Regaining the initiative: Applied Kamae
In Yoshinkan Aikido kamae is considered the underpinning of all waza. In my experience this has devolved into a lot of time spent statically in kamae while being pushed or pulled testing ones kamae for weakness. This is all good for theory, but real conflict is kinetic and understanding how to apply kamae as an entering force is important too.
To do this we will focus not on the kamae as a stance, but how we move into kamae and use the action of forward movement into kamae to beat uke’s timing, deliver a powerful strike and regain the initiative from the attacker.
If we consider the standard Yoshinkan syllabus there are many shomen uchi ichi techniques. Yet aikido is described as a “defensive” martial art. These shomen uchi ichi strikes are being applied when it is obvious violence is coming. If applied well it will take the “shock & awe” aspect away from the attacker, returning the initiative to us.
The standard kamae in Yoshinkan aikido is a “training kamae.” It's about getting the legs, torso and arms into the right alignment. It is not what one would consider to be a “fighting stance.” Most of us who practice aikido do not want a fight. We do though want to come out on top. Feeling the vibes of aggression and then taking a form of kamae to “get ready” does only one thing. It flags to your opponent that you are preparing. That may be enough to dissuade them, or it may simply cause them to look for traps and/or call for reinforcements.
The starting point of this exercise now is a neutral stance. Stand upright, hands by our sides, silent and observing while we wait for the attacker to come into range. At this stage we do nothing, externally still showing no emotion. Internally we are ready to move forward, we need a completely positive mindset as we wait for the distance to close.
From our basics we should know the exact distance we use when moving forward into kamae. In most dojo, students are trained to move forward to a line. That kamae drill is training into us an understanding of distance to target. Beyond that distance the target is “out of range”, but so are we to them i.e. we are safe and do not need to do anything. Should the attacker close and cross that distance we are within their striking range. Understanding this distance and using timing correctly we can effectively beat them to the punch.
When we take kamae we swing our arms forward. While waiting, the arms are relaxed, fully extended downward by our sides. Swinging them forward and upward maintaining the extended form brings them up and under the eyeline of the attacker resulting in complete surprise as the impact of the strike lands on them.
Note: lifting the forearms first is both overly defensive and flags our reaction to the opponent eliminating any surprise.
The basic result will most likely be a fist landing in opponents face. From there a quick side step to shomen iriminage. If they manage to block ikkajo 1 or 2 are options depending on where their balance falls. Ultimately we must be flexible to the situation and the response of the attacker, ie be kinetic