After having xmas dinner and drinks at one of my aikido sensei’s houses, we sat and watched some old aikido dvds. Some were of his past demonstrations and some were old school aikikai videos of o’sensei’s son and some old school deshis [ tohei, endo, saito.]
Anyway, the discussion came up about the different dojos and affiliations in the US and how aikido is approached at each. I realized there are basically three types of aikido being taught: atemi based (punch to create submission), no touch ( *coKIuSOCIETYgh* ) and finally kuzushi based.
Though this was never discussed at my dojo in the japanese sense, there was quite amount of emphasis on both balance breaking and usage of dead angles ( shikaku — しかく.) Anyways, a little research from my dicussion found this.. I pretty much copied it off a website, but their site sucks and I am not going to referrence them. 
— begin —
Kuzushi - The process of unbalancing the opponent in preparation for entry to the technique. This is dependent on correctness of posture and grips.
Tsukuri - The entry movement and positioning of Tori’s body in order to execute the throw.
Kake - The actual execution, or “moment”, of the throw.
Appropriate Unbalancing
The term appropriate unbalancing is used rather than unbalancing because in some instances it is possible to unbalance too much or to unbalance a person in a way which does not allow certain techniques to be done.
There is little point in unbalancing a person to the rear if the technique you try to do requires the balance to be to the front. There is also no point in hitting someone in the groin if you want to do a hip throw. It would be better to strike to the chest first and then throw. The strike will make the attacker stand up and stun them without them dropping to the ground before a throw can be applied. Making sure the attacker is unbalanced in the correct manner makes the rest of any technique easier to do.
Unbalancing is a continuous process when applied to techniques in Jujitsu and involves both physical and mental disorientation. The “Ju” in Jujitsu is an example of one type of unbalancing. Atemi is another type of unbalancing but in Jujitsu it should be used sparingly because atemi as a form of unbalancing is limited and the defences which can be done from it are also limited.
Unbalancing is part of the first movement of many techniques and is most often concerned with physically unbalancing the attacker and continues throughout the technique, even to applying locks on the ground. The attacker is at all times physically unbalanced and unable to resist the defence, this leads to a mental unbalancing in which the attacker is not in control of the situation and is demoralized and does not wish to attack again.
For example remember that any person who is trained to fall correctly is mentally balanced when thrown, they are preparing for impact and find little discomfort with the experience of being thrown. A person not trained to fall is physically unbalanced and mentally shocked by a throw.
Care must be taken when examining any technique to ensure that what is seen is in fact unbalancing rather than disengaging. The two will often appear to be the same but the initial intent is very different.
In unbalancing the intent is to have your attacker both physically and mentally unbalanced, in order to execute a technique, with the possibility of resistance or counter attack reduced to an absolute minimum. Unbalancing must be applied
throughout a technique in order to be unbalancing and not just disengaging. Only by using unbalancing can a smaller and weaker person overcome an attack by a bigger and stronger attacker. You must take their strength from them in order to survive and strength only comes from a balanced position.
Unbalancing can be achieved by having the attacker’s centre of gravity moved outside the position of their feet. There are a number of variations on how to achieve this but the end result is always the same - tilt the attacker forward, sideways or backwards and they will be off balance. Unbalancing is often facilitated if the attacker is forced onto their toes or heels where they become more unstable, due to their centre of gravity being higher off the ground. They can then be more easily unbalanced.
In Jujitsu the ideal situation is to have no possibility of counter attack and only through unbalancing can this be achieved.
Kuzushi: This is the breaking of the opponent’s balance. It is imperative that the opponent’s balance be broken before a throw is applied. This may be done from a static or moving position. From a static position there are eight directions in which a person can be unbalanced. When a person is unbalanced forward his weight is on his toes. When he is unbalanced backwards his weight is on his heels. As a person moves, he sets one foot down then moves the other foot. Just as uki’s foot is set down is the most effective moment to sweep the foot from under him (timing is critical here: Too soon or too late and tori is placing himself in danger of being unbalanced). Since his movement takes a fraction of a second, it must be anticipated.
It is always easier to throw uki in the direction in which he is moving. However this can be controlled by a skilled thrower. The direction in which uki’s head is bent is important here. The head is heavy and the direction in which it bends is the way the body will most easily follow. When the opponent bends forward, it requires little strength to throw him that way. If you push up against the opponent’s neck or face, he will snap his head back, making it easy to throw him backwards.
One of the things that distinguishes a beginner from a more advanced student is the ability to focus attention on your opponent’s balance. It is one of the differences between learning a throw, and being able to effectively apply a throw. Many martial artists tell me that they know how to do basic throws like seoinage (one arm shoulder throw) or O soto gari (Major outer reaping throw) for example. However, learning to get your body into the proper position to effectively apply your strength is only part of learning a throw. The real trick to making throwing techniques work easily is to find a way to catch your opponent off-balance or to force your opponent off-balance.
Most people do a fine job of getting off-balance by themselves. One way to apply throws is simply to catch the opponent at every opportunity that he or she gives you. It is just not possible to move without some degree of imbalance. It is certainly not easy for your opponent to attack you without a force and movement that makes him or her vulnerable to your counter attack. However learning to take advantage of your opponent’s imbalance requires a finely tuned sense of timing. In order to be at the right place at the right time, you generally have to anticipate the opponent’s movements, a skill that requires a great deal of experience.
Another way to apply kuzushi is to set up or force your opponent into a weak position. There are many ways of moving that will result in your opponent responding in a predictable way so that you can anticipate it and take advantage of it. It can be as simple as stepping forward and pushing on your opponent, which usually results in the opponent stepping back, bracing, and pushing back. This in turn gives you the opportunity to throw them forward in the direction of their push. The most common way to force your opponent off-balance is to use combination throws, where the first throw attempted puts the opponent into an unstable position so that a subsequent attack can be successful.
Kuzushi is very often thought of as simply pushing or pulling. At more advanced levels however it is much more than that. For example, kuzushi can also be achieved by breaking the opponent’s rhythm, fake attacks, strikes, changes of body position or grip, kiai (a shout), or a sudden change in speed or tempo. A critical element in kuzushi is that it should disrupt more than the body. Kuzushi is very much a mental thing. Kuzushi should always disrupt the opponent’s concentration, resulting in a momentary opportunity for an attack. This is one of the reasons confidence is such an important factor in Jujitsu. A strong and positive mental attitude can often dominate a weaker state of mind, resulting in effective kuzushi.
Regardless of the physical size and strength of the opponent, kuzushi will always make a throw work more efficiently. Of course the same principle applies to any technique, including grappling techniques such as chokes and joint locks. The principle of kuzushi is still considered to be one of his major contributions to the study of martial arts. Don’t neglect it in your study of Jujitsu.
Tsukuri: Tsukuri is the correct alignment of your body with your opponent’s body and getting into that correct relationship. It is the placing of your body in the best position for the application of the throw while continuing the unbalancing of him and keeping your own balance. Trying to apply a throw before correct tsukuri is achieved is a waste of energy. You may still be able to throw him, but you will be using strength and if your opponent outweighs you, they will be able to counter the throw, even if they are relatively unskilled.
Kake: Kake is the application of the throw. This is the actual throwing of the opponent. The biggest mistake most beginners make in throwing is trying to apply the throw before the conditions of kuzushi and tsukuri have been met. The whole point of throwing is that you conquer you opponent by superior balance and position, not as a feat of strength. When applying the throw use your body smoothly as a single unit. All parts of the body must move in harmony. Although each throw will emphasise the use of one particular part of the body, such as hands, hips or feet, no throw can be accomplished satisfactorily without the coordinated movement of the entire body. These are some principles to observe when throwing:
1) Don’t bend at the waist (try to keep your stomach forward)
2) Pull or push using your body by moving in the same direction as your arms.
3) Pull or push your opponent in a horizontal direction to unbalance him.
4) Keep your body relaxed. This will give more power (not strength!) to the throw on your movements will not be telegraphed.
5) Bend your knees for balance, not your waist.
6) Do not attempt a half-hearted throw. Use a quick, smooth, firm movement. Half hearted attempts are futile and a waste of energy.
7) Keep your body close to your opponent for better control of his body during after the throw.