The Broader Meaning of Kuzushi

The first and most important step in applying a throwing technique [ideally: any technique] is to first employ kuzushi. Usually, I would explain kuzushi as "unbalancing", but delving a little deeper we find that kuzushi derives from the verb kuzusu, meaning "to level, pull down, or demolish".

Looking more broadly at the problem of "leveling" an aggressor, any or all of the following means can contribute to the cause:

• Unbalancing: Bringing the aggressor's center of gravity beyond his or her base of support
• Mis-alignment: Moving parts of the aggressor into an awkward configuration
  
• Distraction
  
• Pain (which can also be a distraction)

All of these measures help to reduce the aggressor's ability to resist the remainder of the technique. However, for subtle kuzushi, it is best when there is neither too much nor too little of the contributing components. Too little, and there is no effect. Too much, and your intentions are telegraphed.

By practicing cooperatively we can learn to sense when our (or our partner's) balance is lost, and where our (or our partner's) alignment is compromised. Developing sensitivity, and an acute feeling for the interplay of these factors can help to make the application of kuzushi elegant and irresistible.

Occam's razor

entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem
(entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity)

We were talking about efficiency (in movement terms in class the other day) and I thought this was pertinent (in a sort of REALLY high level way :-)

See also God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens

Jiu-jitsu according to Wordle

Wordle is an online tool for creating beautiful word clouds. Here is how it renders a short introduction to jiu-jitsu:

Click on the image to see a larger version

This could be good for a poster or a T-shirt design!

Cooperative combinations

In Jiu-jitsu and Judo, having learned to fall and the rudiments of some throwing techniques it is fun to attempt some free practice (randori): You and your partner take a grip and try to throw each other.

However, there is a tendency for this type of training to degenerate through excessive resistance and defensiveness. There are various means to getting over, through or around this obstacle.

One approach that I have found useful acts as something of a bridge between cooperative practice and free practice, by injecting a smidgen of uncertainty into a basically cooperative exercise...

Note: The usual disclaimers apply. Do not attempt this except under qualified supervision.

Let's say that you and a partner are practicing a combination technique cooperatively. A simple combination consists of an initial attack which is somehow foiled or evaded, and then followed up by a second attack. For example: The 1st leg throw (o soto gari) can be combined with the third leg throw (hiza guruma) as follows: The thrower (tori) attempts o soto gari on the receiver (uke) who evades, preferably through skillful stepping and body movement. Tori then fluidly moves into hiza guruma, and throws uke to the mat.

Two problems almost always crop when this kind of exercise is first practiced:

1. Tori applies the first technique with insufficient vigour, and/or
   
2. Uke evades too early.

Both defects arise because of the pre-arranged nature of the exercise. In the first case tori is over-concerned with the second-part of the combination, so the attack is reduced to a feint, and in the second case uke is able to take advantage of the unrealistic knowledge of what the first attack is going to be.

These can be overcome with practice and good focus, but I would like to offer a variation on the exercise which works well and is lots of fun besides.

Tori is to attempt the first technique with reasonable vigor. If uke evades, (s)he follows up with the second technique. With each repetition uke has the choice of allowing him or herself to be thrown, or to evade. Uke's job is firstly to decide whether to attempt an evasion or not, while the second, should (s)he elect to evade, is to do so as late as possible.

This is not a competitive exercise in the normal sense because -- whatever happens -- uke is the one who gets thrown, if not by the first technique, then by the second. But the element of uncertainty from the thrower's perspective helps to eliminate the original defects: If the first attack is half-hearted, uke can elect not to evade; and, once the attacks are coming fluidly, uke can leave the evasion later and later until (s)he is thrown despite trying to evade.

This exercise can be varied and extended in many ways. Examples include:

1. Use a different pair of techniques
2. Uke varies the type of evasion
   
3. Allowing tori a choice of second-attacks
4. Allowing uke the option evading the second attack, in which case tori now throws uke with a third technique
   

As these exercises are pursued the resulting practice starts to look less and less pre-arranged and more like free practice, hopefully of good standard. Adding a bit of uncertainty helps to develop spontaneity within a structured framework.

Cool stuff in the martial arts

Here is my list of impressive-looking things in the martial arts that are of limited interest (to me):

1. Acrobatics
2. Super flexibility
   
3. Breaking stuff (boards, bricks, etc.)

And here's some non-basic stuff that hold more interest (for me):

1. Using an assailant's strength against him
2. Learning to use weapons as a natural extension of your body
   
3. Pressure point techniques
4. "Internal" aspects
5. Healing methods

Of course the basic stuff is pretty good too:

1. Self-defence
2. Technique
3. All-round fitness
   
4. Personal development
5. Social development

And much broader!

Elite selection or elite training?

It is not long now until the 2008 Olympic games commence on 8/8/8. My feelings are mixed. I love the spectacle and the internationalism, but am disappointed by the over-emphasis on winning which leads to dangerous drug-taking (and other extreme measures). Perhaps nowadays the Paralympics which follow in September are more in line with Baron Pierre de Coubertin's vision:

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympic Games, was born in Paris in 1863 and was personally involved in fencing, rowing, boxing and cycling. His visits to British public schools resulted in a lifelong interest in trying to get the heavily academic French schools to take up more sports-oriented curricula. As an educational theorist, de Coubertin was convinced of the importance of sport for the development of the individual. He believed that the qualities of initiative, teamwork and fair play should be encouraged in young people through participation in school sports and competitive games.*

The modern Olympic games have become the poster-child for an elitist program for developing athletes:

1. Identify young people with exceptional potential in Olympic and other high-profile sports
   
2. Enroll them into national sports institutes for long periods
3. Train them full-time, often at the expense of other aspects of their education
   

In contrast to de Coubertin's amateur, generalist ideals this is a professional, specialist model, in which each country endeavors to create an elite for its greater glory. (As for the individual athletes, inclusion in such a training program is -- I guess -- a mixed blessing.)

* * *

In my martial arts experience I have enjoyed what may be termed "elite training" in the sense that it is of exceptional quality, and often demanding, but not restricted to a selected elite (thankfully!).

The overriding objective of the elite institutes is to develop athletes who can win in a narrow field of endeavor. By training in martial arts we can aspire to develop our potential fully and widely, and not just in a way which relies on the external benchmark of winning.

Remember, it is a win for you every time you overcome a limitation, learn a new skill, have an aha moment, or apply what you have learned in one area of your life somewhere else.

Learning a martial art can provide an avenue to train yourself to better meet the challenges of life.

What is Jiu-Jitsu good for?

Please don't assume that Jiu-jitsu is only useful for self-defence, improving your health, increasing strength, developing flexibility, sharpening mental focus, training an army, learning to learn, falling safely, reducing stress, restraining drunken Uncles, improving school grades, developing patience, refining negotiation skills, letting off steam, learning about another culture, getting to know people, avoiding conflict, becoming more reflective, sharpening your reflexes, eliminating back pain, conquering fears, increasing self-esteem, and enhancing your problem-solving abilities just because they are the only things that happened to be on the list.

[Modeled on a quote due to Kent Pitman.]