Otsukare-sama (お疲れ様) – roughly, “Good work, Everyone.”

Saki-ni-shitsurei-shimasu (先に失礼します) – roughly, “I’m leaving first.”  This is very polite and a good expression to know.

Both of these phrases are used in Hombu dojo in Tokyo, Japan, and by Japanese in their daily lives (work, school etc.)

Note: Do not say sayonara unless you do not expect to come back, or if you can not come back for an extended period of time. This is not a normal salutation in an Aikido dojo.

Video with counts in text.

Video with counts in text.

Video with counts in text.

Video with camera at different angles.

I’ve added a facility to display the definition of a word when you hover the mouse over it. See the screen shot below.

Aikido hover text

There are a number of exceptions when performing Jo 13 with a partner, such as;

- the jodan gaeshi block in step #3 has an additional tap (after the block)

- there is no 180 degree turn for the hasso gaeshi movement in steps #5, #6

- there is no 180 degree turn for the chest block in step #7.

- Uchi-Dachi and Uke-Dachi do not just do step #1 with step #1, step #2 with step #2 etc. Sometimes a series of counts are done by Uchi-Dachi first eg.#9, #10, #11, before Uke-Dachi repeats.

- Only the first and last tsuki are to the abdomen, all others are to the face.

1) Tsuki to the abdomen

Uke-Dachi begins in kamae and performs a choku tsuki block/thrust to Uchi-Dachi’s initial tsuki to the abdomen.

2) Menuchi jodan gaeshi strike to the head

Uchi-Dachi blocks the tsuki and counters with menuchi jodan gaeshi to the head. Uke-Dachi then does the same and performs his own menuchi jodan gaeshi to the head.

3) Jodan block

Uchi-Dachi performs a jodan block and tap in preparation for tsuki to the face (#4). The “tap” is not counted.

4) Tsuki to the face

Uchi-Dachi tsuki‘s to the face. Uke-Dachi performs jodan block and tap and counters with tsuki to the face.

5) Hasso gaeshi block

Uchi-Dachi performs a hasso gaeshi block but without the 180 degree turn, so he is still facing Uke-Dachi. The block should be a strong “strike” that causes the partner’s jo to ricochet off thus allowing an opening to perform the hasso gaeshi uchi strike.

6) Hasso gaeshi uchi strike to the head

Uchi-Dachi performs hasso gaeshi uchi strike to the head. Uke-Dachi then repeats what Uchi-Dachi has just done with a hasso gaeshi block and hasso gaeshi uchi strike of his own.

7) Block across the chest

Uchi-Dachi blocks across his chest but without the 180 degrees tenkan, so he is still facing Uchi-Dachi. Uchi-Dachi’s block should be done with the intent of causing a ricochet that allows an opening for a subsequent tsuki thrust to the face (step 8).

8) Tsuki to the face

Uchi-Dachi tsuki‘s to the face. Uke-Dachi repeats what Uchi-Dachi has just done with his own block across the chest and tsuki to the face.

9) Withdraw jo rapidly to the rear (as in the first part of menuchi gedan barai)

Uchi-Dachi withdraws his jo rapidly to the rear (to avoid the head tsuki), blocks across the chest and tsuki‘s to the face in one rapid motion (#9, #10, #11)

10) Block across the chest with the jo pointing towards the head (not sky) of Uchi-Dachi

See #9 above.

11) Tsuki to the face

See #9 above. Uke-Dachi repeats #9, #10, #11.

12) Flip block (as in last kata of 6 no jo)

Uchi-Dachi performs #12, #13. Uke-Dachi then does #12, #13.

13) Tsuki to the abdomen

See #12.

An attacker is in front of you and has both hands around your neck. You have seconds of bloodflow left.

First, turn your head to the side to reposition pressure off your trachea and carotid arteries.

Next, lower your center by dropping your knees a bit. This is to lower the attacker.

Finally, grab just one of the attacker’s wrists (手刀か小手) with one free hand, and grab his elbow with the other.

Rotate your hips and head back in the opposite direction you first rotated your head, and at the same time push on his elbow and rotate his wrist like in nikyo. Bow so you use your whole body (don’t use your arm strength only, in other words).

入り身で受けの後ろに回り込んだ際、掴まれている腕を腿に引きつけるように、下げると受けの手が自然と

外れる、ないしは外し易くなる。

All of Saito Sensei’s waza in this video are from katatedori. He does them slowly from static, then he does them with ki-no-nagare. There are a lot!

At [3:35] there is katatedori shihonage jodan, and shortly after there is katatedori shihonage gedan. Later he does chudan as well. Then he does them all with ki-no-nagare. Saito Sensei makes a clear distinction between the different levels of shihonage. Interesting. For chudan, he uses a different axis to unbalance Uke than for either gedan or shodan.

“Morihiro Saito Shihan performing basic techniques from Katatedori on Uke Bjorn Saw. Filmed in Jesi, Italy 1992. Produced by Paolo Corallini Shihan.”