“Morihei Ueshiba used atemi… Why do we neglect to use it in our training?”

Atemi are desirable and often necessary for the successful setup of aikido techniques, especially in “go no sen” situations, where uke has seized the attacking initiative. Nage must overcome this disadvantage by disturbing uke’s concentration and breaking his physical structure so that he can apply a technique effectively. The photo sequence above shows examples of Morihei’s use of atemi from “Budo.”