Aikido Kata

Aikido Kata is what you use to learn the Aikido throws and techniques.

In Shodokan or Tomiki Aikido, students are taught the basic 17 techniques from the Randori no Kata. This is just one of many Aikido Katas. They are time capsules, if you like, of techniques the founders wished to hand down to their successors.

The Basic 17 or Junanahon no Kata

There are thousands of possible techniques in Aikido, but Tomiki Sensei distilled these down to seventeen throws and holds which could be practised with minimal chance of injury.

The other more dangerous techniques were grouped into other Aikido katas (the Koryo Katas), which are reserved for black belt students or those training for their first black belt grading.

The Randori no Kata techniques are also used in free practise or Randori, in a similar manner to Judo training. And some Tomiki Aikido schools, the Shodokan ones, also do Shiai or full Tournament competition.

Traditional aikido schools do not do competition or tournaments at all. Shodokan is the exception.

Aikido Locks