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| Atemi | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 当身 | ||||
| Hiragana | あてみ | ||||
| |||||
InJapanese martial arts, the termatemi (当身) designates blows or strikes to the body,[1] as opposed totwisting of joints,strangleholds, holding techniques andthrows. Atemi can be delivered by any part of the body to any part of the opponent's body. They can be percussive or use"soft" power.Karate is a typical martial art focusing on percussive atemi. The location of nerve andpressure points, such as might be used for certainacupressure methods, also often informs the choice of targets for atemi (seekyusho).
Somestrikes against vital parts of the body can kill or incapacitate the opponent: on thesolar plexus, at thetemple, under thenose, in theeyes,genitals, or under thechin.Traditional Japanese martial arts (the ancestors ofjudo,jujutsu, andaikido) do not commonly practice atemi, since they were supposed to be used on thebattlefield againstarmoured opponents. However, there are certain exceptions.
Atemi can be complete techniques in and of themselves, but are also often used to briefly break an opponent's balance (seekuzushi) or resolve. This is the predominant usage of atemi inaikido.[2] A painful but non-fatal blow to an area such as the eyes, face, or some vulnerable part of the abdomen can open the way for a more damaging technique, such as athrow orjoint lock. Even if the blow does not land, the opponent can be distracted, and may instinctively contort their body (e.g., jerking their head back from a face strike) in such a way that they lose their balance.
The development of atemi techniques arises from the evolution of the Japanese martial arts, in particular jujutsu. Early styles of jujutsu fromSengoku-era Japan were created as a means of unarmed combat for asamurai who had lost his weapons on the battlefield. The purpose of jujutsu was to disarm the opponent and use their own weapon against them. As such, strikes to the body were limited as the intended victim would have been wearing extensive body armour. However, in later styles of jujutsu fromEdo-period Japan empty-handed strikes to the body became more common as full-scale military engagement began to decline. This meant that the jujutsu practitioner's opponent would not have been wearing armour and the vital points that form the crux of atemi-waza were more exposed.
Kodokan judo as designed byJigoro Kano also containedatemi waza (当て身技) or body-striking techniques from the several jujitsu styles that inspired Kano, which, however, were excluded from its sports competition repertoire, which limits itself to throws (nage waza) and holds (kansetsu waza). Although taught within self-defense,kata and sometimes used within informalrandori, striking techniques are forbidden in the sport judo competitions rules.[3]