In recent years, influenced by its use in Daito school and aikido, it refers to the techniques and principles of disabling the opponent's attacks by 'matching the "qi"' of oneself to the "qi" (including the will to attack, timing and vector of force) of the opponent, instead of competing against the opponent's force with force, especially in martial arts using bare hands (it is used for its original meaning in kendo (the Japanese art of fencing) and in the ancient arts of weaponry).
近年、大東流や合気道での使用法の影響で、特に素手の武術、武道において相手の力に力で対抗せず、相手の“気”（攻撃の意志、タイミング、力のベクトルなどを含む）に自らの「“気”を合わせ」相手の攻撃を無力化させるような技法群やその原理を指すようになった（剣道や古来よりの武器術では元来の意味で使われる）。