Aikiken response: interrupting a sword attack, by Stefan Stenudd 

AIKIKEN is the name for sword exercises in aikido. Here is a short but essential exercise, using an adaptive kamae (guard) to interrupt a sword attack. The move causes the attacker to react as a reflex to the change of the situation, for their own protection.
Notice that there is also a small taisabaki evasive move, to avoid the line of attack. It needs to be small or the attacker will have time to perceive it and adapt. Of course, it also needs to be quick.
Timing is essential. If the response is too early, before the attacker is fully committed to the strike, it can easily be countered. If it’s too late, it can’t halt the attack.
Here the attack is yokomen uchi, but the response can be quite the same regardless of the attack technique.
This was filmed at an aikido seminar I held in Prague, Czech Republic, in February 2024. Uke was Alexander Ermakov, 4 dan Aikikai, from Tanden Dojo in Salzburg, Austria:
www.tanden-aik...
I have several aikiken videos on my RU-vid channel. For exemple, here is one with the ten exercises of aikibatto:
• AIKIBATTO, ten duo swo...
My aikido dojo is Enighet in Malmö, Sweden: www.aikidoenig...
For more about aikido, visit my website:
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My aikido books:
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