Aikido The Peaceful Martial Art                             Stefan Stenudd

Aikido basics
Suwari waza
Tori and uke sitting

For introduction and basic principles, go to INTRO.

1. INTRO, Aikido basics
2. Tachiwaza - mae (standing, attacks from the front)
3. Tachiwaza - ushiro (standing, attacks from the rear)
4. Suwariwaza (tori and uke sitting)
5. Hanmi handachiwaza (tori sitting, uke standing)
6. Tantodori (defense against knife)
7. Tachidori (defense against sword)
8. Jodori (defense against staff)
9. Kaeshiwaza (counter techniques)
10. Henkawaza (changed techniques)
11. Kogeki (attacks in aikido)

Ikkyo on different suwariwaza attacks. More on ikkyo here.

Notes on suwariwaza

1. Attack forms that are very impractical are excluded from the table. They are not basic, in some cases hardly possible at all.
2. Techniques in parenthesis are less important or can be excluded in suwariwaza, because they are awkward to execute.
3. Crossed-out techniques should be excluded from suwariwaza, because they are unsuitable or impossible.
4. Ushiro on suwariwaza is not basic, although it does exist in several grading systems. It makes more sense if the attack is initiated from the rear - instead of starting by uke moving from the front to the rear.
5. Additional comments on suwariwaza are below the table.
6. Aikido glossary here.

SUWARIWAZA	aihanmi katate dori	gyaku hanmi katate dori	ryote dori	kata dori	ryo kata dori	mune dori	shomen uchi	yokomen uchi	jodan tsuki	kata dori men uchi
KATAMEWAZA (pinning) in order of importance	bas = basic     adv = advanced/difficult     - =not basic/possible
ikkyo omote/ura	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas
nikyo omote/ura	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas
sankyo omote/ura	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas
yonkyo omote/ura	adv	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas
gokyo omote/ura	-	-	-	-	-	-	bas	bas	bas	-
hijikime osae omote/ura	adv	bas	adv	bas	adv	bas	adv	adv	bas	bas
kaiten osae omote/ura	adv	adv	adv	adv	adv	adv	-	-	-	adv
NAGEWAZA (throw) in order of importance	bas = basic     adv = advanced/difficult     - =not basic/possible
kokyuho	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	-
kokyunage	adv	adv	adv	adv	adv	adv	-	-	-	-
iriminage omote/ura	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	bas	adv
shihonage omote/ura	bas	bas	bas	adv	adv	-	bas	bas	bas	adv
kotegaeshi omote/ura	bas	bas	bas	adv	adv	-	bas	bas	bas	-
(tenchinage) omote/ura	-	adv	adv	-	-	-	-	-	adv	-
kaitennage omote/ura	-	bas	adv	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
koshinage	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
(udekimenage)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
jujigarami	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
ushiro kiriotoshi	bas	adv	-	-	-	-	adv	adv	adv	-
aikinage	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
aiki otoshi	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
SUWARIWAZA	aihanmi katate dori	gyaku hanmi katate dori	ryote dori	kata dori	ryo kata dori	mune dori	shomen uchi	yokomen uchi	jodan tsuki	kata dori men uchi

Comments on suwariwaza

1. For general notes, see the comments on tachiwaza - mae.
2. IKKYO is easy enough on the attack forms listed.
3. NIKYO is easy enough on the attack forms listed.
4. SANKYO is easy enough on the attack forms listed.
5. YONKYO is easy enough on the attack forms listed.
6. GOKYO is basic only on the striking attacks. On katadori menuchi it is not meaningful, since it has to be done on uke's katadori arm.
7. HIJIKIME OSAE is a bit more tricky on some attacks, because of uke's arm needing to be straight.
8. KAITEN OSAE is in suwariwaza only done as sotokaiten, outside uke's arm, since it is too difficult for tori to get under uke's arm. On some attacks it is a very impractical or complicated techniqe to do, thus far from basic.
9. KOKYUHO is tricky to do on kubishime, because of the positions of uke's arms, tending to get in the way. It can get tricky also on eridori, if uke's arm is firmly held straight, in which case it is difficult for tori to get close enough to uke for kokyuho.
10. KOKYUNAGE is not complicated in suwariwaza, but still a bit difficult because of the momentum needed for the throw. That is why it is marked as advanced, when applicable. On striking attacks it is not really practical.
11. IRIMINAGE is just as basic in suwariwaza as ikkyo is, and trained as much in most dojos. Only in munedori and katadori menuchi does it get a little tricky.
12. SHIHONAGE is a bit awkward to do in suwariwaza, because of the need of going under uke's arm. Just as in tachiwaza, it is quite difficult to do on katadori and ryokatadori, but here even more so on munedori. Shihonage ura gets so difficult in suwariwaza, because of uke being in the way of tori's feet in the turn, many teachers do not demand it of their students.
13. KOTEGAESHI is almost as common to do in suwariwaza as shihonage is. On munedori it is difficult because of the problem for tori to use a flexible enough body movement in suwariwaza, and on katadori menuchi the problem is to get under uke's katadori arm. Therefore, they should not be included in the basics.
14. TENCHINAGE is next to impossible on several attacks in suwariwaza, because of how uke needs to be extended in two different directions, and because uke is unlikely to fall even when this is done. It can be done on more attacks than those marked as advanced here, but that would be very far from basic.
15. KAITENNAGE should only be done sotokaiten, outside uke's arm, in suwariwaza - and it is still difficult against any other attack than gyakuhanmi katatedori. Ryotedori is a little trickier than katatedori, since tori has to get free from one of uke's wrist grips.
16. KOSHINAGE is just not possible in suwariwaza, because of both tori and uke sitting down.
17. UDEKIMENAGE is possible, sometimes rather easy, to do against several attacks in suwariwaza, but it's not much of a throw, since both are sitting down. Therefore, it should not be included in basics.
18. JUJIGARAMI (also called JUJINAGE) is really only applicable on some ushiro grips, from the rear. Since these are excluded from suwariwaza basics (see note above the table), this throw is excluded as well.
19. USHIRO KIROTOSHI can be done against some attacks in suwariwaza. It takes some swift knee-walking, though, to be done convincingly. On such attacks as katadori and munedori, for example, it is not practical because of the need to break free of the grip, and the difficulty in thereafter moving swiftly to uke's rear.
20. AIKINAGE is not possible in suwariwaza, because both tori and uke are sitting down.
21. AIKI OTOSHI is not possible in suwariwaza, because both tori and uke are sitting down - not a good starting point for lifting somebody. Anyway, it would really just be practical on some few ushiro attacks, which are not included in these basics (see note above the table).

---

---

stenudd.com