Applying Ikkyo to the Jab

Controlling retraction & cross punch employing the structure of Nishio Sensei's aihanmi ikkyo to a jab.
uke: Carre St. Andre, Will Sandoval, Dan Cole, Mike Kindsvater
www.greenwoodaikido.com/
nishikazeaikido.org/

[@tmarevisited118]

Sensei Rae, southern regional director of KJWA - USA and teacher of aikido and kyushojitsu.
I like these concepts very much. My own sensei was very keen on teaching atemi waza and the roots of aikido in sword arts, points sadly underrepresented in many modern schools.
If I may make a suggestion; I've found through my own studies that aikido and taijiquan share many fundamentals. A key element in effective martial taijiquan (Tai Chi) is qin-na (chin na) and if you look to the "32 catches" of Shaolin qin-na you will actually find many familiar techniques. Some practically identical to aikido, others which, in my opinion, help us to better understand and apply our aikido techniques more effectively.

[@GreenwoodAikido]

I was exposed to Chin Na through one of my mentors and Ryu Te teacher Robert Bryner who also trained in Chin Na with a teacher in Los Angeles. So you're absolutely right. Ryu te and Kali also fit with this approach nicely which we did as well. And of course, there's our entire Aiki Toho Iaido system from Shoji Nishio Sensei which expresses aikido techniques through iaido forms. As Nishio Sensei would say, "within the techniques of aikido are found all martial arts."

[@alexscott730]

Looks similar to Shoji Nishio's aikido....

[@cmarqz1]

You will not be able to control all the jabs of a skilled boxer, plus the other hand is free and so is his mobility, yet i undersatnd your concept, but you must be skilled in "grabbing " the jab.

[@GreenwoodAikido]

Thanks for your comment. You're right. Nobody can control all the jabs of a skilled boxer. But this approach is not designed for tournament fighting. It's designed for a situation in which tension in the moment has escalated into an attack. We are not facing off in contest and trading punches. The method is designed to control the situation by taking a position from which you can deliver a series of strikes to control the opponent enough to apply a technique. The purpose of the technique (in this case "ikkyo") is not to injure, but is a way to mitigate the situation. It's a way to express aikido's core philosophy and apply it to the situation. If we enter into a contest and face off with the opponent we can't really call it aikido.
On the technical side, you have to establish angle and position and move when the opportunity appears. I don't cover all the subtleties of this in this video. The principles of tai sabaki in our aikido actually come from the same methods a Japanese swordsman would use to avoid getting cut while still being able to strike the opponent. All of our empty hand techniques are defined by an underlying series of strikes (atemi) from the method taught by Shoji Nishio. In this case, the initial response to the jab is a jab or hook to the side of the opponent's jaw (I'm showing an open hand in this video for the sake of practice) followed by a back fist with the other hand. Only after you control the situation with strikes (atemi) and break the opponent balance (kuzushi) can you consider doing any kind of aikido technique. In our aikido atemi serves to disrupt the opponent's mind and actions rather than win or injure with a devastating blow. The central striking component also ensures that I'm not depending on the success of my aikido technique (arm or wrist control) for my own safety. In other words, the measure of success of my aikido is not whether of not I manage to wrangle an arm bar or a wrist control on the opponent.

[@cmarqz1]

Thanks for your reply Sensei, I agree, not even another skilled boxer can be expected to control another skilled boxer jabs. The best to be hoped is to manage the opposing jab via defensive body movement and counter. That said ,whether your Aikido tools & methodology, MMA, Karate -Do, Boxing etc all those need to be tested and tailored to the individual, so as to look for efficiencies & deficiencies that can be expressed within the parameters of such tools & methods and grow from there.
Sparring - seems to me IHO - (with safety Gear) from prearranged to fee-style a great assessment tool. For example Sensei you speak about jabs and hooks Vs. you control techniques. the more "views that can be had to those jabs and hooks the better. From rank amateurs to the most skilled boxer you can get to practice your tools with, even environmental factors can be added for combat as it is seems dynamic and fluid. Another factor could be the stress of being in combat and how such affects the deployment of techniques.
Sensei, thanks for your patience and for reading my ramblings, thanks for your post and to your devotion to Budo in the form of Aikido. One Gaishi massu!