Direct strike to a sensitive point (e.g. the face)
In aikidō, tori uses the atemi to throw uke off balance and motivate them to follow the technique. It may also be used to deflect uke's attention in order to hide tori's movement.
It is critical to apply atemi with an eye on its function in the technique: it should not be executed as counter-attack which stops uke's movement, or even used to advance on uke in a way that they can use for a counter-technique.
