Inasu (いなす) — The Art of Redirecting and Controlling Force
· by Roger Vickerman Renshi (7th Dan) · Principles
Inasu (いなす) is often translated as “to deflect,” “to brush aside,” or “to parry.” These translations are useful, but they describe only the visible result. Within Wadō-Ryū, Inasu is much more than an arm movement that changes the path of a punch. It is the art of receiving incoming force, redirecting it with little or no unnecessary effort, and using that redirection to control both the opponent and oneself.
Correct Inasu does not merely prevent an attack from landing. It changes the relationship between attacker and defender. The opponent is encouraged onto a different line, their posture or balance may be weakened, space is created, and an opportunity appears. At the same time, the defender preserves posture, composure, mobility and the ability to continue. Inasu therefore belongs to the broader Wadō idea that defence should not be separated from positioning, control and response.
It is important, however, not to treat Inasu as an isolated technique. It rests upon a larger foundation. Good posture, correct Ma-ai, accurate timing, Ten-i, Ten-tai and ultimately Ten-gi all contribute to whether the redirection is effective. Without those supporting principles, the practitioner may still move an arm and call it a deflection, but the deeper quality of Inasu will be missing.
What Inasu Means in Wadō-Ryū
At its simplest, Inasu means allowing an incoming action to be guided away from its intended course. Yet the word “deflect” can easily create the wrong picture. It may suggest a sharp collision, a slap against the attacking limb, or a separate defensive action performed before a counterattack begins. In Wadō, Inasu is usually subtler and more integrated.
It includes several qualities working together:
- receiving — acknowledging and meeting the attack without panic or unnecessary resistance
- redirection — changing the line of force rather than stopping it head-on
- control — influencing where the opponent travels, settles or becomes vulnerable
- self-control — maintaining posture, relaxation, awareness and readiness throughout
- opportunity — creating the time, space or angle from which the next action can emerge
This is why Inasu should not be understood as something that happens only at the hand. The hand may make contact, but the quality of the redirection depends upon the whole body and upon the timing and position from which that contact is made.
Inasu Does Not Stand Alone
One of the most important things to understand is that Inasu is not a self-contained trick. It is an expression of several principles operating together. A practitioner cannot simply add a brushing movement to an otherwise poor position and expect the attack to become harmless.
Posture provides the structural base. If the body is leaning, collapsed or braced, the redirection becomes dependent on muscular effort. Ma-ai determines whether the attack is met at a point where it can still be influenced. Timing decides whether the incoming force is guided early enough to be useful. Ten-i changes position, Ten-tai changes the orientation of the body, and Ten-gi brings the movement and technique into a unified expression.
When these elements are present, Inasu can appear light and effortless. When they are absent, the practitioner is left trying to compensate with speed, tension or a larger movement. The visible arm action may look similar, but the effect upon the opponent is entirely different.
Inasu as Part of Uke
Inasu is truly a part of Uke. In everyday karate language, Uke is often translated as “block,” but its deeper meaning is to receive. This distinction is important. A block suggests an obstacle placed against force. Receiving suggests that the incoming action is accepted, understood and dealt with appropriately.
To receive well does not mean being passive. It means avoiding the mistake of fighting the attack at its strongest point. The defender receives enough information through distance, vision, timing and contact to guide the attack elsewhere. In doing so, Uke becomes more than protection. It becomes the beginning of control.
From this perspective, Inasu helps transform Uke from a defensive interruption into a continuous combative action. The attack is not stopped so that something else can begin. It is received and redirected in a manner that already contains the next opportunity.
Redirection Without Resistance
The central mechanical idea behind Inasu is simple: changing direction usually requires less effort than stopping momentum completely. Meeting a committed attack head-on asks the defender to absorb, oppose or overpower its force. Even when successful, this can disturb posture, create tension and delay the response.
Inasu seeks a different solution. Instead of becoming a wall, the defender makes a small but meaningful change to the attack’s course. The greater part of the opponent’s movement continues, but no longer towards its intended target. Their own energy carries them into a less favourable position.
This does not mean the redirection is weak or vague. A light action can have a strong effect when it is applied at the correct time, angle and point of contact. The aim is not softness for its own sake, but efficiency: the least unnecessary effort required to create the desired result.
Control of the Opponent — and Control of Oneself
Inasu is about control, but control should not be understood only as physically dominating the opponent. It begins with control of oneself.
When people feel force approaching, the natural reaction is often to stiffen, flinch or rush. The shoulders rise, breathing changes, posture narrows, and the hands begin acting independently of the body. At that point, even a technically correct movement becomes difficult to apply.
Good Inasu requires the defender to remain composed enough to perceive the attack accurately. The body must retain its structure without becoming rigid. The mind must remain present rather than becoming fixed upon impact. Only then can the opponent be influenced without the defender first losing their own balance, posture or timing.
Control of the opponent follows from this stability. By guiding the attack onto a chosen line, the defender can place the opponent where they want them, create a pause in their movement, expose a target, take their centre, or generate the time required to enter. The opponent may feel as though their attack simply missed, but in reality their direction has been quietly reorganised.
Creating Opportunity and Time
One of the most valuable functions of Inasu is that it creates opportunity. The redirection may open a direct line for a strike, expose the opponent’s body, turn their shoulders, lengthen their posture, or carry their weight beyond a stable base. It may also create something less visible but equally important: time.
A small change in the opponent’s direction can delay their ability to recover. That moment may be brief, but in paired work it is often enough. The defender is no longer reacting from behind the attack. They have changed the exchange and created a window in which their own action can arrive.
This is why Inasu is not merely protective. It is tactical. It does not only ask, “How do I avoid being struck?” It also asks, “Where do I need the opponent to be, and what opportunity can their movement create for me?”
Inasu, Kuzushi, Irimi and Nagasu
Because Inasu operates within a larger family of Wadō principles, it naturally introduces and supports other ideas.
Kuzushi — Disturbing Balance and Structure
When the attack is redirected, the opponent’s posture may be altered. Their shoulders turn, their weight continues beyond the expected line, or their centre becomes easier to influence. This is the beginning of Kuzushi. The balance break is not always dramatic; often it is simply enough to make the opponent structurally late or unable to respond efficiently.
Irimi — Entering the Gained Space
Redirection creates space, but that space must be used. Irimi is the act of entering decisively into the opportunity created. Inasu and Irimi therefore complement one another: one changes the line, the other occupies the advantage.
Nagasu — Allowing the Attack to Pass
Nagasu carries the sense of letting something flow or pass. Inasu may use this quality by avoiding direct opposition and permitting the attack to continue beyond its target. The defender does not merely disappear from the line; through contact and body movement, the attack is guided into a direction that supports the defender’s purpose.
These principles overlap, but they are not identical. Nagasu describes the flowing past of force, Kuzushi describes the weakening of balance or structure, Irimi describes entering, and Inasu describes the act of receiving and redirecting in a way that helps bring these outcomes into being.
The Relationship Between Inasu and Taisabaki
Taisabaki and Inasu are closely connected. Taisabaki changes the position and orientation of the defender’s body in relation to the attack. Inasu expresses how the incoming force is then received and redirected within that changed relationship.
The body shift is often what generates the redirection. If the arm acts alone, it must work harder and may become a separate block. When the centre moves and the body turns or shifts at the correct moment, the contact of the arm becomes lighter because the whole body has already changed the geometry of the attack.
In this sense, the arm does not manufacture Inasu by itself. It communicates and refines what the body movement has created. The hand and forearm maintain the line, carry the opponent past, and guard against the attack, but the deeper redirection begins in posture, timing and movement.
Kumite Kata No.1 — A Clear Example of Inasu
One of the clearest examples can be found in the opening exchange of Kumite Kata No.1. Uke pushes forward with Jōdan Junzuki Notsukomi. Tori does not remain directly in front of the attack and attempt to stop it with the arm. Instead, the body subtly shifts away from the attacking line.
At the same time, the incoming arm is picked up with Gaiwan Uke. This action guards against the punch, but it does more than protect the head. Through the body shift and the quality of contact, Uke’s attacking arm is redirected. A subtle Suri Uke along the arm helps carry Uke forward and past Tori rather than allowing them to settle immediately in front.
The Inasu changes the course of Uke’s movement and brings them onto the Chūdan-zuki, which is delivered at the same time as the Gaiwan Uke. Defence and attack are therefore not arranged as two separate events. The redirection, the body movement, the protection and the counter all belong to the same moment.
This example shows why Inasu should not be reduced to a parry. The attacking arm is not simply pushed aside. Uke’s direction is changed, their body is influenced, and their forward commitment becomes part of the opportunity used by Tori.
Where Contact Is Made Matters
The point at which the attack is picked up has a major effect on the quality of the redirection. Not every point along the arm offers the same control, timing or influence over the opponent’s body.
Too Late at the Wrist
If the defender waits until the punch is met near the wrist, the attack has already travelled a long way. The fist is close to its target, the available time is reduced, and the defender must make a faster and often larger correction. Redirecting the force becomes exceptionally harder, while the effect upon the opponent’s overall body is reduced.
Too Close to the Shoulder
Moving too high onto the upper arm creates different problems. The opponent is structurally stronger near the shoulder, so the same small action may have less effect. Closing too deeply without the correct control may also expose the defender to an elbow action or other close-range response.
The Useful Area Around the Elbow
Picking up the attack around the elbow often offers a more effective relationship. It is early enough to influence the incoming line before the punch reaches full extension, while being far enough from the shoulder to affect the opponent’s arm and body with relatively little effort.
This should not be treated as a rigid rule or a fixed point that can be measured in isolation. The correct place changes with distance, timing, body shape and the nature of the attack. Finding the “sweet spot” is therefore a matter of paired practice, observation and trial and error. The purpose is to discover where a small, well-timed action creates the greatest effect on the opponent’s direction and structure.
Refinement Through Reduction
Inasu is also a measure of refinement. When practitioners first learn to redirect an attack, the movements are often large. There may be a broad body shift, a wide sweep of the arm, or an obvious attempt to push the attacking limb away. These larger actions can be useful in the early stages because they make the direction and purpose easier to feel.
Over time, however, unnecessary movement should be removed. The body shift becomes smaller, the arm travels less, and the moment of contact becomes more precise. The defender learns that they do not need to move the opponent’s arm very far; they only need to change its course enough.
This reduction is not about making the technique visually impressive or mysterious. It is about preserving time, balance and options. Every unnecessary movement creates delay. Every unnecessary tension reduces sensitivity. Every oversized deflection risks losing contact, position or the ability to continue.
The refined practitioner therefore seeks the bare minimum needed to achieve the goal. The movement may become difficult for an observer to see, but its effect upon the opponent becomes clearer. This is one of the hallmarks of mature Wadō: less visible effort, but greater control.
From Big Deflection to Subtle Influence
The progression from large to small movement should not be rushed. A beginner who tries to imitate the tiny action of an experienced practitioner may simply do too little. The advanced movement is small because posture, Ma-ai, timing and body movement are already accurate—not because the principle has been removed.
Training therefore needs stages. First, the practitioner learns the direction of the redirection. Then they learn to connect it to the body. Next, they discover how it affects the opponent’s balance and movement. Finally, they begin removing everything that is not required.
True economy is the result of understanding, not abbreviation. The small movement contains the lessons of the larger one.
Where Inasu Appears in Training
Inasu can appear throughout Wadō training, but it is often easiest to recognise in paired work where the effect upon another person can be directly felt.
- Kihon Kumite — where timing, line, body movement and simultaneous response make redirection essential
- Kumite Kata — where receiving and controlling the opponent are clearly built into the paired sequences
- Ohyo Kumite and related paired practice — where attacks are guided into positions that support entry, striking or control
- Kata — where movements often contain the body mechanics and receiving qualities later expressed against a partner
- General partner drills — where the practitioner can explore contact points, timing, sensitivity and the reduction of unnecessary force
Paired training is particularly important because Inasu cannot be understood fully from shape alone. The practitioner must feel whether the opponent’s force has genuinely been redirected, whether their own posture remains intact, and whether an opportunity has actually been created.
Common Misunderstandings
- Inasu is not simply slapping or knocking an attacking limb aside
- Inasu is not an arm-only movement separated from posture and body movement
- Inasu is not passive avoidance without control or purpose
- Inasu is not dependent upon large force or dramatic movement
- Inasu is not complete if it leaves the defender tense, off-balance or unable to continue
It is the refined art of receiving an incoming force, changing its direction, and using that change to improve one’s own position while reducing the opponent’s options.
How Inasu Connects to Other Wadō Principles
Inasu sits naturally among many of Wadō-Ryū’s central principles:
- Shisei — posture provides the stable but adaptable base from which redirection becomes possible
- Ma-ai — correct distance allows the attack to be influenced before it becomes too late
- Hyōshi — rhythm and timing determine the moment at which the force can be guided most efficiently
- Ten-i — changing position removes the body from the intended line
- Ten-tai — changing the body’s orientation improves angle and alignment
- Ten-gi — technique is expressed as part of the completed body movement
- Taisabaki — the centre and body create the geometry of the redirection
- Nagasu — the attack is allowed to pass rather than being stopped
- Kuzushi — the opponent’s balance or structure is disturbed through the changed line
- Irimi — the space created by Inasu is entered and used
- Datsuryoku — unnecessary tension is removed so that sensitivity and speed can remain
- Kōbō-ittai — defence and attack become one connected action
This network of relationships explains why Inasu cannot be studied successfully as a single isolated movement. It is one expression of Wadō’s broader preference for non-collision, efficient movement and control through position rather than strength.
Inasu as the Refinement of Receiving
At an early stage, receiving may mean simply preventing the attack from landing. Later, the practitioner learns to redirect it. With deeper study, that redirection becomes a means of shaping the entire exchange.
The opponent is no longer merely kept out. They are guided into a position. Their commitment is used. Their recovery is delayed. Their centre becomes available. Meanwhile, the defender remains balanced, calm and ready to continue.
This is why Inasu can be understood as the refinement of receiving. It represents a progression from protection, to redirection, to control. The external movement becomes smaller, but the tactical content becomes greater.
Closing Thoughts
Inasu is not the act of moving an arm. It is the art of changing the opponent’s direction without first having to stop them.
Its effectiveness depends upon a solid foundation: posture, Ma-ai, timing, Ten-i, Ten-tai and Ten-gi. It belongs within Uke, because it receives rather than collides. It supports Nagasu by allowing force to pass, Kuzushi by disturbing structure, and Irimi by creating the space into which the defender can enter.
Most importantly, Inasu brings control without unnecessary force. It controls the opponent by influencing their line, posture and recovery. It controls the defender by preserving composure, balance and freedom of movement. Through practice, the large deflection becomes a small adjustment, and the obvious action becomes a subtle influence.
In this way, Inasu expresses something fundamental about Wadō-Ryū. The aim is not to meet conflict with greater conflict, but to understand force well enough to redirect it—placing the opponent where you need them to be while remaining exactly where you need to be yourself.