Men Uchi – Ude Kime Nage (inside entry) Atemi Application

In this Ude Kime Nage variation, both practitioners begin in a Men Uchi contact. Tori slips underneath both arms to enter on the inside, using an Irimi followed by a Tenkan pivot. As he turns, he lowers Uke’s arm, and Uke pivots to face him. Tori then continues guiding the rotation until they end up side by side.
From this position, Tori applies Ude Kime Nage by lifting his arm palm-up under Uke’s triceps to lock the elbow, then entering and turning his arm palm-down to throw.

Here, Shoji Nishio Sensei emphasizes the martial application of the movement by showing how the entry naturally creates multiple Atemi opportunities. According to Nishio Sensei, every Aikido technique contains four or five chances to achieve a “total defeat.”

In this sequence, an Atemi can be delivered to Uke’s face at the moment of the Men Uchi contact as Tori passes under the arms. Then, once they are side by side, instead of simply placing the arm under the triceps, Tori can enter with a strike toward Uke’s face while securing the elbow—either contacting the face or damaging the elbow in the process. From that same side-by-side position, Tori can also strike Uke’s floating ribs, either directly with a Tsuki, or after the elbow-locking face Atemi with an elbow strike.