What about other attacks?

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[actoman]

Hello all,

I have noticed that, although I am relatively new to aikido, and that there is much to still learn, that all attacks seem to focus on the wrists. What about other attacks? You know no attacker is going to grap for your wrists but really your hands instead, or your body.

Please elaborate.

THanks

[Nacho_mx]

The problem is categorizing all wrist grabbing techniques as "attacks". Actually they´re are useful for learning to blend with uke and redirect his/her energy in our favor, it also teaches proper posture and body movement.

And there is a wide array of atemi (strikes) directed at other parts of the body (head, neck, chest, abdomen, etc.), grabs from the side, from behind, chokes and even kicks.

[SeiserL]

Be patient. Its all here. You'll get to it. Please remember that once you learn the principles it is easy to apply them to any attack on any angle.

[actoman]

thanks, that makes me feel a bit better investing in a 'usable' art that I love.

I am looking forward to learning more about that.

[L. Camejo]

Whenever my students decide to question the applicability of wrist grabs as attacks, I merely let someone grab and then follow up with a quick knife thrust or punch (to the body or the head) with the other hand.

This tends to bring back the reality that being immobilised can set one up for something more dangerous.

It's nice to see though how the same technique practiced against a wrist grab alone may work identically with a follow up strike applied.

Important fundamentals for multiple applications.

My 2c

L.C.:ai::ki:

[Bogeyman]

Several years ago an instructor explained that grabs are not really any different than strikes except for timing. For example wrist grabs are the same as low punches, chokes and high punches and so on. Grabs can make learning propper blends and timing easier to grasp at first. Just thought I would pass on some $.02 worth.

E

[sanosuke]

from what i know aikido attacks seems more focused on the wrist attack because a grab, hold, eiher on the wrist or other body part is the so called 'unlikely' attack, and people usually don't except these kinds of attack, thus making them stunned or respond wildly.

In aikido, the wrist attack is intended to teach how to react against 'unlikely' attacks , but bear in mind that unlikely attack is not only comprised of grab, what i think the most common one nowadays is the 'shoot' like grapplers does.

[Largo]

OP- I think it depends on how you train. I think you also have to understand why someone would be grabbing you. When we do atemi, we enter, grab, then strike. Without the grab, your opponent can block, dodge, etc. After coming to understand that, all of the wrist techniques started to make a lot more sense.

[Clayton Kale]

In our dojo, we initially learn techniques from wrist grabs (and on occasion, chokes or kicks). We call these "Classical Techniques." Once the student shows understanding of the Classical Technique, he or she learns applications to those techniques such as pushes, punches or knife attacks.