Genyukan Dojo

Doshinkan Aikido techniques are composed of a series of movements known as basic movements. There are 6 basic movements taught to beginner students and subsequently these movements will be continually practiced and refined throughout a student's Aikido career. The 6 basic motions include:

Tai no henko ichi (Cross step in body change)
Tai no henko ni (95 degree pivot)
Hiriki no yosei ichi (Elbow power #1)
Hiriki no yosei ni (Elbow power #2)
Shumatsu-dosa ichi (After class exercise #1)
Shumatsu-dosa ni (After class exercise #2)

Tai no henko (Body Shifting)

Tai no henko is one of the basic body movements (kihon dosa). It's a method of training the body movement for when you are pulled (tai no henko ichi) or pushed (tai no henko ni). The movement for ichi is the basis of irimi (entering) and the movement for ni is the basis for tenkan (turning). For tai no henko ni we do a 95-degree turn with the back leg, although an actual completed technique could involve a 180-dergee turn.

Both ichi and ni can be performed with or without a partner. Training without a partner helps you learn how to focus power, how to enter and turn, and how to maintain a stable posture. Training with a partner helps you develop a sense of connecting with them and also how to unbalance them.

Tai no henko ichi

Tai no Henko Ichi (cross step in body change) is the basis of irimi (entering) from the yoshinkan basic movements.

Tai no henko ni

This movement teaches us how to redirect the pushing strength of an onent backwards by turning and that needs lots of physical training to reverse our instinct. This is the very basic turning practice that is used in almost all Aikido techniques. If you can fully understand/fix your own centre line while you are turning, you can generate amazing aiki-ryoku (aikido power produced from the combination of one’s centre line power and focused power) in your techniques.

Hiriki-no-yosei Ichi

This movement teaches us how not to lose our centre line once it’s fixed from the kamae position in the simplest movements of stepping forwards and backwards. In contrast to dancing that needs you to move each of your body parts separately with twisting and wiggling, the movement of Aikido requires you to set all the body parts – hands, feet, hips, into one line and concentrate the combined strength from each body part into one while we move in any direction at high speed.

Hiriki-no-yosei Ni

This movement requires that we put 80% of our weight on each leg every time we shift our body balance. The training of not losing one’s centre line and keeping one’s own balance steadily in hard positions is hiriki-no-yosei ni. The amount you feel so hard by practicing this movement will build your body stronger into the aikido way and you will be able to maintain the centre line when you apply techniques on someone a lot bigger and heavier than you.

Shumatsu-dosa

Shumatsu means the end. So, this is the movement used at the end of the class to restore one’s centre line after it has gone out during the training. It teaches us; how to use the hips to maintain the centre line when we move diagonally, the stability of one’s hips when a foot steps through, how to maintain the balance, stability and the centre line when we shift from turning motion to a straight line motion. All of the necessary movements of aikido are in these movements and we can imprint these important movements correctly by practicing shumatsu-dosas.

Kihon Waza (Basic techniques)

The following are a sample of the basic or widely practiced throws and pins. The precise terminology for some may vary between organizations and styles, so what follows are the terms used by the Genyukan.

1. First technique (一教, ikkajo) a control using one hand on the elbow and one hand near the wrist which leverages uke to the ground.This grip also applies pressure into the ulnar nerve at the wrist.

2. Second technique (二教, nikkajo) an adductive wristlock that torques the arm and applies painful nerve pressure.

3. Third technique (三教, sankajo) a pronating wristlock that directs upward-spiraling tension throughout the arm, elbow and shoulder.

4. Fourth technique (四教, yonkajo) a shoulder control similar to ikkyō, but with both hands gripping the forearm. The knuckles (from the palm side) are applied to the recipient's radial nerve against the periosteum of the forearm bone.

5. Fifth technique (五教, gokajo) visually similar to ikkyō, but with an inverted grip of the wrist, medial rotation of the arm and shoulder, and downward pressure on the elbow. Common in knife and other weapon take-aways.

6. Four-direction throw (四方投げ, shihōnage) The hand is folded back past the shoulder, locking the shoulder joint.

7. Forearm return (小手返し, kotegaeshi) a supinating wristlock-throw that stretches the extensor digitorum.

8. Breath throw (呼吸投げ, kokyūnage) a loosely used term for various types of mechanically unrelated techniques.

9. Entering throw (入身投げ, iriminage) throws in which nage moves through the space occupied by uke. The classic form superficially resembles a "clothesline" technique.

10. Heaven-and-earth throw (天地投げ, tenchinage) beginning with ryōte-dori; moving forward, nage sweeps one hand low ("earth") and the other high ("heaven"), which unbalances uke so that he or she easily topples over.

11. Hip throw (腰投げ, koshinage) aikido's version of the hip throw. Nage drops his or her hips lower than those of uke, then flips uke over the resultant fulcrum.

12. Figure-ten throw (十字投げ, jūjinage) or figure-ten entanglement (十字絡み, jūjigarami) a throw that locks the arms against each other (The kanji for "10" is a cross-shape: 十).

13. Rotary throw (回転投げ, kaitennage) nage sweeps the arm back until it locks the shoulder joint, then uses forward pressure to throw.[30] leverages uke to the ground. This grip also applies pressure into the ulnar nerve at the wrist.