Irimi-nage, go no sen - A consideration of practice - Sen no sen Go no sen

In this session, we focus on the concepts of "Sen no Sen" and "Go no Sen" as part of our Aikido training considerations.

"Sen no Sen" refers to entering and controlling the opponent before they can act, while "Go no Sen" means controlling the opponent by reacting to their movement. These terms have been widely used in the martial arts world for a long time. In martial arts, it's crucial to ultimately control the opponent, whether by taking the initiative or reacting. The approach changes depending on whether you enter first or second, but the key is always to control the opponent in the end.

As a general principle, I consider "Sen no Sen" for omote waza and "Go no Sen" for ura waza, but this is not always absolute. Use this as a reference to determine the best timing for movements in response to the opponent's attacks.