Atemi: To give and to get

[tempus]

Just some random thoughts now that the I am almost 100% from the evil flu. Have not trained in about 5 weeks now. Its funny that my joints feel kind of good.

Light strikes can do some damage if well placed. I swung a hihg chop at someone and went low to the floating rib. His cross block was off on the blend and my chop went right thru and hit as he stepped into it. I was not swinging hard, but I hit the floating rib area. He was out a week after that with a bruise.

While I was out on the couch last week I was flipping and was watching video of COP's or something. The guy attacked and the officer\security guard threw a kick right into the attackers groin. The guy did not flinch and kept coming. On the video you hear the cop say "oh, oh".

I am trying to practice getting strikes in during my blend. I watch some higher ups do it and they flow very nicely. The best I have seen is a Sensei who is a small women. She strikes in just about technique she does. They are well placed and they hurt. She says she needs to take the big guys down a notch.

 

[theletch1]

Just some random thoughts now that the I am almost 100% from the evil flu. Have not trained in about 5 weeks now. Its funny that my joints feel kind of good.

Light strikes can do some damage if well placed. I swung a hihg chop at someone and went low to the floating rib. His cross block was off on the blend and my chop went right thru and hit as he stepped into it. I was not swinging hard, but I hit the floating rib area. He was out a week after that with a bruise.

While I was out on the couch last week I was flipping and was watching video of COP's or something. The guy attacked and the officer\security guard threw a kick right into the attackers groin. The guy did not flinch and kept coming. On the video you hear the cop say "oh, oh".

I am trying to practice getting strikes in during my blend. I watch some higher ups do it and they flow very nicely. The best I have seen is a Sensei who is a small women. She strikes in just about technique she does. They are well placed and they hurt. She says she needs to take the big guys down a notch.

Two things about the bolded type...placement is everything in atemi. Since we aren't throwing planted punches that deliver the total blunt force trauma of the hard stylist our strikes MUST be on target to be effective.
The second thing about the bold is that she doesn't NEED to bring the big guys down for the technique to work. Most of the women I've seen in aikido move more fluidly than most men so the atemi isn't really needed for the technique. Now, does she NEED to deliver the atemi as part of the technique because that is what HER aikido has evolved into? Probably and that's fine. I find myself throwing certain strikes more often than others simply because that's just what comes into my technique as I flow. I'm not sure what it is but sometimes, even when it really isn't needed, I'll allow my elbow to tag a floating rib on the way through a blend or something like that. The atemi becomes almost co-incidental to the blend.

This thread has really motivated me about our art, guys. It's nice to be reminded by others just how "rough" aikido can be.

 

[charyuop]

I find myself throwing certain strikes more often than others simply because that's just what comes into my technique as I flow. I'm not sure what it is but sometimes, even when it really isn't needed, I'll allow my elbow to tag a floating rib on the way through a blend or something like that. The atemi becomes almost co-incidental to the blend.

This thread has really motivated me about our art, guys. It's nice to be reminded by others just how "rough" aikido can be.

Seems almost that your Atemi fits the technique and not the opposite and I thought the Atemi is used to create opening for a following technique.

 

[morph4me]

Seems almost that your Atemi fits the technique and not the opposite and I thought the Atemi is used to create opening for a following technique.

Actually it's a little of both, if your atemi becomes part of your tai sabaki, it creates an opening for a technique. Technique shouldn't be something that you try to do, it should be something that happens as a result of your movement.

 

[Yari]

......
the goal of atemi is not to strike the body, but to control the mind and direction of the partners energy. flowing into all sorts of clever and strategic martial arts techniques, the base of aiki is the same as that of all communication for example verbal and bodylanguage.
j

I dont' agree on that. I could agree if you wrote: the goal of atemi, through the strike, is to control the mind and direction of the partner.

If your stating that the only atemi needed is no-touching atemi, to be able to control the mind and direction of the partner, I don't agree. Thoug I agree on the term that a sound (kiai) or a movement(that can be seen by your partner) can trigger and thus "control" mind/direction. I see these as just a part of your toolbox. Just as I see atemi that conenct to the body as other tools in your toolbox.

These different tools have different degrees of usage/damage/possiblities. And each have there own value, but I think it's to put a wet towle over your eyes if you only use some of them.

Regards
Yari

 

[Yari]

Actually it's a little of both, if your atemi becomes part of your tai sabaki, it creates an opening for a technique. Technique shouldn't be something that you try to do, it should be something that happens as a result of your movement.

and the response of the "partner"......

 

[ejaazi]

I have seen some atemi's that would knock a person out. I have also seen some that were thrown to offset the person's balance during those times when the uke was able to regain his balance or was about to. Some atemi's, to me, seem to be a way of directing the uke's attention away from the technique so that he doesn't have time to resist what is happening. In any of the above situations, I find the use of atemi extremely important.

 

[charyuop]

In any of the above situations, I find the use of atemi extremely important.

Aikido is 70% Atemi....

Does it sound familiar?