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Summary: Sankyo Undo, an Aikido exercise, stretches the hand to prepare for Aikido techniques. Learn how to do Sankyo Undo to stretch your hand joints in this free Aikido training video featuring a 4th degree black belt.
"Counting in Japanese, ichi ni san. San is three and do the third control or the third wrist stretch we're going to is Sankyo Undo. Sankyo Undo starts out similarly to Nikkyo Undo. Except now, you're hand is down here. Thumb is pointed down; you'll have the back of your hand towards you. You reach over grab your palm. I just put the thumb on the back of the hand and I stretch the hand out just like this. When I do this, I move from my center and stretch it a forty-five degree angle. I don't want to stretch directly in front of me and I don't stretch directly to the side of me. It's a forty-five degree angle. Because, that's the angle of attack that I'm going to deal with with an attacker. If someone grabs me, I don't want to try the Sankyo control in front of me or to the side. It's at a forty-five. And, I stretch this out three or four times. Switching to the other side, three or four times. Remember, always to stay relaxed and centered just like this. Don't get up in your shoulders and go like this. Nice and easy stretches. To demonstrate, here's Sankyo just like this. I don't want it straight in front of me. I don't want it straight out to the side. At a forty-five degree angle, I twist till he goes up on his toes just like that. Just like this. Stretch around, now you've got it here. We'll move this over slightly, so the camera can get a better angle. Just like this. On my Sankyo, I will cut the pinkie back behind the ring finger just like this."
eHow Article: Sankyo Undo