Kaiten gnaw

Kaiten nage ( Japanese 回転投げ ) is a technique in the Japanese self-defense art Aikidō .

It is closely related to Shihō nage , from which it differs only slightly in the movement, not in the approach to action. It is one of the extended basic techniques.

Naming

Kaiten means “turn, turn” in Japanese, nage means “throw”. The name “Schleuderwurf”, which is common in German, is a little narrower, because the sling is just one effect that can arise when it is carried out under the given circumstances. In English, the term is rotary throw , which specifies the central technical element more precisely.

Origin of movement

The techniques of Aikido are derived from the use of the Japanese sword, the katana . Especially in Aikidō, it is used exclusively for defense. The situation is that an attack is carried out with a sword, but the defense is carried out without a sword.

The Aikidōka (Aikidō practitioner) evades the initial attack movement as a stitch or as a cut in the vertical direction by moving to the side. He positions himself at arm's distance from the attacker. When dodging to the left of the attacker, he grips the sword with his right hand immediately after executing the attack movement between the attacker's hands on the sword handle. He positions his left hand on the back of the sword without reaching into the blade.

If the attacker moves to the right, the handles are reversed: left hand on the sword hilt, right hand on the back of the sword.

In this position he has complete control over the movements of the sword, as he has a much larger lever approach than the attacker. He cannot let go of the sword because he would be disarmed. He then continues to hold the handle.

With a thrusting movement primarily on the back of the sword, starting in a semicircle downwards and with the fulcrum in the focus of the attacker, his arms are pushed upwards together with the sword handle. The aikidōka steps into the space that has become free and turns 180 degrees ( kaiten ) with the sword handle when the zenith is reached .

It is irrelevant whether the attacker turns or not. Due to the rotation of the aikidōka by 180 degrees, the tip of the sword now points laterally past the body of the aikidōka directly at the attacker. If the movement continues, the tip of the sword stabs in the direction of the abdomen of the attacker. The only way to escape the threat is to flip over the sword.

Version without sword / bokken

The technique is carried out identically without a sword or bokken : The Aikidōka encounters a grip on one arm or on both hands by bringing himself into a position that is favorable for execution by means of appropriate input movements. He uses the dynamics of the attack movement by steering movements without blocking them.

If the entrance movement brings him into a position that is optimal for Kaitennage, he pushes the wrists or arms caught by the attacker up under his arms with his mass / physical effort and steps into the space that is now free. As soon as his wrists, still gripped by the attacker, have reached the zenith above his own head, he turns 180 degrees ( kaiten ).

If the attacker maintains his attack pressure up to this moment, he pushes himself beyond his point of equilibrium at the zenith and falls forwards, or backwards if he has turned with the movement. If the attacker loosens his grip while pushing up his arms or if he stops the attack pressure, the already initiated technique is continued anyway. In this case, the aikidōka's arms are free, and in the 180 degree turn he performs a blow with that elbow in the direction of the abdomen of the attacker, which is closer to this after the turn. His body rotation gives the blow additional force. If the attacker wants to evade this immediate threat, he must reflexively perform a flip over the forearm of the aikido practitioner.

Variants Kaiten Kokyū-Nage and Kaiten otoshi

The aikidōka does not intend to directly harm or injure the attacker. It is thus possible to vary the movement carried out with a stab of the tip of the sword towards the abdomen of the attacker.

At the zenith of the upward movement of the entrance, the attacker becomes unbalanced. Although he has the opportunity to grasp his very threatening situation, he nevertheless cannot let go of the sword hilt. After turning 180 degrees, the aikidōka pushes the handle of the sword clearly forward with continuous pressure, instead of stabbing the tip towards the attacker. As a result, the attacker experiences a clear pull on the grip, which is still firmly held, which allows him to be thrown forward from the threatened position by this pulling movement.

Another variation is that the Aikido practitioner leads the sword grip held by the attacker in the zenith behind his back vertically downwards. He should make sure that the attacker does not perceive this as a pull, but only let the weight of the sword fall (Japanese otoshi "to drop").

When performing without a sword / bokken, these movements take place in an analogous manner, with the difference that the attacker holds the wrists or arms of the aikidōka.

The effect occurs in all versions in that the kinetic energy of the forward movement of the attacker, supported by the pushing up of the arms, is deflected upwards. With the rapid execution of the rotation at the zenith by 180 degrees, the attacker's movement is not reversed for him, but is continued continuously. He is quasi thrown in the sequence by his own attack movement and his own pressure.

Variations in execution are possible in all styles of Aikido, but the principles are retained.

References and receipts

A. Westbrook, O. Ratti: Aikido and the dynamic sphere. Tuttle, Rutland VT et al. 1996, ISBN 0-8048-0004-9 .
Aikidjournal.com encyclopedia, [1]

literature

Christian Tissier : Aikido fundamental. Techniques et connaissances fondamentales. Budosport Verlag, Noisy-sur-École 2008, ISBN 978-2-84167-239-4 .
Christian Tissier: Aikido - Principes et applications. Volume 2: Projections. Self-published, s. l. 2005, DVD 55 minutes.