Tanto dori is defense against knife attacks, also called tanken dori. Here is the aikido technique kotegaeshi against chudan tsuki, a strike to the torso.
Defense against knife attacks is very difficult to do in a trustworthy way. It takes a lot of practice, and still there is great risk involved. There are many opinions on how to do it, and more than a few would say it’s impossible. Anyway, practicing knife defense is better than not doing it at all.
Also, tantodori is part of the aikido curriculum. That includes several different knife attacks as well as a number of aikido techniques applied to them. All techniques are not equally practical. It is my impression that most aikido instructors regard kotegaeshi as one of the most effective techniques against knife attacks.
When I teach tantodori, I usually do a harder aikido than normally, because of the nature of the attack – and because it is possible that an aikido student may one day need to defend against a knife attack. If that happens, it is essential to act firmly.
At the end of the video, I show an example of atemi, a defensive strike, and when it can be applied. Atemi should not be overly trusted. Sometimes it is effective, if powerful enough, and in other moments it can be an additional risk because it splits your focus and power.
In tantodori kotegaeshi, I’d say the most important thing is to gain control of the knife hand as quickly as possible, and keep that as the main focus all through to the disarming.
Uke in the video was Lucie Arlethová.
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