Knowledge Base


"You must hit hard. You must press your partner.
You must force them to falter.
If you don't, you'll never learn. They will never.
It becomes a game, a choreography."
- Hitohira Saito Sensei

Aikido stances

Basic body positions - study these!

Cycling Basic staff position

Jo Hanmi

90deg, shoulders parallel to Jo, toes on line
Cycling Half stance

Han mi

On line, shoulders and back foot at 45deg
Cycling One line (evasive)

Hito E Mi

Feet at 90deg, shoulders parallel to but off the line
Cycling Fighting hips

Ken Ka Koshi

Feet at 90deg to each other, lowered into hip

20 Jo Suburi

Staff practice forms

Tsuki no bu

(basic thrusts)

1 - Choku tsuki
2 - Kaeshi tsuki
3 - Ushiro tsuki
4 - Tsuki gedan gaeshi
5 - Tsuki jodan gaeshi uchi
* Tsuki hayagaeshi (variation)

Shomen no bu

(overhead strikes)

6 - Shomen uchi komi
7 - Renzoku uchi komi
8 - Menuchi gedan gaeshi
9 - Menuchi ushiro tsuki
10 - Gyaku yokomen uchi ushiro tsuki

Katate no bu

(one handed strikes)

11 - Katate gedan gaeshi
12 - Katate toma uchi
13 - Katate hachi no ji gaeshi

Hasso no bu

("inviting" strikes)

14 - Hasso gaeshi uchi
15 - Hasso gaeshi tsuki
* ~ sugu modoshi (variation)
16 - Hasso geashi ushiro tsuki
17 - Hasso gaeshi ushiro uchi
18 - Hasso gaeshi ushiro barai

Nagare gaeshi no bu

("flowing" movements)

19 - Hidari nagare gaeshi uchi
20 - Migi nagare gaeshi tsuki

“Aikido is generally believed to represent circular movements. Contrary to such beliefs, however, Aikido, in its true ki form, is a fierce art, piercing straight through the center of the opposition.” - Morihiro Saito Shihan

Curriculum

Basic techniques

WARMUP and BREATHING

TAI NO HENKO
KOKYU HO

PINS

IKKYO (1st)
NIKKYO (2nd)
SANKYO (3rd)
YONKYO (4th)
GOKYO (5th)
ROKKYO (6th)

THROWS

IRIMI NAGE (entering throw)
SHIHO NAGE (four directions)
KOKYU NAGE (breath throw)
TENCHI NAGE (heaven-earth)
KOTE GAESHI (wrist turn)
KAITEN NAGE (rotary throw)
KOSHI NAGE (hip throw)

SPECIALTY

USHIRO WAZA (rear techniques)
SUWARI WAZA (seated)
HANMI HANDACHI
(one seated, one standing)
NI NIN DORI (2 person grab)
SAN NIN DORI (3 person grab)
JIYU WAZA (freestyle)
RANDORI (multiple attackers)

DISARMING

TANTO DORI (knife taking)
TACHI DORI (sword taking)
JO DORI (staff taking)
JO NAGE (staff throwing)

Levels of practice

Cycling

Kihon Waza

基本 (kihon)
Basic or fundamental techniques:

- Osae waza​ (pinning techniques)
- Nage waza ​(throwing techniques)
- Kime waza​ (decisive techniques)

Cycling

Ki no Nagare

気の流れ (ki no nagare)
Flowing techniques:

- Jutai​​ (柔 ju , to give way, to yield)
- Ryutai​​ (流 ryu, flow)
- Kitai​​ (気 ki, energy, mind, or spirit)

Cycling

Oyo Waza

応用 (oyo)
Applications:

- Go no Sen (後の先, post-initiative) taking the initiative in a fight after the opponent has already started an attack.
- Sen no Sen​(先の先, mid-initiative) seizing the initiative earlier; attacking at the same moment your opponent attacks.
- Sen sen no Sen (先々の先, pre-initiative) taking the initiative early, when the assailant has committed to attack, but has not yet physically done so.

Cycling

Takemusu Aiki

武産合氣 (takemusu aiki)
Unlimited bu of aiki:

This fourth and final concept represents the ideal state of the art in which the practitioner’s ability to defend and subdue their attacker is born from an infinite array of techniques (inspired by aiki), chosen at a moment’s notice.
This is the culmination of O’sensei’s kuden, “Learn and forget!” The state of no form. In Japanese, across many martial disciplines, this is often referred to as kamiwaza, or godly techniques - techniques of divine inspiration.