AIKIDO STANCE
HANMI no KAMAE - HALF BODY STANCE
1. ELEMENTS OF HANMI no KAMAE
An oblique,
triangular stance with one foot forward and the other to the rear, body facing
about 45⁰.
Frontal area is
reduced and vital spots are turned away from the opponent.
Knees are slightly
flexed, especially the front knee.
Balance is
maintained and centered on the lower abdomen (the tanden, or "one
point").
Mobility is
maintained in all directions, ready to perform any of the basic footwork
patterns.
THE FIVE BASIC KAMAE RELATIONSHIPS
Ideally Aikido has no stance: a natural body posture called
shizen-tai is best. For training
purposes, however, we usually employ a stance based on that use in Japanese
swordsmanship. There are both right and
left basic stances in a few variations.
There are also two possible relationships between your stance and that
of your partner.
THREE BASIC VERSIONS OF HANMI NO KAMAE
BASIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE IN HANMI no KAMAE
BASIC AIKIDO MOVEMENTS
ASHI-SABAKI - FIVE BASIC FOOTWORK
There are three types of footwork: IRIMI (Enter), TENKAN
(Turn), and TENTAI (Pivot)
ELEMENTS OF IRIMI - Irimi-Isshoku (One-step Entry)
a.Triangular stance
b.Each type is performed as one step.
c.Enter to the "Blind Spot", shikaku
d.Both feet must move during each step!
e.Get off the Line of Attack
Note: The principle
of Irimi-Isshoku implies that you must reach the blind spot behind your partner
in a single motion. In these diagrams,
foot movements are numbered; 1, 2, 3....
However, each type of stepping illustrated is nonetheless a single step.
For example, ayumi-ashi is considered
one step wherein both feet move. This
principle is important for getting off the line of attack. This long, straight arrows in the following
diagrams represents this attacking movement of your aite.
TE-SABAKI - FIVE BASIC HANDWORK
ELEMENTS OF TE-SABAKI (HANDWORK PATTERNS)
a.Head erect over relaxed neck and shoulders
b.Open the hands and extend fingers as if lightly holding a
large ball with both hands
c.The natural curve of arms is maintained during movement
d.Move up from the thumb and down from the little
finger
e.Get off the Line of Attack
THE FIVE BASIC HANDWORK PATTERNS (TE-GATANA NO SOSA)
In Aikido, the hand is often referred to as the
"te-gatana" (literally the "hand sword"). We form this "hand-blade" by
holding our fingers open and extended so that the heel of the palm and bottom
of the arm are elongated while the top of the arm remains relatively
relaxed. In this manner the natural
curve of the arm resembles the shape of a Japanese sword, the katana. Sometimes the basicte-sabaki are referred to
as the te-gatana no sosa, or "the use of the hand-blade".
