Shihō-nage
Shihō-nage is the “four-directions throw.” In Japanese, "4" and "8" euphemistically mean “many.” The name shihō-nage doesn’t mean the opponent can be thrown in four different directions, it means that this technique can be executed while moving in any direction.
Shihō-nage is a hallmark of aikidō, to the point that Ō-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba believed that “all of aikidō is shihō-nage.” There’s a story among aikidōka about Ō-sensei experimentally verifying that quote -- he had a private student whom he intentionally trained wrong by stating that shihō-nage was the only technique, and had him practice this one move for 20 years. In the end, this student was still equal to his contemporaries.
Aikidō is mainly derived from Daitō-ryū aiki-jūjutsu, the proprietary martial art of Takeda clan samurai. Shihō-nage is an empty-hand variant of shōmen-giri, a downward sword cut to the crown of the head, and down through the centerline. Shihō-nage was thus easy to train, since shōmen-giri is the fundamental technique which all Japanese swordsmanship is based upon. While we are not qualified to teach swordsmanship, you should be familiar with how a shōmen-giri feels, and let that feeling guide you -- you must swing the sword tip forward (like casting a fly-fishing rod), and not downward (like an axe or a sledgehammer).
[Video of shomen-giri, fast and slow, from the front and the side]
We have assimilated and adapted shihō-nage to suit our needs. Like all throws, shihō-nage consists of three parts:
- Kuzushi (Destroying balance): Shihō-nage is simultaneously both a “towards throw” and an “away throw;” it can be setup to be used on opponents who are moving towards or away from you, charging in or backing away, pushing or pulling. An atemi can be used in shihō-nage setups, provided they distract the opponent without stopping them; shihō-nage is best when used to redirect an attacker’s momentum.
7-3 to the outside, while grabbing the opponent’s wrist with your opposite-side hand. (Ideally, grab with both hands, gripping their forearm like a katana, baseball bat, or golf club.) Pull their hand down to your center; pretend their hand is welded to the knot in your belt, so that you and your opponent have melted into each other, and are now one continuous piece.
Twist 180° to the inside, so that you and your opponent both face the same direction. Take a step forward, raising your hands -- and with them, the opponent’s hands -- up along your centerline to forehead-level. This “high-level posture” is jōdan-no-kamae, the standard attacking position in Japanese swordsmanship. - Tsukuri (Positioning): Continue to twist 180° in the same direction, until you face your opponent again. Reach out to fold the opponent's arm, so their fingers touch their same-side shoulder blade (scapula).
- Nage (Throw): Step diagonally into the opponent for a hip check, while projecting their awkwardly-bent arm away from you -- more forward than downward. The combination of being knocked off-balance and bent backwards topples the opponent; squatting slightly augments this move. In the dōjō, your training partner escapes injury by performing a rear breakfall.
Please note that there are no complicated hand motions; your hands merely rise up and down your centerline.
Never raise your hands above your forehead; clever opponents can exploit this over-extension, and counterattack with a shihō-nage of their own.
[video of shiho-nage fast and slow, from different angles.]
