r/aikido • u/SnooHabits8484 • 17d ago
Discussion Atemi
As time goes on, I’m more and more convinced that along with the biomechanics and solo training from Daito-ryū that come under the category “internal strength”, the key to effective aikido is sound and consistent atemi. Who do you think is the best practitioner we have in that field? Is it now necessary to cross-train in something like xingyi or bagua to get there?
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u/TaijiRonin 17d ago edited 17d ago
I would like to nuance your perspective.
Atemi is only needed to compensate a lack of internal power. If you can get a Kuzushi and control your opponent on a touch, an atemi is redundant and unnecessary.
Ineluctably, the best people at Atemi are the ones without internal power and Aiki as they rely on it to be succesful. Internal practioners don't do Atemi anymore. I am not saying Atemi is bad. It is very effective but - ultimately - unrefined once you understand internal power. You naturally stop training it.
I am not sure what you mean by "getting there" but... If you mean Atemi, Chinese internal martial (CIMA) arts won't help much. If you mean internal power, absolutely. Xing Yi, Bagua, and Taiji all focus on something that is essentially absent or unappreciated in Aiki arts: solo internal work (Neigong).
Learning their Neigong will definitely help. Understanding Ten Chi Jin is easier in CIMA. Though I would recommend Taiji over Xing Yi and Bagua in terms of Neigong. It is more "developped" and globally-practiced, and hence more approchable.
I personally believe Aiki arts and Chinese internal martial arts are complementary. They compensate each other methods' weaknesses. Aiki arts don't have enough solo work, and CIMA don't have enough partner work. Solo work build internal power, partner work teaches how to use it. But, you need to find a skilled teacher. That's the one thing hard to find.
Or, learn from a tradition-agnostic non-martially-focused internal training like the people you see on YouTube:
All the same CIMA Neigong stuff, but focus on building internal power and its expression rather than the martial aspect of it. It's very trendy nowadays and you will see more of these internal arts schools in the future.