Attacks in Aikido

For the first time: an aikido book that focuses on the attack techniques. Although aikido is a purely defensive martial art, attack techniques need to be practiced so that the training partners can exercise the defense against them.
     It's easy to forget in regular aikido training. We all know that the aikido technique is the defense, not the attack, so that's what we focus on. But without skilled attacks, the aikido defense doesn't need to be skilled, so there's a risk it will not be, no matter how much we train. For your aikido skills to increase, your attacking skills must improve accordingly. That's what I had in mind when writing this book.
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Respect for Other Martial Arts

As far as I've seen, the aikido literature ignores the attacks completely, as if irrelevant to aikido training. Nothing could be more wrong. The attack and the defense are linked. The improvement of one demands the equal improvement of the other.
     Also, we need to understand how skilled attacks are done, if we are to understand why the aikido techniques are the way they are. They are responses to the attacks - like a duet, not a solo performance.
     I think that the key to good attack techniques in aikido is to study how they're done in the other martial arts, the ones with attacks on their curriculum.
     For aikido it's particularly rewarding and relevant to study other budo, the traditional japanese martial arts. Strikes and kicks are karatedo specialities, grips are learned well in judo, sword attacks in kendo and iaido, and so on. This approach to the attacks deepens your understanding of the budo elements in aikido, which are quite fundamental.
     By studying the attack techniques the way they've been refined in other budo, we learn why aikido looks the way it does.

The Book

This book presents all the attacks practiced in aikido - grips as well as strikes, punches, and kicks. Also attacks with sword, stick, and knife are included. Each of these attack techniques is examined in depth, with lots of advice and pointers for beginners as well as advanced aikido students.
     The book also contains commented lists of all possible combinations of attack and defense techniques. A dictionary of the aikido terminology is included, too.

Contents

Here is the book's table of contents:

Foreword 7
Introduction 9
Tori and uke 10
Kogeki 13
Tables of techniques 14
Glossary 15
Attack basics 17
Empty mind 17
Pursure 18
Posture 19
Kamae 21
Functionality 23
Unbendable arm 24
Precision 26
Center 28
Ki 30
Ukemi 34
KOGEKI - attacks in aikido 37
Aihanmi relation 39
Aihanmi katatedori 39
Shomenuchi 41
Shomenate 42
Tsuki 44
Maegeri 47
Gyakuhanmi relation 51
Gyakuhanmi katatedori 51
Ryotedori 53
Katadori 54
Ryokatadori 55
Munedori 56
Sodedori 57
Ryosodedori 57
Ryohijidori 58
Yokomenuchi 59
Katadori menuchi 60
Kata katatedori 62
Yokotsuki 63
Mawashigeri 64
Ushiro relation 67
Morotedori 67
Ushiro ryotedori 69
Ushiro ryokatadori 70
Kubishime 71
Eridori 72
Kakaedori 73
Ushiro ryosodedori 75
Ushiro ryohijidori 76
Strikes from behind 77
Weapons 79
Tanto 81
Bokken 87
Jo 105
Tables of the aikido techniques and attacks 119
General principles 121
Tori principles 123
Uke principles 125
Lists of techniques 129
Tachiwaza mae (standing, attacks from the front) 129
Tachiwaza ushiro (standing, attacks from the rear) 135
Suwariwaza (tori and uke sitting) 139
Hanmi handachiwaza (tori sitting, uke standing) 143
Tantodori (defense against knife) 149
Tachidori (defense against sword) 153
Jodori (defense against staff) 159
Kaeshiwaza (counter techniques) 163
Henkawaza (changed techniques) 167
Renzokuwaza (consecutive techniques) 171
Glossary of aikido terms 173

Samples

Here are two short chapters from the book, as Acrobat PDF files in computer screen resolution (72 DPI):
     Introduction
     Gyakuhanmi relation

About me

I started to practice aikido in 1972, when I was 18 years old. Now, I'm 6 dan Aikikai Shihan, Vice Chairman of the International Aikido Federation, member of the Swedish Aikikai Grading Committee, and President of the Swedish Budo & Martial Arts Federation. I teach aikido and iaido at the dojo Enighet in Malmo, Sweden, and at seminars in Sweden and other European countries.
     Outside the dojo I'm a writer and historian of ideas. I've written a number of books in Swedish and English, both fiction and non-fiction. Among the latter are books about aikido and aikibatto, a guide to the life force qi, and a Life Energy Encyclopedia. I've also published a translation and commentary of the Chinese classic Tao Te Ching. In the history of ideas I study the thought patterns of creation myths, as well as Aristotle's Poetics.
     My previous aikido books are Aikido Principles and Aikibatto: Sword Exercises for Aikido Students.

How to get the book

If you want to buy the book, you can do so at most Internet bookstores, such as Amazon and the like. Here are links to the book on Amazon US and Amazon UK. Use the latter if you are European - then you get the book cheaper and quicker. Otherwise, you may want to buy it at Amazon US. Well, you find it at every Amazon store.

At Amazon US:

At Amazon UK:

Now also a Kindle ebook:
Attacks in Aikido
How to do Kogeki, the Attack Techniques
by Stefan Stenudd
Paperback, 190 pages
ISBN: 978-91-7894-025-7