Wrist Throw - Kotegaeshi

A wrist throw is just a joint lock which is used to break your balance. Once your balance is broken, you can easily be 'helped' to fall down... Gently, perhaps, or with arm-snapping speed if the situation warrants it.

Notice how Nariyama Shihan steps back from the knife, and how he twists the attacker's wrist. The guy taking the fall has to jump over his own arm before it breaks.

Aikido uses many different kinds of wrist throws, and the best known of these is the Kote-gaeshi wrist throw.

Personally, I like this wrist throw because it is so versatile. It works empty handed or even if the hand you sieze is holding a weapon. It doesn't matter.

And what's more, the Kotegaeshi wrist throw can be executed hard or soft. For example, you can gently show it to a friend, and make them buckle at the knees from the pain... That's enough to have them gasping, but uninjured.

But if you do the same wrist lock at speed, the person's wrist will most certainly break. And they'll probably hurt themselves when they hit the ground, too.