Tenkai (Blocking without blocking)

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[Kenji_08]

Hi,
I was flipping through an old edition of Black Belt and I come across an article about Aikido.The article was short so it didnt offer me enough information on its subject. What I picked up is you rotate to avoid an attack.

I study Tae Kwon Do and I have never heard of it not even when I studied Ishiin-Ryu. If anyone can give me any insight on this I would appreciate it.

[eyrie]

In some forms of karate and karate-derived systems... hmmm.... like TKD :p, "uke" is often misconstrued to mean "block". E.g. shuto uke = knife hand "block" which is not the same as shuto uchi = knife hand strike. And if you're going to "block", you might as well be "blocking" or more appropriately, "striking" something nice and soft instead... ;)

Uke literally means "receive"... and is a key concept in a number of JMAs as implying precisely that... to "receive" an attack, rather than to "block" it.

Tenkai, OTOH, is related to tai sabaki and is a tactical means of turning/pivoting the body around the central axis without moving the feet. It is part of the general strategy of body positioning and "blending" with an attack and is completely different to "blocking" or receiving.

[xuzen]

Hi,
I was flipping through an old edition of Black Belt and I come across an article about Aikido.The article was short so it didnt offer me enough information on its subject. What I picked up is you rotate to avoid an attack.

I study Tae Kwon Do and I have never heard of it not even when I studied Ishiin-Ryu. If anyone can give me any insight on this I would appreciate it.

Block against block = painful;
Block against edged weapon = painful;
Block against bludgeoning weapon = painful;
Parry against block = not so painful,
Parry against edged weapon = not so painful;
Pparry against bludgeon weapon = not so painful;
Sword's cutting edge clash against another = regular visit to the blacksmith;
Sword's blunt edge parry and slide against another = less visit to the smithy.

OSSU!

Boon

[Janet Rosen]

I probably wouldn't use the word "avoid" the attack. Think of it as moving the body to allow the arc of the attack to continue while you are no longer in its direct path BUT are in a good place from which to engage it on your own terms.

[SeiserL]

Get off the line.
Don't be where they intend to hit.
Move.

[CitoMaramba]

In Shotokan Karate-do, the kata Heian Sandan contains movements that teach tai sabaki, tenkai / tenkan.