Quote:

There really is no sense of force. I can't find the term 'irimi' associated with karate on the forums (yet). I suppose this video touches on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrYKn7Rtkwg

What I can understand of this mechanic so far, is it's part of blocking, unbalancing, and redirecting the other person...they just go flying if you get the angles right.

There's a lot more to it than that...

MattJ mentioned "launching" your mass to occupy your opponent's space.... which is a good idea to generally think about, but it can be far more subtle and sophisticated than that. For example, simply stepping into the space that your opponent is about to occupy, just as they're about to place their foot...

There's a reason for all those "wrist manipulations" in Aikido... and equally so for those unrealistic "wrist grabs"... it's all about irimi... enter and walk thru...

And if you get it right, they'll bounce right off you as soon as they try to grab you, with no sense of force on your part.

Why the other day, as I was demonstrating one of those unrealistic wrist grab and manipulation techniques... my wife came in to grab my extended wrist, and at that precise moment, I turned to scowl at one of the kids who was not paying attention, and before I could turn to look at my wife, who happened to be charging into me like a freight train (as always), she bounced right off my wrist, sprained her wrist and fell back 4 feet....

Irimi... kuzushi on contact... all without me even moving or doing anything.



Edited by eyrie (06/12/08 08:53 PM)