With a good solid grip from your uke you may initially struggle through their strength, however once you master flexible power you will appreciate a good connection with your attacker. You may actually come to the point where your technique relies on a good grip through which you can manipulate your opponent’s balance.

What can you do when you do not have a strong connection with your uke?

Let us look at the basic morote dori kokyu ho as the subject for this study. If after the initial turn, your uke has a strong grip on your wrist it is a relatively simple matter of upsetting their balance. This is achieved through the high mobility you have in your arm connecting through to your opponent’s shoulders and arms which have at this point been locked out. Even with a relatively poor entry, this technique is still impossible.

If instead, your uke lets go of your arm and stabilises their centre the technique takes on a whole new feeling. You will probably discover some ‘flaws’ that were perhaps hidden from you before.

If you are too eager to throw you will meet your opponent’s resistance like a brick wall and discover that your own centre is lacking. Make sure that throughout the technique your weight presses strongly into your feet, and that you are standing independently. The beginner aikidoka will often find themselves too keen to throw and end up leaning on their uke. With their balance so compromised the power that can be generated is greatly reduced.

You may also discover that without the benefit of a good connection to your attacker that you clash with their power as soon as you try to throw them. This is most likely caused by a linear application of force towards your thrower. When you are able to use the mobility of your arms in the throw, the lack of movement in your hips and torso is disguised. Take care to place your feet correctly and rotate your hips in a spherical motion.

The clashing feeling may also be attributed to inadequate extension. Make sure that from a good posture, extend beyond your opponent with the feeling of wrapping around them. I like to use the feeling of expanding myself so that my arms act like the handles of a nut cracker or crow bar.

If you do not extend your intention, you may also find that you end up sliding against your uke and unable to affect their balance. Increase the contact points and hence the friction between you and your attacker. In this case, when you turn your hips you will find traction with your uke and take them off balance. You may have heard this described elsewhere in aikido as being sticky.

In your next class, try this training method and see if you can remove some of the impurities in your technique.