try for clean, crisp technique and good extension of Ki but if I can get a person to jump for me, regardless of their initial intent, it saves me a lot of work. I figure, in practice, you should practice for the worst-case scenarios. But reality hardly ever turns out into worst case (not best case either).

A lot of Aikido is about self-defense and self-defense is about your ability to control your own environment. How you control your environment is up to you and the knowledge, skills, and abilities you possess. Aikido provides you with another set of skills and knowledge to help you control your environment. Those skills vary from crash-bang to smoke and mirrors. You use the tools most appropriate for the situation and move on (you might wish to leave a silver tanto).

Rock

Initial Attacks

Aikido techniques are usually a defense against an attack; therefore, to practice aikido with their partner, students must learn to deliver various types of attacks. Although attacks are not studied as thoroughly as in striking-based arts, "honest" attacks (a strong strike or an immobilizing grab) are needed to study correct and effective application of technique.

Many of the strikes (打ち uchi) of aikido are often said to resemble cuts from a sword or other grasped object, which indicates its origins in techniques intended for armed combat. Other techniques, which appear to explicitly be punches (tsuki), are also practiced as thrusts with a knife or sword.Kicks are generally reserved for upper-level variations; reasons cited include that falls from kicks are especially dangerous, and that kicks (high kicks in particular) were uncommon during the types of combat prevalent in feudal Japan. Some basic strikes include:

• Front-of-the-head strike (正面打ち shōmen'uchi) a vertical knifehand strike to the head. In training, this is usually directed at the forehead or the crown for safety, but more dangerous versions of this attack target the bridge of the nose and the maxillary sinus.
• Side-of-the-head strike (横面打ち yokomen'uchi) a diagonal knifehand strike to the side of the head or neck.
• Chest thrust (胸突き mune-tsuki) a punch to the torso. Specific targets include the chest, abdomen, and solar plexus. Same as "middle-level thrust" (中段突き chūdan-tsuki), and "direct thrust" (直突き choku-tsuki).
• Face thrust (顔面突き ganmen-tsuki) a punch to the face. Same as "upper-level thrust" (上段突き jōdan-tsuki).

Beginners in particular often practice techniques from grabs, both because they are safer and because it is easier to feel the energy and lines of force of a hold than a strike. Some grabs are historically derived from being held while trying to draw a weapon; a technique could then be used to free oneself and immobilize or strike the attacker who is grabbing the defender. The following are examples of some basic grabs:

• Single-hand grab (片手取り katate-dori) one hand grabs one wrist.
• Both-hands grab (諸手取り morote-dori) both hands grab one wrist. Same as "single hand double-handed grab" (片手両手取り katateryōte-dori)
• Both-hands grab (両手取り ryōte-dori) both hands grab both wrists. Same as "double single-handed grab" (両片手取り ryōkatate-dori).
• Shoulder grab (肩取り kata-dori) a shoulder grab. "Both-shoulders-grab" is ryōkata-dori (両肩取り). It is sometimes combined with an overhead strike as Shoulder grab face strike (肩取り面打ち kata-dori men-uchi).
• Chest grab (胸取り mune-dori or muna-dori) grabbing the (clothing of the) chest. Same as "collar grab" (襟取り eri-dori).