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November 10, 2026 · Oskar Szrajer

Polska Organizacja Aikido · 11 min read · Technique

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Imagine two pairs practising the same technique. In the first, nage, the person performing the technique, starts so close that they try to make room by pushing their partner away with their hands. In the second, nage stands too far away: they lean forward and stretch out their arms just to make contact. Both may remember the sequence of movements. Yet in both pairs the movement falls apart before the technique has a chance to develop.

I would not start by correcting their hands. First I would ask: does this position allow you to carry out the task? Can uke, the partner initiating the attack, actually reach? Can nage enter while keeping their balance? That is what we will explore in this lesson. Ma-ai is not a position you set once at the beginning. It is a relationship you must maintain and adjust throughout the movement.

One distance, different possibilities

In budō practice, we translate ma-ai as distance or spacing between practitioners. But do not understand it solely as the gap between your feet. Kensho Furuya brought together several ways of considering ma-ai: through the field of vision, an advantageous angle, the conditions for executing a technique, and continual adjustment to the speed and strength of an attack.^[1] These views complement one another: they ask not just where we are, but what is possible from here.

There is one physical distance between us, but our possibilities need not be the same. Longer arms, a different stance or a weapon change someone's reach. One person may already be able to reach while the other still needs a step. Fatigue or restricted mobility may change the time needed to respond. That does not mean the distance must always increase. It means we cannot assume yesterday's position solves today's task.

As a working distinction, consider three situations: reaching requires a clear approach; a single entry is enough; or contact already exists. You will find similar divisions in different schools, but their names and measures depend on the practice. An author from Yoshinkan Ottawa describes them as tō-no-ma, tsune-no-ma and chika-no-ma.^[2] We do not need another glossary today. We need to notice when there is no longer room to approach at leisure and direct engagement begins.

Look at shōmen-uchi ikkyo

Take basic shōmen-uchi ikkyo as an illustration: uke makes an agreed hand strike towards the head, while nage works on entering and controlling the arm. The teacher specifies the entry and path of movement. Do not treat this description as instructions for teaching yourself the technique; it is about what to observe in an exercise you already know.

Before the attack: uke should be able to make the agreed movement without chasing the target or unnaturally shortening the agreed attack. Nage needs room for the chosen entry, not a desperate movement to pull their head away. If either person has to rescue the task with an unplanned step or a lean from the outset, return to your starting positions.

During the entry: closing the gap is not enough. What matters is where your body is in relation to the line of the strike, and whether your legs carry it together with your hands. Two people can be almost equally close, yet one remains in front of the approaching hand while the other is outside its path. That is why distance, angle and timing must be read together. This is the meaning of irimi in this task: entering with the body into an appropriate relationship with the attack, not marching straight at your partner.

After making contact: ma-ai does not disappear. The question changes. Does your position let you lead your partner with your whole body, or have you left your hips behind and started pulling with your arms alone? Does being close support the movement or leave you no room? Kuzushi, the taking of stable balance, can develop in close contact. Closeness itself is not the obstacle; an unfavourable position and disconnected movement are. Equally, a turn such as tenkan may mainly change your relative angle without moving you much further apart.

At the finish: do not let your attention go just because you recognise the final form. Uke needs room to receive the technique safely, nage needs control of their own position, and both need awareness of neighbouring pairs. This too is part of ma-ai. Here, zanshin means continuity of attention, not a threatening expression after the movement is over.

Why the right place is not enough

You can start at a reasonable distance and still enter too late. You can also move so early that uke has not yet had time to make the agreed attack, while you are already trying to lead something that is not there. Ma-ai creates an opportunity to act, but it does not choose the right moment for you.

This is where it meets hyōshi: rhythm and timing. In a slow exercise, observe when your partner shifts weight, when their step begins, and when their hand reaches the point of contact. These are not three separate signals to tick off, but parts of one movement. Awase, tuning in to that movement, is neither passive following nor guessing. It helps you establish contact without a sudden collision and maintain it as both people change position.

If your partner changes pace, the same starting position may leave you less time. If they change angle, your previous entry may no longer fit the task. Do not try to fix every such error by making your hands faster. First check whether your body reached the right place at the right moment. Changes to the attack must be agreed within the exercise: surprising a beginner is not a substitute for teaching.

In the five-principle model described on this blog, ma-ai is not a sixth principle alongside centre, axis, timing, taking up slack and kuzushi. It is one of the conditions that allow them to work together. Distance and the line of entry let you find the moment; tuning in and making contact let you take up slack; appropriate positioning helps you lead your partner without losing your own axis.

An exercise: change one thing

For this lesson, I suggest a simple observation exercise under a teacher's supervision. It is neither a test of courage nor a universal measure of distance. Choose a familiar attack and entry, agree on a slow pace and on where to stop before impact, or at the light contact specified by the teacher. Do not add a throw or joint lock. Make sure you have clear space.

1. Set your starting positions. Uke makes the announced movement; nage practises only the selected entry. Stop and check both people's positions.
2. Repeat after a small, agreed change in distance. Do not change the pace or attack at the same time. Notice who now has to compensate with a step, a lean or their hands alone.
3. Return to the original distance and, if directed by the teacher, change only the angle of entry. Check whether a similar distance now offers different possibilities.
4. Exchange roles, and later change partners. Do not assume a position that works comfortably for one pair will work equally well for the next.

How will you recognise improvement? Uke does not need to chase the target or unnaturally shorten the attack. Nage keeps their balance, does not reach with their arms alone, and has room for the agreed movement. Both can stop without colliding. These are criteria for this task, not proof of readiness for any attack. Touching outstretched hands can sometimes help compare distances, but it cannot by itself tell you where to stand.

What weapons reveal — and what they cannot solve

In jō and bokken practice it is easier to see when a movement begins too far away or finishes beyond the agreed target. The weapon's reach exposes an error that an empty-handed partner might unknowingly conceal with an extra step. But this does not mean a staff always adds one step to the distance. Weapon length, grip, type of cut or thrust, and both people's positions all matter.

Practise this only in an agreed form, under supervision and with a controlled stop. A partner must not be hit as punishment for an error. Weapons practice can support an understanding of empty-handed distance, but the skill does not transfer automatically: reach, contact and available actions change. In either case, you must check the conditions of the particular task again.

Attention, fear and responsibility for your partner

Return to our two pairs. The person standing far away may fear contact, but they may simply not understand the attack's reach. The person standing close need not be brave — they may be unaware of the danger. Do not infer your partner's character from distance alone. Ask what they see and what they find difficult.

Fear can narrow attention to the approaching hand. It then becomes easy to miss the step, the posture and the available space. A clear attack, a simpler task and a pace at which both people can notice their own response can help. A calm mind will not position the body by itself. It can let you notice an error earlier and use what you have learned through movement. We do not need explanations about invisible energy fields for this.

Agreeing on intensity is part of practice, not an optional concession to less able participants. Physiotherapist Leslie Russek stresses matching speed and strength between partners and avoiding sudden increases.^[3] Her suggested scale is a teaching aid for the movements she describes, not a threshold that guarantees safety. Adapt the task to your current abilities, leave room for ukemi, and stop if you lose control or feel pain. When the mat is crowded, the teacher should limit the number of active pairs or change the task, rather than expecting everyone simply to fit into less space.

One lesson beyond the mat

Imagine a conversation after a misunderstanding. You want to explain everything immediately, so you speak faster and move closer. The other person backs away and says less and less. You can treat this as resistance to overcome. Or you can notice that the way you are conducting the conversation leaves them no room to answer.

The analogy with ma-ai is modest: notice the relationship before adding another action. Leave space, slow down, and ask whether this is a good time to talk. The other person is not an uke for you to position, and a pause does not guarantee agreement. Sometimes the responsible choice is to return to the subject later or set a boundary. This is not bringing fighting techniques home, but practising attention towards another person.

What to take to your next class

Do not look for one position from which every technique will work. Ask what each of you can do from your current position — and how that changes after the first step. Return to this question before the attack, during contact and at the finish. If movement falls apart, check distance, line and timing before working harder with your hands. That is the point of this lesson: not to memorise a distance, but to learn to recognise and adjust it.

— Oskar Szrajer

Sources and scope

The scenes and observation exercise are the author's illustrations, not an account of a particular class or a description of an established grading syllabus. The examples explain ma-ai; they do not replace learning techniques with a teacher. The texts below represent the specified teaching perspectives, not a single canon shared by all Aikido schools.

1. Kensho Furuya — Ma-Ai/Spacing, message of October 5, 2003, republished by David Ito on September 9, 2021, Aikido Center of Los Angeles. Four complementary views of distance, including its continual adjustment to an attack.
2. Hans de Groot — Ma-ai, December 21, 2021, Aikido Yoshinkai Ottawa. Distance categories and their changing nature in the practice described by the author.
3. Leslie Russek — Aikido injury-prevention handout (PDF), introductory section, points 3–4. Agreeing on intensity and learning movements progressively; the guidance does not guarantee safety for every individual.