Instructions for Aikido's Nikyo Technique or Second Teaching

This page provides you with instructions for the Aikido Nikyo Technique or "Second Teaching". This is a basic wrist control technique used in self-defense.

According to the US Government's NCBI, Nikyo "is a joint-lock technique that results in extreme pain. It allows one to control an opponent by destroying his will to continue fighting. Nikyo is accomplished by flexing and adducting an opponent's wrist producing an instantaneous sharp pain that causes him to fall to his knees involuntarily to alleviate the pressure. The exact etiology of the pain elicited by this technique has been obscure to many practitioners. The usual explanations have been nerve compression, joint capsular stretch, tendon/muscle strain, or partial ligamentous disruption. Studies of a cadaver's wrist have shown that Nikyo forcibly compresses the pisiform bone against the ulna, two bones that do not normally articulate. The intense pain thereby produced results from stimulation of the periosteal nerves in these bony surfaces.".

For other techniques (i.e. wrist, elbow, counters or dislocations), visit the main Aikido Techniques section.

Section supported by Aikido books

References

1. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), The anatomy of Nikyo (Aikido's second teaching), http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8284142. Added - 9/12/13