Tao of Judo

TheTaoofJudo:
EasternWisdomfor
WesternPractice
KeoCavalcanti
2007KeoCavalcantiJudoInfo.com
ThoseWhoKnowDoNotTalk...
Ive resisted writing this bookfor at least six years. Notfor lack ofenthusiasm Judo
and Taoism are lifelong passions of mine. The problem is that writing books about Judo or
TaoismissuchaWesternthingtodo.HowmanyTheZenof...bookshaveyouseenlately?
AstheTaosays,thosewhoknowdonottalkthosewhotalkdonotknow1 (chapter56).Ifyou
havetoputthingsinwriting,youmaybemissingthegutlevellearningofpractice.
Everythingabout Taoism and traditional Judo seem to discourage writinga book. The
two traditionsarenot keen on missionary activity. There isno push to make converts. Their
approachisifyouenjoypracticingtheart,ifitmakesadifferenceinyourlife,thendoit.No
needtoshoutitfromtherooftops.
The Tao Te Ching is clear aboutnot making abig dealofones learning. The sage is
alwayssomeonewhoworkswithoutrecognition.Realwisdomcomesfromdoingwhathastobe
done without dwelling on it. The wise do not show off knowledge (chapter 77). More words
countforless(chapter5).Whatreallymattersinlifeisindefinableanyway(chapter14).What
canbedefinedisneverthetrueessenceoftheexperience(chapter1).
That is why, from the beginning those wise in the Tao ways did not try to enlighten
others, but kept them in the dark (chapter 65). The Tao warns selfappointed teachers that
peoplearehardtoenlightenbecausetheyconsiderthemselvesenlightenedalready(chapter
65).ThereareseveralpassagesintheTaowherethesagelamentspeopleslackofinterestin
truewisdom.Mywordsareeasytounderstandandperform,yetnooneunderheavenknows
them or practices them... (chapter 70). This is not exactly the kind of encouragement a new
writerneedsbeforesettingpentopaper!
TraditionalJudohasasimilarapproach.Donttrytobetoopopular.DontturnJudointo
afranchise,mySenseiusedtosay.Ittakestime,energy,andcommitmenttopracticeanart
properly.Thatisnotaverypopularpath.Whensomethingtakesyearstoperfect,mostpeople
optinsteadforaquickfix.Peoplechoosewhatseasytoobtain,orwhatisentertaining,orwhat
providesinstantgratification.
That is why most seasoned martial artists do not write aboutthe arts. Theyknow the
practicecannotbeimpartedthroughreading.So,traditionalmartialartsarenotahugeindustry
in America. They survive in small, independent clubs. To outsiders we may not seem very
enterprising. We tend to keep to ourselves we dont use advertising or mass marketing.We
screen prospective students carefully.We are very selective. Our arts are passed down to a
smallnumberofhandpickedstudents.Andtheyareencouragedtopassthemonlytoasmall
TheTaoTeChingisperhapstheoldestTaoisttextknowntous.Givenitsimportanceto
Taoism,Iuseitextensivelythroughoutthisbook.IrecommendtheEnglishtranslationofGiaFu
Feng and Jane English,Tao Te Ching,New York: VintageBooks, 1972. Inthis text I use my
own looser translation, still based on the excellent work of Feng and English, but adopting a
moreinclusivelanguage.
numberofhandpickedstudentstoo.
So,whywriteabookaboutTaoismandtraditionalJudo?
Perhapsitisasignofmiddleage.AtthispointinlifeImfeelingtheneedtosharewhat
Ivelearnedfrompractice.PerhapsImmoreawareofthepassageoftime.SinceIbroughtmy
art to the United States, Ive formed three generations of black belts. Two out of my three
mastersaregone.Myfirstmaster,AsanoSensei,diedafewyearsback.Hewasanimmigrant
toBrazil.Imtoldhisgrandchildrenstillkeeptheschoolopen,butIhaventbeenbacktovisit
sinceIimmigratedtoAmerica.MacSensei,myotherinfluentialmaster,diedrecently.Ourartis
stillstrugglingwiththeaftermathofhisdemise.
Perhaps I write out of gratitude. When I look back to the path I traveled, Im
overwhelmed by the guidance given. They were always there, every step of the way. In the
best Taoist spirit, my masters guided me without claimingfame, worked without taking credit,
andledwithoutdominating.ThisiswhatisconsideredPrimalVirtue(chapter10).
Finally, Im also thinking of my Judo grandchildren. My seniorstudents have clubsof
their own. They continue to transmit the art. I feel that I owe it to them, for the sake of their
dedicationand commitment, to leave something in print of what weve learned together. Time
erasessomuch!Fortunately,wecanregisterouraccumulatedexperiencesinwordform.
The Tao tells us the sage never stores things up. The more he does for others, the
morehehas.Themorehegivestoothers,thegreaterhisabundance(chapter81).Sothese
lessonsaresharedinthesamespirit.Iveworkedhardinthepracticeofthesetwodisciplines.I
sharedtheminthehopeofgivingalittleback.
Richmond,fall2001
TableofContents
Introduction
BeingArmedWithoutWeapons .......................................................................................
TheWayoftheMonk ..........................................................................................................
WhyMixTaoismandJudo? ...............................................................................................
Judo:SportorArt? .............................................................................................................
01
03
03
05
Chapter1
MyWordsHaveAncientBeginnings ...............................................................................
TheBirthofJudo ................................................................................................................
TheSpiritofJudo ...............................................................................................................
JudoandtheWest .............................................................................................................
10
11
12
13
Chapter2
HoldingFasttotheCenter ...............................................................................................
JudoEtiquetteandLife ......................................................................................................
EtiquetteandtheOrderoftheUniverse .............................................................................
EtiquetteandJudo .............................................................................................................
15
16
17
18
Chapter3
SeeingtheSmall ...............................................................................................................
TheFourBasicPillarsofPractice ......................................................................................
Breathing ............................................................................................................................
Balance ...............................................................................................................................
DistancingandTiming .........................................................................................................
20
22
23
26
28
Chapter4
LearningConstancy .......................................................................................................... 30
TheRightApproach ........................................................................................................... 31
TheOriginsofJudoTechniques ......................................................................................... 34
Chapter5
AGreatTailorCutsLittle .................................................................................................. 38
SacrificeTechniques ........................................................................................................... 41
ANoteonPracticingThrowingTechniques ......................................................................... 41
Chapter6
WaterandWind .................................................................................................................
KatameWaza:TheArtofFlowingWater ............................................................................
TheArtofHolding ...............................................................................................................
TheArtofChoking ..............................................................................................................
TheArtofBendingJoints ....................................................................................................
AtemiWaza:FightingliketheWind .....................................................................................
46
46
49
49
51
52
Conclusion
TheTaoisForeverUndefined ......................................................................................... 54
Introduction
BeingArmedWithoutWeapons2
Everdesireless,oneseesthemystery.
Everdesiring,oneseesitsmanifestations.
TaoTeChing,chapter1
Thisbookisnotforthosewhowanttowintournaments.Therearenosecretstipshereon
howtobecomethenextnationalchampion.Itwontmakeyouabettercompetitor.Intruth,the
bookisnotevenaboutJudo.Itisaboutpracticingamartialartintherightspirit.Itiswrittenfor
thosewhowishtolearnthedifferencebetweenpracticingtowinandpracticingasalifejourney.
TofindtheanswertothatwemustgobacktoancientAsia,tomedievalChinaandJapan.
Iknow,yourethinking,wherethegreatwarriorslived.No,wearenotlookingforwarriorsor
wars.Thereisnoglamourinwar.Weaponsareinstrumentsoffear,notglory.Weaponsarenot
a sages tools (chapter 31). Those who trust in them flirt with tragedy. Every time you give
weapons to volatile and passionate human beings you are looking for disaster. A brave and
passionate person, teaches the Tao, will kill or be killed (chapter 73).War,even in victory,
shouldbemournedinheartfeltsorrow(chapter31).
We are instead looking for small, secluded monasteries, and quiet, softspoken monks.
Theymayhavemuchtoteachusaboutmartialarts.Yousee,therearetwoapproachestothe
artsthewayofthewarriorandthewayofthemonk.Thereisnothingwrongwiththewayof
thewarrior,ofcourse.Butsomuchhasbeenwrittenaboutitalready,thatthisbookisdedicated
tothewayofthemonk.
Infact,IthinkwearetoofamiliarwiththewayofthewarriorintheWest.The20th century
had the bloodiest wars in history, with the most frightful tools of mass destruction ever
conceived by humankind. We are also very familiar with the ancient way of the warrior.
Hollywood has done a great job of glorifying ancient wars as well. Look at Mel Gibson or
Richard Gere or Kevin Costner brandishing broadswords and bows and arrows in legendary
England.
The West has glorified even ancient Eastern warriors. The Samurai and Ninja are ever
present in martial arts movies. They are so stereotypical, theyve become caricatures. Its
amusingtoseepeopledressedasmedievalNinjainstoriesthattakeplaceinthepresentday
andtime.Thoseuniformswereusedhundredsofyearsago!Whodresseslikethatanymore?It
is the equivalent of dressing up a Manhattan detective in a suit of medieval armor to film a
murdermystery.
TaoTeChing,chapter69.
1
Martialartsmoviesmaketheartslookglamorous.Theheroesaremean,aggressiveand
invincibleonthesilverscreen.Theycanfightforeverandnevergethurt.Theykillsooftenwe
becomedesensitizedtothe taking ofahuman life. There isnosensethat each person killed
had a mother, a father, a sister or brother who will miss them. There is no sense of tragedy
attachedtodeathanymore.
True martial artists have a more realistic pictureof the arts. They know they dont have
superhuman strength. And in the great scheme of things, they know that life is not about
winningorlosing.Itisaboutlivingitwell.Sometimeswecannotescapetragedy.Butthewaywe
dealwithtragedyshowswhetherwearetrulymartialartistsornot.
Real martial artspractice teaches us to live with our limitationsand imperfections. They
showthatlifeisfragileandthingsdontalwaysworkthewayweexpect.Sometimesthingsare
ahead and sometimes they are behind sometimes breathing is hard, sometimes it comes
easily sometimes there is strength and sometimes weakness sometimes one is up and
sometimesdown(chapter29).Thequestionisnotwhetherwecanfightforeverthequestionis
whetherwecanwalkthepathinserenitydespiteeverythinglifethrowsourway.
ItiseasytoseewhywelovethewayofthewarriorintheWest.Itismoreexciting.Who
doesnt want to be an indestructible superhuman fighter? But we should remember that the
medievalChineseandJapanesewarriorswerepaidsoldiers,andmostneverlivedtoseetheir
30th birthday. Yes, there was someglory.But they practiced martial artsoutof necessity,not
choice. They needed the arts to survive in battle in the service of their Lords. Losing meant
certain death. Much like todays soldiers, ancient warriors knew wars were tragic. They knew
thesufferingthatcamewiththem.
Monks,ontheotherhand,hadadifferentapproachtothearts.Theypracticedthemwith
greaterfreedom.True,therearestoriesthatmonksfirstlearnedtheartstoprotectthemselves
againsthighwayrobbers.Butifyoulivedinamonasterynestledhighinthemountainsanddid
nottravelfrequently,learningtheartforpersonalprotectiondidnotmakemuchsense.
Unlike warriors, monks had no practical purpose for the arts. They practiced by choice.
The point of the practice wasnt survival, it was spiritual growth3. The arts were a natural
extensionofmonasticlifemonksworked,meditated,andpracticedthearts.Theywerepartof
their spiritual preparation. Spiritual conditioning and physical education went hand in hand. A
quietmindwasthesourceofenergytoadisciplinedbody.Thiswasntdonetoimpresspeople
orclaimgreatglory.Itwaspartoffollowingthepath,theway(Tao).ThegreatestVirtue[was]
to follow Tao and Tao alone (chapter 21) the arts were the physical extension of a spiritual
quest.
The word spiritual doesnt mean something supernatural or churchrelated or

religious.ItisusedhereintheTaoistsenseofte(virtue),ofbeingtruetoonesnature,fulfilling
onescalling.Abladeofgrassisvirtuousifitfullybecomesabladeofgrass,nomore,noless.
2
WhattheChinesecalledTao(theWay),theJapanesecalledDoThesameDothat
appears in most modern Japanese martial arts: JuDo is the way of gentleness AikiDo, the
way of harmony KarateDo, the way of the empty hand. The Do at the end of the name
indicatesthattheartsarepracticedasawayoflife,asaformofspiritualtraining.Someonewho
learnsonlythetechniquesfindshis/hertrainingincomplete.
According to the way of the monk, Budo (the collection of all the Japanese arts) was
meant to guide students into deeper learning. Budoka were expected to have a better
understandingoftheirtruenatureandthenatureoflife.Thetechniquesweretoolsforpolishing
ones character. Practice was meant to foster patience, humility, compassion, loyalty and so
on.4 The founders of the modern Japanese martial arts knew that the learning of techniques
withoutsoulworkwasempty.Andamartialarttaughtwithoutspiritualcontentwasdangerous,
sinceitcouldbeeasilyusedforgoodorevil.
TheWayoftheMonk
Formonks,themartialartsweremeanstoanintuitiveethicaleducation.Monasteriesused
theartstoeducatethesoul.Inpracticestudentscombinedbodyandsoul,findinginternalpeace
and adeeper knowledge of life. Theancient masters were subtle, mysterious,profound, and
responsive,preciselybecauseofthedepthoftheirpractice(chapter15)adeeperknowledge
thathelpedthemmakewiseuseofthetechniques.
Evenancientwarriorsknewthatmartialartshadaspiritualcontent.FortheJapanesethe
true Bushi or Samurai wasa cultivatedperson.He dedicated a lifetime to polishing his soul.
Alongwiththearts,hestudiedphilosophy,history,poetryandart.Itwasnotunusualforhigh
ranking Samurai to be poets or artists (which gave them a keen sense of aesthetics). Being
warriors,ofcourse,theyalsostudiedthemilitaryways.
Miyamoto Musashi, the classic example of a cultivated Samurai, was known as the
greatestswordsmanofoldJapan.ComingofageattheendofJapanscivilwars,heiscredited
with developing the art of using both the katana (the long sword) and the wakizashi (short
sword)inbattle.EarlyinlifehehadthegreatfortuneofhavingtheBuddhistpriestTakoanas
hisguardianandmentor.ItwasTakoanwhotaughtMusashitocontrolhistemper,reininhis
desires, and abandon his wild ways. Through secluded studying, Musashi learned all the
classicsofChineseliterature.Inhistravelingyearshedevelopedatasteforpoetry,paintingand
sculpting,aswellasthepracticeofZen.ItissafetosayMusashiwouldnothavebecomethe
greatSamuraihewaswithoutthewisecounselofhismentor.
4
ThereweresevenspiritualvirtuesinBushido(thewayoftheSamurai),thecollectionof
martialartsthatprecededBudo.Themartialartistdevelopedthemaspartofthepracticeinthe
artsofwar.Thesevenvirtueswere:girightattitude,livingrighteouslyyubravery,courage
underfirejinuniversallove,compassionforalllivingthingsreietiquette,courtesy,knowing
ones place in the world makoto complete sincerity, truthfulness in all situations melyo a
sense ofhonor, ofdignityand chugo devotion, loyalty, gratitudefor those whoprovidedfor
oneswellbeing.
3
So,thisbookisanefforttocallattentiontothewayofthemonk.Itreflectsmystrongbelief
that martial arts practice requires spiritual roots.Wepractice the arts to learnhow to live life.
TherearetoomanywarriormartialartistsintheWestthesedaysandtoofewmonks.Ifwe
dontpayattentiontospiritualcultivation,ifwedonthelpourstudentsdiscoverafinerwayof
being themselves, we as Sensei (teachers of the arts) will be contributing to the spread of
violenceinmodernlifeandtothemisuseofthearts.
ThisbookusesJudotohighlightthespiritualprinciplesofTaoism.Butthelessonsarenot
restrictedtoJudo.TheprinciplesdiscussedhereinformthepracticeofAikido,Karate,KungFu,
Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do and other Asian arts. They also inform good living for folks who dont
practice the arts. As a philosophy, Taoism spread throughout Asia during the early period of
Chinesecivilization.Itspracticeproducedauniquedispositiontowardlife,whetheronewasa
martialartistorsimplysomeoneinterestedinwisdom.
WhyMixTaoismandJudo?
Taoismprovidesaframeforpracticeforthoseofuswhopracticetheartsforlife(andnot
justwhilewehavethestaminaofyouth).Itsprincipleshelpustoevaluatethelessonsbehind
the arts techniques. It leads us to search for those deeper lessons that should inform our
exercisesand drills. Do your students understand these lessons at the gutlevel? Howdo we
knowifwehavearrivedinourpractices?Isit allaboutaccumulatingranksandbeltsorisit
aboutinternaltransformation?
The spiritual practice of the martial arts leads to a certain kind of detachment or
dispassionateliving.Onenolongerpracticesforfame,butforcontentment.Amazinglyenough,
thatkindofdetachmentconnectsyoutootherlivingthings,bringingtruefulfillment.TheTaois
quite direct on this point: Fame or self: What matters most? Self or wealth: Which is more
precious?Gainorloss:Whichismorepainful?Theoneattachedtothingswillsuffermuch.The
onewhosaveswillsufferheavyloss.Thecontentedpersonisneverdisappointed.Ifyouknow
whentostopyouwillnotfindtrouble.Suchapersonisforeversafe(chapter44).
Thisbookisaninvitationtothespiritualrootsofthearts.Whenyoupracticeanartwithout
itsspiritualroots,anythingcanbeusedfillthatvoid.Nowondersomepeopleendupthinking
thatitisallaboutpersonalglory,medalsandtrophies.Inthatpursuittheyreducetheirarttoa
means to other ends. The techniques are just instruments instead of having their own deep
meaningtobestow.
ThereasonIuseJudotoexemplifythewayofthemonkisbecauseIvebeenpracticing
theartfor35yearsnow.Andforatleastthepast11yearsIveusedJudotoexpressTaoism.
Moreimportantly,IuseJudobecauseImafraidthatwehavelosttheJudokawayofthemonk
intheWest.JudowasWesternizedsoonerthantheotherEasternMartialArtswhenitbecame
anOlympicsport.Andithasbeenreducedtoasporteversince.
4
Judo:SportorArt?
WhenJudobecameanOlympicsportin1964,itsspiritualsidewasgreatlyminimized.As
theartwasexportedtoothercountries,itwasfearedthatifitwerepromotedasaJapaneseart,
it might not become popular in theWest. So, sessions on spiritual principles (ko and mondo)
thatwereusedintheearlydays,andemphasisonprearrangeddrills(Kata)werereplacedby
conditioningexercisesandthemorecompetitiveaspectsoftheart(randoriandshiai).Judois
anexampleofwhathappenswhenatraditionalartisreformattedasasport.Onceitbecomes
asport,theartisusedmostlyforpersonalornationalglory.Victoriesandtrophiesreplaceits
truemeaning.
When winning becomes everything, the way of the monk is lost. People use whatever
workstostaycompetitivetheyalterthetechniquesandtakeshortcutsoneleganceandstyle.
Ifatechniqueworksbetterwithmuscle,thenyoudontspendalotoftimelearningittheright
way.Youliftweights,buildbodymassandusemuscle!Insteadofcultivatingtheart,Western
Judokaperfectedwrestlingskills.NowadaysitishardtoseeanydifferencebetweenanOlympic
Judomatchandawrestlingbout.
Thissinglemindedpursuitofvictoryis,ofcourse,theoppositeofthedeepergoalofthe
art.Whentheonlythingthatmattersisbeingachampion,oneisconstantlyfeedingonesego
insteadofbuildingonescharacter.IfyouthinkImexaggerating,readmagazineinterviewswith
European or American Judo champions. They come across with a tremendous amount of
arrogance.TheyllsaythingslikeImthebestintheworld.Afewmayqualifytheirstatement:
Imthebestintheworldingroundwork,orImthebestintheworldinfoottechniques.But
the idea is pretty much the same: Im a cut above. Two hundred years from now, who will
know?Andwhowillcare?
Thereis,ofcourse,nothingwrongwithwinning.Afterall,theOlympicsareatestofhuman
determination. Track and field stars have the same mentality and the same drive of Olympic
Judoka.TheproblemisthatJudowasnotcreatedforselfpromotionorpersonalsuccess.When
itfeedsonesdesire,itcannotleadtothemonksdetachment.So,theartlosesitsway.There
is no greater sin than desire, warns the Tao, no greater curse than discontent, no greater
misfortunethanwantingsomethingforoneself(chapter46).Onlyonewhoknowswhenenough
isenoughwillalwayshaveplenty.
ToTaoistsdesirecloudsthemind.DesireforvictoryblindstheJudokatowhatisrealin
the practice. The more youdesire, the more youfeed yourego.Atsome point it isno longer
aboutpolishingyoursoul.Itisaformofnarcissisticselflovelookatme,lookathowgreatI
am...ThetragicpartaboutthisisthatnooneintheWestishelpingJudoathletestofindthe
real meaning ofthe art. Coaches pushfor more medals presidents of Judofederations want
greatergloryfortheircountriesandathleteswantthegold.Nobodyconsidersthegoodofthe
art.
Toillustratehowsadthisis,letmesharewithyouwhattheformerpresidentofthelargest
Judo organization in the West had to say about Judo. The words come straight from his
foreword to the organizations 3rd edition of the Senior Handbook. See how he spends more
timetalkingaboutAmericansuperioritythantheartitself:
ItisnotuncommonnowforanAmericantodefeataJapanesechampion(although
5
fromourstandpointitdoesnthappenquiteoftenenough!)...Wehavenowmatured
enoughtostandonourowntwofeet...Afterall,AmericanPhysicalEducationis
thebestintheworld,whyshouldwebeashamedtouseitinJudo?...Wehavenow
setourselvesuponacoursewhichwill,withGodshelp,placeusinthefirstrankof
worldJudobytheGamesof1988and1992.5
NowcomparethosecommentstothewordsofShihanKisshomaruUeshiba(sonofthe
founderofAikido)forthosewhowishtopursueamartialart.Thisisthedifferencebetweena
sportsadministratorandamaster:
ThetraininganddisciplinecommontoalltheWays,martialorcultural,consistof
three levels of mastery: physical, psychological and spiritual. On the physical level
masteryofform(kata)isthecruxoftraining.Theteacherprovidesamodelform,the
student observes carefully and repeats it countless times until he has completely
internalized the form. Words are not spoken and explanations are not given the
burdenof learning is on the student. Inthe ultimate mastery ofform the student is
releasedfromadherencetoform.
Thisreleaseoccursbecauseofinternalpsychologicalchangestakingplacefrom
the very beginning. The tedious, repetitious and monotonous learning routine tests
the students commitment and willpower, but it also reduces stubbornness, curbs
willfulness,and eliminatesbad habits ofbody and mind. In the process, his or her
real strength, character and potential begin to emerge. The spiritual mastery is
inseparable from the psychological but begins only after an intensive and lengthy
periodoftraining.6
Dothesetwoseemlightyearsapart?Ofcoursetheyare.Forthefirst,Judoisthemeans
tootherends:victory,gloryforthecountry,greatnessfortheorganization.Forthesecond,the
martialartisanendinitself.Thisisthedifferencebetweenpracticingamartialartasasport
and practicing it as a way of life. When you practice it as a way of life, it is a path of
enlightenment.
Itisnotsurprisingthatwefindlittleroomforhumility,balance,orconsiderationofothers
amongWesternJudochampions.Forthemthecoachandtheotherathletesexistforasingle
purposetomakethemfamous.WhatnooneexplainstotheseJudokaisthattheexpectation
to win at all times is utterlyunrealisticand it burdens theirpractice.When you use Judoasa
meanstootherends,youdontenjoypracticingitforitsownsake.
ThinkforaminutehowmanywouldlovetobelikeMichaelJordan?Ofthosemillions,
how many actually do it? How many would like to be a famous singer? Of those, how many
becomeone?Ifyouronlyreasonforsingingorplayingballistogettothetop,youwillbevery
miserableinlife,andmissthejoyofengagingintwoverydelightfulactivities.
PhilipS. Porter, Foreword to the Third Edition, The United States JudoAssociation
SeniorHandbook.5th Printing.ColoradoSprings:USJA.1984.
6
KisshomaruUeshiba,TheSpiritofAikido.Tokyo:KodanshaInternational.1987.
6
Letstaketheexampleabitfurthersupposeyoudoreachthetop.Ifyouareanathlete,
howlongdoyoustayinthespotlight?5years,maybe10?Ifreachingthetopisallthatdefines
yourworthasahumanbeing,whathappenswhenyouarenolongerthere?Moreimportantly,
howdoyoudealwithunplannedandundesirablemishapsalongtheway?SupposeaJudoka
tearsakneeligamentrightbeforetheworldtitlematch.Whatthen?Whathappensifafteryears
ofpracticeyouplacethirdandmissqualifyingforthenationalteam?Whathappenswhenyou
gettoooldtobeswiftandmusclepeoplearound?
Ifyoudedicate5or10yearsofyourlifetoJudothinkingonlyofreachingthetop,anything
lessthanbeingnumberonewillfeellikeafailure,likeawasteoftime.Thetrainingwillseem
pointlessthededicationwillseemunjustlyrewarded.Attheendoftheday,thereisthefeeling
ofnotbeinggoodenough,asifbeinggoodenoughwasallthatittooktogettothetop.There
aresomanyothervariablesatplayhere:appropriatefunding,bestcoaching,timelypreparation,
whoelseshowsup,whoisrefereeing,whogetsplacedinyourweightdivision,whetherornot
youcanhandlelongdistancetravelingandforeignfoodwell...
Sometimes, even when all the variables line up favorably, you may still miss on your
opportunity. Remember when President Carter decided to boycott the Olympic Games in
Moscow?SomeofthetopAmericanJudokapeakedthatyear.Canyouimaginewhattheyfelt
like when they saw the President on TV calling the whole thing off? People got discouraged,
burnedout. Some stopped practicing altogether.Many felt that thebest part oftheir Judo life
wasalreadybehindthem.
The drive to win at all costs also brings physical damage. Judo has one of the highest
rates of injury among Olympic sports. Many Judoka retire early due to broken bones or torn
ligaments.TheironyisthatthisisnotbecauseJudoisadangerousorroughart.Judosname
meanstheGentlePath.ItisbecauseofthewaywepracticeitintheWest!ConsiderthisDr.
JigoroKano,Judosfounder,practicedtheartfarintohisoldage.Judosgreatmaster,Kyuzo
Mifune,practicediteverydayuntilhediedinhismidseventies.Atthetimehediedinhismid
seventies,mySenseiwaspracticingJudofivetimesaweek.Whatdidthesefolksknowthatwe
dont?
Isuggestthattheywerepracticingtheartforitsownsake,withthekindofdetachmentwe
find in the way of the monk. It is no coincidence that Kano founded his Judo school, the
Kodokan, at a Buddhist temple. His main goal was to help students perfect themselves as
human beings. Judos two guiding principles innertranquility (Seiryoku Zenyo) and outer
harmony(JitaKyoei)weresupposedtoleadstudentstobeingatpeacewiththemselvesandthe
world. You use economy of inner energy to neutralize an attack, even as you consider the
mutualbenefitandwelfareofallinvolvedinthebout.
Unfortunately, the old Kodokan ways were shortlived. Judo was created when Japan
experiencedrapidsocialandpoliticaltransformation.ThecountryopeneditsdoorstotheWest
and began to modernize. Whatever got in the way of modernity was severely curtailed. Bu
Jutsu, theSamurai martialarts, was acase inpoint.When theEmperorforbade its teaching,
BuJutsuschoolswereforcedunderground.Tosavethearts(Jutsu)somemastersdevelopeda
philosophy to go along andoffered them as aneducational program or way (Do). JuJutsu
becameJudo,AikiJutsubecameAikido,andsoon.Thewaysofwarbecamewaysoflife.
7
Seekinga placefor his art in this neworder, Kano had a tough choice. If he preserved
Judo as traditional Bujutsu, the art would spread slowly, mostly in Japan, and it would be
practicedonlybyasmallnumberofdedicatedfollowers(whichiswhathappenedtoAikido).If
he turned Judo into a sport, the art could be introduced into schools, colleges, physical
education clubs, and police training. It could find a home in the new Japanese society, and
maybespreadthroughouttheworld.Needlesstosay,KanochosetoturnJudointoasport.
Iveoftenwonderedwhetherherealizedhowmuchhewassacrificingintheprocess.To
haveanideaofthepricewepaid,compareJudotoAikido.Onehasbecomeasportbutlostits
soul. The other has survivedas theunique art it was meant to be. At the time, however, the
choice must have seemed right for Kano especially when Judo became such an instant
success. Schools adopted it as part of their physical education curriculum, Jujutsu masters
gave up their stylesto joinKanos schoolandthe Kodokanbecameaprestigious martial arts
centerintheworld.Eventually,KanobecameamemberoftheOlympicCommittee.Hediedat
seain1938onhiswaytoanOlympicCommitteemeeting.
ImsuretheOlympicidealoftheamateurpursuitofathleticexcellenceappealedtoKano.
HeimaginedthatOlympicpracticewascompatibletothewayhisartwaspracticed.Plus,the
OlympicglittercouldmakeJudoaninternationalsportandtouchmanymorelives.WhatKano
couldnotenvisionwasthatthegameswouldchangehisart.
ThetechniquesremainedthesameafterJudobecameanOlympicsport,buteverything
elseaboutitchangeddrastically.InFranceyouhadtogetaphysicaleducationcollegedegree
toteachJudo.IntheU.S.thelargestJudoAssociationpushedforacoachcertificationprogram.
Weightlifting, interval training and other forms of physical conditioning became the way to
prepareJudoka.SlowlytheartwentoutofJudo.Inlittlemorethanacentury,itchangedfrom
beingtheGentlePathtobeingwrestling.
Why did things change so much? The answer is simple. When a country imports
something from another, it doesnt necessarily understand how it fits in its larger culture. For
instance,weareveryfondofChinesefoodintheU.S.,butveryfewAmericansunderstandhow
foodpreparationinChinesesocietyreinforceskinshipandChinesecosmologythebeautyof
balanceandtheharmonyofforces.Weenjoythesauces,theexotictaste,butmissthatdeeper
meaningthatcomesfromsharingthefood.
ThesamethinghappenedtoJudointheWest.WeWesternizedtheartafteritbecame
an Olympic sport and lost something very important in the process, the very essence of the
practice. Now, practically all Western nations have Judo teams. There are World
championships, along with the Olympic Games. Much like in Japan, schools and universities
offerJudoasphysicaleducationaroundtheworld.Local,regionalandnationalchampionships
are held in each country to find its true Olympic champions. National pride fuels the whole
process.Trophies,medals,andfamehavebecomethemostimportantincentiveforpracticing
theart.
The price we paid was losing Judos soul. The real reason for the art was completely
watereddownintheWest.IfyoureadalittlebitofTaoismyouwontbesurprisedwithsuch
outcome.TheTaowarnsthatdesireblindsusandkeepsusfromthetruemeaningofthings.A
desirelessattitudeisaprerequisiteforpractice.Itistheonlywaytofindanswersthatgobeyond
8
thetechniques.TheJapaneseclaimthatatruemartialartistshouldbemushotoku(desirelessof
profit).Andtheyareright.ThereismoretoJudothanwecouldhaveimaginedintheWest.In
thechaptersthatfollowweexplorewhatthatsomethingmightbe.
9
ChapterOne
MyWordsHaveAncientBeginnings7
Judoisonly120yearsold,butitstechniquesareancient.TheyarederivedfromJujutsu,
aJapanesehandtohandcombatsystemthatdatesbackmorethan600years.Itsoriginsare
lostintime,butthebushi(Samurai)andmonksarecreditedwithitspropagation.JuJutsuhas
had several names over the years: taijutsu, yawara, kempo, kugusoku, kumiuchi, koshi
nomawari.ThemaindifferencebetweenJujutsuandWesternwrestlingisthatinJujutsuone
relies on flexibility rather than strength to overpower an opponent. Economy of energy is the
hallmarkoftheJuJutsumasters/heissoftandpliable,winningbyappearingtoyield.
The Densho Chusaku, a classical Jujutsu textof theKito school, has one ofthe oldest
descriptions of the art. In Jujutsu, it says, one should discard one's strength and use the
enemy'stowinthematchdiscardingonesstrengthisreturningtothefundamentalprinciple
or returning to the source (Tao Te Ching, chapter 16). Thus the master relies on ki (life
energy), usingthe enemy'sstrength to defeathim or her. That way, the weak overcomesthe
strong(chapter36).
Duringfeudaltimes,Jujutsuwaspartofthebushitraining(alongwithotherwarfarearts
archery,spearfighting,swordsmanship,firearms,horsemanship,andtactics).Itwasalsoused
intemplesandmonasteries.WiththeriseoftheSamuraiclass,aftertheHeianperiod,theart
increasedinimportance.DuringthesubsequentperiodsofJapanesehistory(Kamakura,1185
1336Muromachi,13361573Tokugawa,16031868)itevolvedintoveryspecializedstyles.In
thebeginningoftheTokugawaeratherewerehundredsofspecializedschools(ryus).Evenby
theendofthenineteenthcentury,withtheMeijirestoration,therewerestilloversevenhundred
JujutsuryusintheJapaneseislands.
JuJutsuschoolswereknownbytheirdistinctfightingstylesandstrategies.Somefavored
throwing (nage) while others preferred ground fighting (osae or torae, shime, kansetsu) or
striking(atemi).Asexpected,therewereadvantagesanddisadvantagesineachstyle.Throwing
orstrikingmightbemoreadvantageouswhendealingwithmultipleattackers,butgroundwork
mightbepreferableinthecaseofasingleopponent.
Instrategy,someschoolsvaluedtakingtheinitiativewhileotherstaughtstudentstouse
timely reaction to an opponent's attack. Schools following the principles of swordsmanship
(KenJutsu) insisted on a sudden, total attack. The others relied on defensive techniques,
neutralizinganopponent'sattackafteritwasunleashed.
Japansconstantstateofwarduringthefeudalperiodgaveryusplentyofopportunityto
test their methods on the battlefield. But 300 years of peace that followed the Japanese civil
wars gave the art a chance to reach its peak. Under Tokugawa law, armed combat was
forbidden.So, unarmed bouts became morefrequent. The rise ofthe common citizen led Ju
Jutsuschoolstoadapttheirtechniquestotheneedsofaciviliansociety.Severalryusgaveup
ceremonyandritualinfavorofamorepracticalapproach.WiththeMeijirestoration,BuJutsu,
10
theancientfightingstylescreatedforwarringbecameBudo,thefightingways.
Budo was more than a collection of fighting styles. Each style followed certain spiritual
principlesthat organized its techniques. By1868, several Bujutsu schools had changed their
namesandpracticestofollowthisneworientation.Theytransmittedtheirstylestostudentsby
blendingtheirtechniqueswithauniquephilosophy.Studentswereexpectedtobefullyversed
inhandtohandcombatthatembodiedthephilosophyoftheryusfounder.
TheBirthofJudo
JudowasoneofBudosfightingstyles.Dr.JigoroKano,itsfounder,wasborninMikage,
HyogoPrefecture,onOctober28,1860.HecameofageinthelastdaysofBujutsu,aspartof
thegenerationofJapanesemasterswhousheredthenewBudoera.InyouthKanostudiedJu
jutsu under Sensei Yagiand Fukuda (specialists in theTenshinShinyo style).After graduating
fromTokyoUniversity,heenlistedunderSenseiIikubotolearnthe Kitostyle.Hewouldspend
alifetimestudyingthemartialarts.
As an avid student of handtohand combat, Kano never stopped researching ancient
stylesandcontemporarymartialartforms.HeinvitedFunakoshi,Karatesfounder,tohisJudo
school. He sent students to observe Ueshibas Aikido and was extremely touched by its
spirituality and effectiveness. He even watched Western wrestling with great curiosity. Some
thinkhegottheideaforkataguruma(ashoulderthrow)fromWesternwrestlers.
After college, Kano was searchingforaunifyingprinciplefor the techniqueshe learned.
TheprinciplewasSeiryokuZenyo(innertranquilityorefficiency,alsotranslatedasmaximum
efficiencyinmentalandphysicalenergy).Heusedittoselecttechniquesforhisartthatonly
usedtheopponentsstrengthtoneutralizeanattack.KanocalledthesystemJudo(theGentle
Path)andfoundedtheKodokan(theschooltolearntheway)in1882topropagateit.
Kanos system combined three arts (waza): throwing (nage), groundwork (katame) and
striking (atemi). A Judoka was expected to be equally comfortable using any of them or
combiningthemtofendoffanattack.Histhrowingtechniquesweresubdividedintostanding
andsacrificethrows(tachiandsutemiwaza).ForthestandingthrowstheJudokawoulduse
hands,hipsorfeet(te,koshi,andashiwaza)asleveragepointstothrowanopponent.Inthe
sacrificetechniquestheperformerwouldfallbackwards(masutemi)orsideways(yokosutemi)
toprojecttheopponentoverhimselforherself.
Judos groundwork was subdivided into groundholds or pinning techniques (osaekomi),
chokes (shime) and joint locks (kansetsu). Kano was careful in teaching groundwork.
Groundholds were relatively harmless, but chokes were lethal and joint locks could cripple
someone. So groundholds were taught earlier, but shime and kansetsu were shown only to
higherrankingstudents,whohadprovedtheirdedicationtotheart.Highrankingstudentswere
alsotaughtresuscitation(kappo)toconducttheirtraininginasafeandresponsiblemanner.
StrikingtechniqueshadamorelimitedroleinJudo.Theywereusedtostunanopponent
beforeathrow,orasafinishingtechniqueoncetheopponentwasdowned.LiketheotherJudo
techniques, strikes were not based on muscle power. Their effectiveness was based on
knowingwheretostrikeandusingoneskitostrike.Judostrikesincludedupper(udeatemi)and
11
lowerlimbblows(ashiatemi)usingfists,handedges,fingers,elbows,kneesandfeet.Because
ofitslethalnature,Atemi,wasonlytaughttohighrankingJudokasattheKodokan.
TheJudocurriculum(orsyllabus)wasverystructured.Studentsmasteredacertainsetof
techniquesforeachrankbeforetheywereallowedtomoveontothenext.Standingtechniques
weregroupedintofivesets(Gokyonowaza),rangingfromlessstrenuousortechnicallydifficult
to more advanced throws. Groundwork and striking techniques were also grouped into sets.
Eachsetrepresentedalevelofexpertiseintheartandwasidentifiedbyadifferentcolorbelt.
Students (deshi) were divided into mudansha (color belts) and yudansha (black belts).
Mudanshahadfiveranks(kyus):yellow,orange,green,blueandbrownbelts.Yudanshawere
rankedintotendegrees(dans)ofblackbelt,usuallyworkingonthemoredevelopedaspectsof
theartlikekata.
TheSpiritofJudo
To complete the transition from Jutsu to Do, Kano added a strict code of ethics to his
fightingstyle.Kodokaninstructorsandstudentswereexpectedtobeoutstandingexamplesof
goodcharacterandhonestconduct.Fightsoutsideofthedojoorbehaviorthatbroughtshame
totheschoolwouldleadtosuspensionorexpulsion.Hisstrictpolicieswereafirmstandardfor
martialartists,
Kano therefore gave his Kodokan Judo educational substance in tune with Meiji
times. Above all, he insisted on a strict code of ethics for all Kodokan members.
Examples of good character were set by himself and his instructors. This brought
KodokanJudotothelevelofamediumformoraleducation.Byadditionallyrequiring
lecturesandenergeticdebatesonthetechnicalandphilosophicalessencesofJudo
study, Kano brought his Judo to the level of an intellectual endeavor. He further
rounded outhis systemand metthe criteriaof physical educationby creating kata
patternsofhisown.8
Kodokantrainingwasconcernedwiththewellbeingoftheindividualsandthecommunity.
Kanoemployedfourteachingmethods:randoriafreepracticeofalltechniques,similartothe
physical training of the Jujutsu schools kata, the prearranged forms, considered a more
advanced aspect of the art ko, his systematic lecturing and mondo, periods of questionand
answer.
DuringoneofthosequestionandanswersessionshestumbleduponJudossecondbasic
principleJitaKyoei(outerharmonyalsotranslatedasmutualbenefitandprosperity).Kano
wantedstudentstorealizethattheycouldnotprogressintheartattheexpenseofothers.He
wassofirmlyconvincedthatmutualprosperitywasthekeytohumanprogressthatheregarded
itsdiffusionashisgreatestmissioninlife:
...judoisamentalandphysicaldisciplinewhoselessonsarereadilyapplicabletothe
managementofourdailyaffairs.Thefundamentalprincipleofjudo,onethatgoverns
8
TadaoOtakiandDonnF.Draeger,JudoFormalTechniques.Tokyo:CharlesE.Tuttle.
1983,page22.
12
allthetechniquesofattackanddefense,iswhatevertheobjective,itisbestattained
bythemaximumefficientuseofmindandbodyforthatpurpose.Thesameprinciple
appliedtooureverydayactivitiesleadstothehighestandmostrationallife.
Training in the techniques of judo is not the only way to grasp this universal
principle,butitishowIarrivedatanunderstandingofit,anditisthemeansbywhich
Iattempttoenlightenothers.
The principle of maximum efficiency, whether applied to the art of attack and
defenseortorefiningandperfectingdailylife,demandsaboveallthattherebeorder
and harmony among people. This can be realized only through mutual aid and
concession.Theresultismutualwelfareandbenefit.Thefinalaimofjudopracticeis
toinculcaterespectfortheprinciplesofmaximumefficiencyandmutualwelfareand
benefit. Through judo, persons individually and collectively attain their highest
spiritualstatewhileatthesametimedevelopingtheirbodiesandlearningtheartof
attackanddefense.9
JudoandtheWest
Kanossystemcameofagein1900withthefoundingoftheKodokanYudanshakai(the
black belt association). Five years later, on July 24, 1905, eighteen Jujutsu masters
representingtheleadingJapaneseryusgatheredattheButokukaiinKyotoatKano'sinvitation.
TheretheyjoinedKanosstyle.ThetransitionfromJujutsutoJudowascomplete.TheKodokan
becameafoundationin1909.In1920KanoputthefinaltouchesintheGokyonoWazaandin
1922 the Kodokan Cultural Judo Society was created to promote the preservation of Judos
moralphilosophy.BythenJudohadbecomeamodernJapaneseart.
JudosWesternexpansionstartedalittleearlier.In1889,withthesupportoftheJapanese
government,KanotraveledtoEuropeandAmericatopromotehisart.Between1889andhis
untimely death on May 4, 1938 he made as many as eight trips to other continents. He also
encouragedsomeofhisbeststudentstoventurefartospreadhissystem.
From1912to1952,whentheInternationalJudoFederation(IJF)wasfounded,severalof
Kano's high ranking disciples immigrated to other countries or trained Americans and
Europeans at the Kodokan. Noticeable examples are Gunji Koizumi, 7th Dan, who went to
GreatBritainin1918,wherehefoundedtheLondonBudokwaiMikinosukeKawaishi,7thDan,
aworldexpertonJudokata,whowenttoFrancein1922andSumiyukiKotani,8thDan,who
trainedthefirstteamofAmericanJudokain1952.ThatgroupwastheseedofAmericanJudo
andthefoundersoftheUnitedStatesJudoAssociation.
Unfortunately as Judo moved west, it became more of a sport and less of an art. Its
OlympicstatusandpopularityintheWorldGamespushedthephysicalaspectsofthearttothe
forefront.Withmorenationsadoptingtheart,Judobecameverycompetitive.FewJudokawould
have the benefit of learning the arts earlier style. To preserve that earlier style, my ryu (Zen
Judo)wascreatedin1974.WearecommittedtopracticingJudointraditionalways.Weusean
oldersyllabusandourdojosdonotparticipateintournaments.Theartispracticedforitsown
9
Dr.JigoroKano,KodokanJudo.Tokyo:KodanshaInternational.1986,page25.
13
sake.
ItwasnaturalforZenJudotohavedevelopedinGreatBritain.Thecountryhadoneofthe
earliest Judo programs in the West, one that preserved the earlier ways. There were British
citizens practicing at the Kodokan even before Japanese Sensei traveled to England. E.J.
Harrison,masterBritishJudoka,achievedtherankofSandan(3rddegreeblackbelt)atKanos
school.HestartedJudoin1904,atthesametimethatmastersTani,Uyenishi(whotaughtthe
arttotheBritishArmyatAldershot)andKoizumiweretravelingtotheUnitedKingdom.
ThatearlyapproachtoJudowassoonchallengedinEnglandwiththecreationofpostwar
athleticassociations.BritishJudobecamemoresportlike.Infact,TheBritishJudoAssociation
(BJA)becametherepresentativeofsportsJudointhecountry.TheBritishJudoCouncil,under
theinfluenceofSenseiTani,struggledtokeeptheearlystyle,withoutmuchsuccess.Onlythe
KyuShinDo,foundedbyKenshiroAbe,maintainedJudostraditionalapproach.
OurryuevolvedfromtheKyuShinDo.SenseiDominickMacMcCarthy,founderofZen
Judo,wastrainedinthatsystem.Wishingtopreservetheartsoriginalroots,MacfoundedZen
JudoinSeptember1974atthePetersfieldCommunityCenter.Sincethen,theryuhasspread
acrosstheUnitedKingdomandbeyond.WehavetwoZenJudoassociationsintheUK,onein
Spain,andoneintheUnitedStates.WevealsohadclubsinGermanyandCanada.Ihadthe
privilegetoopenthefirstZenJudodojoinAmericaonMarch6,1991inNashville,Tennessee.
Fiveyearslater,theAmericanZenJudoassociationwasfoundedtopromotetraditionalJudoin
theUnitedStates.
14
ChapterTwo
HoldingFasttotheCenter10
OneofthefirstthingsyoulearninJudoisetiquette(reishiki).Whitebeltstudentslearnto
bowasasignofrespect.Theybowastheyenterthedojo,totheirSenseiatthebeginningof
class,toeachotherbeforeengagingindrills,andtotheSenseiattheendofclass.Thebowing
mayseemsillyintheWest,whereweliveinaworldofhandshakesandfirstnames.Butbowing
isimportant.
Etiquette,ingeneral,teachesstudentsthateveryonehasaplaceinthedojo,thatthedojo
isanorderedworld.Theorderisanaturalresultoftheprivilegesandresponsibilitiesassociated
withranks.Inthedojoweareallrelated,andthereisarightwaytotreateachother.Depending
onyourrank,youmaybeaskedtoteachbeginnersorbeallowedtohaveadvancedstudents
instructyou.
Etiquetteisawayofhonoringthedojosorder.Itteachesyoutoberespectfulofthosewith
whom you practice. Though the roles are voluntary, they come with a set of expectations,
responsibilitiesandprivileges.Findingonesplacemeansunderstandinghowonesrolefitswith
therestofthatuniverse.
Oneofthefirststepstowardlivinginharmonyistobeawareofonesplaceandhowthat
relatestoothers.Itsoundssimple.However,mostproblemsinadojoarerelatedtoalackof
understandingofthatprinciple.Rolesarerelational.Oneisayellowbeltinrelationtoablack
belt one is a beginner in relation to a more advanced student. There is an inextricable link
betweenyouandthosewhopracticewithyou.Thatisalsotrueinlifeyoucannotbeasonor
daughter without someone being your parent. You cannot be a husband or wife without
someonebeingyourspouse.
Wisdomcomesfromunderstandingsuchwebofconnectionsandlearninghowtonavigate
thatweb(Howcloseorfardoweneedtobefromeachpersonwearerelatedto?Howmuch
spacedoweneed?Howdoweprioritizerelationships?Whocomesfirst?Why?).Multipleroles
areboundtocreateconflictsastheycompeteforourattention.Knowinghowtobalancethem,
howtohonortheirdemandsisanimportantlesson.Themoreweunderstandthenatureofour
interactions,themoregroundedwebecome.
Judo etiquette helps us to learn how to balance interactions. It is not enough to know
whereyoustandinrelationtoothers.Itisimportanttoknowhowtotreatthem.Forexample,it
isrudeforabeginningJudokatodemandtheattentionofaseniorstudent.Theinvitationshould
comefromthemoreadvancedstudent.Ifyouvepracticedsomethinglongeryouknowwhata
beginner may need. Similarly, it is rude for an advanced student to correct or contradict the
Sensei in front of the class. In this sense, the dojo universe is quite orderly. Nevertheless,
respectflowsbothways.IfaSenseidoesnotrespectthestudents,thestudentswillnotrespect
thatSensei.
10
15
JudoEtiquetteandLife
Etiquettealsogivesusadeeperunderstandingofthewaytheworldworks.Ihavefound
thatithasmadememoreattentive,moresensitivetosmallgesturesofkindness.Ithasgiven
me a greater appreciation of others. We take so much for granted day in and day out. For
instance,itisveryeasywhenwearegrowinguptothinkthatourparentsdutiesaretofeedus,
clotheus,keepthehouseclean,cookourfood,nurseusbackintohealth,driveustogames,
pay for our expenses, and give us their best years.We dont understand that this is a gift of
love.Itisonlywhenwebecomeparentsthatwerealizethesacrificemade.
Thefactistheworlddoesnotoweusanything.Thankfulnessspringsfromknowingthat.
Etiquetteremindsusarenotselfsustainingsomebodyelsemakesourclothes,cooksthefood
westuckinthemicrowave,andbuildsthehouseswelivein.Soweshouldbegrateful,period.
Everybreathofairinhaled,everybitofsunshineenjoyed,andeverydropofwatertakenreflects
theuniverseskindnessinkeepingyoualive.Givethanks.
The Tao compares earths generosity to a motherly touch: the valley spirit is... the
woman,theprimalmother.Hergatewayistherootofheavenandearth,likeaveilbarelyseen.
Use it it will never fail (chapter 6). Gratitude teaches us appreciation for the beauty and
goodness that surrounds us. Yes, there is a lot of pain and suffering in the world, but we
shouldntdiscountitslifegivingbeauty.
Thegiftoflifeissoprecise!Afewmilescloserorfurtherawayfromthesunandwemight
nothavethisblueplanetatall.Itcouldallbeiceorfierygasandlava.Notallplanetshaveskies
so blue or oceans so deep. Not all planets are lifegiving. Not all planets have sunsets or
sunrises.Etiquettepointstoallofthesethingsandsaybow!
The ancient masters had a deep appreciation of life. Something mysteriously formed,
bornbeforeheavenandearth.Inthesilenceandthevoid,standingaloneandunchanging,ever
presentandinmotion.Perhapsitisthemotherof[allinnature].Notknowingitsname,Icallit
Tao.Lackingabetterword,Icallitgreat(chapter23).
Finally,etiquetteisaboutadeeperunderstandingofonesself,ofonesplaceinthelarger
world. Knowing others is wisdom [but] knowing ones self is enlightenment, says the Tao
(chapter33).Wespendourlivesinthebalanceofknowingothersandknowingourselves.Itisa
finelinetowalk.Thatisespeciallytrueasrolesbecomemalleableandconstantlychange.Try
todeterminetherightstandardforanymodernrole(friend,sibling,student,professional,lover,
spouse,parent,believer,activist,citizen)theresultisthesame.Themorepeopleyouconsult,
thelessclearthepicture.Asstandardsgrowfluid,roleperformancebecomeschallenging.
For the martial artist etiquette is a stabilizing influence. It teaches us to appreciate the
goodnessoftheworldandtohonorourplaceonit.Thiskindofpracticetakestime,ittakesa
lifetime.Butlearningitmakesallthedifference.
Alittlebitofadvice,thoughRespectingourrolesdoesnotmeanblindobedience.Dont
give someone else the power to set up inflexible rules for you. Being centered is something
natural, something that comes from within. When you give someone the power to determine
howyoushouldlive,yougiveupthinkingforyourself,andbeingyourself.
Lifeisfullofchoices,withnoclearcutruleofthumbtomakeimportantdecisionseasier.In
16
away,welearntheroadbywalkingit.Thatiswhymartialartistsdonotrelyonprearranged
drillstoprepareforarealattack.Thepossibilitiesareinfinite!Ifyouonlyknowhowtoblock,you
betterpraythatyourattackergivesyouachancetousethatskill.Nomatterhowmuchyouve
trained,youcannottellinadvancewhenandhowarealattackwilltakeplaceorhowyouwill
react to it. Its the same thing in life. We dont always know what choices well have. But
etiquettepreparesustofaceitwiththerightattitude.
EtiquetteandtheOrderoftheUniverse
When I talk about order, whether in the dojo or the universe, I do not mean a humanly
created order, something imposed on life. I mean a natural order. Senior students are not
honored because they are better than junior students. They are honored because theyve
beenlivingwiththeartlongerandshouldhaveabetterunderstandingofthewaythingswork.
Theorderoftheuniverseisanaturalphenomenon,thekindofnaturalorderingthatscientists
find in all living things. What distinguishes animate from inanimate objects is the way life
organizesitselfbiologically.Lifebringsorderoutofchaos.
If we try to impose an artificial order to the universe, wellfindout soon enoughthat life
follows its own ways. The more we think we can control things, the more we discover they
escapeourcontrol.Lookattheecologicalproblemsfacingustoday.Wethinkwecandominate
nature, but instead we deplete our environment. That kind of thinking is bad enough when
aimedatnature,butisworsewhenusedinourpersonallives.Wecreaterulesthatdonttake
intoconsiderationthewaytheworldreallyworks.Orweexpecttheworldtoworkthewaywe
want.Theworldworksthewayitdoes.
I have found that I get frustrated the most when I try to make the world fit my own
expectations. Life eventually reminds me in no uncertain terms that things are what theyare
andthereisgreatwisdominsucharrangement.Doyouthinkyoucantakeovertheuniverse
andimproveit?askstheTaoTeChing.Idonotbelievethatitcanbedone.Theuniverseis
sacred.Youcannotimproveit.Ifyoutrytochangeit,youwillruinit.Ifyoutrytoholdit,youwill
loseit(chapter29).
Confucians, the contemporaries of the early Taoists, believed in a rigid top to bottom
order,whichorganizedheavenandearth,natureandsociety.Theybelieveditwastheonlyway
tofight chaos. It wasour human duty tofollow this order as carefully as possible.Wehad to
strivetomakethingsright.Taoistsknewbetter.Theyknewtheuniversewaswhatitwasandit
followeditsownlogic.
Comingtotermswiththeorderoftheuniversemeansunderstandingthatitisinthenature
ofthingstobethewaytheyare.Ourtaskisnottofixlife,buttolearnhowitworks.Thatishow
wediscovertherealorderoftheuniverse.Theworldisruledbylettingthingstaketheircourse.
Itcannotberuledbyinterfering(chapter48).Ifyouunderstandthewaythingswork,youcan
blendorflowwiththemandyouractionswillfollowanaturalpath.Thisisthefundamentalidea
behindJudosfirstprinciple:nevercounter,alwaysblendneverresist,connectinstead.
Youcannotimaginetheamountoftimeandenergyyoucansavebypracticingthis.Itwill
freeyoufromgoingagainstthegrain.Butthatkindofattituderequiresagreatamountofletting
go, a great deal of faith that the world is ultimately nourishing and that things tend toward a
17
naturalbalance.AllthingsarisefromTao.Byvirtuetheyarenourished,developed,caredfor,
sheltered, comforted, grown, and protected. Creating without claiming, doing without taking
credit,guidingwithoutinterfering,thisisPrimalVirtue(chapter51).
The order of the universe emerges naturally from the nature of things. Knowing your
rightfulplaceshouldneverbeaburdenoraneffort.Itismoreamatteroflivingit.Itshouldbe
something that is effortless. Taoists even have a term for that. We call it wu wei (effortless
action).Whencircumstancesareripe,actionrequireslittleornoeffortonyourpart.Itwillmatch
theconditionsinthesituationandflowalongwiththewayeverythingisorganized,findinglittle
to no resistance. This is what the Tao means by nonaction (Tao abides in nonaction, yet
nothingisleftundone,chapter37).
GeneralSuntzuwasfollowingthatlogicwhenhetaughtthatthosewhoknewthemselves
andtheirenemywouldwinwithoutdangerandthosewhoknewtheheavensandtheearth(the
waytheworldworks)wouldwinoverall.11 Whenyouactnaturally,thingshappenthewaythey
aresupposedto.Onedoesnothavetoteachabirdhowtosingorafishhowtoswim.Arose
doesnotstrivetobearose.Itsimplyis.Itisthesamewithyourplaceintheworld.Youknow
yourplacebylivingit.Thatmakesiteasiertorespondtoanysituation.
Of course, it takes time to reach that point. But once there we are at peace with our
conditionandtheworld.Mindyou,itmaynotbealwayseternalbliss.Knowingthewaythings
work gives you a very realistic approach to life ... having and not having arise together.
Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short contrast each other. High and low
restuponeachother(chapter2).
Whenweknowthewaythingswork,nomatterwhatweface,nomatterhowharditis,we
respond without losing inner tranquility. When you act from inner tranquility, you operate in a
statetheJapanesecallmushin,nomind.AstheTaosays,atrulygoodpersonisnotawareof
his/hergoodness,andisthereforegood.Afoolishpersontriestobegood,andisthereforenot
good.Atrulygoodpersondoesnothing,yetleavesnothingundone.Afoolishpersonisalways
doing,yetmuchremainstobedone...thetrulygreatpersondwellsonwhatisrealandnotwhat
isonthesurface,onthefruitandnottheflower.Thereforeaccepttheoneandrejecttheother
(chapter38).
EtiquetteandJudo
ReishikiinJapaneseliterallymeans"salutationorthanks."Ithastodowiththerightway
totreatpeople.ReishikiwasnottheexclusivedomainofacertainsocialclassinancientJapan.
Itwasthewayaculturedpersonrelatedproperlytoothers.Itwasamarkofculturalsensitivity.
InJudoreishikiteachesstudentstolivehonestly,respectfully,andfreefromdistractions
instinctively. Inpractice we defend againstattacks thathappen sofast, we dont have timeto
stopandthink.Werespondinstinctively.Reshikiteachesustorespondinstinctivelytoothersin
a positive manner also. Since doing something instinctively requires repetitive practice, we
11
EijiYoshikawa,Musashi:AnEpicoftheSamuraiEra.Tokyo:KodanshaInternational.
1981.
18
performreishikiritualsuntiltheybecomesecondnaturetous.Dr.Kanobelievedmannerswere
attheheartofJudo'sculture.Forhim,Judokashouldalwaysbepoliteinandoutofthedojo.
Politenessshouldbeanunconscioustraitofourdailypractice.
Howisreishikipracticedinamoderndojo?Itsoutwardsignistheboworrei.Bowingcan
beperformedfromakneeling(zarei)orstanding(tachirei)position.Webowwhenenteringor
leavingthedojo,whenaninstructorentersthedojo(allshouldstopandbow),whenenteringor
leavingthematarea(tatami),beforeandafteraclass,andbeforeandaftereachdrill.
In practice, Judoka show courtesy toward each other by bowing and saying
onegaishimas (please, may I have the honor to practice with you?) before initiating any
activity. Once the activity is over they will thank each other for the drill (domo arigato gozai
mas)beforesittingdown.
This is called being mindful, being present. It is the cultivation of both awareness and
respect.TheTaoexplainsitwell:...thesagetakescareofallandabandonsnoone.Thesage
takescareofallthingsandabandonsnothing.Thisiscalledfollowingthelight(chapter27).
19
ChapterThree
SeeingtheSmall
Payingattentiontothesmallisthenextpartofpracticingtheart.Itmeansbeingaware,
payingattentionnotonlytothedetailsofeachtechniquebuttoonessurroundings.Theideais
tobe100%presentineverysituation(whatBuddhistscalloneminuteZen).This,ofcourse,
doesntcomeeasy,sinceweareeasilydistracted.Butitisanimportantpartofourpractice.
Thefirststepislearningtoaccuratelygaugeaselfdefensesituation...howfarissomeone
fromyou?Isthispersonlefthandedorrighthanded?Howheavyisthatperson?Howlikelyisit
that this will develop into a dangerous situation? What steps could be taken to diffuse the
situation before it gets out of hand? How much space do you need to deal with a possible
attack?
Paying attention to the basics is not easy for beginners. They get excited with the
techniquesandforget that it is allabout interaction,about being ina relationalprocess. They
want to know when they get to throwpeople.And they dont mean, Whendo I learn myfirst
basicthrow?Theymean,Whatistheflashiest,mostspectaculartechniqueyoucanshowme
rightnow?
Thatrequestalwaysbringsasmiletomyface.Itremindsmeofmydaysasawhitebelt.I
wassoimpatientwiththesmallstuff.Asa10yearold,IwantedAsanoSensei12 toteachme
therealstuffintwoorthreelessons!
IsntthatthewayweareintheWest?Weliveonfastfood,driveins,andautomatedteller
machines. We have little patience with anything that takes too long or demands our full
attention. We want to learn before the thrill of the new wears off. It is exciting, of course, to
dress up in a brand new Judo uniform, to step onto the mat for the first time, to learn exotic
Japanesewords.Buttheexcitementeventuallyfades.
When it does, practicing the art feels like being back at school. You have the same
lessons day in and day out, do the same techniques the same way, sutegeiko (controlled
practice,whereonestudentthrowsandthenisthrowninexchange)andrandori(freepractice,
wherestudentsimproviseandlearnhowtousethethrowsinamorerealisticcontext)withthe
samepeersoverandover.Prettysoonyouaretellingyourself,Thisistakingtoolong!Ithought
itwasgoingtobefun,butnowitisgettingboring...Itneverfails.Outofaclassof20,Imlucky
tohaveoneortwowhomakeittoblackbelt!
Gettingtothetoprequiresasolidbeginning.Thisisthewayofthemonk,whereseeing
12
Ill never be able to thank my first Sensei for all he taught me. As an immigrant to
Brazil,hewasthedoctorofthetownssmallJapanesecommunity.Hishousewasacenterfor
theJapanesearts.Besidesthetraditionalhealingarts,hisfamilyalsopracticedikebana(flower
arrangement), chado (the art of tea) and shodo (Japanese calligraphy). The house always
smelled of incense and was filled with charts of the human body. Gentle Eastern music was
alwaysplayingonthebackground.Fora10yearoldboy,itcouldntgetmoreexoticthanthat!
20
thesmallisinsight...Yielding...isstrength.Ifyouusethatinsightyoucanbesafefromharm.
This,saystheTao,islearningconstancy(chapter52).Constancyisbuiltonpayingattention
tothebasicblocksoftheart.Simplethingslikewalking,breathingorpostureareessentialto
your progress or things like careful repetition repeating a drill even after you think youve
learneditwellalready.
Seeingthesmallisimportant.TheTaocallsitreturningtoinsight.Dontglossoverthe
basicsjustbecauseyouthinktheyarenottherealstuff.Youmaybemissingthewholepointof
practice.Remember,seeingthesmallISinsight.Letmeillustratethatwithoneofmyfavorite
storiesfromtheearlyTokugawaperiod.13
Lord Yagyu, holder of the Koyagyu fief, was a renowned sword master. He was also
known for his love of wisdom. Owner of one of the largest libraries in the country, he had a
centerofstudies(theShinindo)inhiscastlewhereSamurailearnedaboutthehistoryofJapan,
swordsmanship,andEasternphilosophy.
Hisfiefdatedbacktothetenthcentury.Hekeptitatpeaceduringhislifetimebyavoiding
entanglements in national politics. By staying clear of conspiracies and revolts he maintained
his fief peaceful throughout most of Japans civil wars. The Yagyu valley, surrounded by the
Kasagi Mountains wasblessed withunparalleled beauty.Even the water flowing in the valley
wasconsideredamongthepurestinJapan.
LordYagyugaveupwarfareattheageof47,adecisionthatwaspromptedbyhissword
Sensei.OnceLordYagyucompletedhistraining,themasteraskedhimwhatwasswordfighting
withoutasword.Heponderedthequestionformanyyears,andeventuallychoseretirementas
the answer. He built a smaller house behind his castle where he could dedicate himself to
gardening,theartoftea,andthestudyofZen.
MiyamotoMusashicametoLordYagyusfiefhopingtochallengehimtoaduel.Inthose
daysMusashiwasstillayoungandambitiousronin(unattachedSamurai),wishingtobuildhis
reputation by defeating wellestablished masters. Fortunately for Musashi, someone else had
beaten him to the punch. Denshichiro, the second son of the House of Yoshioka (a famous
swordsmanschool),hadarrivedearlierinhopesofchallengingLordYagyuhimself.
Beingatthesameinn,MusashibecameprivytoDenshichirosfrustratedefforts.Heheard
the young Samurai talking to his assistants one night. Denshichiro was despondent of Lord
Yagyusrefusaltofight.HehadsentShoda,hisseniorretainer,totheinntoexplainthathewas
nowretiredandnolongeracceptedchallenges.ShodaalsobroughtsomefruitfortheYoshioka
groupwithLordYagyuswishesthattheyenjoytheirstayinthevalley.
Denshichirowouldnotacceptnoforananswer.ThenextdayhesentanotetoSekishusai
demandingthe bout, under thethreatofdishonoring theLordshouse. Thistime,Lord Yagyu
sentafemaleassistant,withashortmessageexplaininghehadacoldandthereforecouldnot
host Denshichiro for tea. Along with the note Lord Yagyu sent a peony from his garden.
Disgustedwiththeoldmansapparentweakness,Denshichirolookedattheflowerandgaveit
13
IfirstreadthisstoryinEijiYoshikawasbook,Musashi:AnEpicNoveloftheSamurai
Era.Tokyo:KodanshaInternational.1981.
21
rightbacktothemessenger.
Later that day, the peony ended up in Musashis room. The messenger gave it to the
chamber maid, who used it in a flower arrangement. The flower intrigued Musashi from the
minutehesawit.Therewassomethingspecialaboutit.Slowlyherealizedthecutinthestem
hadnotbeendonewithscissorsorknife.Thiswasthecleanestswordcuthehadeverseen!
Astonished,Musashiaskedthechambermaidtoholdtheflower.Pullingouthiswakizashi
he cut the stem and compared the two cuts. His was no match to the original! Humbled,
MusashisentamessagetoLordYagyuscastle,nolongerseekingabout.Movedbyprofound
respect,hesimplyrequestedanaudiencewiththegardener.AsimpleflowertaughtMusashihe
stillhadmuchtolearn.SeeingthesmallISinsight.
TheFourBasicPillarsofPractice
Judopracticehasfourbasicpillars:breathing,balance,distancingandtiming.Tolearnthe
art,youmustpayattentiontoallthesedetails,becauselearningwithyourbodyisdifferentfrom
learning with your mind. It requires a different kind of concentration, unlike that of paying
attentiontoalectureormemorizingsomethingforatest.
In Judo mindand body are synchronized. You cantteach one without theother.Breath
(kokyu) brings the two together balance (shizentai) focus them on an impending attack and
rightdistancing(maai)andtiming(riai)movethemtoperformasuccessfuldefense.Without
the basic pillars your practice wont be satisfactory. Once you master them, the art will flow
smoothly.
TheJapanesehaveawordforthiskindofwork:shugyo.Itmeanshardtrainingthatleads
toenlightenment.Whatmakesthetraininghardisnotitsphysicalaspects.Itistheintentionality
ofthepractice,workingonbeinga100%presentinagivensituation.
ThereisaZenstoryaboutamonkwhohadjustcompletedhisrequirementtobecomea
teacher.Tocelebratetheeventhepaidavisittoaroshi(aBuddhistmaster).Itwasarainyday
whenhestoppedbytheRoshismonastery.Aftergreetingtheman,theRoshiaskedifhehad
left his wooden clogs in the vestibule as he entered the monastery. Startled, the monk said
yes.So,continuedtheRoshi,didyouplaceyourumbrellatotherightorleftofyourclogs?
Realizing he had not yet learned to be fully present, the monk became one of the Roshis
studentsandspentsixmoreyearsworkingonbeingpresent.14
Thepointofpracticeisawareness.So,asyoustartanart,taketimetodoitright.Practice
requires patience. If you dont have it when you start, youll certainly have it by the time you
reachthepeakofyourtraining.Qualitydoesnotcomeeasy.TakeKendo(theartofthesword)
for instance. AKendo Sensei will tell you that ittakesa lot ofdiscipline to becomea master.
14
ThisstorycanbefoundinPaulRepsZenFlesh,ZenBones:ACollectionofZenand
PreZenWritings.NewYork:AnchorBooks.1989,page34.
22
Sensei John Stevens15 remembers how one of his Kendo teachers performed 1,000 strokes
withaheavyswordeverymorning(3,000onSundays)fornearlyhalfacentury!
Nothing is perfected without a substantial investment of time and effort. An intentional
studentmustseasoninthetechniqueslearned.Thetechniquesmustbecometrulyhisorhers.
Beingabletorepeatatechniqueonce,afteryourteachershowsittoyou,doesnotguarantee
that you will be able to perform it correctly when you need it in real life. Knowing how to do
somethingisnotenough.Itmustbesecondnatureforittoworkinreallife.
That is why kokoro, workingfrom the heart, is an importantaspect ofshugyo. Your art
mustcomefromtheheart.Itshouldbeperformedwithallyourattention,allyourvitalenergyput
intothetechnique.Doingatechniquefromtheheartmeansdoingitwithconcentrationofwill,
withfocus.Thatisknownamongmartialartistsaskime,thetighteningofamind,soastobe
completelydedicatedtoasingleeffort.
Inorderforyourtechniquetoflowfromtheheartyourbodyandmindmustbeone.Only
that way will the technique be an extension of your essence. If your mind wanders during
practice, your work becomes sloppy, your timing suffers, your progress slows, and you risk
injury.AnytimeIseeastudenttoodistractedortooconsumedwithaproblem,Iaskhimorher
to step offthe matandgo take care of things.My studentsknow they are supposed to leave
theirproblems,plans,orwhateverelsekeepsthembusyduringthedayattheedgeofthemat
whentheycometopractice.
There is no point in practicing if your heart is not into what you are doing. Being 100%
presentisacardinalprincipleofTaoism.Indwelling,saystheTao,beclosetotheland.In
meditation,godeepintheheart.Indealingwithothers,begentleandkind.Inspeech,betrue.
Inruling,bejust.Inbusiness,becompetent.Inaction,watchthetiming(chapter8).
Breathing(Kokyu)
Whenwethinkofmartialarts,wethinkofpunching,kicking,orthrowingsomeonedown,
neveraboutbreathing.MostofmystudentsaresurprisedwhenImentionbreathing.Icansee
thempondering,Whatiswrongwithmybreathing?IvebeenbreathingsinceIwasborn!Lets
getontotheimportantstuff.ButbreathingISimportantstuff.
Tohandleanattackyouneedtoberelaxedandstrongrelaxed,inordertotakeinthe
situation accurately strong, to respond to the challenge. Remember, action uses up energy.
Everytimeyoumoveyouuseupoxygen.Soifyouarebreathingquicklyorpantingwhiletrying
to move you are straining your body. If you breathe fast while under attack, your body tires
quicklybecauseyoursupplyofenergyisbeingdrained.Whenyoubreatheatanevenflowed
pace,yougiveyourselftimetoadjusttowhateverthesituationrequires.
15
IamindebtedtoSenseiJohnStevensforthislessononshugyo.SenseiStevenshas
spent a life time studying the Japanese arts. My own analysis of shugyo relies heavily on an
article he wrote for Aikido Today Magazine back in 1994, #37, vol. 8, pages 1314. Sensei
StevensisalsotheauthorofathoroughbiographyofDr.KanothatIhighlyrecommend:Three
BudoMasters:Kano,Funakoshi,Ueshiba.Tokyo:KodanshaInternational.1995.
23
Martial arts breathing is similar to scubadiving breathing. You cant panic when youre
underwater.Youdoit,anditsabigmess.Marathonrunnersareanothergoodexampleofright
breathing.Theyhavetopacethemselves.Theymustbreathesoastohaveplentyofenergyfor
the entire journey. Unlike the breathing of sprinters, who only need a momentary burst of
energy,thebreathingofmarathonrunnersmustbemethodical,slow,andpacedtofittheneeds
oftheirbodies.Ittakestimetocoordinatethepacingofyourbreathingwiththewayyourbody
moves.Mostmarathonrunnersputinyearsoftrainingtoreachthatidealbalance.Butwithout
rightbreathingtheireffortisboundtofail.
TheJapanesecallrightbreathingfukushikikokyu.16 Thatmeansfillingonesselfwithki,
withlifeenergy.Whenyoureadthatdescriptionwhatcomestoyourmind?Youprobablythink
deepinhalation,dontyou?Fillingoneslungs!ButthatisnotwhattheJapanesehaveinmind.
Fillingyourlungsgivesyoushallowbreathing.Youwillgetquickburstsofenergybuttheywont
sustain you for long. If you dont believe me, try this next time youre jogging or running,
breatheinandoutveryquickly.Iguaranteeyouwontgoveryfar.
Fukushiki kokyu means breathing from the stomach (hara), deep and low in your
abdomen. The Japanese believed that the seat of human strength, of energy, was the lower
abdomen, the area of your body located about two fingers below your navel. Martial artists
breathe from their abdomens. We charge up that area by pushing air in and out that deep.
Fukushiki kokyu builds up your whole abdominal area. The more you breathe this way, the
strongeryoufeel.
Fukushiki kokyu is best illustrated by Roshi Deshimarus account of Eugen Herrigels
experiencewithbreathing.TaisenDeshimaruwasthemissionarygeneraloftheJapaneseSoto
ZenSchoolinFrance.HewasalsoadescendantofalonglineofSamurai.Hereswhathehas
tosayaboutrightbreathing:
[Professor Herrigel] worked six years before he understood how to breathe. My
mastersaid,Ifhehadcometomefirst,itwouldnthavetakenhimnearlysolong.
He succeeded when he understood push down on the intestines, and not
before. Judo also trains breathing, but most people dont know about it. Breathing
doesntcomeintoituntilthesecondorthirddan[blackbelt]ordegree.
Herrigel understood unconsciously: the arrow is released at the end of the
outwardbreath.Itsthesameinjudo:breathingoutyouarestrong,breathinginyou
areweak.Youmustovercomeyouradversarywhileheisbreathingin.17
Whenbreathingfromyourabdomenyoufeelstrongnotmusclestrong,energystrong.
Heresthedifference:tobuildmuscleyouliftweights. Weightliftingbuildsbodymass.Andbody
mass limits motion. You may feel built up but you wont have flexibility when faced with a
dangeroussituation.
When you breathe right, your strength flows from the energy circulating in your body,
16
E.J.Harrison,TheFightingSpiritofJapan.NewYork:TheOverlookPress.1955.
17
TaisenDeshimaru,QuestionstoaZenMaster.NewYork:Arkana.1981,pages104
105.
24
pumped in by your breath. So, you can be thinor short and still be quite strong (think Bruce
Lee).Whatmakesyoustrongisthesustainedenergyflowthatgoesbeyondmassandmuscle.
Nowyouhaveflexibilityandthewilltoperform.
Youbreathetoreplenishbodyenergy.Onceyourbloodiscleaned,itsuppliesyourbody
withtheenergyitneeds.So,thelongeryoukeepthatoxygenatedbloodcirculating,thesuppler
yourbody.Yourmuscleshaveplentyofenergycoursingthroughthemwithoutyoubeingstiffor
tenseflexibilityandstrength!Howdoyouaccomplishthat?Notbyfillingyourlungs.Inhalingis
limited.Youcanonlybreatheinforsolong(untilyourlungsfillup).Theprocessofinhalingis
notlongenoughtosustainyouinanattacksituationespeciallyifyouaredealingwithmultiple
attackers,fourorfivepeoplecomingatyouatthesametime.
Instead, try this: take a short inbreath through your nose (but one thatfills your lungs).
Inhale tightly,pushingtheair downas if you were takinga drag ona cigarette. Now with lips
pursed, exhale downwards through your mouth, as slowly as you can. Keep it an even,
downward,slowflow.Seehowlongyoucanmaketheexhalinglast.Asyougettothebottom
of your exhaling, your lungs will instinctively reach for air. That will push you to take another
shortinbreath.Theprocessstartsalloveragain.
Atfirstyoumighthaveahardtimebreathingthisway.Itishardtomaketheexhalinglast.
Chances are, youll get impatient. Your body will get impatient too, since it is not used to
operatingundertheseconditions(somepeopleexperiencelightheadedness).Onceyougetthe
hang of it, though, you will notice that the exhaling will last longer and longer. At some point
youll realize that it can be as long as you wish, since exhaling is totally controllable. By
controllingtheextentofyourexhaling,youareabletopaceyourself.Yourmotion,theamount
ofairyourbodyrequires,andthelevelofstrengthyouneedtoperformthetechniqueswillallbe
underyourcontrol.
Breathing right is at the heart of all martial arts. It will improve your techniques. Rather
than using muscle to perform them, youll be using energy instead. Rather than reacting with
shockor stress in adangerous situation, youll be in control. It is breathing, not thinking, that
linksyourmindtoyourbody.WhenIminanemergencysituation,mybreathingautomatically
slows down. That gives me precious time to assess whats going on. If I need to use a
techniquemybodyisalreadyenergized.
BynowyouveprobablyguessedwhatImabouttosaynext.ButIllsayitanyway:allyour
techniquesshouldbeperformedwhileyouareexhaling.Thelongeryouexhale,thelongeryoull
beperformingfromapositionofstrength.Whileexhalingyouarebalanced,flexibleandcapable
of responding to the challenge. So breathe in while dodging an attack, breathe out as you
respond to it. Also, pay close attention to your opponents breathing. When inhaling, the
opponent will be weak. So adjust your breathing to your opponents. Listen to what Roshi
Deshimaruhadtosayaboutmartialartsbreathing:
Whoisbreathingin,theopponentoroneself?
T.D. Theopponent.Youyourselfmustbreatheoutwhenyouattack.Inkarateablow
receivedwhilebreathingincanbedangerousnotwhilebreathingout.Soyoumust
seizetheopportunitywhiletheadversaryisbreathingin,becausethenherevealshis
weakpoint,hisemptyspace.
25
Why?
T.D. Theopportunityalwayscomeswhiletheotherpersonisbreathinginbecause
thebodybecomeslighterthen,lessconcentrated.Theinbreathoftheotherperson
offersanopportunitywhichyourmindbodymustknowhowtograsp.Toattackwhile
theadversaryiscatchinghisbreath,showinghisweakpoint,theflawinhisdefense,
hisattitude:thatisthekey.
Breathinginisonegreatsukioropportunity,andtoomuchtension,ortoolittle,is
another in a tournament, it is impossible to maintain the same intensity of
concentrationindefinitely.Atsomepointtheattentionwaversandweshowafault,a
suki,anopportunity,whichtheopponentmustbeabletoseize.18
Balance(Shizentai)
BalanceisessentialinJudo.Abalancedpostureisatelltalesignofexpertiseintheart.
Such stance shows the artists maturity and control. Time and practice alonehelp the martial
artist to discipline the body to move according to the art. The stance is unaffected and
understated.Thepointisnottomakeashowofit.
Being balanced means operating from the center, a space where things are judged
accordingtoonesowninternalstandards.AsmySenseiusedtosay,Whenyouwalkthepath,
youbecomethepath.Infact,beingbalancedmarksthetransitionfrommimickingyourSensei
to being your own self. It usually happens in three steps: first, you learn the proper motion,
whichmeansgivingupyourownideaofhowtoperformthetechnique.Second,youcopythe
motion precisely as your Sensei performs it. Third, you do it so many times, that you free
yourselftomakethetechniqueyourown,adjustingittoyourbodysnaturalmovements.
Thisfreedomcomesfrompractice.Mystudentsknowthattheartisperfectedinstages.
First there is practicing, when training requires will and conscious efforts (things dont
necessarilycomenaturallyyetatthispointyouhavetomakeanefforttodothemright).Then
thereisperforming,whenyourconcentrationnolongerrequiresconsciousness.Finally,thereis
perfection, when youhave practiced the artfor so long, there is truefreedom in the way you
move.Techniqueisnolongerboundbyform.
A balanced posture requires some important elements. First, there is a certain level of
detachmentinit.Itshowsthepersonsquietsenseofconfidence.Nottheconfidencethatwould
make someone abusive because of superior skills, rather the confidence of someone who
facesmortalityandcontinuestowalkthepathwithpersonalcourage.
Even the best Samurai faced death every morning. They knew how fragile human
existence was. Only the very young or very foolish walked around believing in their own
immortality. The seasoned Samurai knew they were not invincible. They knew they could be
killed.Theyknewtheywouldage.Theyknewthatmuscleandspeedarenotwithusforever.It
waspreciselybecausetheyknewthattheywerefreetosurvive.Whenpeoplearenotafraidto
die,itisofnoavailtothreatenthemwithdeath(chapter74).
18
TaisenDeshimaru,TheZenWaytotheMartialArts.NewYork:Arkana.1982,p.34.
26
Then there is economy (and precision) of motion. The modern world mistakes
complication with mastery. People confuse busyness with sophistication, depth. Powerful
experiences do not have to be unnaturally multilayered. Look at the special effects in action
filmsitisnotenoughtomakethingsexplode,theyhavetoexplodesimultaneously.Theaction
unfolds in so many different parts of the screen that there is no chance to absorb the whole
experience.Attheheightoftheaction,thesceneisahuge,loudblur...
ForTaoistsdepthabidesinsimplicity.Thatnotionfindsechoinmodernsciencetoo.Akey
ingredient of scientific explanation is parsimony, explaining things with the most economic
explanation. Theres a scientific principle called Occams razor which states that when faced
withtwoexplanationsforthesamephenomenononeshouldalwayschosethesimplestone.
ForTaoistsbusynessisthesignofanunsettledmind:Thefivecolorsblindtheeye.The
fivetonesdeafentheear.Thefiveflavorsdullthetaste.Racingandhuntingmaddenthemind.
Previous things lead one astray. Therefore the sage is guided by what s/he feels and not by
whats/hesees.S/heletsgoofthatandchoosesthis(chapter12).
Economyofmovementhastodowiththeabilitytousejustenoughmotiontocompletea
taskandnomore.Infighting,thatmeansendingaboutwiththefewestnumberofexchanges
possible.ApeerlessswordsmaninoldJapanwonboutswithasinglestrokeofthesword.By
comparison, think of how different fencing is in the West the prolonged fighting, filled with
multiplestrikes.Thinkofaswashbucklerfilmtheherofightsmultipleattackersgoingupand
downthestairs,swingingfromaropeordanglingfromashipsmast.
Even martial artsfilms betray that sort of busy mentality. In Hong Kongs action movies
fightsmultiply.Thechoreographygetsverycomplicated.Peopleflyoutofwindows,jumpover
furniture,andfalldownstairs.Ofcourse,martialartsfilmsaredoneforentertainment.Thepoint
is not to educate, the point is to attract paying customers. You cant create that kind of
entertainmentwithasingleswordstroke.
EconomyofmovementinJapanisdescribedaskurai,aquiescentstateofmindasifone
wereafloatinasmallboatontheocean.Aboatobeystheimpulsesofthewavesandcurrents
and will not attempt to resist them.19 When you blend with an attack there is no need for
multiplestrokes.Theprecisionofthemotionisenoughtoachieveitspurpose.Thateconomyis
praisedbytheTaoistItisnotwisetorushabout...Iftoomuchenergyisused,exhaustionwill
follow.ThisisnotthewayofTao.WhateveriscontrarytoTaodoesnotlastlong(chapter55).
The balanced posture in Judo is called shinzentai (basic natural posture). It is a natural
postureinthesensethatoneisnoteasilyjerkedaround,andonesflexibilityandagilityarenot
impaired.Thereisnotension,nostiffnessinshinzentai.Muchlikebreathing,balancedposture
requires a combinationof mind andbody.Shinzentai is relaxed attentiveness (ki wo mitsuru).
Yourbodyisrelaxed,butyourmindisalert(zanshin).
The mechanics of shinzentaiare simple:feet should rest parallel to eachother at about
the same distance as your shoulders are apart.Knees are slightlybent, ina relaxedfashion.
19
E. J. Harrison. The Fighting Spirit of Japan. New York: The Overlook Press. 1955,
page39.
27
Hips are naturally squared with shoulders. And breathing is slow, with one ready to turn and
twistinthedirectionofanyattack.
Judoka learn the balanced posture in their first week of class. However, in most clubs,
they never bother to practice it again. In traditional Judo shinzentai is a regular part of the
practice,becausebeingoffbalancegivesyouropponentasukioranopening,anopportunity
tocapitalizeonyourweakness.Theonewhostandsontiptoe,saystheTao,isnotsteady.
Theonewhostridescannotmaintainthepace.(chapter24).
Toneutralizeanaggression,youmuststayinbalancewhileallowingyouropponenttobe
offbalanced. This is an important lesson for life also: people are most vulnerable when they
attacksomeone.Youcantkeepyourbalancewhileattacking.Balanceisanaturalposturefor
defense(thatsoneofthebrilliantpointsofDr.Kanoscreation).
Whenattackingyoustepforwardorbackwardorsideways.Theminuteyoudoso,youre
no longer balanced. An expert Judoka will swiftly respond to your offbalance. The smallest
motion on your part gives your opponent an edge. A Judoka will never resist an attack.
Resistingrequiresonetouseupmoreenergythanblending.Judokagiveinorgiveway.They
countertheopponent'smovebyunbalancingtheattacker.
HereiswhathappensifsomeonepushesaJudoka,theJudokawillgiveintotheforce
of the push, step in between the opponents feet and spin downwards to throw him or her.
Similarly,ifsomeonepulls,theJudokawillgowiththepull,stepsidewaysanduseafootblock
orasweeptoendtheattack.InJudo,thekeytooverpoweringanattackeristousetheperson's
motions against him or her. When you blend you break the persons balance. Once that
happens,youropponentcanbethrownwithminimumeffort.
That worksfor life too. If you are centered you candeal with what lifebrings.When life
triestooffbalanceyouorpushyouovertheedge,dontresist,blendinstead.Emptyyourselfof
everything.Letthemindrestatpeace.[Allthingsinnature]riseandfallwhiletheselfwatches
theirreturnsaystheTao(chapter16).
Amonkwasworkinghiswaybacktoamonasteryonasnowyevening.Asthesnowstorm
whistledaroundhim,hesawamightyoakpiledhighwithsnow.Asthesnowaccumulatedthe
heavierbranchesbrokedownwithaloudcrashingsound.Rightthenthemonknoticedasmall
pine sapling. It was twisting and turning as the snow and the wind whirled around it. As the
snow accumulated on the tree, it bent until the snow fell off. Free of the snow, the tree
straighteneditselfbackup.Thekeytosurvivalwasofferingnoresistance.
Distancing(Maai)andTiming(Riai)
Thekeytoaneffectivedefenseisrightdistancingandtiming.Hasteisthehardestthingto
conquerinmartialartstraining.Itisinournaturetogroweagerinthefaceofdanger.Nothing
shakes you up morethan a sudden strike. It isdisorienting,frightening. Even thebesttrained
martialartistsstrugglewiththeadrenalinrush.Youseeafistflyingtowardyouandyouwantto
jump! Eagerness wells up. You may try to grab the fist, run away, or strike back. Its only
human.
28
Here is something toponder Lets say you tryto grabor block thefist. Reach outtoo
soonandyouropponentsstrikewillcarryyourarmalong,smashingitinyourface.Reachout
toolateandyoullbeknockedoutcoldbeforehavingachancetodefendyourself.Timingisof
theessencehere.
Distancing is also crucial in a sudden attack. I use a drill to demonstrate this to my
students.Iaskaseniorstudenttothrowapunchatme.TurningtothestudentsIllask,What
shouldIdo?Handsgoupandafewsuggestionscirculate:blockhisarm,grabhishand.I
step back just a few inches and let the punch miss me. I step forward toward the attackers
upperbodyandcirclewiththepunch,itnevertouchesme.
WhatItrytoshowwiththatlessonisthatyourworstenemyisyourhaste.Fear,anxiety,or
insecuritycomeintoplaywhenyoutrytodefendyourself.Ifyougiveintothosefeelings,youll
actoutofneed,notoutofbeingbalanced.Youoffbalanceyourselfwhenyouactoutofneed.
Your attitude sabotagesyourdefense. It doesnthelpto know martialarts if youranxiety gets
thebestofyou.Youmustconqueryourhaste.
One day Joe Hyams was having tea with his Master, when the mailman arrived with a
letterfromKorea.KnowingtheMasterwaseagerlyawaitingnewsfromhome,Joepausedthe
conversation, expectingthe Sensei to tear opentheenvelopeandpromptly read its contents.
InsteadtheMasterputtheletterasideandcontinuedtovisitasifnothinghadhappened.The
nextdayJoeaskedhimwhyhehadnotreadtheletterrightaway.TheMastersaidputtingthe
letter aside helped him conquer haste. Once haste was conquered, he was free to open the
letterasthoughitweresomethingprecious.20 Tobeready,youmustbefreeofdesire.
By using perfect distancing and timing you avoid relying on bulk and muscle. Without
them,heightandweightwillalwayscarrytheday.ThathappensinsportJudo,whereathletes
arefightingforpoints.ButitisnotthecaseintraditionalJudo,inselfdefense.Infact,someof
thegreatest Judoka were rather short and light. Dr. Kano was5' 4," Kyuzo Mifune5' 3". My
Senseiwasevenshorter.Butyoudbeafooltothinkthosemencouldbeeasilyhandled.
I have a videotapeof Mifune that was done when he was 73 years old. In the tape, he
worksoutwiththeEuropeanandJapanesechampionsofhisday.Mostwereheavierandtaller
thantheoldMaster.Nonemanagedtothrowhimonce!Allwerethrownseveraltimes.Mifune
endsthetapesparringwiththetopsixorsevenhighestrankingJudokainJapan.Oneissotall
thecameracutshisheadfromthescene.Yet,onebyone,Mifunemethodicallydefeatsallof
themusingthesimplesttechniques!
WhatallowsaJudokatothrowsomeoneheavierandtallerwithgreateaseisnotphysical
strength.Itisrightdistancingandtiming.AJudotechniqueisdependentupontheproperuseof
theopponents momentum: catching the personat afavorableangle in relation to your body,
using your body as a leverage point to continue the attackers offbalance, and having
impeccabletiminginpivoting.Unlessyourbodylearnsdistancingandtiming,yourknowledgeof
Judowillnotbeofmuchhelpintimesoftrouble.
20
JoeHyam,ZenintheMartialArts.NewYork:BantamBooks.1982,page23.
29
ChapterFour
LearningConstancy21
The problem with teaching standing techniques is not that students find them hard to
learn.Infact,toanuntrainedeye,Judoseemsquitesimple:youlearnafewfallingtechniques
toprotectyourselfwhenthrown,thenlearnhowtousehands,hipsorfeettothrowanopponent.
A few months of practice and students think theyre experts. Some become selfappointed
consultantstotheirteacher!
Ihavehadstudentswithfewerthansixmonthsofpracticewhowerereadytogivemetips
on techniques. Theyalready knew how to make them more effective. Once in thatframeof
mind, students are impossible to teach. They approach each lesson with a critical eye (but,
wouldntitbebettertoitthisway?).Needlesstosay,theattitudealwaysamazesme.Nothing
ismorecontrarytolearninganartthantryingtochangeitbeforeyoucanseethewholepicture.
Andyoudontseethewholepictureuntilyoureachblackbelt!
So,theproblemisthis:howdoyouexplaintoabeginningstudentthatthetechniquehes
soeagertocorrecthasbeenpracticedthesamewayforatleastsixhundredyears?Howcan
we help students see that thetechniques havebeen tested by countlessgenerations of Judo
masters?Attitudemakesallthedifference.Heretoo,theTaoishelpful(chapter59),
Incaringforothersandservingheaven,
Thereisnothinglikerestraint.
Restraintbeginswithgivinguponesownideas.
ThatdependsonVirtuestoredinthepast.
IfthereisagoodstoreofVirtue,nothingisimpossible.
Ifnothingisimpossible,therearenolimits.
Whensomeoneknowsnolimits,thens/heisfittobearuler.
Themotherprincipleofrulingislonglasting.
Itiscalledhavingdeeprootsandafirmfoundation,
TheTaoforlonglifeandeternalvision.
Yourfirstlessoninstudyingtechniquesisasimpleonekeepanopenmind.Taoistscall
thisabeginnersmind.Neverthinkyouvearrived(especiallybeforeyouactuallydo!).Never
imagineyouknowenoughalready.Martialartsaresophisticatedsystemsthatseemdeceivingly
simple at first sight. Keep in mind that until you master the whole art, you wont be able to
understandhoweachtechniquefitsintothelargersystem.
Inaddition,bykeepinganopenmind,yougetmorefromtheartthanjustthetechniques.
Whenyoubegintolearnanart,youbecomepartofalongstandingtradition.Yourelearning
both techniques and the process by which they are transmitted to you (most students dont
realizethatuntillater,whentheyreachaseniorrank).Yourmastertransmitstheartinthestyle
21
30
theartwastransmittedbyherorhismaster.
So,whenyoustartclassesinamartialart,youbecomethelatestlinkinalongchainof
expertsandyouhavethegoodfortunetobeatthereceivingendofthatchain.Thewisdomof
many generations travels past time and space to reach you. Sometimes it crosses several
continentsandchangesmanylivesbeforeitfindsyou.
Thatiswhylineageissoimportantinmartialarts.Yourmasterstudiedwithamasterwho
studiedwithamasterandsoon.Thereareatleastfivemastersinmylineageleadingbackto
Dr.Kano.So,whenyouchooseamaster,youarechoosingalineofmasters.Andyoubecome
theirrepresentativetothenextgenerations.Yourmasterhastochoosewellbeforetakingyou
intotheschool.Thereisaninteresttomakesuretheartwillbewellrepresentedinthefuture.
Bythesametoken,youshouldbecarefulwhenchoosingyourschool.Youwillbeassociated
withitforaslongasyoupracticeyourart.
Onceyoustartinanart,learnmoreaboutandbeproudofyourmartialartslineage.Tryto
understandwhattheartmeanttothemasterswhoprecededyou.Whydidtheypracticetheart?
Whatdifficultiesdidtheyovercome?Eachstorywillprovideyouwithimportantlessonsforyour
ownjourney.
Onefinalnotebeproudofyourlineagenotbecausethepeoplewhoprecededyouwere
superhuman (you should never idolize masters), but because they offer you the wisdom of
manygenerations.Thatwisdomwasaccumulatedtohelpyoufindyourownwisdominlife.So,
donotcloseyourmindtoanythinguntilyouveseenthewholepackage,thewholeart.22
TheRightApproach
Thesecondlessontokeepinmindissimpletoouserestraint(chapter59).Whenyou
startlearningtechniques,donotactlikeakidinacandystore.Donttrytolearneverythingallat
once, as fast as possible. You shouldnt rush toward becoming a black belt. There is such a
thing asa halfbaked master, you know. Rushing your training deprives you of learning your
artssoul.
Never learn in haste. Haste is the enemy of quality. As your Sensei shows you the
techniques, take time to learn them carefully. Make sure you understand what is involved in
theirperformance.Neverassumeanything.Whenindoubt,askquestions.Keepaskingthem
untilyouresatisfied.Moreimportantly,dontassumeyouhaveunderstoodanythingtoosoon.
Alwaysaskyourself,isthisthemostaccuratewaytoperformthistechnique?23
22
The exception to this rule of course is when the art youchose is hazardous to your
health,orinflictsemotionalorpsychologicalpain.Thereisnoreasontopracticesomethingthat
ismostlydamagingorstressingyouinsteadofbeingasourceofsatisfaction.
23
This is why I recommend that students build a good collection of resources on the
technicalaspectsoftheart.SometimesIhavetoconsultbooksandvideotapesbeforeIcanbe
sure of how a certain technique was performed in the past. This is similar to doing
archaeological work: you mine the past for information to use in present practice. For those
31
Thereisareasonforusingrestraintwhenlearningamartialart.Youmaynotseeitatfirst,
but in time youll come to realize how crucial it is to master the technical aspects of the art.
Becomeacquaintedwitheachtechniqueasifyourlifedependedonit.Somedayitmight.Learn
eachtechniqueaswellasyoucan.Whenyoufeelyouvelearneditwell,practicesomemore.
Letmegiveyouapersonalexampleofwhytechniquesoughttobelearnedwell.Thefirst
thingyoulearninJudoishowtofall(ukemiwaza).AsawhitebeltIalwaysassumedfallingwas
part of the warmup at the beginning of class. I usually didnt pay any attention to what was
goingoninclassuntilSenseiAsanostartedshowingtechniques.IwasluckymySenseihadus
practicefallingineverysessionbeforeheshowedanytechnique.
BythetimeIwasagreenbelt,myfamilywasspendingaholidayinthecountryside.One
day,whileIwasridingnearahill,somethingspookedmyhorseandhetookoffatfullspeed.
When we reached a plowed field, the horses front legs went down into a furrow. I was
catapulted over his head. Instinctively as I neared the ground my right hand stretched out in
frontofmeandIfoundmyselftuckinginmyheadandrollingautomatically!
Luckily, the horse was not injured and neither was I (OK, my pride as a horseman was
prettybruised).ButbythetimeIgotupandbrushedoffthedirt,Ihadgainedadeeperrespect
foraminoraspectofmyart!Oneofmyseniorstudentshadasimilarexperiencewhileridinga
bicycle.Hegothitbyamovingpickuptruck,rolledoverthehoodandfellontheotherside.He
wasquitegratefulfortheartoffallingwhenheshowedupatthedojoagain!
Byusingrestraintyouhaveabetterchancetounderstandthenuancesofeachtechnique.
Ittakesatleasttwoyearsofpracticebeforeyoucandiscoverthesubtletiesoftheart.Oneof
myAmericanSenseioncetoldmethatitwasonlywhenhereacheda4th degreeblackbeltlevel
thathefinallyunderstoodabasictechniqueweteachourstudentsintheirfirstweekofclass!
When youarefirst showna technique asabeginner, you get its simplest rendition. The
technique is relatively easy to learn then, since youre unaware of its more sophisticated
aspects.Asyoumatureintheart,yourealizethatthatbasictechniquecanbequitecomplex
thatitwasnotsimplytaughttoyoutobreakyouintotheart.So,ifyouhurryyourlearning,there
will be aspects of a technique that will take longer to be discovered because you may be
glossingoverthem.
Mostpeoplewontdiscoverthemoresophisticatedaspectsoftheartuntiltheyreachthe
intermediatelevel.Asyoulearnintermediatetechniques,youbegintoappreciatethedepthof
the basic techniques you begin to see how they combine with other aspects of the art. The
techniquesbecomemoreusefulforselfdefenseinacombinedapproachtoasuddenattack.
Lateron,whenyoureachahigherlevelandbegintoteachthetechniquesyourself,you
discover how multilayeredtheyare. It is only when you have to break downatechnique into
interestedinfurtherreadings,IsuggestfivebooksonthetechnicalaspectsofJudo:fortheart
ingeneral, read Jigoro Kano, Kodokan Judo. Tokyo: Kodansha International. 1986, Pat
Harrington, Judo: A Pictorial Manual. Rutland: Charles E. Tuttle. 1992, and Des Marwood,
Critical Judo. London: A & C Black. 1992. For Kata practice read Tadao Otaki and Donn F.
Draeger, Judo: Formal Techniques. Rutland: Charles E. Tuttle, 1983, and Mikonosuke
Kawaishi.TheComplete7KatasofJudo. Woodstock:TheOverlookPress.1982.
32
simpler steps to help your students learn it that you realize its hidden aspects. There will be
thingsaboutityoumighthaveoverlookedortakenforgranteduntilthen.
Needlesstosay,allthoseaspectsofthetechniquecouldnothavebeenshowntoyouat
thebeginningofyourmartialartcareer.Doingthatwouldonlyconfuseyou,sinceyoudidnot
haveafullpictureoftheart.Onlyinhindsightareyouabletorecognizetheimportanceofthose
aspects.Likealltheothermasters,youneededtoputinthetimetodiscoverthem.Taoistscall
thisvirtuestoredinthepast(chapter59),anabilitytohaveadeeperunderstandingoftheart
thatresultsfrommanyyearsofpractice.
Whenyoupracticesomethinglongenough,youcanseehowallitselementsconnectto
formthesystem.Forinstance,intraditionalJudofootthrows(ashiwaza)aretaughtinacertain
order.Studentslearnhowtodoblocks(gake)beforetheytrysweeps(harai)andfinallymove
ontoreaps(gari).Thereisaninnerlogicinthatprogressionthatisonlygraspedafteryouhave
learnedallthetechniques.Itisnotimmediatelyperceptiblewhileyouaremovingalonginthe
journey.
Footblocksrequirefarlessbalancethanfootreaps.Whenyoudosomethinglikeosoto
gari, your entire body is balanced on the toes of a single foot, while your opposite leg is
sweepingyouropponentofftheground.Ittakestimetoreachthatlevelofbalance!
Nevertheless, as the Tao Te Ching says, if there is a good store of virtue (a deep
understandingoftheart),thennothingisimpossible.Ifnothingisimpossible,therearenolimits
toyourart.Youcancontinuetoperfectitforaslongasyouwish,longafteryouvelearnedallits
techniques.Youreachalevelwherethereisnobeginningorendtothepractice,justaconstant
dwellinginit.
ThisiswhattheTaomeansbyhavingdeeprootsandafirmfoundation.Thisisthestage
whenyouenjoyalongandfulfillinglifeofpracticeandreachwisdombeyondyouryears.When
mySenseistartedourryu,24 aftermanyyearsofpractice,heputhisthoughtsaboutprogressin
theart into a poem. It took mea long time to understand the truthbehind the simple verses.
SometimesIfeelasifImstillworkingonsomeofitsmeaning.Isharethepoemwithyou,inthe
spiritinwhichitwaswritten:
24
ForthoseinterestedinlearningmoreabouttheZenJudoryu,Irecommendabookby
our senior scholar, Sensei Brian Bagot, titled, Zen Judo: A Way of Life. Wareham, UK: Dojo
Books.1989.SenseiBagotcanbereachedatBbagot@aol.com.
33
FromStarttoEnd:
FromColortoColor
DominickMcCarthy
Thewhiteisyoursfromthestart,
soholditwell.
Yellow,toeliminateyourfear,
bringsoutthebest.
Orange,tofeedthefruitofyourlabors,
tobanallpretext
Green,togatherwisdomlike
MotherEarth.
Blue,toreachforthesky
itslimitsareyours.
WhenBrownappears,likefertilesoil,
youarealmostsettled.
OnlyBlack,atthelast,helpsyoupeer
throughthedarkness,
totheeverlastinglightofArts.
TheOriginsofJudosTechniques25
KodokanJudohasancientroots.TheartisacarefulsynthesisofthebestDr.Kanofound
intheJujutsustyleshestudied.Judostechniquesrepresentwhathethoughtwasneededin
allaroundselfdefenseart.JudokawereexpectedtobeequallycompetentusinganyofJudos
technicalaspects:throwing(nagewaza),groundwork(katamewaza)andstriking(atemiwaza).
It is hard to be precise about the origins of specific techniques, but we have a good
amountofinformationabouttheJujutsuschoolsthatinfluencedJudoscreation.Therewereat
leastfiveMeijieraschoolsthatinfluencedKanostraining:theKitoryu,theTenshinShinyoryu,
theTakenouchiryu,theSosuishitsuryuandtheSekiguchiryu.Theseschoolscontributedboth
tothespiritandtechnicalaspectsofhisart.
The Kito school was Chinese in origin. It traced its origins to a Chinese art brought to
JapanbyChEnYuanPininthe17th century.Theschoolwasveryinfluentialinthecreationof
twomodernJapanesemartialartsJudoandAikido.KanostudiedKitounderIikuboSensei,
whileMoriheiUeshiba,founderofmodernAikido,studiedthetraditionwithTokusaburoSensei.
Kitowasknownforitsrituals,elegance,andmysticalteachings.Thestyleemphasizedthrowing,
with smoothfluidity of movement. Techniques werebased ontheprinciple ofwa (harmony or
accord),followingaknownTaoistprinciple(chapter22),
25
ThissectionreliesheavilyontheworkofDr.JigoroKano,JohnStevens,Kisshomaru
UeshibaandOscarRattiandAdeleWestbrook.Theinformationwasgatheredfromtheirbooks.
Ive mentioned Dr. Kano, Sensei Stevens and Sensei Ueshibas books before. Ratti and
Westbrooks text is titled Secrets of the Samurai. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle. 1991. I highly
recommenditforthoseinterestedinanindepthhistoryofJapansmartialarts.
34
Yieldtoovercome
Bendtobestraight
Emptytobefull.
To create harmony, the martial artist had to blend with the whole environment and not
simply with the opponents movements. Kito students were trained to be aware of their
surroundings.Therewasanemphasisonperipheralvisionandgreaterattentiontoallaspects
of a given situation. It was never only about the person attacking you. There were other
variables involved: space, timing, resources available to your attacker, resources available to
yourself.Nothingshouldescapeyourattentionwhenunderattack.
Thepracticeofwaalsoledstudentstodevelopinternalenergy.Thecultivationofoneski
was a central aspect of the Kito tradition. Kito techniques flowed from ki. Furthermore, ones
internalkishouldharmonizewiththeuniversalki,sothatyourmotionfollowedtheway(Tao)the
universeworked,insteadofgoingagainstit.SomeofKitoskicultivationexerciseshavebeen
preserved in modern Aikido. Its spiritual underpinnings are also evident in master Ueshiba's
teachings. Judo preserved the school'sformal exercises.Kano includedthem in the Kodokan
Kata.
TheTenshinShinyoschoolwasknownforitsemphasisonsupplenessandinsistenceon
quickdeliveryincounterattackfashion.TenshinShinyostudentswerediscouragedfromrelying
on muscular strength. The school equated muscular strength with rigidity and slowness and
rigidityandslownesswasequatedwithdeath.Flexibilityandspeedweretheprincipleoflife,so
thetechniqueswerebasedonpliantagility.
HeretheTenshinShinyoapproachfollowedcloselyTaoistprinciplesApersonisborn
gentleandweak.Atdeaths/heishardandstiff.Greenplantsaretenderandfilledwithsap.At
death they are withered and dry. That is why the Tao sees the stiff and unbending [as] the
discipleofdeath,andthegentleandyielding[as]thediscipleoflife.ForTaoists,aninflexible
armyneverwinsabattle.Anunbendingtreeiseasilybroken.Intheend,thehardandstrong
arepresumedtofall,whilethesoftandweakovercome(chapter76).
The TenshinShinyo was afusionof two older schools, the Yoshin ryu and the Shinno
Shindoryu.IsoMataemon,theTenshinShinyosfounder,broughttheoldertraditionstogether
inthe17th century.TheYoshinryuemphasizedtheprincipleofju(gentlenessorsuppleness).
Theartpatterneditsstrikingtechniquesaftertheimageofaflexible,swayingwillow,readyto
bend and twist amidst the fiercest of storms. The ShinnoShindo ryu emphasized ground
fighting and chokes. As a result, the TenshinShinyo excelled in three arts: striking (atemi),
groundwork(torae),andstrangulation(shime).
TheTakenouchischooltraceditsorigintoTakeuchiToichiro,aSamuraiwholivedinthe
early16th century.Takeuchidevelopedhisstyleofarmedandunarmedcombatafteratimeof
isolation and hard training (shugyo). In armed combat, he excelled in the bokken (wooden
sword) andjo (staff) inunarmed combat ingroundwork (osae). The Takenouchigroundwork
system was organized in five sets (gokyu). Over time, the art developed more than 600
groundworktechniques.
The Sosuishitsu school was known also for fluidity of motion. Its founder, Fugatami
HannosukestudiedunderTakeuchiToichirobeforehedevelopedhisownmethodofhandto
35
hand combat. Instead of a willow for inspiration, Hannosuke patterned his system after the
movementsofthe"pureflowingwaters"oftheYoshinoRiver.TheSosuishitsustyleblendswith
anattackinthesamefashionthatriverwaterblendswithitscourse.
Finally, the Sekiguchi school traces its origins to Sekiguchi Jushin, another 17th century
warrior. The Sekiguchi school was very popular in the early Meiji era. Its techniques were
based on the principles of honesty and objectivity in handtohand combat. Students were
instructed to avoid all forms of trickery or deceit in combat, preferring those movements that
showedcleanandstraightforwardaction.Thetechniquesweresaidtobethevisiblesignofa
pureheartedwarrior.
Kanosetuphisownsystemaftercarefullystudyingthesefivestyles.Beingcomfortable
with both standing and ground fighting, he was well qualified to create an art that integrated
elementsfromallfiveryus.Infact,theryusinfluenceisquiteevidentinKanossystem.The
waysoftheoldstylesaremostvisibleinhiskata.
ToseehowtheryuspracticetheirartlookatthetwoKodokanselfdefensekata:Kimeno
Kata and Goshin Jutsu Kata.26 They are performed in the way the ancient ryus taught self
defense,withstructuredresponsestoanopponentsattack.Theattackerlaunchesastrike,the
Judokablendstoneutralizetheaggression.ThisformofpracticeisnotadoptedinsportsJudo,
wherepreferenceisgiventofreepractice(randori),withstudentstuggingandgrippingateach
other,tryingtoendthematchwithasinglethrow.
This is the crucial difference between traditional and sports Judo. In sports Judo you
specialize in winning a threeminute match with a single throw or a groundhold. There is no
followuptothethrow,thepersonthrowndoesnotgetupandcontinuefightingasinreallife.
Therearenomultipleattacksituationseither,whereafterthrowinganattackertheJudokamight
stillbesurroundedbyotherassailants.InsportsJudogettingthatonepointisallthatmatters.
Allaggressionceasesartificiallyonceyouwinthepoint.Thedifferencebetweenthatandreal
lifeisnightandday.
IntraditionalJudostudentslearnthetechniquesinwaysthatwillservetheminareallife
situation.Thefightingdoesnotstopafterarefereeyellssoremade(thematchisover).You
mayfacemoreassailants.TraditionalJudostudentslearnthetechniquesthroughselfdefense
drills,followingthestyleofpracticepreservedbytheKodokanselfdefensekata.Thatswhere
traditionalJudoexcels,withdrillsthataremuchclosertoreallife.
Traditionalpractice isseriouspractice, the attacks and responsesdeal with real danger.
Thereisareverenceandseriousnessinthestylethatisdifferentfromthetuggingandshoving
ofregularsportsJudo.
Furthermore,theKimenoKataandtheGoshinJutsuKatapreservebothpartsoftheJudo
experience: attacks and defenses. Sports Judo students may think the art is mostly about
throwing.Butitisnot.Itinvolvesthenuancesandstrategiesofattack,too.Forexample,Judoka
26
You shouldnt have any problem finding videotapes of the Kodokan kata on the
internet. I know the United States Judo Association has done at least three kata tapesfor its
members.
36
learnatemi(thestrikingart)inselfdefensekata.Itisalltheredownwardcuts,punches,kicks,
slashes.Moreover,thekatateachstudentstocombinestrikes,throws,jointlocksandchokesin
responsetoareallifeattack.
Thekatapreparestudentsforreallifesituations.Theattacksarelaunchedfromdifferent
directions(front,back,sideways),differentpositions(sitting,kneeling,standing),underdifferent
conditions(whattodowhenheld,whattodowhenattackcomesfromacertaindistance)and
employingarmedandunarmedmeans.Studentshavetorespondeffectivelytobothunarmed
(punches,fiststrikes,elbowstrikes,grips,effortstochoke,effortstoputanarminalock,knee
strikes and kicks) and armed attacks (dagger strikes, staff strikes and sword strikes). Some
techniquesevendealwithanattackerbearingagun.
OtherKodokankatapreservetheoldschoolswisdom.TwothatcometomindaretheJu
noKataand the Koshikino Kata. These kata preserve theessence ofblendingand harmony
(wa),suppleness(ju)andrelianceonki.TheJunoKatarevealsKanosvisionofharmonyand
suppleness. It literally means, forms ofgentleness or formsof suppleness. The Koshiki no
KatapreservesthebeautyoftheKitoryusritualforms.
The Ju no Kata has fifteen techniques, arranged in three sets. Performers stretch and
blendineverypossibledirectionastheydiffuseattacks.Thekatashowsfluidity.Movementsare
slowerandmorefocused,moreintentional.Thereisapremiumonbalanceindefendingfrom
attacks. The grips, pushes, and strikes are still real, but there is a state of calm, of inner
tranquilityintheJudokadefendingfromtheattacks.Onegetsthesensethatthedefenderhas
thesituationundercontrolatalltimes.
TheKoshikinoKataisstillperformedintheKitosceremonialstyle,withopponentsdoing
thetechniquesasifwearingSamuraiarmor.TheimpressionIgetwatchingtheKoshikiisthat
thedefenderhasadeepreservoirofinternalenergy.UnlikeotherKodokankata,intheKoshiki
thedefendermovesaslittleaspossible.Heorsheisverysolid,operatingasthecenterofthe
universe.
If the Ju no Kata is fluid, the Koshiki no Kata is centered. There is a clear sense of
permanence. All throws are executed with minimum effort and the smallest of motions (the
techniqueshavenameslikedreaming,waterwheel,waterflow,willowsnow,waveonthe
rocks,andsnowbreak).Somethinghappenswhentheattackerapproachesthedefender.We
arenotquitesurewhatitis,sincethemotionisverysmall.Buttheeffectisspectacular.You
canseethedefendersinternalpowermovingtheattacker.
BothJunoKataandKoshikinoKatacontributetothespiritoftraditionalJudopractice.In
atraditionaldojo,studentsaretaughttominimizeeffortwhenneutralizinganaggression.They
are taught to be pliant, and most importantly, to have a deep sense of inner calm when
performing techniques. Traditional drills involve a great deal of attack and defense situations.
Studentslearntorespondtoattackswithoutlettingthemdisturbtheirspirit.Theattacksdonot
breakdowntheirabilitytochannelinternalenergyintoanappropriateresponse.
Thatspiritofharmony,centeredness,supplenessandrelianceonkipermeatestraditional
practice. In that sense, we follow Dr. Kanos original intent for the art. We also honor Judos
ancient roots.When we preserve theformat ofancient practice and theprinciplesbehind the
techniques,webecometheheirsoftraditionalstylesthathaveexistedforhundredsofyears.
37
ChapterFive
AGreatTailorCutsLittle27
Thischapterdealswiththrowingtechniques.FortheJudokaamongthereaders,Ihope
thechapterprovidesguidelinestoenhanceyourpractice.ForthosewhodonotpracticeJudo,I
hopethe chapter motivates you to lookfor thesameprinciples behind the techniques of your
ownart.Ifyouareamartialartist,whateverartyoupursue,itisimportanttoknowtheprinciples
that organize your system. Techniques are not grouped randomly or casually in a fighting
system.
The guiding principle of cutting little is at the heart of Judos throwing techniques.
Students are encouraged to make techniques flowing and effortless. The idea is to use only
whatisneededtodealwithanattack.TheproverbialtailoroftheTaoTeChingdoesntcutlittle
because he is worried about saving cloth. He cuts little because he is so skilled thats all he
needstodotodothejobright.Similarly,Judokashouldbeabletogaugetheeffortneededina
selfdefensesituation.Theyarenotmiserlytheyjustknowhowtoblendintoanattacktoavoid
wastingenergy.Thejobgetsdonewiththerightamountofeffort.Nomore,noless.
What makes throws effortless is not muscles it is the proper use of balance. Judo
techniques are built upon basic laws of physics. If you try to lift a large stone with your bare
handsyoumayfail.Butplaceasmallerstonenexttoitanduseasturdyplankforleverage,and
the job will be easily accomplished without straining your body. Judoka follow the same
principle.Ratherthanrelyingonstrength,theyusetheirbodiesasleveragewhenthrowingan
opponent.
The first thing students learn is that a throw is divided into three parts: catching the
opponent offbalance (kuzushi), entering into the throw literally leveraging the opponent
(tsukuri) and finishing the throw (kake). Through randori (free practice) students develop an
alertnessforcatchingan opponentoff balance, so they canquickly enter intoathrow without
facingmuchresistance.Thethrowersusetheirbodythenasleveragetoconcludetheeffort.
Since Judo throwing is all about balance, throwing techniques are taught in traditional
Judo according to how much balance they require. They are organized along a continuum,
rangingfromdemandingverylittlebalancetorequiringagreatdealofit.Studentsfirstlearnto
throwwithbothfeetplantedontheground.Then,ontointermediatethrows,theystartthrowing
opponentswhilebalancingonasinglefoot.Finally,inadvancedthrows,studentsprojecttheir
opponentswhilebalancingonthetoesofasinglefoot.
Judo throws (nage waza) are divided into standing and sacrifice techniques (tachi and
sutemiwaza).Judokalearnstandingtechniquesfirst,sincetheyrequirefewerbalancingskills.
Instandingtechniqueshands(te),hips(koshi),andfeet(ashi)areusedaspointsofleveragefor
throwinganopponent.Theyarethefulcrumofthethrows.Onceanopponentisoffbalance,you
canusehand,hiporfoottoblock,lift,twist,andsweeporreap,producingtheopponentsfall.
27
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Let me use Te Hiza Sasae (thehandprop toknee throw) to illustrate thepoint. In the
throw,yourhandistheleveragearoundwhichanopponentwheelsandfalls.Hereishowitis
done:catchsomeoneoffbalancetothefront,turnintothepersonplacingyourbackagainstthe
persons chest, while holding your opponents right arm with your left hand. Now, place your
right hand on that persons knee as you turn to your left and pull your opponents right arm
across your chest. Your opponent will fall forward (or around you) right over your hand, with
minimumeffortonyourpart.Thisiswhatismeantbypointofleverage.
As you can see, hands,hipsorfeetcan be used aspointsof leverage. Thequestion is
whether you use them that way while solidly balanced on two feet, as in the example of the
previousparagraph,orwhilemovinginlighterfashion.Heresanadvancedversionofthesame
throw:catchyouropponentoffbalancetothefront,grabtheopponentsrightarmwithyourleft
hand and twist it around to that persons right side in a spiraling downward fashion. As your
opponents upper body topples forward, place your right hand on your opponents right knee
andcirclethepersonsbodyoveryourhandtoher/hisrightside.Itsnolongernecessarytouse
yourbodyinthethrow,yourhandsalonesuffice.
Points of leverage and balancing are combined in all hand, hip and foot throws. They
followthesamecontinuum.Handtechniques,forinstance,startwiththrowsthatuseabroader
areaofthethrowersbodyaspointofleverageandallowthethrowertobalanceonbothfeet.
Fromthereweproceedtowardthrowsthatrequireverylittlebodycontactandmoreadvanced
formsofbalance.
Examples of basic throws are ippon seoi nage (one arm shoulder throw) or kata nage
(shoulder throw), where students use a shoulder as leverage point. To perform the throws
studentsturnintotheopponentplacingtheirbacksagainsttheopponentschest,thenusetheir
shouldersaspropwhilepullingtheopponentsarmaroundtheirchest.
Once students master this basic motion, they start learning throws that use less body
mass as leverage. Intermediate hand throws rely on the students arms as leverage points.
Throwsliketaiotoshi(thebodydropthrow)ortsurikomigoshi(theliftpullhipthrow)cometo
mind.Herestudentsturnintotheiropponentsbutinsteadofusingtheirwholebodytoturnthe
person around, they rely on their arms as moving levers to wheel their opponent sideways,
eventuallyspiralingthemdown.
After the students perfect the use of shoulders and arms as leverage points they are
allowedtoemploysimplyhandswhenthrowingsomeone.Inadvancedthrows,handsareused
asleveragepoints.Judokarelyalotmoreonoffbalancingtoprojectanopponentthanontheir
ownbodymassasaleveragepoint.Thisiswhenstudentsareintroducedtosophisticatedand
flowing throws like sumi otoshi (the corner drop throw) and uki otoshi (the floating drop
throw).
Weusethesamelogicforhiptechniques.Inbasichiptechniquesstudentsuseverylittle
balance.Withanopponentoffbalancedtothefront,theyturnhalfwayintotheopponentsoas
todividetheopponentsbodywiththeirsides.Grabbingtheopponentswaist,thestudentsload
theopponentsontotheirhipsandslidethemaroundanddownward.Typicalthrowsusedatthis
pointwouldbeukigoshi(thefloatinghipthrow)ortsurigoshi(theliftinghipthrow).
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Aftermasteringbasichiptechniquesstudentsareintroducedtothrowsthatusethesame
hipliftingmotionbutnowfollowitwithasweepingupwardleg.Withopponentsoffbalanceto
thefront,studentsturn,placingtheirhipontheopponentsleftside.Thatactionisfollowedbya
small lifting of their hip pulling the opponents up on their toes. An upward (almost rolling)
sweepingmotionoftheirlegfinishesthethrowbyliftingtheopponentandprojectingtheperson
overthesweepingleginacircularfashion.Ashiguruma(thelegwheelthrow),oguruma(the
major wheel throw) or even hane goshi (the hip spring throw) are good examples of
intermediatekoshiwazathrows.
Finally, when students are ready for advanced hip throws, they are introduced to
techniquesthatrequirethemtobalanceanopponentsentireweightononehip,whileusingthe
samesidelegtoreaptheopponentslegsbackwardorforwarddependingonthedirectionof
thethrow.Toperfectthesethrows,studentsmustlearntobalancetheiropponentsweightand
theirownonasinglefoot,sometimesonthetoesofasinglefoot!Haraigoshi(thesweeping
hip throw) and uchi mata (the inner thigh reaping throw) are perfect examples ofadvanced
koshi waza throws. In some cases, depending on how the technique is done, o soto guruma
(thelargeoutsidewheelthrow)couldbeincludedinthiscategory.
Footthrowingtechniquesaretaughtinthesamefashion.Basicashiwazathrowsarefoot
blocks. With an opponent off balance to the front (or the back), students block one of the
opponents feet to keep the person from taking that extra step needed to regain balance.
Throws that come to mind here are ashi gake (the foot block throw, which is o soto gari
performedasablock)andkosotogake(thesmalloutsideblockthrow)totheback,andsasae
tsurikomiashi(thesupportingfootliftpullthrow)andhizaguruma(thekneewheelthrow)to
thefront.
Fromblockingtechniquesstudentsprogresstofootsweepingthrows.Footsweepsrequire
excellent timing. If donea momenttoo soonor a momenttoo late theyallowtheopponentto
gain solidfooting. Offbalancing theopponent to thefront, studentsquickly sweep thefoot in
motionbeforeitgetsachancetocompleteitsstep.Footsweepsaretrulyeffortlessifdoneright.
Good examples are de ashi harai (the advancing foot sweep throw), ko soto gari (minor
outsidereapthrow),kouchigari(minorinsidereapthrow), haraitsurikomiashi(theliftpull
sweepingfootthrow)andokuriashiharai(thefootsweepingthrow).
Advanced foot techniques require students to balance on a single foot while using their
opposite leg to lift their opponents legs in a reaping motion. Once again, senior Judoka are
askedtobalanceboththeirownandtheiropponentsweightonasinglefoot.Ittakesyearsof
practicetoperformfootreapsandendupbalancedafterwards.Timinganddistancingareofthe
essenceinmasteringthesethrows.Examplesofreapingtechniquesareouchigari(thelarge
insidereapingthrow),osotogari(thelargeoutsidereapingthrow),andosotoguruma(large
outerwheelthrow).
Obviously,Judothrowsarenottaughtintheorderdescribedabovefirsthand,thenhip,
thenfoottechniques.Insteadeachrankcombinesaselectionofhand,hipandfoottechniques,
usuallyabouteightinaverageforeachbeltlevel.Mostbasicthrowsaretaughtatthefirsttwo
ranks(yellowandorangebelts).Intermediatethrowsareintroducedduringthenexttwo(green
andbluebelts).Andadvancedthrowsaresavedforthelasttwo(brownandblackbelts).That
way,thestudentsprogressfollowsastructuredplan,withtheirabilitytobalancewhilethrowing
increasingastheyapproachmoresophisticatedtechniques.
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SacrificeTechniques
Sacrifice techniques are not taught until students reach a midlevel point in their Judo
careers.Thereasonissafety.Studentshavetobeverycomfortablewithfallingbeforetheycan
trysacrificetechniques.Theyareusuallyatthegreenbeltlevel,preparingforbluebeltexam,
when they are shown the basic sacrifice techniques. In traditional Judo only a few sacrifice
throws (three at most) are taught at this point. The rest is saved for brown and black belt
practice,whenseniorstudentshaveenoughbalanceandcontroltothroweachotherinasafe
way.
Theteachingofsacrificetechniquesisalsoorganizedaroundbalance.Thedifferenceis
that in sacrifice techniques the thrower falls in order to throw the attacker. So, here students
musthavearefinedsenseofbalanceandbequitecomfortablewithfalling.Theyarethrowing
themselvesontothegroundtoprojectanaggressorwhenneutralizinganattack.
Basic sacrifice techniques are foot blocks that end in a slide or a turning around an
opponentsside.Yokogake(thesideblockthrow)isagoodexampleofthat.Blockingtheright
heelofanopponentwithaleftfoot,thestudentpushestheopponentsfootforwardwhilepulling
theopponentdownward.Theeffectistheequivalentofhavingsomeonepullingarugoutfrom
underneath you. Itsaquick drop. Anotherthrow thatfitsthe category is soto makikomi (the
outsidewraparoundthrow)wherethestudentblockstheopponentsrightfootwitharightheel
andturnsintotheopponentwhilespiralingdown.
Intermediatesacrificethrowsrequirestudentstousetheirlegtoblockanopponentsstep
sothattheycanprojecttheopponentforward,backwardorsideways.Thedifferencebetween
basicandintermediatethrowsisthatinintermediatetechniquestheprojectionoftheopponent
relies more on balance than leverage. The thrower uses gravity instead of body contact to
perform thethrow. Goodexamples of intermediatetechniquesare yokootoshi (theside drop
throw),ukiwaza(thefloatingthrow)andtaniotoshi(thevalleydropthrow).
Inadvancedsacrificetechniquesstudentsfallontheirbackstocatapulttheiropponentsin
acirclingmotionovertheirheads.Thesethrowsarethehardesttoperfectbecausetheyrequire
farmorebalanceonthepartofthethrowerthantheprevioussacrificetechniques.Onehasto
controlonesownbodyweightandtheopponentsbodyweightwhilefallingbackwards!Timing
and distancing are crucial. Circling motion back falls include throws like tomoe nage (the
circularthrow),sumigaeshi(thecornercounterthrow),yokoguruma(thesidewheelthrow)
anduranage(thebackthrow).
ANoteonPracticingThrowingTechniques:
It is easy to get into a big ego trip when you start throwing people during practice.
Throwingissatisfying.Theresarushthatcomeswithit.Youfeelempowered,strong.So,itis
notsurprisingthatafterstudentslearntothrow,theygoatitwithgreatenthusiasm.Themore
theythrow,themoresatisfyingtheworkoutgets!Theyleavethematwalkingonclouds.
Ofcourse,whenyouthinkthatJudoisallaboutthrowing,youwanttodomoreofityou
wanttothrowasmanypeopleasyoucanineverypractice.Prettysoon,everybodyinthedojo
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startsgettingverycompetitive.Studentswanttothrowthemostandfalltheleast.Theproblem
is,whenyouhavetwostudentsworkingoutwiththatattitude,youhaveinjuriesthemaking.Two
opposingforcesthatmeetwithoutyieldingareboundtodestruction.
Wanting to throwand not wantingtofall is the wrongattitudetohave inJudo.Students
assumethatthegoalofthepracticeisthrowingwithoutgettingthrown.WhenJudobecomesall
throwingandnofallingyouhaveaonesidedpracticeoftheart.Studentswiththatattitudeare
more likely to injure themselves and their partners... repeatedly. To avoid falling (and looking
weak),theygotoextremestheyfightback,resist,loseposture,andworsequicklyforget
alltherulesforsafepractice.
The problems go beyond safety, as well. Animosity grows. People get upset with each
other sometimes they develop a vengeful mood. Collegiality falters. The dojo is no longer a
friendlyplace.Peopletakeeverythingpersonally.Theirpridegetshurtwithjustaboutanything.
Iveseendojoslikethat.Theatmosphereistense,nervous,anduptight.AtthatpointJudoisno
longeranart.Itisastressmachine.
Studentswhodonotfalldevelopbigprideintheirskills.Afterawhiletheydratherdiethan
fall,becausetheythinktheyllloseface.Sotheywalkaroundwithaseriousaggressiveattitude
while inside theyre scared to death of falling. Needless to say, they miss out on the real
practice. That kind of attitude backfires either the student gets hurt or runs out of willing
partners, because theyve injured everyone who works out with them. Thats not Judo. And
thatsnotart.
A good soldier, teaches the Tao is not violent. A good fighter is not angry. A good
winnerisnotvengeful.SkillinEasternartsisdivorcedfrompassion.Themoreskilledoneis,
thelesssubjecttooneistoemotions.Thisisknownasthevirtueofnotstriving...astheability
todealwithpeople.Thissinceancienttimeshasbeenknownastheultimateunitywithheaven
(chapter 68). We practice Judo to lose our egos, to conquer our pride, to overcome anger,
frustrationand vengefulness.Anything thatfeeds our emotions is contrary to practice. It isas
simpleasthat.
In addition, and I want to be very clear about this throwing without falling is bad for
masteringtheart.ItisnotrealJudo.Itmightprepareyoutobethebullyofthedojo,butitwont
prepareyoutobeasensiblemartialartist.Ithasalwaysbeencommonknowledgearoundthe
Kodokanthatthebestcompetitorstendtobelousyteachers.
Hereistheprobleminordertoperfectthrowingtechniques,youhavetofall...alot.The
more you fall from different throws, the more you appreciate what your partner goes through
whenyouthrowhimorher.Ifyouneverpracticebeingthrown,youhavenoappreciationforthe
dangers involved in falling. Therefore you wont know how to help your partner avoid injuries
whenyouarethrowinghimorher.Moreover,youllhavenosympathyforyourpartnerseffortto
avoidgettinghurtwhenbeingthrownbyyou.
Inmydojo,everythrowerisresponsibleforthewellbeingofthepersonbeingthrown.If
youcannotcontrolyourthrowsyouareaskedtoleave.Ifyoucannotguaranteethesafetyof
yourpartner,youarenotinchargeandifyouarenotinchargeyouarealiabilitytomydojo.I
havenointerestinkeepingyou.Thegoaloftheartistomakeyouamasterofcontrol.Throwing
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withoutfallingwillkeepyoufromachievingthatgoal.
For one thing, you wont learn how to control your throwing unless you suffer the
consequencesofbeingthrown.Whenyouarethrownyoubecomeawareofthewaysyoucan
controlyourpartnersfall.Fallingfromathrowhelpsyourealizewhatyoucandotomakefalling
easieronyourpartner.Whenyoustarttakingyourpartnerswellbeingintoconsideration,you
stopslammingpeopledownandyoustartyourjourneytowardbecomingatruemasterofthe
art.Thisis,infact,yourfirststeptowardbeingaresponsiblemartialartist.
Anotherproblemwiththrowingandnotfallingisthatwhenyouwrestletothrowsomeone
down, you are not developing the technical aspects of your technique. The tugging, shoving,
pushing,andgrabbingwillkeepyoudistracted.Intheendpeoplearefallingnotbecauseofyour
techniquesfinesseoreffectiveness.Theyfallbecauseyouaremusclingthemdown.Theydont
learn anything other thangetting resentful toward you, and you wont learnanything because
youretoobusywrestlingthem!
Whenyouwrestlewithapartner,youdonthaveachancetostudythedetailsofthethrow.
You can not understand its principles or figure out how it works. More importantly, when you
wrestlewithyourpartner,youmisstheopportunitytolearnhowtomakethethrowworkwithout
usingmuscle!Themoreyouwrestle,thelessyoulearn.ThisisnotthepathoftraditionalJudo,
anditiscertainlynottheonesuggestedbytheTao.
Several passages in the Tao suggest that right practice should focus on perfecting
techniques,notondefeatingonespartner.Inreallifeonegainsbylosingandlosesbygaining
(chapter42).Sometimesyoulearnmoreabouttheartwhenbeingthrownthanwhenthrowing.
Asyouarefalling,yourealizethedexterity,thedistancingandthetiminginvolvedinthethrow.
Itisareallearningexperience.So,yougetupreadytoputwhatyoulearnedintopractice.
Chapter 42 also warns that a violent person will die a violent death. Ive seen that
happen figuratively on the mat. Nobody likes to work with someone who has a chip on their
shoulder,someonewhohasnorespectforotherpeopleswellbeing.AviolentJudokawillend
upwithnoonetopracticewithalone.Whenotherpeoplenolongerwishtoworkoutwithyou,
for all intent and purposes you have died for the art. You slowly worked yourself out of the
picture.Whatisworse,thereisnoonetomournyourpassingeither.
TheTaoisveryclearaboutthewaypeopleshouldpursuetheart.Notexaltingthegifted
preventsquarreling.Notcollectingtreasurespreventsstealing(chapter3).Wherethereisno
fight: no blame (chapter 8). The more a dojo builds its practice around the gifts of a few
members, the more divisive the atmosphere becomes. There will be jealousy, envy, bad
mouthing.Peoplewillusewhatevertheycantogetthespotlightandeventuallytherewillbea
trailofinjuredplayers.Ifeelsorryforthem.Judohasobviouslyfailedthemterribly.Theywalk
awaywithlessthanwhattheybroughtinwhentheysignedupforclasses.
Judokashouldknowthedifferencebetweensparringandfighting.Whenpeoplefight,their
egos areona collision course. Theirpride is on the line. Theyget mean, vicious,and blood
thirsty.Thereislittleornothingsociallyredeemingaboutthat.Fightscreatealotofbadfeeling
andmayleadtoanunendingcycleofrevenge.
43
In sparring, people see each other as partners. They are supposed to be helping each
other master the techniques. They are both walking toward the same goal becoming black
belts.Anditisnotazerosumgame.Bothcanbecomeblackbelts.Onedoesnothavetoget
the black belt at the expense of the other. It is a mutually beneficial partnership both are
expectedtogrowintheart,bothareexpectedtobecomebetterpeople.
Thatiswhywhenpeoplespar,theirmentalattitudeisdifferentfromthatoffighters.When
martialartistsspar,theyengageinaprocessofsimultaneouseducation.Theygiveeachother
feedback.Theymayreplaysomethinguntilitisflawless.Theywillcorrecteachotherandbuild
on each others strengths and weaknesses. In that sense, practice partners are not fighting
each other. They are fighting their own limitations. The point is not to defeat your regular
workout partner. The point is to work with your partner to overcome your own limitations and
helpyourpartnerovercomehisorhers.
ThatiswhyinmydojoIinsistthatstudentsspendmoretimedoingsutegeiko(aformof
controlledpracticewhereonestudentthrowsandthenisthrowninexchange)thanrandori(free
practice,wherewhoeverismorefocusedthrowsasmanytimesasthatpersonisabletodoso).
Sute geikos controlled throwing and falling provides both partners with the best medium to
perfecttechniques.Theyseewhatworksandwhatdoesntinacontrolledsettingbeforetryingit
outinfreepractice.
There is a point to this process of mutual education. The goal is for both students to
become masters. Not masters of the art only, but masters of themselves. A brave and
passionate person says the Tao, will kill or be killed. A brave and calm person will always
preservelife.Ofthesetwowhichisgoodandwhichisharmful?Somethingsarenotfavoredby
heaven.Who knows why? (chapter 73). That kindofattention to detail andto otherpeoples
feelingsisonlyachievedinapracticewherepeoplearerelaxed,noncompetitiveandwillingto
keep working at it until they get it right. This, the Tao says, is called: following the light
(chapter27).
Ifyoucantcontrolyouremotions,especiallynegativeemotions,youwontbeabletothink
clearly in a dangerous situation. Not thinking youll be driven by animal instinct when under
attack. You will either fight with abandon on pure adrenalin or flee in pure terror with every
ounce of energy in your body. No one who enters a selfdefense situation like that can call
herselforhimselfamaster.Absolutecontrolrequiresabsolutedetachment.Ifyouremotionsare
doingthefightingyouarenolongerinthedriversseat.
...TheTaoofheavendoesnotstrive,andyetitovercomes.
Itdoesnotspeak,andyetitisanswered.
Itdoesnotask,yetitissuppliedwithallitsneeds.
Itseemsatease,andyetitfollowsaplan.
TaoTeChing,73.
When perfecting throwing, work on the techniques, not on defeating your partner. Make
sureyoucanperformthemevenwithoutadrenalin.Makesuretheyworkevenwhenyoudont
wrestle someone down. Keep them clean, timely, and to the point. Unless that is the goal of
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yourpractice,allyoullbedoingisbuildingyourego,notmasteringtheart.
Youcantdoboth.ThisgoesbacktotheSamuraiera.Samuraitrainingwasamatteroflife
and death. So much so, the training focused them on having absolute selfcontrol, emotional
detachment,andpeerlesstechnique:
The warriors instinct was not to be confused with animal instinct. Like a visceral
reaction, it came from a combination of wisdom and discipline. It was an ultimate
reasoning that went beyond reason, the ability to make the right move in a split
secondwithoutgoingthroughtheactualprocessofthinking.28
28
Eiji Yoshikawa, Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era. Tokyo: Kodansha
International.1981,page898.
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ChapterSix
WaterandWind
InthespiritoftheearlyKodokandays,theothertwoaspectsofKanosartgroundwork
andstrikingshouldbepracticedaswaterandwind.GroundworkfollowstheTaoistprincipleof
water: it is yielding andflowing in overcoming an attack. Strikingfollows the way ofthe wind.
Strikesshouldnotbeunleashedasasummerstorm.Theyshouldbeusedasacounter,aspart
of a blendingdefense in a real life situation. Unless practiced in such spirit,groundwork and
strikingbecomenomorethanstreetfighting.
KatameWaza:TheArtofFlowingWater
Groundwork is called Katame Waza in Judo. It is divided into Osaekomi Waza
(groundholds or pins), ShimeWaza (chokeholds or strangleholds) and KansetsuWaza (bone
locksorjointlocks).SomedojosrefertogroundworkasNeWaza,butthattermisusedmore
specificallytodescribethewaythetechniquesareperformedongroundfighting.KatameWaza
is more inclusive, since it also covers strangles and joint locks performed from a standing
position.
With theexceptionof groundholds, in traditionaldojos KatameWazatechniquesarenot
taughtuntilstudentshavereachedaseniorrank.Theartofholdingsomeonedownisnotas
dangerous, so instructors introduce it early onto beginners whoarepreparingfor theiryellow
beltexam.Theothertwoartsaretaughtmuchlater.
Inmyownryu,ShimeandKansetsuWazaarenotintroduceduntilJudokahavereached
green belt level. Even then, students are not allowed to use the techniques in free practice.
Giventhegreaterriskofseriousinjury,ShimeandKansetsuWazaarealwaysperformedunder
carefullycontrolledconditions.
AlthoughJudoispopularlythoughttobetheartofthrowing,theartsofholding,strangling
or applying jointlocks have also been intrinsic to its practice. Kano taught groundwork to
students from the very early days of the Kodokan. The techniques are very useful in a self
defensesituationinwhichthrowingisnotpossible.
When I think of groundwork, I think of water. Picture yourself in a swimming pool. You
immerseyourbodyintothewaterfeelingverylittleresistance.Thereisnopressure,nosenseof
binding.Theaddedsenseofbuoyancymakesyoufeellight.Yet,slowly,watersurroundsallof
you.Itconstrainsallpartsofyourbody,swirlingaroundeverytimeyoutrytomove.Itadapts
constantlytoyourmotion,givinginonlytobindyoufurther.Underwater,youhaveaverylimited
rangeofmotion,eveniffromyourpointofviewitdoesntfeelconstraining.
Now, suppose you need to get out of the pool quickly: someones on the phone or
somebody stopped byfor a visitWhen you try to walk or move your arms you realize how
bound you are. Your motion is heavy, constrained by the weight of the water around you. It
takesalotofefforttopushwateraround.Ifyoupushforward,waterrushesinfrontofyou,past
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youandaroundyourback.Trymovingalittlefasterandtheweightseemstoincrease.Alittle
fasterandyouresoonexhausted.Thewatertakesinyourenergyandgivesbackjustenough
tokeepyouheavyladen.Itisanongoingwearingdownprocess.
Waterneverseemstostrive,saytheTaoists,itflowsasitbinds.Thesoftestthinginthe
universecanovercomethehardestthing.Thatwithoutsubstancecanenterwherethereisno
room(chapter43).Itisthisabilitytobewithoutsubstance,tobindwithoutputtingunnecessary
pressure on the attacker, which is at the heart of groundwork. When students perfect such
ability,theycanenterwherethereisnoroom.Theirbindingrequiresverylittleeffort.
Of course, the idea of groundwork being like water is very alien to competitionoriented
Judoka. Traditional and sports Judo have very different approaches to groundwork. What I
describe above is the traditional view. In sports Judo, groundwork is practiced for a single
purpose: victory in competition.So, sports Judokause groundwork inavery specialized, very
narrowlydefined way. In traditional Judo, groundwork is another means of selfdefense. Its
practicefollowsabroaderorientationthanthatofsportsJudo.
IntraditionalJudo,groundworktechniquesarepracticedaswaystoescapeorneutralize
anaggressorwhileontheground.Selfdefensedrillsareusedregularlytoteachgroundwork.
Groundwork combines with joint locks, chokes, throwing and striking techniques to give
traditionalJudokaawidearrayofdefensiveoptionsinthecaseofareallifeattack.
Heres the difference between the traditional Judo and sports Judo approaches to
groundwork: In sports Judo groundholds are used to finish a match. Lets say you threw an
opponentbutitwasntafullthrow,soyoudidnotgetafullpoint(ippon).Yougrabontoyour
opponent and use a groundhold to keep the persons back on the mat. The referee yells
osaekomi(he/shesimmobilized)tosignalthetableofficialstokeeptime.Nowyouropponent
has25secondstoescape.Iftheescapedoesnthappen,youwinthematch.
So, groundholds in sports Judo are very similar to pins in wrestling. People push and
shove and struggle a lot. The personapplyingthe groundhold holdsonfor dear life, trying to
keeptheopponentimmobilized.Thepersontakingthegroundholdispushingup,rollingaround,
tryingtosqueezeoutofitinwhateverwaypossiblebeforethe25secondsareover.
This sort of practice gives sports Judoka a very simplistic view of the art. They get the
impressionthatonceyouputonagroundholdyoushouldstickwithitforgoodandusealotof
muscletokeepyouropponentdown.Thatisnotveryrealisticinarealselfdefensesituation.
Insteadofstrugglingtoholdontoapinnedopponent,traditionalJudokaareencouraged
tomovefromonegroundholdtothenextastheopponentshifts,pullsortriestoescape.29 The
29
Wedohaveanadvantagehere,becausetherearesevengroundholdsinsportsJudo
andtwelve(sometimesmore)intraditionalJudo.ThesevenofficialgroundholdsinsportsJudo
listedbytheKodokanare:honkesagatame(thescarfhold),kuzurekesagatame(variationof
thescarfhold),katagatame(theshoulderhold),kamishihogatame(thetopfourcornerhold),
kuzurekamishihogatame(variationofthetopfourcornerhold),yokoshihogatame(theside
lockingfourcornerhold)andtateshihogatame(thestraightlockingfourcornerhold).Weadd
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firstgroundholdisjustapointofentry.Itdoesntmatterwhichgroundholdyouuseorforhow
longonceyoupinsomeonedown,Everytimeyouropponentmoves,thereisanopeningtouse
somethingelse.Muchlikewater,youadaptthetechniquetoyouropponentsmotion.
For instance, if yourattacker is trying toget outof kesagatame (scarfhold)bypushing
yourrightarmup,letgoofthatarmandtwistaroundintokamishihogatame(atopfourcorner
hold). Now the attacker is facing your two arms down his/her sides instead of just one arm
aroundtheneck.Shouldthepersonstruggleanyfurther,quicklymoveontotheopponentsleft
side with a yoko shiho gatame (the side locking fourcorner hold). If the struggle continues,
straddle across your attackers waist into tate shiho gatame (the straight locking fourcorner
hold). More struggle? Switch back to the original scarf hold. You can keep this on for a long
time.
Theideahere,ofcourse,isthatinreallifethereisnorefereetostopthematchafter25
seconds.Soyoumayhavetokeepsomeonepinnedfor15minutes,halfanhourormorebefore
helparrives.Ifyoutrytokeeptheattackerdownwithasinglegroundholdforthatlongyouwill
exhaustyourselfandmorethanlikelyyourattackerwillescape.
No one can hold someone downthat long in a singlegroundhold. However, if youkeep
switching from one groundhold to the next, your opponent will be the one spending all the
energy.Muchlikewater,youwillbesurroundingyouropponent,bindingthepersonseffortsjust
enoughtowearhimorherout.
This is another difference between sports Judo and traditional Judo. In traditional Judo
groundholdsareneverappliedtootightly,sinceitisassumedthateventuallyyoullmoveonto
another technique. Rather than fighting hard to keep a single groundhold on, a traditional
Judokawillextendkidownward,applyingonlyenoughpressuretokeepsomeonefromgetting
up.
Fromtheattackerspointofview,thereisapparentlyroomtostruggleandgetfree(just
like water).But that roomdisappears very quickly anytimetheattacker moves,because you
apply a different technique to match the motion.What seemed to be a slack space becomes
tightandlimiting.ThisiswhattheTaomeanswhenitsaysthat(chapter78),
Underheavennothingissofterandyieldingthanwater.
Yetforattackingthesolidandstrong,nothingisbetter
Ithasnoequal.
Theweakovercomesthestrong
Thesuppleovercomesthestiff.
Underheaveneveryoneknowsthis,
Yetnooneputsitintopractice
`
atleastanotherfivegroundholdstothelistintraditionalJudo:makurakesagatame(thepillow
scarf hold), ushiro kesa gatame (the rear scarf hold), mune gatame (the chest hold), kuzure
yokoshihogatame(variationofthesidelockingfourcornerhold),andkuzuretateshihogatame
(variationofthestraightlockingfourcornerhold).
48
TheArtofHolding(OsaekomiWaza)
The order of groundholds is structured to make it easy for students to move around an
attackersbody.Inmyryu,studentslearntwogroundholdsperbelt.Theyaretaughtkesaand
kuzure kesa gatame for the yellow belt rank, kata and makura kesa gatame for orange belt,
ushirokesaandmunegatameforgreenbelt,yokoshihoandkuzureyokoshihogatameforblue
belt,kamishihoandkuzurekamishihogatameforbrownbelt,andtateshihoandkuzuretate
shihogatameforblackbelt.
For those of you who are Judoka already, it will be easy to notice that practicing the
groundholdsinthatorderallowstheJudokatostartbypinningtheattackeronhis/herrightside,
movearoundtheattackersheadandnecktowardthepersonsleftshoulder,thenovertothe
opponentsupperbody,endingbystraddlingacrosstheattackerswaist,controllingthepersons
entirebody.Thecirclingcanbestartedagain,bysimplyshiftingbacktothefirstgroundhold.
To help students understand this process of transitioning from technique to technique,
groundholdtechniquesaretaughtingradualsteps.Studentsarefirstshownthetechniquesina
staticposition,withnostruggleontheattackerspart.Atthispoint,theyworkonthefinerpoints
ofthegroundhold,makingsurethetechnicalaspectsareperfectedinapreciseway.Theywork
on extending ki downward, gripping and distributing their weight according to the attackers
movementonthemat.
Once they master at least four groundholds, students begin to practice them in a serial
mode.Theymovefromkesatokuzurekesatokatatomakurakesagatame.Theyaretaught
howtotransitionfromoneholdtothenextwithoutlosingtheirgripontheattacker.Atthispoint
theopponentisstillnotstruggling.
After the students are comfortable with switching from technique to technique in a
technicallycorrectmanner,theSenseiinstructstheirpartnerstomovearoundandresistthem
astheytrytoswitchgroundholds.Themorecomfortablestudentsbecomethegreaterstruggle
theSenseiallowstheirpartners.Bythetimestudentsareblackbelttheycanswitcharoundall
twelve groundholds despite their attackers best efforts to get free. Students are also
encouragedtopracticegroundholdsbothfromarightandaleftstance,tohaveawiderarrayof
options.
The important thing to remember when using holds is that you must be able to react
quickly to your partner's attempt to escape. Like water, you must adapt to your opponents
motion. Timing and distancingarekey:an inch too close or toofar willgive yourattacker the
upperhand.Alsoyoullfindwhenyoustartpracticinggroundworkthatitdoesnttakelongtoget
tired. Ground fighting takes a greater toll on your breathing than standing techniques. If you
tenseupandbreathequicklyyouwillbeasexhaustedasyourattackerinaveryshortperiodof
time.
TheArtofChoking:ShimeWaza
IntraditionalJudo,chokingisusedincombinationwithgroundholds.Sincegroundworkis
apartofaJudokasselfdefensetraining,theJudokamustbepreparedtomoveonfromahold
49
toachokeincasetheopponentistoostrongortooangrytobecalmeddownwithaholding
technique.
Chokes should be performed carefully, since they are lethal. My students are taught to
monitor their partners reactions very carefully and to release their grip quickly if the partner
losesconsciousness.Shouldtheycontinuethechokealittlelongertheremightbepermanent
damage to the partners brain or even death. The practice of chokes should never be done
lightly.
Chokes require expert control on the part of the performer. This is one aspect of Judo
wherethestudenthastobefullyincontrolandbeverycompetent,sincethereislittleroomfor
error. Your partner is willing to put hisorher life in yourhands when practicingShimeWaza.
That is why Dr. Kano insisted that his senior students learned the art of resuscitation (Kapo)
beforetheywereallowedtopracticechoking.Atanysignoftheirpartnerlosingconsciousness,
studentsweretoldtoletgoofthechokeimmediatelyandstartusingkaporightaway.
Judo chokes come in three sets. There are frontal chokes, back chokes and grappling
chokes.Frontalchokesaretheeasiesttoapply.Theyaretaughttogreenorbluebeltstudents.
Back chokes are the intermediate part of the art. They are introduced around the brown belt
rank.Finally,grapplingchokesarethemostadvanced,requiringgreaterskillincontrollingones
bodyalongwiththeopponents.Inmyryu,studentsarestillworkingongrapplingchokeswhen
theytaketheirNidanandSandanblackbelttests
.
Therearethreefrontalchokes:namijujijime(thenormalcrosslock),gyakujujijime(the
reversecrosslock)andkatajujijime(thehalfcrosslock).InfrontalchokestheJudokaistrying
tostopthebloodflowtoanopponentsbrainbyapplyingcontrolledpressureonbothsidesof
theopponentsneck.Noticethepressureislateral,notfrontal.
ThesetisknownasfrontalbecausetheJudokaisfacingtheopponentwhenapplyingthe
choke.Ifyoupressurethefrontofsomeonesneckyoumaybreakthepersonswindpipe.Itis
almost impossible to calculate the right amount of pressure needed for an effective frontal
attack. A lateral attack is easier to control because the opponent will continue to breathe
partiallyevenasheorsheispassingout.
Therearealsothreebackchokes:hadakajime(thenakedlock),okurierijime(thesliding
collar lock)and kata ha jime (the single wing lock). Herethe Judokaapproaches the attacker
fromthesideandback.LateralpressureisappliedwiththeJudokasforearmpushingagainst
thesideoftheopponentsneck.Thechokeiscompletedbypullingtheopponentbackwardand
down.Theopponentsreactiontimeismorelimitedsinceunlikethepreviousset,inthissetthe
Judokausesbotharmstoapplythetechnique.
Grappling chokes are the most complex because they assume the Judoka missed the
chance to apply a frontal or back choke technique and is now wrestling the opponent on the
ground.Asarmsandlegsgetentangledtheyareusedaspartofthechokingstrategy.Theset
hasfivetechniques:katatejime(thesinglehandchoke),ryotejime(thetwohandchoke),sode
gurumajime(thesleevewheelchoke),tsukkomijime(thethrustchoke)andsankakujime(the
triangularchoke).Allfiveassumetheuseofcollar,handandforearm(sometimesaidedbythe
helpoftheJudokaslegs)tocreatethechoke.
50
IntraditionalJudochokesaretaughtinstructureddrills.Forthesakeofsafety,students
are taught first in a static position, with no struggle by the partner. Students focus on the
technical aspects of the choke, making sure they are able to control the amount of pressure
neededtoexecutethetechnique.
Oncestudentsareconfidentintheirabilitytochoke,weintroduceselfdefensesituations
wherechokesareusedbythemselvesorincombinationwithothertechniques.Slowlystudents
realize that their art offers a very eclectic array of selfdefense possibilities. When you put
throwing, pinning, choking, doing a joint lock, and striking together, you createa very flexible
approachtoselfdefense.
TheArtofBendingJoints(KansetsuWaza)
MuchlikeShimeWaza,theartofbendingandtwistingjointsshouldnotbetakenlightly.It
isnotusedinfreepractice(randori)exceptbyseniorblackbeltJudoka,withspecialpermission
from the Sensei. KansetsuWazatechniques are taughtfor self defense andshould be used
onlywhentheresnootherwayoutofatoughsituation.
KansetsuWazaisalwayspracticedunderqualifiedsupervision.Sincethetechniquescan
dislocateandbreakbones,studentsareadvisedtomonitortheirpartner'sreactioncarefullyas
theyapplythelocks.
There are three sets of locks in Kansetsu Waza: side locks, back locks and grappling
locks.Sidelocksarethefirstonesintroducedtostudents,usuallyaroundthegreenorbluebelt
level. Back locks form the intermediate part of the art and are shown to brown belt students.
Grappling locks are the most complex, requiring greater dexterity on the part of the Judoka.
Theyarereservedforstudentswhohavereachedtheblackbeltlevel,andsometimesarenot
taughtuntilstudentsreachtheranksofNidanorSandan.
There are three side locks: ude garami (the entangled arm lock), juji gatame (the cross
arm lock) and ude gatame (the arm lock). All three are usually applied to one side of the
attacker with the Judoka pressuring the attackers opposite shoulder. Juji gatame is the
exceptionhere,sinceitisappliedtotheopponentsshoulderclosesttotheJudoka.Allrelyon
pressureontheattackerswristandelbow,thepressurebuildingastheattackersarmisfurther
twisted.
Therearethreebacklocksalso:wakigatame(thearmpitlock),haragatame(thestomach
arm lock) and te gatame (the hand arm lock). Here the Judoka uses his own side as a prop
against whichto twist the opponents arm.Pressure is applied more exclusivelytothe elbow,
withthegriponthewristusedtoanchorthetechnique.Anotherdifferencebetweenthissetand
theearlieroneisthatthelasttwotechniquesofthisset,haragatameandtegatame,combine
bothalockandachoke.
ThegrapplinglocksetassumesthattheJudokamissedtheopportunitytouseeasierlocks
andisnowgrapplingonthegroundwithamoreskilledopponent.So,theselocksemploythe
Judokasarmsandlegs,sometimestheentirebody,tobefullyeffective.Thesetismadeupof
threetechniques:hizagatame(thekneearmlock),ashigatame(thelegarmlock),andsankaku
51
gatame(thetriangularlock).Inthisset,thelasttechniquecombinesalockandachoke,with
bothbeingdonebytheJudokaslegs.
SimilartoShimeWaza,locktechniquescanbeperformedfromastandingpositionorin
ground fighting. Locks are very effective forms of selfdefense against knives, sticks or even
handguns.Iusuallyrecommendthatmystudentsuselocksasatransitionfromagroundholdto
achoke.Ifitistoodifficulttokeepanattackerpinnedbecausethepersonisunusuallystrong,
youmayswitchtoajointlockinhopesthepainwillkeepthepersonundercontrol.Shouldthat
fail,switchfromthelocktothechoketoneutralizetheaggressorbyinducingunconsciousness.
LocksintraditionalJudoaretaughtalsoinhighlystructureddrills.Forthesakeofsafety
they are shown in a static condition, with no struggle on the part of the Judokas partner.
Students are encouraged tofocus on the technical aspectsof the lock, making sure theyare
abletocontrolthepressureneededforthetechnique.Asstudentscompetenceincreases,we
introduce selfdefense situations in which the locks are employed by themselves or in
combinationwiththrowingtechniques,groundholds,chokesorstrikes.
AtemiWaza:FightingliketheWind
Unlike Karate or Tae Kwon Do, in Judo strikes are not central to the art. Striking is
auxiliary,somethingusedincombinationwithathrow,agroundholdoralock.Itspurposeisto
stun the opponent long enough to add another technique as one neutralizes an attack. Judo
strikes are not based on muscular strength or the hardening of ones hands or knuckles or
elbows. Rather, Judo strikes aim at vital spots. It is not theforce of thestrike,but whereand
howitlandsthatmakesthedifference.
The reason I associate striking with the wind is because in Taoism the wind is never
permanent,neversufficientforaccomplishingthetask.Windsmayhavethestrengthofastorm,
butstormsarenotlonglasting(Highwindsdonotlastallmorning.Heavyraindoesnotlastall
day,chapter23).
So,foraJudokatoengageinafistfightistoinvitetrouble.Theoutcomesoffistfightsare
hardtocontrol.Furthermore,theytendtoexacerbatenegativeemotionsanduseupawholelot
more of the bodys natural energy. If too much energy is used, says the Tao exhaustion
follows(chapter55).Greatuseofforceisalwaysfollowedbylossofstrength(chapter30).
So, striking on an ongoing basis depletes the body. It requires a greater amount of
muscularstrengthandlotsofconditioningtobeadequatelydone.Thatisnotthetraditionalway
inJudo.Ourstrikesaresmall,wellplaced,andemployedsparingly.Thereactionofaspectator
toaJudostrikewouldbesimilartothedescriptioninchapter14oftheTao,look,itcannotbe
seenitisbeyondform.Listen,itcannotbehearditisbeyondsound.Grasp,itcannotbe
helditisintangible.
Judostrikesarequickanddonefromthehara,fromonescenterofstrength.Whethera
punchorahandknifeoranelbowstrike,thepowercomesfromtheabdomen.Theenergyis
flexibleandflowing until the instantof contact. Once the blow is delivered, theenergy isfluid
again. Needless to say, effective delivery depends a great deal on breath control, distancing
52
andtiming.
Strikes are divided intoupper and lower limb (ude ate and ashi ate). Upper limb strikes
includefinger(yubisakiate),knifehand(tegatanaate),fist(kobushiate)andelbowstrikes(hiji
ate).Lowerlimbstrikesincludeknee(hizagashiraate),balloffoot(sekitoate)andheelstrikes
(kakatoate). The techniques includefingertips,fists (striking indirector invertedblows, using
thebackoffingers or knuckles),handedges (slantingor downward cuts),elbows, kneesand
feet.
The aim of striking is to deliver a stunning blow to the right place. The human body
containsmanyvitalspots.Seniorstudentsarequitefamiliarwiththem.Amongtheheadpoints
studiedbystudentsarethetendo(areaslightlyabovetheforehead),theuto(thenasionpoint,
in the middle of the forehead, between the eyes), the kasumi (the temples), the jinchu (spot
directlyunderthenose),andthekachikake(chin).
Body points include the suigetsu (the lower part of the solar plexus), the getsuei/denko
(thehypochondrium,areatotheleftorrightofthestomach)themyojo(areabetweenthenavel
andthegenitals),thetsurigane(genitalarea),andtheshitsu(kneecaparea).
Strikes are used as stunning techniques, always followed up by a throw or as finishing
techniques,employedafterthecompletionofathrow.Insuchinstances,thefist,hand,elbow,
orfootarepulledbackoncetheblowisdelivered.Remember,however,thatstrikesareused
sparinglyinJudo.Heavywindsdonotlastallmorning.Theideaistoemploythemwisely.
Judoistrainingforlife.Notonlydoesitgenerateselfconfidence,ithelpswithelementsof
selfcontrol such as patience, controlled temper, and understanding others. The spirit of
traditional Judo canbesaid tobe the art offighting withoutfighting.Sensei McCarthy always
stressedthepeacefulsettlementofanydisagreementordispute.Forhimtheartsdescribedin
thissectionwereofnouseifapeacefulsettlementwasachieved.Andthatisultimatelythereal
mastersgoal:toavoidunnecessarypainorinjury.
53
Conclusion
TheTaoisForeverUndefined30
Asyoucansee,thisisnotabookaboutwinningtournaments.Itdoesnotprepareyoufor
the next Olympics. When I decided to write this book I intentionally chose not to include
anythingthatmightgivetheimpressionIwasmarketingJudoasanathleticpursuit.Notice,for
instance,thattherearenophotosorillustrationsofJudotechniques.
Inmyopinion,ifyouwanttolearntheart,dontlearnitfromabook.Findtherightmaster
andsignupforclasses.Youshouldreadaboutthearttolearnmoreofitshistory,philosophy
andtechnicalaspects.ButyoushouldletyourSenseitransmitthemartialskillsandprinciples
youneedtomasterit.
Afterdecidingtolearnamartialart,doeverythingpossibletopreservetheintegrityofits
transmission.WalkthepathwithyourSensei,watchthewayyourSenseimodelsthepractice
for you. Pay attention to the teaching oftechniques,but pay even closerattention to the way
yourSenseipracticestheart.WhatisimportantinyourSenseispractice?Whatistheproper
demeanor for followers of the art? How does your Sensei live the art in real life? Does the
Sensei practice the art both on the mat and off? Does the practice foster the cultivation of
martialvirtues?
Forsimilarreasons,IdidnotincludealistofpreviousJudoworldorOlympicchampionsin
thisbook.ManyJudobookslistfamouscompetitorswithabriefbionexttoeachname.WhileI
honortheeffortsofJudoathleteswhohaveachievedgloryinthesport,mygoalisnottoidolize
theart.
YoushouldntgointoJudobecauseyourethinkingaboutcollectingmedalsandtrophies.
Youshouldntuseitforfameandfortune.Youcan,ofcourse,dothat.Butitwouldnotbethe
kindofpracticeIdescribeinthisbook.Thoseofus,whodoJudoforlife,doitforthesakeof
whatwelearn,forthewayittransformsus.Judohasshapedmylifesodeeplythatthisbookis
mywayofgivingthankstotheart.
Thisbookisreallyaboutthespiritofthepractice,notthetechnicaldetails.Thatiswhyitis
applicabletoothermartialarts.Ifocusontheaspectsofthepracticethattendtobeinvisibleor
taken for granted by students. When students sign up for a martial art, they come into the
practicewithaneyeonthetechniques.Theyassumeeverythingelsethatgoesoninthedojois
justbackgroundnoise.
Butitisnt.Whenyoupracticeamartialartasalifejourney,everythingcounts.Everything
teachesyouimportantlessonsaboutlifeandthenatureofthings.InthesepagesItriedtoshare
withyousomeofwhattendstobeinvisibleorunnoticed.Myhopeisthatitwillhelpyoubecome
moresensitivetowhatsgoingoninyourdojo.
30
54
Anotherreasonforwritingthisbookwasmydesiretoinvitemartialartscirclestoconsider
thewayofthemonk.Ivealwayswantedtoseethewayofthemonkbeingmorediscussedin
thosecircles.Weallhavelearnedsomuchfromthewayofthewarrior.Ithascertainlymadeits
mark on the teaching of contemporary martial arts. But I believe theres much more to be
learnedfromtheothersourceofancientmartialartspractice.
Monks teach us toblendart with life, ina concentrated practice that isfree of necessity
andyetpurposeful.ThatiswhyItaketimetoexplainhowthejourneybeganinancientAsia,to
reviewhowtheartsaredeeplyconnectedwithTaoism,andtosuggestthatthewayofthemonk
mayhelpusconnectwhatwedointhedojowithwhatwedoineverydaylife.Icannotimagine
practicingJudoanyotherway.Thiswasthewayofmymastersandithasbecomemyway.
In closing I share a chapter from the Tao Te Ching that has been influential in my own
practiceandlife.ItspeakstothekindoflivingthatIvealwaysdesired.Itisnoteasytowalkthe
path,butitisalwaysrewarding.Mayyourpathbringyoujustasmuchfulfillment.
IhavethreetreasuresthatIholdandkeep.
Thefirstismercythesecondiseconomy
Thethirdisdaringnotbeaheadofothers.
Frommercycomescouragefromeconomycomesgenerosity
Fromhumilitycomesleadership.
Nowadayspeopleshunmercy,buttrytobebrave
Theyabandoneconomy,buttrytobegenerous
Theydonotbelieveinhumility,butalwaystrytobefirst.
Thisiscertaindeath.
Mercybringsvictoryinbattle
andstrengthindefense.
Itisthemeansbywhichheavensavesandguards.
(chapter67)
55

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