The releases are some of the most fundamental techniques in our aikido practice. In our dojo, the series of 8 releases is one of the first things a beginner learns. They demonstrate how to respond and flow with an attacker’s energy upon being grabbed. Practicing the releases helps develop muscle memory and gives reference points for different kinds of grabs, pulls, and pushes.

Learning to do the releases effectively can have many practical applications – not just in combat-type situations. Being grabbed by the wrist or arm can be a situation encountered by healthcare workers, security/law enforcement personnel, caregivers for the mentally ill, and many other situations. Being able to safely get out of a grab in a controlled manner can be an invaluable skill.

It’s important to practice these until they become second nature and you can do them without even thinking. Although it can be tempting to work primarily on your dominant side, the releases (like most techniques) should be practiced equally on both the right and left.

These releases are the 7th and 8th release out of our 8-release series. I have shown these the same way I learned them originally (although there are several variations). In this video, I did these out of order. Next week, however, we will look at all 8 releases in order.

 

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