MY JOURNEY WITH MASTERS OF AIKI - 11

 

No Touch – AIKI NAGE

There are a lot of arguments and assumptions about No-Touch throws in martial arts practice. Then we often see them in demonstrations and videos. I was very sceptical about this, and once again, my answer was Tanaka Sensei.

This particular day at the Meiji Jingu Shiseikan Dojo, I was already known for one thing: when asked to be the uke (the person being thrown), I would give my hundred percent. Nothing stopped me. Full force, aggression, and a real attack. Nothing halfway.

This made me a favourite uke of many distinguished Sensei and Sempai.

On this occasion, a unique throwing technique was being demonstrated. The technique involved moving the centre and hips, projecting through the movement of the hands into the throw. I was standing in the line, waiting for my turn. For some reason, when my turn came, I rushed aggressively towards the Sensei with pure, brutal force.

I don't remember touching any part of his body. There was no feeling of touch, no push, no pull, and no kind of physical force that I could recognise. Wondering why my body had not yet touched the tatami. I was simply waiting to do the breakfall.

Then clearly heard the sound, “Wooow… Haah…” There was a sense of surprise around me. A moment later, I hit the ground. The angle of the fall caused some real pain and tried to get up and return to the line.

It was unusual, Why Everyone was standing far away from the normal distance, almost twenty feet or more.

Tanaka Sensei was simply smiling.

I returned to the line with a slight limp, trying to contemplate what had just happened. Everyone was looking at me with the same expression: “Are you alright?”

And even today, still trying to figure it out.

DID I TOUCH HIM OR NOT?

 

Breaking Balance Early - Kuzushi

The unbalancing process can begin at the moment of intent, before physical contact takes place. By entering the attacker's line of sight and projecting a fast, committed movement, the thrower can cause the attacker to react, adjust, or commit even more heavily to their trajectory. In this sense, what appears to be a “no-touch throw”.

The attacker is already moving with commitment. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, the defender occupies the space into which that commitment is directed. Because two bodies cannot occupy the same space, the attacker's unconscious reflex may trigger an immediate defensive correction. When the movement is fast and the commitment is strong, that sudden reflexive adjustment can disrupt the attacker's balance and cause them to fall under their own momentum.

Standing there that day, slightly limping and surrounded by the stunned faces of everyone in the dojo, I was left with one question that has stayed with me ever since.