Krenner - Aikido ground fighting: grappling and submission techniques

Copyright 2013 by Walther G. von Krenner. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout written permission of the publisher. For information contact Blue Snake Books c/o North Atlantic Books.

Published by Blue Snake Books,
an imprint of North Atlantic Books
P.O. Box 12327
Berkeley, California 94712

Cover art by Walther G. von Krenner
Cover design by Brad Green

All illustrations used in this text belong to the authors with the exception of the following:
: Made available as part of the Creative Commons License on Wikimedia.
: Made available as part of the Creative Commons License on Wikimedia.
: Photo use courtesy of Bob Caron.

Aikido Ground Fighting: Grappling and Submission Techniques is sponsored by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational corporation whose goals are to develop an educational and cross-cultural perspective linking various scientific, social, and artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and healing; and to publish and distribute literature on the relationship of mind, body, and nature.

North Atlantic Books publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, call 800-733-3000 or visit our websites at www.northatlanticbooks.com and www.bluesnakebooks.com.

Please Note: The creators and publishers of this book disclaim any liabilities for loss in connection with following any of the practices, exercises, and advice contained herein. To reduce the chance of injury or any other harm, the reader should consult a professional before undertaking this or any other martial arts, movement, meditative arts, health, or exercise program. The instructions and advice printed in this book are not in any way intended as a substitute for medical, mental, or emotional counseling with a licensed physician or health care provider.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

Krenner, Walther G. von, 1976
Aikido ground fighting : grappling and submission techniques / Walther G. von Krenner, Damon Apodaca, and Ken Jeremiah.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
Summary: Aikido Ground Fighting: Grappling and Submission Techniques is a unique look at the roots of aikido techniques and how they might be applied to defense on the groundProvided by publisher.
eISBN: 978-1-58394-621-3
1. Aikido. 2. Hand-to-hand fighting, Oriental. I. Title.
GV1114.35.K74 2013
796.8154dc23

2013006279

v3.1

I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to my early Aikido teachers: Ueshiba Morihei, O-Sensei (Great Teacher); Ueshiba Kisshomaru, who was Waka Sensei when I was at Hombu; Tohei Koichi, friend and chief instructor at Hombu; Shimizu Kenji, who was very kind and helpful when I first arrived at the Hombu Dojo; and Takahashi Isao Sensei, my mentor. Thanks also to Dr. R. Frager, who is a good friend and provided a lot of help and support at Hombu and beyond. In addition, thank you to Ken McCaskill for his assistance in putting this book together. Last but not least, special thanks to my wife, Hana, who stood by me through all those years of Aikido and Budo training. There are many other teachers who influenced my thinking in Zen and art, which in turn influenced my Aikido; their teachings live on in my art and my life.

W ALTHER G. VON K RENNER

I would like to acknowledge the great teachers who passed along the wisdom found in Japanese martial traditions to future generations. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Nakazono Mikoto Masahilo (191894), my first Aikido teacher. Without his influence, I would not have had the opportunity to discover the true meaning of Budo and fulfill at least part of my capacity as a human being. The potential he saw in a fourteen-year-old boy from Santa Fe, New Mexico, has fueled my entire life. I hope to continue to progress in understanding and discovering my own potential. In addition, I sincerely desire to help humankind to understand its greater capacity toward humaneness and compassion.

D AMON A PODACA

Various individuals helped us in the creation of this book. Special thanks to my mother, artist Lori Jeremiah, for her support. She painted two great portraits of O-Sensei for our dojo, Aiki Kyodo, which is located in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Examples of her work can be seen at www.lorijeremiah.com. Thank you to Paulette Erickson, who allowed us to stay at her home when we traveled to Montana, and to Rick Testa, who allowed us to film a portion of the accompanying DVD at his dojo, City Aiki, in Providence, Rhode Island. In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to the following Aikido practitioners who helped with photographs and the performance of various techniques in order to clarify the information contained within: Chuck Ilgenfritz, Jay Carvalho, Jeannie Records, and Val Dobrushkin. Thanks also to Steve Fastow for his continued help. We are especially grateful to Bob Caron, who allowed us to use a picture of some calligraphy he owns. He also let us use his beautiful dojo in Worcester, Massachusetts, called Zenshinkan, in order to take some pictures. I would also like to recognize Daniel Xavier and Sayed Najem, cofounders of AlikeU.com, the premier online community for martial artists, for their support and assistance. Finally, thank you to Paul White, who assisted with photographs. He also created the DVD that accompanies this text.

K EN J EREMIAH

. Ueshiba Morihei (18831969), Aikidos founder

. Waterfall in Hokkaido, Japans northern island

. Ueshiba Moriheis teacher, Takeda Sokaku (18591943)

. Ueshibas spiritual teacher, Deguchi Onisaburo (18711948)

. The circle, called Enso in Japanese, is an important concept in both Zen and Aikido

. Hogejaku: Throw down completely.

. Shiho-nage (omote)

. Shiho-nage, ura version

. Irimi-nage

. Kaiten-nage technique

. Ikkyo (elbow control) technique

. Nikkyo pinning technique

. Sankyo pinning technique

. Yonkyo pinning technique

. Gokyo pinning technique

. Traditional Aikido techniques are meant to deal with attackers who have swords

. Nijo castle (Kyoto, Japan)

. Examples of suwari-waza movement

. Kokyu-ho training technique

. Photograph of the founder with Takemusu Aikido calligraphy, signed Ueshiba Morihei

. Ikkyo pinning technique (seated version)

. Ikkyo escape

. Nikkyo concluding pin

. Nikkyo counter technique

. Half-body stance

technique

. Kote-gaeshi variation

. Shiho-nage reversal

. Example of face-up pinning technique

. Irimi-nage technique with ground reversal

. Ude hishigi juji gatame

. Pinning variations

. Maintaining distance on the ground

. Pulling rope body movement

. Uchi-mata

. A moments vigilance will decide your fate.

. Kesagatame pin

. Close-up of applied arm lock

. Completed pin

. Variations of chokes applied on the ground

. Choking technique and body-sacrifice throw

. Basic choking technique making use of the uniform

. Using the legs to create some space and protect against a choke