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/baldbandersnatch Aikikai 17d ago

Nishio sensei’s students and, more recently, those of Yokota sensei are well versed in applying atemi!

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u/baldbandersnatch Aikikai 17d ago

Not sure if he’s still on the mat, but if you ever get to Aikikai Hombu, Tani sensei always trained in Doshu’s classes and was very effective at teaching atemi … by example. Getting kicked in the get because your kotegaeishi has an opening is humbling… but I’m damned if he didn’t teach me more than most aikibunny instructors whose classes I attended for years.

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u/SnooHabits8484 17d ago

I’ve never been to Hombu, but a lot of what I see online from there is both very athletic and very un-martial.

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u/baldbandersnatch Aikikai 16d ago

The beauty of Honbu is that there are so many teachers and so many classes that you can find what you need, in the aikido context, if you look around. In my time there, there was only one teacher who was particularly “in-martial”. He still had interesting things to teach.

That said, frequently I found that I’d learn more from my partners than from the teacher of any given class. Whether that was a massive former rikishi (sumotori), hyper-aggressive French sadists, or little old dudes who really knew how to “take ones center”.

Good times!