When I was a kid, I used to think those big Aikido moves—like striking down on someone’s head with a hand blade—looked odd and impractical.
Later I realized: the most effective way to catch an opponent’s hand is to strike toward their face, forcing them to raise an arm to block. Once you make that contact, a whole range of joint locks or throws becomes possible.
Many techniques that seem useless or hard to understand are only so because we don’t see the context and conditions they were designed for.
If you ask sincerely, people with the knowledge are often more willing to explain.
What’s one move or skill that didn’t make sense to you at first, but clicked later once you saw the context?


