Aikido Terminology for Kids

Fundamental Aikido Concepts

Selected terminology related to fundamental Aikido concepts.

Agatsu

Focus on improving yourself. Learn from your mistakes, and enjoy every moment of your life.

Masakatsu

It is more important to beat your personal best effort than simply beat someone else.

Masakatsu Agatsu

Better to share your ice-cream with a friend than eat the whole lot yourself and get "brain-freeze"!

Ai

When two people are turning a rope for someone else to play a skipping game — the timing or harmony between all of them has to be just right, or else the rope gets tangled in the skipper’s feet!

Ki

Just think of, say, electricity, or magnetism or gravity. Just because you cannot see energy, it does not mean that it isn’t there, or that you can’t feel it.

Do

In the movie The Wizard of Oz, a girl named Dorothy "followed the yellow brick road". In one scene of the movie, Dorothy came to a fork in the road and a rabbit asked her where she wanted to go. Dorothy replied "I don’t know", to which the rabbit replied "then any road will do…".

Aikido

The name of a Japanese Martial art developed by a man called Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969).

Aiki

Kind of like when you feel when you are playing a game or doing some sport and you feel great, and do everything just right!

Kiai

Remember a time when you burnt your hand, or hit your finger with a hammer, or got jabbed by a sharp needle — at that moment — didn’t you feel like yelling at the top of your lungs! (even if you held it in.) This screaming or yelling actually enabled you to bare the pain just a little bit better… no?

Takemusu Aiki

When you fall off your bike, you naturally act because you don’t have time to think about it. The same goes for martial-arts.

Katsu Hayabi

The next time you are at the beach or swimming pool — try to have a fight with the water… See what happens when you punch it? Does it fight back? Can you win?

Kyoku

Experiment with different ways of using your breath when you are trying to push something along. Do you have more power when you breathe in before you push? Do you have more power if you breathe out before you push? Do you have more power if you breathe out as you are pushing? or do you have more power if you take a good deep breath — start to push without strain or stress — and then release your breath with a tremendous feeling of joy just after the object you are pushing starts to move away from you? Have fun and play safe.

Kokyu Ryoku

Draw a picture of how you feel after each Kokyu breathing experiment above.

Kokyu Ho

Look closely at the pictures you drew from the Kokyu Ryoku exercise above, and see how you moved your body during each Kokyu breathing experiment.

Hara

A special spot located about three fingers width below the "belly button" — the center of gravity of the human body.

Misogi

On a hot day, get a bucket of cold water — hold it above your head — and pour the water slowly over your back, head and chest… See how you feel afterwards!

Mushin

Run, jump and play on the beach or somewhere outdoors where you feel happy, then think about how little you really had to actually think about having a great time while you were actually having a great time!

Zanshin

Immediately after the really great play on the beach — stop for a second and see how you feel exactly at that moment in time.

Go no sen

Try to catch a tennis ball just AFTER a friend throws it gently for you to catch. See how you react.

Sen no sen

Move your hands up and begin the action of trying to catch a tennis ball AS SOON AS a friend starts his or her action to throw it gently for you to catch. See how you react.

Sensen no sen

Take a deep breath. Keep looking just above your friends head (not into his or her eyes) — relax — and try to guess when your friend is about to throw a tennis ball gently for you to catch. See if you can move your hands to catch the ball a fraction of a second before your friend actually throws it to you! See how you react, and see how they react!

Shoshin

Never think that you know everything about anything. Keep learning more and more about everything you can. Never stop learning. Stay open-minded, enthusiastic, passionate, curious, imaginative and creative. Keep having fun with everything you do. Refer to article: "Aikido-Yoga & Beginner’s Mind".

Yamabiko no michi

When you are in the mountains, and there is a good area for echoes — have lots of fun making as many sounds as you can — and listen carefully to how the sounds come back to you. Then try to think up fun ways to pretend to be an echo! Have fun, use your imagination and move your body as if YOU were an echo!

Aikido Training Terminology

Selected terminology related to Aikido training.

Tai Jutsu

Practice of unarmed combat.

Tai Sabaki

Practice of specific body movements that focus on the Aikido physical and mental principles required in order to develop mind-body unity.

Suki

A weakness, gap or opening that makes one vulnerable to attack or counter-attack.

Nage / Tori

Person who receives the attacker(s) and practices executing techniques in the training atmosphere of a dojo.

Uke

Person who offers the attack and experiences the execution of nage’s defence in the training atmosphere of a dojo. However do not accept a simplistic definition of this term, because the topic of ukeship in Aikido-Yoga training is both wide and deep, requiring in-depth study. Understanding can only be attained thru correct training under the guidance of an enlightened teacher.

Ukemi

The art of taking a fall safely while remaining centered and aware.

Maai

Simplistically, ma-ai implies correct tactical distance between nage and his/her uke(s). This involves an intuitive sense of the uke’s size and athletic capabilities, the surrounding environment, whether or not weapons are involved, and which type of weapons etc. Maai constantly changes, so what is important is being able to maintain a spiritual connection and awareness of all variables in order to accommodate the ever-changing and dynamic nature of this complex and highly esoteric concept called maai.

Irimi

Principle of direct entry — both physically and mentally. This is a vast and broad topic, however can be simplistically described as a sliding movement by nage that is diagonally forward and off the line-of-attack — placing nage in an advantageous position alongside or behind the oncoming uke.

Omote

Term used to indicate the movement of nage in relation to uke during the initial engagement phase of a technique. Nage moves forward across the front of the uke, off the line-of-attack.

Ura

Term used to indicate the movement of nage in relation to uke during the initial engagement phase of a technique. Nage moves behind the uke in a circular fashion once off the line-of-attack.

Tenkan

Turning or pivoting movement of the body (ie. 180 degrees).

Tenshin

Term used to indicate the movement of nage in relation to uke during the initial engagement phase of a technique. Nage retreats in a linear fashion at a 45 degree angle away from the uke, and off the line-of-attack.

Soto

Term used to indicate that a technique is executed ‘outside’ or around the opponent’s arm as opposed to moving your body inside or under the opponent’s arm prior to turning/executing a technique.

Uchi

Term used to indicate that a technique is executed ‘inside’ or under the opponent’s arm as opposed to moving your body outside or around the opponent’s arm prior to turning/executing a technique.

Hanmi

Stance / posture based on Japanese swordmanship where the feet are positioned with one foot in front of the other and the body is positioned at a 45 degree angle to the opponent.

Ai-Hanmi

Is where both the defender and the attacker begin with the same foot forward (ie both with the left or right foot forward.)

Gyaku-Hanmi

Is where the defender and the attacker begin with the opposite foot forward (ie if the attacker has the left foot forward and the defender has the right foot forward, or visa versa.)

Tegatana

Aikido’s footwork, engagement strategy and movements are largely derived from Japanese swordsmanship. As a natural consequence of this, when performing empty-handed Aikido techniques, the movement and application of the portion of the arms from the knife-edge of the hands all the way up the edge-side of the forearms parallels that of the sword.

Atemi

The art of applying effective strikes to vital parts of the body. However do not accept a simplistic definition of this term, because the topic of atemi in Aikido-Yoga training is both wide and deep, requiring in-depth study. Understanding can only be attained thru correct training under the guidance of an enlightened teacher.

Seiza

Japanese style of sitting on the floor in a posture that is both stable and facilitates agile movement in any direction. It is also one of the seated positions from which a variety of breathing and meditation exercises are performed.

Tachi

Can mean either a sword (as in tachi-dori) or techniques performed from a standing position (as in Tachi-Waza).

Tachi-Waza

Both uke and nage begin execution of a technique from a standing position.

Suwari Waza

Both uke and nage begin execution of a technique from kneeling position.

Hanmi Handachi

Attacker standing and defender kneeling.

Aikido Weapons Training

Selected terminology related to Aikido weapons training.

Bokken

Wooden Japanese sword.

Jo

Wooden staff.

Tanto

Dagger.

Suburi

Solo practise of specific weapons (ie. bokken & Jo) forms.

Kumitachi

Paired partner practice of set sword forms.

Kumijo

Paired partner practice of set jo forms.

Tachi Dori

Empty-hand defence against sword. Resulting in taking the sword away from the attacker.

Jo Dori

Empty-hand defence against wooden staff. Resulting in taking the staff away from the attacker.

Tanto Dori

Empty-hand defence against dagger. Resulting in taking the knife away from the attacker.