# What does your atemi look like?



## Stan (Feb 16, 2006)

What type of atemi do you practice in your dojo?  Does it look like karate, with reverse punches from a chambered position, or more like boxing?  Do you practice in drills at the beginning of class, or while performing waza?  What kicks do you practice?


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## theletch1 (Feb 17, 2006)

For those in my dojo that don't have experience in any other art the atemi looks very much like "kata".  Stiff, very readable punches to specific areas to "soften up" uke or break his attention.  No (or very little imagination in targets).  For those who have studied other arts you can almost guess what art they've studied by watching their atemi.  I've always said that one of the drawbacks to aikido as a first art is that the art almost assumes that you have a good working knowledge of punching and kicking before you ever step into the aikido dojo.  As for kicks, it's the same.  Luckily, we are gaining more and more folks in the dojo with other styles already under their belt and those that are studying aikido as a first art are profiting from that experience.  I've a kenpo back ground, we have several students with karate backgrounds, jujutsu is represented and sensei studied arnis for a while before turning to aikido.  I really think the overall answer you'll wind up with here is going to be "depends on the dojo and instructor".  Those practitioners of the art that are REALLY good will tell you that their atemi doesn't "look" like anything because the atemi shouldn't be noticeable.


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## Jenna (May 14, 2006)

theletch1 said:
			
		

> For those in my dojo that don't have experience in any other art the atemi looks very much like "kata". Stiff, very readable punches to specific areas to "soften up" uke or break his attention. No (or very little imagination in targets). For those who have studied other arts you can almost guess what art they've studied by watching their atemi. I've always said that one of the drawbacks to aikido as a first art is that the art almost assumes that you have a good working knowledge of punching and kicking before you ever step into the aikido dojo. As for kicks, it's the same. Luckily, we are gaining more and more folks in the dojo with other styles already under their belt and those that are studying aikido as a first art are profiting from that experience. I've a kenpo back ground, we have several students with karate backgrounds, jujutsu is represented and sensei studied arnis for a while before turning to aikido. I really think the overall answer you'll wind up with here is going to be "depends on the dojo and instructor". Those practitioners of the art that are REALLY good will tell you that their atemi doesn't "look" like anything because the atemi shouldn't be noticeable.


Hey The Big Letch-owsky 

I will not add much to your lovely descriptive cake except maybe to again sprinkle some choccy chips to the top and say that my atemi probably looks much the same as ANY atemi: a fist is a fist and therefore an Aikido punch is as any punch and an Aikido palm strike is as any palm strike and so on.... But the difference in my Aikido is that I do not rely on sheer power to strike which is really good because I ain't so very big or strong. But instead I use my atemi to create the opening for the technique. A mundane answer prolly, but then I never did do my Aikido to win either prizes or favour, LOL!!

I have always thought that atemi in themselves are finite and stop dead on impact and I think to be reliant on them to ANY great level is to ignore the principles of acceptance, blending and continuous movement. I could go on (and on and on) but it would be glancing off the question and would make our cake too sweet but look, isn't that a nice tasty Aikido treat we have made,  and everyone come on over and have a slice please! LOL.

Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna


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## Yari (May 15, 2006)

theletch1 said:
			
		

> For those in my dojo that don't have experience in any other art the atemi looks very much like "kata". Stiff, very readable punches to specific areas to "soften up" uke or break his attention. No (or very little imagination in targets). For those who have studied other arts you can almost guess what art they've studied by watching their atemi. I've always said that one of the drawbacks to aikido as a first art is that the art almost assumes that you have a good working knowledge of punching and kicking before you ever step into the aikido dojo. As for kicks, it's the same. Luckily, we are gaining more and more folks in the dojo with other styles already under their belt and those that are studying aikido as a first art are profiting from that experience. I've a kenpo back ground, we have several students with karate backgrounds, jujutsu is represented and sensei studied arnis for a while before turning to aikido. I really think the overall answer you'll wind up with here is going to be "depends on the dojo and instructor". Those practitioners of the art that are REALLY good will tell you that their atemi doesn't "look" like anything because the atemi shouldn't be noticeable.


 
I agree! Well put!

/Yari


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## Korppi76 (May 15, 2006)

As said earlier it depends always who teaches you.
In my first dojo we trained Boxing style atemi and very few kicks.
In my next dojo we trained more like karate and Jujutsu style kicks and punch.
At my current dojo we dont train much kicks but all is little karate like.

In all cases it depended about what my instructors had trained.

My own atemis debends where I use them. I teach usually little more boxing kind of punches than Karate like and kicks I teach are karate like... maybe some TKD influenses but not much.

And as theletch1 said when you are good with atemis they are not very noticeable exept from ukes viewpoint.


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## Devin (May 15, 2006)

I personally tend to use boxing style punches. Most of the people at the dojo I train at use karate lunge punches except for the occaisional jab.


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## Yari (May 16, 2006)

Devin said:
			
		

> I personally tend to use boxing style punches. Most of the people at the dojo I train at use karate lunge punches except for the occaisional jab.


 
How does that fit together?

When I think boxing, the shoulder has a tendancy to be lifted, since it's used to protect yourself, also the travling force is thrown from the hit up and around the shoulder. While en karater it's pivoted outward from the hip(thus given the more relaxed shoulder(and the elbow more poitning downward). Thus also giving a more straight upward position.

Not saying that one is better than the other, just corius to how you fit it together.

/Yari


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## jujutsu_indonesia (May 17, 2006)

Stan said:
			
		

> What type of atemi do you practice in your dojo? Does it look like karate, with reverse punches from a chambered position, or more like boxing? Do you practice in drills at the beginning of class, or while performing waza? What kicks do you practice?


 
In our Dojo, we do Wado-ryu Karate for 2 hours every Sunday afternoon and Jujutsu/Aiki Jujutsu at night. At the Karate class, the Atemi is like you'd expect from a Karate class. At the Jujutsu class, the Atemi drills are more traditional: shomen, yokomen, gyaku (reversed yokomen), uraken, haratsuki, munetsuki, sokushigeri (front kick) and sokutogeri. Our kicks and hand strikes are penetrating, not always snappy.

We also do a lot of atemi in the Aiki Jujutsu paired Kata practice. We have atemi in almost all Waza in our paired sets. And not only punch/kick/chop, but also finger jams to throat, thumbs to nerve centers, etc.


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## MartialIntent (May 18, 2006)

jujutsu_indonesia said:
			
		

> At the Jujutsu class, the Atemi drills are more traditional: shomen, yokomen, gyaku (reversed yokomen), uraken, haratsuki, munetsuki, sokushigeri (front kick) and sokutogeri. Our kicks and hand strikes are penetrating, not always snappy.


JJ_I, 
What do you use atemi _for_ in your Aiki practise? Are they standalone strikes designed to take out the opponent in as quick a time possible or are they as a lead into another technique?

My style of Aikido only uses atemi sparingly and mostly to upset balance or to put the opponent on the back foot. Either way to generate some initial momentum which can be capitalized upon to assist with moving them around or away, if that makes sense? I mean, I wouldn't plan on using a shomen strike as a proper blow, I think that would be a bad idea for me - I wouldn't have the conditioning in my hand for one thing. But I use it instead to get the opponent moving off their centre, I can follow maintain my momentum right through and take them down with something else.

Respects!


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## jujutsu_indonesia (May 18, 2006)

MartialIntent said:
			
		

> JJ_I,
> What do you use atemi _for_ in your Aiki practise? Are they standalone strikes designed to take out the opponent in as quick a time possible or are they as a lead into another technique?


 
there are three types of atemi, first is the drills when we become attacker, so we learn how to properly attack with shomen uchi, yokomen uchi, gyaku yokomen, mune tsuki, hara tsuki etc.

the second type is the atemi used for distraction when executing throws and locks. this type of atemi usually does not really strike the attacker, only as a feint (like metsubushi) or maybe just to induce momentary pain (like a thumb jam to nerve centers). this is to create kuzushi (breaking uke's balance).

the third type is the symbolic atemi done after the execution of throws and locks. this is usually a shomen uchi aimed at uke's neck, accompanied with a kiai, or an elbow strike, or a punch. This is to symbolize uke's "defeat".



> My style of Aikido only uses atemi sparingly and mostly to upset balance or to put the opponent on the back foot. Either way to generate some initial momentum which can be capitalized upon to assist with moving them around or away, if that makes sense? I mean, I wouldn't plan on using a shomen strike as a proper blow, I think that would be a bad idea for me - I wouldn't have the conditioning in my hand for one thing. But I use it instead to get the opponent moving off their centre, I can follow maintain my momentum right through and take them down with something else.
> 
> Respects!


 
All Aikido and Aiki Jujutsu arts uses the same type of atemi, yours and mine included  

To get an idea about how atemi is done in our system, think of the kotegaeshi in your Koryu Goshin no Kata. Tori & uke  sits in Seiza, Uke attacks with punch to stomach. Tori parries the punch, capture the punching arm and pretend to counter-punch uke on the face. Uke stand up to get away from the punch. Tori executes the kotegaeshi. 

We have an exact similar technique in our system. only in our system, the Uke is already standing.


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