[Video] Karate people try daito ryu aikijujutsu

[O'Malley]

I found this video on YT and I thought it was cool. Usually, DR/aikido demonstrations are done with DR/aikido people and very rarely with people trained in other arts. Because of this, one may wonder whether the partner's reaction is "realistic". Here we see two karate experts' reaction doing daito ryu paired forms, and it's a fun watch.

 

[Hot Lunch]

In my estimation, there's still some compliance. Why are the karateka only grabbing the wrists and nothing else? Is that what they were told to do?

The other thing about grabbing wrists: although legally considered assault, thus allowing you to exercise your right to self defense, someone who grabs your wrist is usually having a lapse in judgement when it comes to respecting personal boundaries and doesn't actually mean physical harm. Unless they grab your wrist in the middle of the action, then it's different. That said, I would like to have seen a sparring session between the two, in order ensure that all wrist-grabs from the karateka are "mid-action."

 

[BrendanF]

It's an interesting disconnect. In daito ryu, and other koryu jujutsu systems, wrist grabs feature far more prominently than in modern MA. There is a cultural/historical explanation - when everyone is walking around with a blade of some sort at their hip.. grabbing their wrist takes on a whole new meaning and degree of relevance.

 

[windwalker099]

There is a cultural/historical explanation

There is also the content of what the teacher is demonstrating..
The power of Aiki

The teacher has to present it in a way that is relevant within the culture using something that is not so threatening that it overrides the perception of what the teacher is trying to allow them to feel something, i.e. the difference

 

[O'Malley]

In my estimation, there's still some compliance. Why are the karateka only grabbing the wrists and nothing else? Is that what they were told to do?

The other thing about grabbing wrists: although legally considered assault, thus allowing you to exercise your right to self defense, someone who grabs your wrist is usually having a lapse in judgement when it comes to respecting personal boundaries and doesn't actually mean physical harm. Unless they grab your wrist in the middle of the action, then it's different. That said, I would like to have seen a sparring session between the two, in order ensure that all wrist-grabs from the karateka are "mid-action."

Of course it's a demo (you can see that the teacher asks her to grab his wrist/arm at the beginning), yet the reactions are spontaneous. It's easier to demonstrate a concept if you reduce the variables to a specific type of interaction (as opposed to, say, sparring).

Wrist control is a key part of a lot of grappling arts, including koryu jujutsu, from which daito ryu originates.

It's an interesting disconnect. In daito ryu, and other koryu jujutsu systems, wrist grabs feature far more prominently than in modern MA. There is a cultural/historical explanation - when everyone is walking around with a blade of some sort at their hip.. grabbing their wrist takes on a whole new meaning and degree of relevance.

Yes, wrist grabs were probably more prominent in an armed context, and they are used in jujutsu to set up all kinds of attacks:

https://www.guillaumeerard.com/images/2023/hiden-okugi-no-koto/Kakete-Kotegaeshi.jpg

There is also the content of what the teacher is demonstrating..
The power of Aiki

The teacher has to present it in a way that is relevant within the culture using something that is not so threatening that it overrides the perception of what the teacher is trying to allow them to feel something, i.e. the difference

Exactly. Both karateka felt like they couldn't resist/their force was being absorbed/returned to them, which is different from simply "pulling" when they push...

The fact that he can move them that way with slight contact between their hands serves to demonstrate that he's not using "usual" movement to do so, which would not have been obvious in a sparring context.