| Introduction | Nagashi | Hiraki | Irimi | Irimi senkai |
| O irimi senkai | With atemi | With technique | Back to the beginning | Bottom of page |
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The tai sabaki are the fundamental movements of Yoseikan Budo. They provide means of avoiding an
aggressive action in such a way that one is an position of advantage which permits immediate
redirection of the aggressive energy or, if necessary, effective counter-attack. Effective use of tai sabaki is an essential element in the successful execution of aikido, judo and jujutsu standing techniques; if the attack does not elicit an appropriate tai sabaki, no true opening for the technique exists. Although the movements are simple, they require extensive, attentive practice before they become spontaneous responses to unanticipated attacks. Over time, the practitioner develops "body wisdom," so that an effective response to a particular attack is selected on non-conscious, perhaps sub-cortical, level. The tai sabaki also constitute the glue that holds the broad conceptual field of Yoseikan Budo together. Whether one is practicing the skills of aikido, judo, karate or kendo, the tai sabaki are the structure upon which the specifics of technique are built. Likewise, strong tai sabaki, emphasizing the fundamentals of motion upon which aikido rests--centralized motion, attentive responsiveness to the attacker--bestow fundamental soundness early in the acquisition of a new area of technique. The tai sabaki have many applications, many of which are mentioned here without illustration. Finally, it should be noted that the animations here are not biomechanically perfect, reflecting as they do, both the illustrator's limited understanding and his recent acquaintence with the animation tools. They are meant only to roughly suggest basic form. Some older browsers do not support the GIF89a format which allows animations to be displayed directly on the page. On slower machines, the animations may be unacceptably choppy, distorting the overall motion. For this reason, each of the animations may also be downloaded in AVI format. You are welcome to these files, but are asked to identify the source if you use them publicly. |
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Tai sabaki contents]
| Nagashi or flowing is sometimes described as "opening like a door." It is most useful against a frontal attack without warning from a relatively short distance. It embodies the basic jujutsu idea of yielding. The footwork is illusatrated below. |
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| Hiraki or sidestepping is described as "opening like a sliding door." Like nagashi, it is most useful against an attack without warning from a short distance. The hips can be turned near the end of the motion to provide a more oblique target and to direct power in the direction of the attack. The footwork is illusatrated below. |
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| Irimi or entering is also described as "blending." It is most useful against an anticipated attack from intermediate or long distance. It is said to embody the aikido principle of preemptive redirective response to a foreseen attack. The footwork is illustrated below. |
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| Irimi senkai or entering and turning is said to e mbody the aikido principles of circular non-resistance.. It is most useful against an anticipated attack from intermediate or long distance. Front and back views are provided. The footwork is illustrated below. It is slightly different when applied to the inside rather than outside of the attack. |
| From the rear, the early turn of the lead leg before the transfer of weight can be seen. This is important for rapid, powerful movement and to protect the knee joint from chronic twisting. The footwork is illustrated below. |
| Soto Irimi senkai--outside entering and turning--is used in many aikido techniques, and is called tenkan by most aikido styles. It differs from the inside version principally in the degree of rotation. |
| Uchi Irimi senkai--insiide entering and turning--is sometimes used in aikido, but is very frequently employed in judo techniques, particularly the hip and hand techniques. |
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| O irimi senkai or big entering and turning is an example of a complex tai sabaki. It is most useful against an attack from a long distance or when there is a need to move to an unexpected location. Front, side and back views are provided. The footwork is illustrated below. |
| O irimi senkai combines irimi, gyaku (reverse) irimi and irimi senkai. This view with flattened perspective gives angle on the movement. Note the toe-out position in the gyaku irimi. The side view gives the best overall impression of the movement. Check the back view and footwork. |
| O irimi senkai, a view from the left side. Check the back view and, particularly, the footwork. |
| O irimi senkai, the rear view. The illustration of the footwork below helps clarify the movement. |
