Something most people don't understand about Aikido 

Finally...a video (and Teacher), who explains this perfectly. Bravo.

I’m glad you’re uploading more regularly. I think yours is the most sensible approach to aikido I’ve ever seen.

I'm a long time Ju-jutsu coach, and I thought this was my pet theory (that aikido makes much more sense if I'm the one trying to retain control of my weapon). I've never seen anyone else saying this. It also explains why the opponent is singlemindedly grabbing your wrist instead of just letting go - he's afraid of getting stabbed.

I'm not an aikido practioner myself, but I have played with techniques over the years. I have always seen that aikido has functionality, but, to my perspective, most aikido instructors I've seen don't know how to teach it. They get way into the philosophy, and forget its roots. This is the first video I've seen that explains some of the more puzzling aspects of the art to me. The idea of the open hand being used to either free your weapon or create the opportunity to draw your weapon makes so much more sense than open hand alone.

Eventually a video that renders justice to the historical context of aikido: there is always a tanto or katana involved and the intention of keeping a distance. Martial art practitioners are absolutely free to think that aikido is ineffective but, please, consider it also in its historical context and it will make , at least,more sense. What is strange is that most of the people I met are unaware of these aspects. Not to mention on YT. Thank you very much for posting.

This makes so much sense. It begs the question of why is this not taught (and shown) from the get go. I have never seen this and my 1st exposure to Aikido was in the 70s.

You are bringing Aikido in a new justified view!The way you explain to us the Art does make you one of the best exponers and inner circle deciphers of the Art!Your explanation united the Aikijutsu origins in brutal survival techniques and Aikidos “encoded” techniques!Who has eyes to see let him see and who has ears to listen let him listen!It now brings the Aikido in the real use of every day training for a reason AVOID SMALL DIRTY WEAPONS AND SURVIVE THEM!My most respected admiration and greetings from Greece.

As a shodan former aikido practitioner, now involved in bjj the concept of small weapons use make more sense than sword and seems more logical.

If only majority of Aikido schools actually taught their contents like this, actually put weapons into the hand of uke and tori while doing kata instead of trying to sell it as empty hand self defense. At this point i think people who do other forms of combat sports but does not do Aikido understand the context of Aikido techniques and principles way better than most Aikido practitioners out there

When I dabbled in Aikido many years ago, we did tanto-dori pretty much from the beginning, and we also practiced yari-waza.

Thank you very much. You are my favorite aikido - teacher. I always thought that after 900 years of civil war the japanese arts cannot be wrong and concluded that in times of peace many teachers lost track of the original applications. Your videos make so much sense. Greetings from a former German nightclub bouncer. 🙏

Mr. Hein, while I study Aikijutsu not Aikido, there is a huge overlap shared techniques. Thank you for helping explain the things so many people miss understand about why techniques can actually be used, given the right opportunity.

It make so much sense that you are doing weapons training without weapons.

Really enjoyed this! Many other Fighting Arts square off on the assumption that your opponent is armed.

You are a really good teacher. You broke that down extremely well. Earned my subscription.

I learned this through Tankendo and Shodokan (Tomiki Ryu). Thanks for uploading your teachings. Also the Pistol, Juken and Tanken are discussed in Aikibudo and was taught in Manchuria and the Spy Schools.

What a refreshing angle on the art! Your work is appreciated.

Thank you! As a trad Jiu Jitsu practitioner this has both gave me food for thought about many of our defensive techniques and also saved my faith in Aikido. I know it is a useful martial art if practiced and applied properly as many of the techniques are used in trad JJ - albeit usually more aggressively in our school.

This makes so much sense. 🔥🥋

Kumi uchi - a term that I haven't heard for at least 25 years... Another term that I miss is defintely "atemi".

I've seen few people talk about this, but a large piece of aiki as a concept is lost without the tension that shows up when the hand is gripping a weapon. For instance, Nikyo can be a hard technique to really feel as a beginner when applying it to an open, loose hand. Yet it is very easy to feel when the same hand/forearm is tight due to gripping a weapon. Similarly, the necessary outward energy for more of the circular/spiral moves like shihonage starts to show up because knife-wielding uke is trying to keep the pointy end away from them, but such energy makes no sense empty-handed.

The best explanation of Aikido techs ever.

Brilliant explanation! The entire syllabus does make sense now!

Thanks for the enlightenment.finallly someone explains it .

This how I learned. It all makes sense with a weapon. Most techniques are sword cuts , even throws end with a cut

thanks alot for this video . this is what an aikido instructor should explain for first, it really change the way you can pratics for me at least.

Excellent...thank you. Such an enlightening perspective!

Josh rocking the Full Prussian

Ambidextrous and 30 years of martial arts. Never took aikido but the moment I saw it was clear it was a weapons based style. I honestly thought this was the default setting for their curriculum

It’s not just aikido. Started karate in the 70’s and escrima in the 90’s. Many traditional systems try adapting weapons motions to empty hand with varying success. Then when pressure testing it out of context it can turn out as less than ideal. It’s funny how well some of the silly moves you learn for self defense ( double wrist grab to drag a victim back to the car ) work with 4 hands on the knife.

I love how you explained it. Really nice video, as always! I've read other sources, such as Tamura Shihan's during an interview, that could fit with this explanation you gave. The fact is that it wasn't until "relatively late" (let's understand "late" as maybe 2nd uchideshi generation) when Ueshiba decided to teach his techniques explicitly using also a tanto as a means to make the principles of the techniques clear. I'm sure O Sensei's lesson were very challenging as he didn't have names for the techniques at that moment and when most students asked him to repeat if they didn't get it, he just did the same principle but using a different form. Again, I love how you explained everything sir! Been following this channel for quite a long time and I'm glad to find schools and instructors with similar lines of thought. 🙇🏻‍♂️🙇🏻‍♂️🙇🏻‍♂️ Greetings from Spain! 😁

This really makes a lot of sense. I like the fact resistance was shown as well, instead of one guy just flipping around like mad.

My mind is blow. Occasionally the Aikido I took would mention a small weapon to explain some of the moves. I liked some of the concepts I learned from Aikido but after years of empty hand arts too many Aikido attacks were just weird. Your explanations makes thinks so clear. I may have to go back to Aikido.

The editing and overall production value is making steady progress! Keep it up!

This is pretty self-evident in koryu jujutusu. All those old, strange looking grabs and attacks presuppose that weapons are present. Wrist grabs (an attack that confuses most modern martial artists as impractical) make way more sense when you put a sword/knife/gun in someone's hand.

Yeah, Lot of things make sense if you think that nage has a tanto in hands! That's why you grab the hand, that's why you want to make ukemi, cause you are trying to avoid being stabbed or having knife in your legs (kokyonages). Fortunately we are taught that in our dojo, but we do also pretty much all the weapons quite often and it is really fun! 😊 I'm really surprised that other dojos doesn't do that or even doesn't mention that 😳

thank you for this one! When I tried this at my former dojo I got laughed at. Since I am also a practioner of striking arts I tried to make sense of the aikido attacks by holding a tanto but that wasn't welcome because they said their are only specific techniques for 🔪 attacks. I was only following my instincts. Glad I'm not the only one 😏

I trained in an Aikido program with this attitude and this was my understanding of this art for years. Hearing all the MMA dumping on Aikido made no sense until I found that most Aikido schools are spiritual pursuits, not martial arts. I like your videos. Keep spreading the news!

I can't name the techniques, but it was quite a lightbulb moment when I realized that you'd cling on to the arm if it was holding a weapon...

Great explanation. Very nice!

Finally someone has some sense to explain it to MMA fanatics, who always brag how Aikido is bs. Well done 👍

Respect, and it makes alot of sense in the context.

Thankfully, my Sensei actually reveals the logic behind all techniques. In Irimi Nage, we are supposed to cut the Uke's throat before letting the poor man go meet the tatami.

This really opened my eyes. It's so strange. In the Dojo I used to practice a long time ago, the teacher always illustrated variations with the uke holding a knife or the nage holding one and trying to free himself from a grab, but it always seemed more like a variation rather than the real essence of these techniques.

My Sensei always taught us: "empty hands are the same a weapons, weapons are the same as empty hands." By the time I got to live blade techniques, there was really no transition, it all felt the same. (He was uchi deshi under Morihiro Saito Sensei in Iwama.) Thank you for the excellent training.Onegaishimasu!

Man, I wanna come and learn from you guys, but that commute is gonna be killer! Stay awesome!

Great explanation if only many so called real fighters and others who do not actually know real martial arts could or would stop to ponder the techniques they see on videos etc. I am sure their ill informed opinions of arts such as Aikido and Hapkido would change. For example almost none realise that rolling or break falling is a self defense technique where if they resisted then the most probably answer would be a broken or seriously hurt limb or neck etc.

Aikido suddenly makes much more sense... Very interesting, thx for the upload 🙏

Great commentary. Context changes everything.

This is great, thanks for uncloaking the tanto movements, studied aikido a while back with T.K. Chiba and Yamaguchi, but switched to Filipino martial arts (FMA), in particular Sayoc kali, under Chris Sayoc Jr., touched hands with all of them. My reason, I found FMA gave me the correct stimulus needed against edged weapons and different footwork for managing constant forward pressure. I taught Sayoc Kali, with Chris Sayoc's blessing. FMA readiness from day one, after leaving the training hall gives uncloaked applied knowledge about blade whereabouts, there's no secrecy or wait until higher rank or next weapon's class everyday was blade day. All that up-close movement, contact, and drilling FMA offered on a number of occasions saved my life twice on the streets where/when I had to answer with the proper deterrent. Love your content, put a blade in your hand and train, then you will understand your aikido, boxing, silat, and most important Kali.

God, I'm so happy I came across your channel. Thank you so much for explaining this so well. It makes much more sense now.👌🤝

Ueshiba and Nishio were saying this since always... but I agree the people forget this, as they forget Atemi

Everything makes sense now. Thanks.

I really like what you are teaching.

This video just landed you another subscriber. Judo player myself, always a skeptic, I like what you’re showing.

I'm glad to see this out there. I switched to a koryo bujutsu after years of aikido and finally saw the rationale behind the movements from another art.

Once I participated in an aikido training and a I took a tanto, you know, made of wood. And my partner was like I turned into “beast mode” or something: he was so intimidated from the fact that I have a tanto in my hand, that he immediatly blocked everything, and the practice was impossible. That’s the level how the people did not get used to it. To the whole concept.

You said exactly what I was thinking 😂😂😂. "We don't see tanto..." and me talking to myself "much of it is actually tanto"

Best video on Aikido I've ever seen. Here's finally somebody concentrating on what is fundamental and important. (Instead of all these discussions on whether Aikido would work or not in MMA). Illuminating and absolutely convincing!

The Essence of Aikido.

Beautiful explanation of the complexities of Aikido and the Katana. Does not matter the weapon. Or line of attack. Yodan, Jodan, Godan. All the same.

Wow - great explanation.

Excellent & educational. Thank you so much for the video.

Great explanation.

Excellent!

Sorry, just stumbled upon this. Finally someone who related that! Another weapons based concept that goes even a step further is getting the uke into the desired position by the nage actually initiating the attack, sen no sen and sensen no sen. As you said, that makes the distancing, footwork, and actions more understandable.

Like my sensei always states - it needs to make sense. Very good explanation.

In my eight years in Aikido we did Jo & Bo work as well as Bokken and Tanto. Recognizing that a Bo is a larger version of the Jo but it’s still has its differences from a Jo.

This is great, as usual!

Excellent video Chein! You just made me subscribe!!!

As an Aikido practitioner I feel this has been sometimes hinted during training sessions, but I think it is not emphasized enough by far.

Fantastic

This is why I stick to aikido vs other jujitsu style. It covers almost anything.

wonderful concept!

Makes sense when swordsmen in Japan couldnt take their Katana indoors when visiting and could only keep their Wakizashi. Nice explanation :) Makes sense that Aikido as a sport wouldnt want to promote knife/short sword carrying therefore all empty hand training.

Thank you for sharing, fascinating

20 years of Aikido and suddenly everything makes sense

thanks sensie for uploading this video watching from manila philippines

Thanks for posting this. I started aikido again after 12 years pause doing ”real MA”. When coming back aikidotraining because of injuries, I found out, that to make it work I need to imagine a weapon in my or partners hand. Even seeing plain shomenuchi ikkyo feels just stupid, if there is alternative to do a real knockout punch with fist. Without weapon it seems as working as bitchslapping. When boxer’s one + two will give you broken nose or something real to deal with.

Excellent video.

This is excellent

very interesting

Awesome

Good content. The concept of "reference points" was never taught to me explicitly within the Aikido world, but it's something that I picked up elsewhere and integrated into my teaching of Aikido. The Aikido response to a thrust to the mid-section (e.g. as a prelude to a turning wrist throw - kote-gaeshi) makes no sense at all, until you realise that it leads to a reference point that can happen in a real fight. Same for the massively overdone straight and cross body hand grabs. Where Aikido fails massively is that there's way too little rough and tumble to practice recognition and exploitation of those positions when they come up. The other commonly missed part of Aikido is of course Kuzushi, which is more important even than atemi.

Anyone saying aikido is useless check out kazuo chiba sensei. Brutal man and one of the best aikido senseis ever.

When i did aikido we predominantly did tanto techniques. Our sensi 6th dan only let the dan grades do jo and boken work.

nice-

Reach out to Rokas. He needs your help.

Seminar plz! :)

Is that the reason why Uke should not release his grip?

Great info, but against an experienced knife fighter, none of those techniques would stop being cut. As you block or grab, opponent would pull back and cut. Still a lot of good info because if you get past the knife, your techniques are solid.

I am a BJJ BB who has just started Aikido. I always had the view that BJJ is great but was not always the right tool for some jobs. The rise of MMA has muddied the waters greatly and now it seems to be the gold standard for combat. Well once you add weapons into the mix MMA has some holes. After all, this is why weapons were invented, to give an advantage over an unarmed man. Any man.

What about tenshinage and that awkard kneeling right in front of the attacker with the upperbody very low so that he is supposed to trip over you? Especially that strange kneeling "technique" always did strike me as suicidal non-sense that would only work among devoted students.

thx for the inspiration. Motivated by your call to look for techniques that cannot be performed with a Tanto I quickly went trough the majority of techniques I've learned over the past 30 years and I could find two technique where I am not so sure if this makes sense with a tanto in hand and an attacker tries to grab/control the arm: - teguruma (for me this is more like a counter technique. I see no sense in holding a tanto while performing it) - Seoi Guruma (same...) all others should work although it's not always obvious. debatable are the various kokyu nages. they highly depend on your aiki abilities and a strong grip of uke or a good leading hand with no touch at all...but does this count ? here are the techniques that I've checked: Ikkyo, Nikkyo, Sankyo, Yonkyo, Gokyo, Rokyo, Kubi Osae, Ude Garami, Hiji Shime Te Guruma, Koshi Guruma, Koshi Nage, Seoi Guruma Kiri Otoshi, Sumi Otoshi, Aiki Otoshi, Mae Otoshi, Maki Otoshi, Hiki Otoshi Irimi Nage, Kokyu Nage, Tenchi Nage, Kaiten Nage, Koshi Nage, Uchi Kaiten Nage, Kote Gaeshi, Shiho Nage, Udekime Nage

as far as i know, all or most aikido techniques come from sword fights. its normal in dojos that the teacher occasionally explains and demonstrates the empty handed aikido techniques with a bokken, like shiho nage, ikyo nikyo, shomen uchi, yokomen uchi. It explains the origin of the technique and also gives a practical feeling while doing the empty handed aikido techniques. shomen uchi comes from a knife attack? i doubt it. to block that way a knife attack as shown in this video is simply unrealistic the knife will cut your hand or wrist. lastly, there is ample documantation osensei and his students, it was bokken and jo, hardly any tanto. aikido techniques originate fromsword techniques, its hardly a secret... in aikido we always say when you practise aikido you practise as if you have a sword. i'll stick with the sword.....

Nice Video, the background Music was unnessecary though

Mind blown 😳 Make sense

That make sense but why don't you train the techniques armed and then do some sparring session to apply the techniques with a resisting opponent ? Wouldn't it be a more effective training ?

Hello, your explanation is great and i like Aikido as an art. Iam blackbelt in Hap Ki do. In my style 70 Percent is from aiki jutsu. Very similar. My point is and i beg your pardon cause this is only my experience and i hope you get it the right way. So in my experience it doesnt work. Only i few techniques from the curiculum works if my oponnent isnt cooperative. I changed the entrances, and I take a lot from other martial arts. Now it works much better. Whats your experience, in pressure testing the techniques?

I came to the same conclusion after many years of Aikido once I started doing iaijutsu and kenjutsu. The techniques make so much more sense when armed. Also they make much more sense when you put in atemi where openings come up, such as in your kotegaeshi example where you cut once the opponent turns, atemi to the face works just as well and keeps their other hand occupied. Nikkyo works particularly well when someone else grabs the tsuba of your sheathed sword, otherwise I always found nikkyo a bit odd, is that one of the techniques you mention near the end of the video?.