Basic Tenchi Nage

Tenchi Nage is one of the most basic Aikido techniques. The way I was trained Tenchi Nage was always executed from having both wrists grabbed as done here. In Aikido And The Dynamic Sphere Westbrook and Ratti call this movement Tenchi Nage from a variety of attacks. Viewed this way Tenchi Nage is not only a good way to teach Aikido striking it is a very powerful technique. It is the basic upper body movement used with the Irimi Off Balance.

Example 1, Tenchi Nage Ura

Movie of Tenchi Nage Ura.

Fig. 1 Start		Fig. 2 1st Strike		Fig. 3 2nd Strike

1. In Fig. 1 Uke has grabbed Nage's wrists. The partners are in Gyaku Gamae to protect themselves from a sudden kick.
2. In Fig. 2 Nage is stepping forward for the first step of the Irimi movement. Whenever possible Nage's lead arm strikes as Nage steps toward Uke. In this case Nage's left hand turns palm up and strikes toward Uke's throat. See Fig. 7 for detail. Nage's right hand also turns palm up but it is important to understand that what makes this work is Nage stepping forward. The hands turning adds some control but it is not the important variable. Nage's arms relax as Nage steps in and if Nage is lined up correctly the technique works with virtually no arm effort. It is also not important for Uke's hands to move. Don't focus on the hands!
3. In Fig 3 Nage has nearly finished the 1st Irimi Step. Nage's left arm has dropped down taking Uke's right arm down to Nage's side. Nage's right elbow has dropped causing Uke's elbow to lift up. Nage does not try to move Uke's hands. Nage's step forward will be sufficient. Nage's right hand is about to strike Uke. In this exercise, Uke holding Nage's wrist prevents Uke being hit. This exercise can be done with Uke using maximum strength to develop Nage's hip power. The technique will still work without the strike even if Uke's hands do not move up.

   Fig. 4 Lead Hand		Fig. 5 2nd Irimi Step		Fig. 6 Finish

4. Fig. 4 shows Nage's lead hand (left in this case) extending behind Uke. Nage's right hand is turning palm down as it comes over Uke's shoulder. We would normally do a palm strike to Uke's face.
5. Fig. 5 shows the end of the 2nd Irimi step. In this exercise Uke was holding Nage's wrist so that Nage can practice power and form without actually hitting Uke. Nage's hand comes over Uke's shoulder. In normal application Nage's right hand would be holding Uke's head while Nage's left arm grasped Uke's right arm. As Nage squats this takes Uke's right shoulder down. The downward pull on the arm is not usually noticed but it is an essential part of the technique in any application of Tenchi Nage.
6. Fig. 6 shows the finish. Nage is supporting Uke's head to soften the fall and prevent injury. Nage's body is turned parallel to Uke's body. If Nage's body faces Uke's body it is easy for Uke to counter attack.

   Fig. 7 Move To Side		Fig. 8 Strike Nage

7. Fig. 7 shows what not to do! As Nage steps in Nage pushes Uke's right hand to Uke's right side. Aikidoka are not supposed to let their hands go behind them in this situation. The proper Aiki response for Uke is to turn with Nage's push and not resist.
8. In Fig. 8 Uke has behaved properly and turned with Nage delivering a forearm strike to Nage's head. This would lead into a throw. If Uke just stands there and lets Nage put Uke's arm behind Uke this is very bad training for Uke.

   Fig. 9 Move To Center		Fig. 10 Change Direction		Fig. 11 Elbow In

9. Fig. 9 shows Nage pushing into Uke's centerline as Nage steps in. In this case the push forces Uke to resist protecting Uke's body. Nage is not leading Uke to Uke's right side. This push is subtle and will neither be seen by observers or felt by Uke unless they know to look for it. Without verbal instruction one would not know it. This is one of Aikido's little secrets. I have exaggerated the movement here for clarity.
10. In Fig. 10 as Nage continues to step forward Nage's left palm flips down as Nage's right elbow drops down. This lets Nage's left hand go beside Uke without turning Uke. This also works for techniques only using the left arm. This is martially correct and good training for Uke.
11. Fig. 11 shows the proper position on Nage's arm that is striking Uke's face. Nage's elbow is tucked in against Nage's torso. If Nage's elbow is out it is much easier for Uke to resist Nage. Uke should have a tight grip on Nage's wrist so that Uke's elbow comes up as shown. This allows Uke to resist Nage. If Nage's hand pushes too high Uke cannot hold on and the exercise cannot be performed correctly. In application Nage is striking Uke and this does not matter to Nage. Having the elbow tucked is important in application.

This exercise is good to do with only the first part shown in Figures 1 through 4. Uke can give strong resistance with proper form, not trying to compete, so that Nage can master the body mechanics of generating tremendous striking power from the legs, hips and body position without using arm strength.

Example 2, Tenchi Nage Ura Reverse

Tenchi Nage Ura Reverse is useful in Freestyle when attackers are coming up behind Nage. The reverse turns the Irimi technique into a Tenkan that brings the current Uke between Nage and the other attackers.

Movie of Tenchi Nage Ura Reverse.

Fig. 12 Start		Fig. 13 1st Strike		Fig. 14 2nd Strike

1. In Fig. 12 Uke has grabbed Nage's wrists. The partners are in Gyaku Gamae to protect themselves from a sudden kick. This is the same as Example 1.
2. In Fig. 13 Nage just finished the first step of the Irimi movement. This is still Just like Example 1.
3. In Fig 14 Nage has just finished the 2nd Irimi Step. Rather than taking Uke's right arm down Nage is rotating Uke's arm around behind Uke going into a tenkan rotation. Nage's right hand has grabbed Uke's neck after the right hand strike.

   Fig. 15 Lead Hand		Fig. 16 2nd Tenkan Step		Fig. 17 Finish

4. Fig. 15 shows the end of Nage's 1st Tenkan Step. Nage's left foot has taken another step further behind Uke and away from pursuing attackers. Nage is well into the Tornado Twist. This really makes Aikido look like the dancing art.
5. Fig. 16 shows the end of the 2nd Tenkan Step. Nage is still rotating Uke's arm while holding Uke's neck and Uke is nearly down.
6. Fig. 17 shows the finish. Nage is supporting Uke's head to soften the fall and prevent injury.

Example 3, Tenchi Nage Omote

This is a slight variation of an exercise I was taught that did not have a name. I try to have every exercise where it can be done Ura or Omote because in freestyle Nage may have to go to either side of Uke depending on the other attackers or obstacles. Tenchi Nage is not usually done Omote so I use this technique for Tenchi Nage Omote. It feels like Tenchi Nage and that is what matters.

Movie of Tenchi Nage Omote.

Fig. 18 Start		Fig. 19 Knee Pop		Fig. 20 1st Strike

1. In Fig. 18 Uke has grabbed Nage's wrists. This is just like the previous examples.
2. In Fig. 19 Nage's left knee is doing a Knee Pop as Nage's rear foot starts to step forward. Nage's lead hand (left in this case) is coming up palm up to strike the right side of Uke's face or neck. Nage's right hand has come up toward Nage's chest as is normal for the back hand in a Kuta strike. This is doubly important here because Nage does not want to turn Uke towards the side Nage is entering.
3. In Fig. 20 Nage's left arm is striking Uke's face. Nage's left palm is turning down. In training Uke should move with the pressure of Nage's arm against Uke's right hand. This allows Uke to move with the strike avoiding being hit. At this point Nage's right hand is beginning to drop down to go behind Uke.

   Fig. 21 1st Irimi Step		Fig. 22 2nd Irimi Step		Fig. 23 Finish

4. Fig. 21 shows the end of the 1st Irimi Step. Nage's left arm has caught Uke's neck after the strike and Nage's right arm is leading Uke's left arm down and behind Uke.
5. Fig. 22 shows the end of the 2nd Irimi step. Uke is well into the fall.
6. Fig. 23 shows the finish. Nage is supporting Uke's head to soften the fall and prevent injury. This might also normally be done in application. Nage's body is turned parallel to Uke's body. If Nage's body faces Uke's body it is easy for Uke to counter attack.