A List of all the Aikido stances and postures

If you’ve trained Aikido or watched it, then you will understand the importance of using the correct stances and having good posture. In brief, both stance and posture allow for a good starting base in which you can successfully start to use offensive and defensive attacks from. Without these, you will struggle to implement your Aikido, no matter how good your form or technique is.

Because of this, learning the correct Aikido stances and postures is vitally important and the quicker you do so, the faster you will improve and learn. Here, we have collected a list of the main stances and postures, using their original Japanese names as well as their English translated names. It’s always good to learn the terminology of names as it helps you progress quicker and if nothing else, understand the culture that surrounds Aikido.

List of Aikido Kamae (postures)

Hidari Hanmi (left foot forward)

This is when your left foot is pointed forward, with your right foot acting as the balancing leg. Here, you left foot should be pointed forward, whilst the right should be pointed towards the side. This creates good base and is good for your balance. In terms of upper body, you should have your left arm up as if you’re ready to strike, with your right arm down towards your hip.

Migi Hanmi (right foot forward)

Effectively, this is the opposite of the Hidari Hanmi. This time, you’ll have your right foot forward facing the same way as your head, with your left foot pointing to the side and acting as your balancing leg. Again, the same side arm extends out as the lead leg, so in this case it’s the right arm, with the left staying back.

Ai Hanmi (same stance)

As the name suggests, this is where you mimic the stance of the opponent. For instance, if they face inwards, then so should you. Remember to mimic both their upper body positions, as well as lower body too so the footwork should be identical as if you’re mirroring them. Often this stance is used to grab the wrist, which sets up future throws.

Gyaku Hanmi (opposite stance)

Again, the name indicates that you should use the opposing stance. Therefore, if your opponents left leg is forward, then so should yours. Unlike the Ai Hanmi, this will mean that you don’t mirror the opponent and this posture looks unorthodox.

Tachi Waza (standing techniques)

This technique is also used in Judo and is used to start takedowns from the feet. Here, you’ll face your opponent and anticipate their movements coming forward. This can end up with you grabbing their wrist, with your other hand grabbing near their collar. The result of this usually connects a number of throws and foot sweeps. Usually, you’ll start with your one arm forward, with the same side leg forward too.

Hanmi Handachi Waza (kneeling techniques)

This posture involves kneeling with both knees on the floor. The reason for learning this technique is that sometimes, you may face an opponent who is standing, whilst you’re sat on the floor. Hanmi Handachi Waza means your both knees should be pointing outwards for base, and then having one arm forward and the other back. Ideally, the arm forward should be trying to grab a wrist to begin attacking throws from the knees.

Suwari Waza (both kneeling)

Suwari Waza is basically the opposite of Tachi Waza and is when both training partners are facing each other whilst on their knees. In other words, it’s also when both are in the same Hanmi Handachi Waza position which changes the dynamics of the throws, attacks, and counters as both are already on the floor. A lot of these movements come from the hips and the back core.

The three basic Aikido foot stances and The Principle Of Triangularity

When thinking about Aikido, a lot relies on your footwork and positioning. As mentioned earlier, without this in place then everything else will suffer. In Aikido, there are three basic foot stances and forms that are taught from early on. These will serve you will and are fundamentally sound, even used by veteran black belts. These forms use The Principle of Triangularity which is a big concept in Aikido.

Basically, the point of this is to have your feet in a triangular pattern which is great for your base and posture. With this principle being in place, you can defend, dodge, and move quickly which is what Aikido is all about. This principle is also known as Sankaku Ho in Japanese, which is literally the translation. These concepts also apply to other martial arts, such as boxing and Karate too.

• Basic Aikido Stance: This is where both feet face opposite ways. Imagine having your left foot facing outwards towards the left. Now, with your right foot, do the same (so it faces out towards the right). With your feet firmly on the ground, your balance will be given a solid foundation.
• Open Aikido Stance: This is where both feet also face opposite ways. The main difference between this and the basic stance is that your posture is literally more open. In other words, your legs will be wider appart and less closer together. This offers more balance, but compromises speed as a result.
• Reverse Triangular Stance: The reverse stance is easily the most complex of the three and can take some time getting used to. Here, your feet are basically a combination of the two stances already listed. For example, your base is somewhere in the middle in terms of width, with your lead foot facing sideways, and your back foot pointing forwards.

There are lots of other footwork positions that you can apply as well, but these are the main three.

Basic Aikido posture rules

When looking at Aikido, there are four main rules for having the correct posture. These rules are actually applicable to most other forms of martial arts and combat in general, so they’re good to learn. Naturally, many people will keep their posture whilst training anyway, but it’s good to be mindful as it means the techniques will probably sink in quicker.

• Shoulder axis – When training, your shoulders shouldn’t be too far forward and neither should they be too far backward either. This is basic balance, and if they’re too much in one direction, it means you can fall there, if thrown or pushed hard enough.
• Hip axis – This is the axis of your hips and is arguably the most important posture to learn. The reason for this is that your hips will often move both your upper and lower body and havea lot of movement. They can perform front and back movements, as well as movements to the sides.
• Knee axis – As mentioned in the previous stances section, a lot of the forms have certain knee positions, such as forward or back. The position of your knees will often dictate your base and balance.
• Foot axis – Again, having your feet in their correct positions is vitally important and sets up the bulk of your movement. As the saying goes ‘being quick on your feet’ which is very appropriate for Aikido and self defense work.

Summary

When looking at Aikido, a lot of beginners are naturally more attracted to the fancier stuff, such as the wrist locks, throws and restraint holds. However, what is usually taught in the beginning is the correct stances and postures. The reason for this is that they literally lay down the foundations for your Aikido and set up everything. In other words, you can’t do the cool looking moves without the basics in place, which is why they’re so important.

If you study these and drill them repetitively, then you can’t go wrong and your Aikido will progress at a rapid pace. If you want to learn more about the Aikido fundamentals, then check out this book by Kisshomaru and Moriteru Ueshiba.