How to Perform Kokyu Ho in Defense against Ryote Kubi Duri in Aikido

Aikido is made up of many throws and grappling joint locks, each corresponding to a particular form of attack. The philosophy behind this martial art is that both the defender and attacker should be moving in concert. To do this requires a great deal of work and practice for the defender as he must identify his opponent’s attack and respond with the correct defense. Here is a guide on how to perform a Kokyu Ho in response to a Ryote Kubi Duri or “Both Wrist Clench”. The defender, known as “nage”, meets the attack from behind, is grabbed by the wrists, and twists, grabs hold of the attacker “uke’s” arm, and opens wide his own arms, ultimately forcing his opponent to drop to the ground or be throttled by nage’s extended arm. This wide armed look is where this move takes its name. The literal translation of Kokyu Ho is “Breathing Light”. It incorporates moves very similar to a breathing technique in Reiki which goes by the same name.

Things You'll Need:
Practice Space

Attacker

Defender

Soft Mats to Cushion Falls

Performing Ryote Kubi Duri-Kokyu Ho
Step 1:
Allow your opponent to approach. He will do so as fast as possible, angled as if he were running past you. He will snag one of your wrists on his way past and spin around behind you, grabbing the other to complete the Ryote Kubi Duri. Make it difficult for him to attempt anything else by hunching forward and pulling your hands in together toward your pelvis. This will force him to widen his stance and press up against your back, which is exactly what you want him to do as it allows you more control and room to move.

Step 2:
Pull your hands apart forcefully, squaring your shoulders as you do so. Raise your upper arms out to the sides slightly to stress your opponent and make movement a little easier. Raise your hand above head height, out to the side so your upper arms are roughly horizontal with the ground.

Step 3:
Turn in a complete 180 clockwise. As you do so, curl your hands inward and away from your attacker’s hold to make further movement easier. In order to turn you will have to bring your right arm down to your side and your left arm up over your head, similar to a dancer attempting a pirouette.

Step 4:
Complete the turn, threading your right arm past your waist, circumnavigating your opponent, and extending it forward and to your right. Simultaneously thread your left arm forward, past your opponent’s chest and face, to extend forward and to your left. When it is at rest, your left arm should be at full extension, the back of your elbow pressing directly against your opponent’s throat. Your opponent will be unable to stop you as all these movements are well within your capacity despite the fact that he is holding your wrists.

Step 5:
Press the back of your elbow with steadily increasing pressure against your opponent’s throat, forcing him to tip his head up and back. At the same time pull your right arm out to the side. Your opponent’s grasp of it will force him to push forward, directly into the obstruction of your left arm. Sharply push both arms up and out to the sides as hard as you can to trip your opponent and force him backward to fall on his back or rump, completing the technique.