sabaki

Sabaki is a Japanese term broadly meaning handling, management, or disposal of a situation. In everyday language it can refer to dealing with tasks, problems, or objects. In specialized contexts, sabaki denotes techniques or methods that emphasize efficiency, flexibility, and the ability to respond to changing conditions.

In the game of Go, sabaki describes a set of techniques used to handle a difficult or underdeveloped group in a way that minimizes loss and creates life or initiative. Players employing sabaki seek to avoid direct confrontation, instead using precise moves to reduce the opponent’s influence, improve the local position, and sometimes gain sente (the initiative). Sabaki often involves sacrificing stones or leveraging external strength to turn a precarious shape into a locally living group, with an emphasis on speed, shape, and adaptability over brute force.

In martial arts, sabaki refers to the art of body movement to avoid, redirect, or neutralize an attack. It encompasses footwork, rotation, and angling to create advantageous positions and balance. Practices such as tai sabaki in Aikido, Judo, and related disciplines focus on moving the body to off-balance an opponent, opening lines of attack, and controlling the engagement rather than meeting force head-on.

The term is also used more generally in Japanese to describe the disposal or handling of matters, tasks, or disputes. Across contexts, sabaki connotes skillful adaptation and effective management of dynamic situations.