NIKYO

Nikyo is one of the basic pinning techniques of aikido. It contains a wrist twist that can be quite painful, if done with sufficient force. This is a technique that can be used against a collar-hold, shoulder-hold, wrist-grab etc.

At the wrist twist of nikyo, you should have the opponent’s hand firmly pressed on the soft area right below your collar bone, so that there is an angle between his hand and his lower arm. This angle exposes and weakens the wrist,also his arm should be bent which can be done with your free hand. Once you have the arm bent it is important to make sure his elbow stays in that same position by applying a slight pressure on the elbow with your palm.

When you apply pressure to the wrist, this should be done in the direction of his center. The more you pay attention to this, the more effective the nikyo will be. Apply the pressure in the exact direction of his center. Otherwise, the twisting of the wrist is much less distinct, and your control over the opponent much less certain. Apply the pressure until he has at least one knee on the floor, and is bending the body significantly. This is to avoid him bouncing right up again.

In this video it can be seen that while doing the nikyo he is not using his palm but his elbow to push down on the attacker’s elbow.

Few pointers to remember before doing the nikyo

* Always remember that every kind of lock starts with a strike, because it is mandatory to loosen up your opponent before going in for a lock, otherwise he is not going to let you execute it.
* If your opponent is bigger than you, or his wrist is quite strong you might not be able to perform the nikyo with just your hands. This is where your body weight comes into the picture. You
need to lean into his wrist with your chest pressed against it, this will definitely cause pain!
* It is very easy to break wrists using such techniques, just a small jerk can fracture a bone, so go easy in class and let go as soon the poor guy taps.
* To improve your nikyo, work on technique, precision and sensitivity, instead of force.