Guillermo Gomez has devoted the past 26 years of his life to perfecting his aikido moves. The focus of his training in aikido moves has been on what all traditional martial artists should be aspiring to: mastery of the intricacies of all the techniques he was being taught rather than merely rising through the ranks. In this pursuit of technical mastery, he earned his fourth-degree black belt the hard way under the tutelage of sixth-dan Nelson Requena of the Venezuela Aikikai in Gomez’ hometown of Caracas, Venezuela.

When Guillermo Gomez visited Black Belt recently, we asked him to teach basic aikido moves that even nonpractitioners could use to fend off attacks they might encounter on the street.

AIKIDO MOVES VIDEO
Guillermo Gomez Shows You How to Stop a Front Choke

This exclusive video captured in our photo studio finds Guillermo Gomez explaining several basic aikido moves and how to apply one of them — nikyo, the second immobilization technique of aikido — in the event of a choke attack.

“[Nikyo] enables me to control the wrist,” Guillermo Gomez says, “after which I bend the elbow and use my hips and the rotation of my body to put more pressure on it.”

Initiating the choke, the attacker starts with the fingers of his right hand wrapped around Guillermo Gomez’s neck. Gomez grabs the attacker’s hand and rotates his entire body to create pressure on the wrist.

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“This [sequence of aikido moves] works because I control the thumb,” Guillermo Gomez says. “I use my right hand, along with the rotation of my body, to put pressure on his wrist until he releases the choke.” His grip on the knife edge of the choking hand augments the leverage he applies to the offending appendage.

Next, Guillermo Gomez circles his left arm under the locked limb, securing it in the crook of his elbow. He uses his forearm to drag the elbow outward, bending the arm until it’s shaped like a “Z.”

He keeps the pressure on, courtesy of the wrist lock, while he uses his left hand to force the angled arm — and the attacker — to the ground.

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Once the attacker’s down, Guillermo Gomez has the option of further aikido moves (as depicted in the April 2012 issue of Black Belt) such as moving his left hand to the man’s right elbow and guiding the arm into a straightened orientation so he can apply pressure to the joint. Such pain infliction would easily drive the opponent to the mat.

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For more information about Guillermo Gomez and his multifaceted martial arts and fitness curriculum, visit martialfusion.com.