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Author: Bret Gordon  In the world of Aiki Jujutsu, mastery comes from understanding how forces interact to disrupt an opponent’s balance and structure. At the heart of this lies three fundamental principles: Aiki Age (up), Aiki Sage (down), and Aiki Yoko (turn). Every technique in Aiki Jujutsu incorporates some variation of these movements, creating a seamless flow of control that feels both effortless and overwhelming. When applied correctly, this interplay allows a practitioner to manipulate an opponent’s center with precision, leaving them unable to resist effectively. In this article, we’ll explore how these principles work together to define the art of Aiki Jujutsu. At its core, Aiki Age introduces upward energy, disrupting an opponent’s stability by lifting their center of gravity and making them light. This effect can be achieved externally through technique or internally through fascial engagement and breath control. When an opponent is uprooted, they become highly susceptible to further manipulation, as their ability to resist is greatly diminished. Like most techniques, there are various levels of refinement regarding Aiki Age, dictated by the depth of internal body integration and the method by which the uprooting is created. At a fundamental level, Aiki Age can be understood as a simple mechanical lifting motion, using leverage or external force to break the opponent’s balance. Against a wrist grab, for example, the elbow drops while the hand rotates upwards, using the opponent’s grab as a pivot point and essentially creating one direct pathway from the elbow to the opponent’s shoulder. Then, forward pressure is applied at an upwards angle in order to uproot them. While effective, this approach lacks the effortless quality that defines true Aiki. As refinement increases, Aiki Age shifts from an external action to an internally generated force. Rather than relying on muscular strength, the practitioner learns to engage the body’s connective tissue and deep fascial lines to create an internal rising wave of energy. This level of integration allows for a more subtle yet profound uprooting effect, making the opponent feel as if they are being lifted from within rather than forcibly pushed or pulled. At its highest level, Aiki Age becomes nearly imperceptible, where the mere presence of structure and intent causes the opponent’s balance to be disrupted. Through micro-adjustments in breath, posture, and internal expansion, the practitioner can create a void beneath the opponent’s center while simultaneously filling their own structure, causing the opponent to rise involuntarily and feel drawn into the practitioner.
This level of Aiki is so refined that the opponent experiences an unavoidable sense of uprooting, yet they are unable to perceive the precise origin of the force acting upon them. The subtle, yet powerful uprooting force creates a constant state of instability. As the opponent searches for a stable point to counterbalance, they find none, leaving them with no viable option but to yield to the practitioner’s effortless control. This illusion of force without discernible origin exemplifies the highest level of Aiki where the opponent is neutralized not through strength, but through the complete disruption of their ability to resist.  When we discuss how to create an internal Aiki Age (against a wrist grab specifically) compared to the external shapes based on levers and fulcrums I’ve shown previously, we see just how the opposing forces in the body work together:
To project through the tenouchi, contract the flexor tendons of the palm while extending the wrist back, and push the thumb forward towards your partner. To pull the forearms back, drop your elbows while bringing them in (tenouchi 手の内 refers to the point in the center of the palm where the palmar fascia and palmaris longus tendon connect to the pretendinous bands). Conversely, Aiki Sage directs energy downward, compressing the opponent into themselves, like a wave crashing into the shoreline. By neutralizing their ability to recover and reestablish balance, this sinking force makes it nearly impossible for them to resist or generate effective counterforce. The sensation created by Aiki Sage is one of inescapable weight, where the opponent feels as if they are being drawn into the ground or collapsing inward under an invisible pressure.  At a fundamental level, Aiki Sage can be applied externally by driving an opponent downward using mechanical pressure. However, as refinement increases, the focus shifts to internal body mechanics, utilizing the deep fascial lines and the body’s natural weight distribution to create a wave of downward force. This is achieved by engaging the SBL and the DFL in a coordinated manner, allowing energy to drop through the body in a way that makes the practitioner feel impossibly heavy. At its most advanced level, Aiki Sage becomes an almost imperceptible action, where the practitioner can generate a void beneath the opponent’s structure, causing them to collapse under their own weight. Rather than simply pressing down, the practitioner fills space with their own presence, leaving the opponent with nowhere to go but down. This creates a sensation of being crushed or folded inward, often making it hard to breathe.
Aiki Yoko then introduces lateral force through controlled rotation, shifting the opponent off their central axis. This rotational movement further destabilizes them, ensuring that any attempt to regain balance is met with an effortless redirection of their own force. By rotating the opponent in a way that aligns with the natural spirals of human movement, their structure is broken, and they are guided into a position where they have no choice but to yield. Of course, none of these principles exist on a singular plane. While it is helpful to describe them in terms of upward, downward, and lateral movement, they are, in reality, omnidirectional. Aiki does not operate in rigid, linear patterns but instead follows the natural, fluid pathways of the body’s internal structure and external motion. Force can rise, fall, and spiral simultaneously, creating an effect that is dynamic and adaptable to the situation at hand. This ability to generate movement in multiple directions at once is what makes Aiki Jujutsu feel effortless to the practitioner yet completely inescapable to the opponent. By understanding how to integrate these forces in a way that is natural and efficient, every technique becomes an expression of balance, connection, and control. These principles of Aiki Age, Aiki Sage, and Aiki Yoko are further understood through the use of spirals, waves, and voids. Spirals are the most efficient way to generate and transmit force in the human body. Rather than moving in straight lines, power travels in helical patterns, much like the way a whip cracks or a drill bores into a surface. By harnessing spirals, Aiki Jujutsu techniques create torque that unbalances the opponent, making resistance nearly impossible. Whether through the coiling and uncoiling of the spine or the rotational movement of the limbs, spirals integrate Aiki Age, Aiki Sage, and Aiki Yoko into a continuous, flowing action that destabilizes and redirects an opponent’s energy with minimal effort. Waves express these principles in a fluid, rhythmic manner, transferring energy through the body and into the opponent. Just as a wave travels through water, energy can be sent through an opponent’s structure in pulses that break their balance and dissolve their resistance. A properly applied wave creates an effect where the opponent feels as if their body is being moved from within rather than being mechanically forced. These waves of force often begin at the feet, pass through the tanden, and extend outward through the arms, making every movement in Aiki Jujutsu feel smooth and continuous rather than segmented or forceful. Voids represent the absence of resistance, the skillful use of space to create a sense of instability in the opponent. By subtly withdrawing energy or creating emptiness where they expect structure, an opponent falls into nothingness, unable to find footing or apply counterforce. By using Balloon Man structure, we create a fullness within our own bodies that extends outward, naturally filling the voids in our opponent’s structure. Rather than collapsing into empty space or allowing gaps to exist within our alignment, this internal fullness maintains an omnidirectional expansion, reinforcing stability while simultaneously disrupting the opponent’s balance. By filling these gaps, we deny the opponent the opportunity to recover or generate effective resistance, making their structure feel hollow and disconnected in contrast to our own. This concept operates much like an inflated balloon. Pressure is evenly distributed in all directions, creating a stable yet dynamic form that cannot be easily compressed or collapsed. When applied in Aiki Jujutsu, the Balloon Man structure ensures that the practitioner remains connected internally, with force radiating outward rather than dissipating. As a result, when contact is made with an opponent, their weaknesses become immediately apparent, and their ability to resist is nullified by the overwhelming presence of the practitioner’s structure. By integrating this expansive quality into movement, we reinforce our structure in a way that prevents disconnection and amplifies control. The opponent, unable to find stability within themselves, is drawn into our structure and manipulated effortlessly. This approach eliminates the need for brute force, replacing it with an intelligent application of body structure, internal pressure, and energy flow that allows for seamless control over any interaction.
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