Aikido: Irimi nage variation with upward, swinging atemi with shoto

Do you ever use shoto for atemi in Iriminage?

When working with wakizashi, I find it really interesting to let the wakizashi swing upward, along uke’s centerline, rather than go straight to their face, like a jab.

And I find that if I teach my students this way, the atmosphere of the dojo remains more dynamic. If everyone is doing jab-like atemi, things can get pretty contentious pretty quickly and suddenly, no one is moving anymore because they're afraid of getting punched in the face.

In today's video, I share a couple clips from a hybrid "Body Alignment" class I did a few weeks ago. The most advanced student in the class was just 3rd kyu. Two others were 5th kyu and the others had no rank at all yet.

In the video, you can see how I work with them in a way that encourages movement, while keeping the class safe, even for these beginners.

Let me know in the comments section if you ever use short sword and your thoughts on atemi. Or feel free to leave other questions, as well.