One of the distinctive features of aikido is that it is not just used in one-on-one situations but can also be used when facing many opponents. If you are facing multiple attackers it is of course important to maintain your own strong posture, but it is also important to be able to perceive the situation of your opponents.
Each opponent who is facing you is also concentrating on the person opposite him, so his attention is divided. That weakness is where you attack. If you move forward and offer yourself for attack, your opponents will be affected by that and will simultaneously come forward to attack as well, but a tiny time-lag will appear between each of those attacks. If you jump forward at whoever is fastest, and turn your body correctly, that first person will bump into the person opposite him, and they will become confused. Basically, that is the principle of “hold an opponent to catch an opponent.” In this way you can create confusion even if there are a group of people facing you.
In the above scene, as you change direction without stopping your movement, your circular body movements will have a great effect. Because of the necessity to react quickly, atemi can be used in many ways as you make your attack.
By moving forward yourself, all of your opponents will also com toward you. At that point, by turning your body you are able to confuse them.
讓一個對手去打另外一個
合氣道的其中一個特色就是不只是一對一，而且還可以是以一對多。如果你是面對很多人時，持續擁有屬於你的強壯姿勢當然就很重要，但是察覺你的對手所在位置也是同樣重要的。
每一個你面對的對手，他的對面也會有一個專注的對手，所以他的注意力是分散的。那個弱點就是你可以攻擊的地方。假如你是往前進攻，你的對手將會被影響而且同時也會往前做出最好的攻擊，但是這些攻擊者間將會出現極微小的時間差。假如你快速移動至最快攻擊者的前面而且做出正確的轉身，那麼第一個人將會撞上他對面的那個人，並造成他們的混亂與困惑。基本上，他的原則就是＂抓一個去打另外一個＂。因此即使你面對一群人一樣可以造成他們的混亂。
在以上的情況中，隨著你改變方向卻沒有停止移動下，即是只是以圓轉入身就會造成很大的影響了。由於必須快速反應的情形之下，在你做出你的攻擊時，當身已經被用在很多地方了。
(P.25圖示)
當你往前移動時，你所有的對手也會朝你移動。此時，藉由轉身將造成他們的困惑。
譯者：武少林功夫學苑／武少林合氣道場 謝小鳳
＊中文翻譯僅供參考，請以TOTAL AIKIDO內文為主。