It's been many years since I bowed onto the aikido mat, but I practiced it several time a week for several years and there are many things I have integrated into my thinking off the mat. Of these things is the dual concept of Irimi and Tenkan.
Tenkan, one of the first things I learned, is the art of turning. Of deflecting, of blending, connecting with blending with something, and turning to face the same direction. A simple example is, you're standing face to face with a partner, holding their wrist with the hand of the same side of the body (e.g. left wrist, right hand). Tenkan is beautifully stepping forward turning to the side of your "opponent" so that you are now facing the direction they are facing. Rather than face the "attack" directly, you turn away-toward it. This works with a punch or strike, catching and blending with the force of the movement, you can even join in the force of the movement adding your own force to it. Like catching a strike, blending to join it, adding your own force (to often times pull your attacker off balance).
Tenkan is a graceful, non confrontational way of dealing with an attack.
Irimi is the art of entering. It's energetically stepping into the space. To be successful with Irimi, one must have the energetic embodiment needed for a successful Irimi. You must have already cultivated some personal power for your Irimi to have strength. Irimi is direct, confrontational, anticipating and potentially pre-empting an attack. You can combine Irimi with a Ki-ai sound, and it can be terrifying. Of course, your opponent can utilize a tenkan on an irimi, so it's important to be able to be grounded in your entering.
I love Irimi. I love the directness of it. The cutting through of bullshit. (Here I am talking about using Irimi off the mat.) Certainly not everyone appreciates a direct approach. And if one is not strong enough for the direct approach, they might have inconsistent results.
These two concepts are useful off the mat. While I tend to appreciate the direct approach, much of the world prefers a the turning approach. Both are useful in different situations, and one should practice them both.
Comments