No Technique Without the Basics

To learn anything properly, you have to start from the basics. But basic training (keiko, 稽古) is not flashy and often feels dull, so many people want to rush through it. Yet correct technique only grows out of solid basics.

Aikido is no different. Standing and sitting, stance, using the hands, and falling are movements used in every technique. If you do not make each of them part of your body, you cannot learn the techniques that come after. Neglecting ukemi (受け身), the art of falling, in particular can lead to serious injury.

In this chapter we look at these basic movements one by one. Every master started here. Do not hurry; learn each one in its correct form.