Ikkyo (First Teaching)
一教
The basic control of aikido and the first technique a student learns. The arm is not twisted: it is led down in an arc until the balance breaks.
Quick Facts
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Common mistakes: lifting the arm upward instead of leading it down in an arc, pressing with the hands alone without moving the whole body, and leaning forward so that the defender loses his own balance.
💡 Key Tip
Do not force the elbow. Lead the arm where the opponent's body is already falling and his own balance does the work.
About
Ikkyo, literally the first teaching, is the basic control of aikido and the first technique a student learns. In Japanese it is also called ude osae, the arm pin. The defender catches the attacker's arm with one hand at the wrist and the other above the elbow and leads it downward and forward in an arc, so that the attacker's balance is broken before he reaches the ground. The aim is not pain in the joint: the arm is not twisted but held in a straight line and pressed in the direction the opponent is already moving. On the ground an immobilisation follows, in which the defender kneels, presses the arm to the mat and keeps the elbow extended. Ikkyo is practised in two forms — omote, where the defender enters in front of the attacker, and ura, where he turns around him. The structure of every other control grows out of ikkyo, which is why students return to it at every grade.