In the below video, Koretoshi Maruyama sensei, Founder of Aikido Yuishinkai, provides training tips for Katadori kokyu nage as practised in his school.
A key aspect emphasised in the instruction is the use of the ude mawashi movement commonly seen in solo kata exercises to deflect the strike and take the uke to an off-balanced position. The unbalanced uke is then projected.
Recorded 2003 at Byron Bay, Austalia.
Have a great week
Ian Grant
Dojo Cho
Aikido Warrior Dojo
“The first of the six pillars of Aikido techniques is shiho nage. This technique represents the gratitude Aikido trainees feel toward life in all four directions and is commonly the first technique learned (but not easily mastered) by students.”
(Master Morihei Ueshiba/John Stevens, The Essence of Aikido, p 115)
Ian Grant
Head Instructor
Aikido Warrior Dojo
Related posts:
Yokomenuchi kokyu nage (Aiki nage) has been part of Aikido since the beginning of the Art. There are numerous recordings of O’Sensei demonstrating the technique dating back to the 1930’s.
The below video is an informal recording of seniors from our dojo experimenting and basically having fun with how atemi (striking) and kiai (yelling when executing a technique) impact on its execution and the person receiving the technique. The recording was made at the end of a Saturday class on 18 July 2015.
A video of Master Koretoshi Maruyama providing formal instruction on Yokomenuchi kokyu nage can be found in the technique library section of this site. For a direct link see here.
All the best
Ian Grant
Head Instructor
Aikido Warior Dojo
See below a short video taken at the dojo where we explored munetsuki irimi nage as illustrated in O’Sensei‘s 1938 text “Budo“.
Although difficult to see in the below photo demonstrations featuring O’Sensei, a key technical aspect of the technique is the placement of the nage’s hand on the upper part of the uke’s shoulder. As the technique is executed, this hand eventually ends up immediately below the nage’s armpit. Relaxed and centred execution of the technique is essential to avoid any clash and achieve the necessary off-balancing of the uke.
For the uke, receiving the technique feels a bit like hitting a “wall of feathers”. As you would have noticed in the video, we also played with adding extra atemi. It makes receiving the ukemi a bit more challenging in terms of uke sensitivity but is well worth the experiment.
Big thanks to dojo senior Peter Marendy for joining me in the demo and to Eden for filming it.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
In the below videos Morihiro Saito Sensei (1928-2002) provides instruction on the traditional version of munetsuki irimi nage as practised by O’Sensei (the Founder of Aikido) in the immediate post-war period of his life. Notably the method of execution is the same as that outlined in the “Budo” text.
Morihiro Saito Sensei’s practice of Aikido spanned 56 years and he is one of the most important teachers in Aikido history. Saito Sensei was a live-in student of O’sensei for more than 20 years at his home dojo in Iwama, Japan.
Saito Sensei spent his teaching life dedicated to preserving the technical style of Aikido as practised and shown to him by O’sensei in the post-war period. Without his commitment to preserving the Aikido of the Founder and extensive efforts to record and document his teachings, much of the Aikido of O’sensei would have been lost.
All the best
Ian Grant
Dojo Cho
Aikido Warrior Dojo
A standard feature of our practice at the dojo is to train with static hand grabs where strong physical resistance is applied by the uke (the attacking partner). There are many benefits to this type of training, not the least of which is that we have found it to be an effective method of gaining a practical appreciation of the fundamental principles that underlie Aikido based movements and body structure.
Please be assured that I am not in any way derogating kotai (static) practice where the uke offers full cooperation or at most a dead weight. Far from it and in fact we also include this practice at the dojo. However, if one only practices in this way the risk is the development of an unstated understanding that Aikido can only operate in a static situation with a cooperative uke.
The below video is an informal demonstration of a number of Aikido options for dealing with static hand grab attacks where the attacker is using high levels of physical strength. The demonstrated techniques are performed slowly and with every effort made not to respond with physical strength solutions, but rather responses based on Aikido principles, including those associated with kokyu. The possibility of using atemi (striking) was intentionally excluded to make the exercises more difficult.
Please note the techniques and attack options are not intended to be exhaustive, merely illustrative. The attacks were selected randomly based on what popped into our heads at the time. The Aikido responses were similarly not pre-planned and were selected at random based on what “felt right” to each of us in each circumstance.
Finally, a huge thanks to Eden for dropping down to the dojo and recording the video. Also to my training partner, Jeremy, who graciously agreed to appear in the recording and basically “wing it”.
Ian Grant
Head Instructor
Aikido Warrior Dojo, Brisbane
Aikido Warrior Dojo 
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