Combat Hapkido Training

For the past few weeks I have been working off and on with my Combat Hapkido DVD's.  Watching from the beginning, going through my notes and re-familiarizing myself with all the earlier techniques.  I will be training in Mooresville next weekend at Flagg's Personal Defense Club. Mr. Handy and I are close to testing for our 2nd degree black belts.  We have a seminar in August up in Southern Pines so maybe we will be ready to test by then.  Looking forward to getting this one done and moving on to the next level.  Hoping to start a charter in the Charlotte/Matthews area in the next year or two.

This is a great martial art! Self Defense oriented, no kata or traditional drills just working strictly on self defense techniques each time we train.  Sensei Flagg offers additional tid bits with his diverse background in Judo and Jujitsu as well.  Overall a great learning experience for those who want to learn self defense.



Peace

JD

KI Energy

Ai - Ki - Do

One translation is: The way of combining energy.

You can use many words to replace energy but it is the Ki in Aikido.  So many people ask just what is Ki? You may get many different answers, depending on who you talk to and from what culture they stem but here's a definition I have come to understand.

Consider life in any living creature.

In humans you might think of is as the breath of life or even the life spirit. It is the energy  or power that flows through our bodies that makes us living creatures.  Think of the breath in your lungs, the blood that pumps through your body as the heart beats.  The electric burst of power that happens when the synapsis in your brain fire billions of times per second.  This is all part of the Ki energy that flows through us all.  Where does it come from?  Another important question that you may find many different responses to.  Some say God, others say the earth or the wind or the universe.  No matter where it originates we all live thanks to the Ki energy in our bodies.

Ki, as I know it from the Japanese martial art of Aikido and the Korean martial art of Hapkido is also known in many different cultures as Qi, Chi, Gi, Ghi, X, and many more.  So many differing ways to spell the same thing, yet they all recognize it as being some kind of energy.

Now let's look at the role of Ki energy in martial arts and in Aikido specifically.  As Akidoka, we learn to channel this energy into our techniques by focusing our power into our center.  This is where the human body is the strongest.  Our center of gravity can be found in the middle of our bodies, to be more specific it is the a place in our abdomen just above the groin and below the navel. When performing a technique such as kote-gaeshi or a wrist lock, you focus your power in your center when you turn uke's wrist.

Further more in 99% of all Aikido techniques you will focus your power here in your center. This makes you stronger than your opponent in most cases or allows a much weaker opponent to break the balance of a stronger one.  

Consider this, when a person tries to hold you by grabbing your wrist with both hands they can pull you and control you if you are off balance.  Yet, if you find your center of gravity and use the strength of your body and not just the pulling motion of the one grabbed arm you can break away from the hold or break the balance of the attacker and then use a technique to breakaway, pin or throw.

There are some schools that take the spiritual approach to defining Ki and even some who try to teach it as a supernatural force with mystical origins.  This is fine and I say to each his own but remember we all have Ki but it takes training and practice to focus that energy and use it properly when it comes to martial arts.

Peace

JD

Aikido and Self Defense

Aikido gets a bad rap it seems from many folks.  I learned today that a martial artist that I have worked with for years in Combat Hapkido, thinks that the Tomiki style Aikido I have studied for over 7 years now is only Kata and sport.  I have to assume many other martial artists out there are under the same false impression.

The truth is that Tomiki Aikido does have many Kata forms but the dojo where I train does not teach Tanto Randori which is the sport aspect of Aikido.  We focus on some of the original Kata like the 15 and 17 basics as well as the Dai Ni and Dai San among other drills.

We also take time to do free style which is where we can use the techniques in a very fluid situation that simulate a real attack.  We attack from real grabs and punches as one would expect on the street.  Using the basic principles of breaking balance, focusing our Ki energy into our center, using circular motion to break the balance and perform take downs and throws we are able to make techniques work very effectively.

More on this later...

John Pellegrini’s Combat Hapkido Invades U.S. Military Training

Posted By Patrick Sternkopf On March 20, 2011

In 2004 John Pellegrini was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year. Since then, it’s been tough to get in touch with him because his art, combat hapkido, has become one of the most sought-after systems in the world. That means the master is in demand from New York to California, from Afghanistan to Colombia. In this exclusive interview, John Pellegrini talks about the special aspects of his art that make it work so well for military personnel and law-enforcement officers.
Black Belt: Why is combat hapkido so appealing to the military when many traditional martial arts are not?
John Pellegrini: The word “traditional” probably answers the question. In traditional arts, a lot of attention is paid to posture, stance and movement. Everything is done in a way that reflects the traditions and essence of that art. Remember that all martial arts were designed for the battlefield, but it was the battlefield of 300, 500 or 1,000 years ago. There were different weapons and different rules of engagement.

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Since then, warfare has evolved, and the martial arts that accompany the warrior also must evolve to reflect the new terrain, missions, weapons, tactics, strategies and rules of engagement. So we have to evolve, too. In combat hapkido, we’ve stripped away a lot of the traditional trappings—such as the classical stances and positions. We’ve [kept] the core of the art because basically a joint lock is a joint lock; nobody’s going to reinvent it. We’ve stripped it down to emphasize close-quarters conflicts for modern battlefield environments, and we take into account that when [a soldier] strikes, joint-locks or takes somebody down, he’s going to have equipment on.
Black Belt: Is there a lot of individual combat on the battlefield today?
John Pellegrini: There’s still individual combat. However, the advantage soldiers have is that they’re rarely alone. They’re operating in groups. If someone comes out of a house and attacks you with a knife, there are other soldiers to cover, protect and help you. But what if you’re in a group of three out patrolling, and the other two get shot or step on a mine? Now you’re alone. That happens a lot in house clearing—there may be two or three soldiers, and one of them goes down and then a couple of people come out of the house. That’s when the close-quarters fighting begins.
Black Belt: What role does an empty-hand martial art play when so many guns are present?
John Pellegrini: People think that soldiers engage the enemy only with their weapons—that every time something happens, the soldier just fires his M-16 and solves the problem. Many times he does, but the mission of the Army nowadays has changed. They do a lot in an urban environment. It’s started to resemble law-enforcement functions. They walk down the street, patrolling open-air markets, or they go into houses to confiscate weapons. Yes, the weapon is the primary defense, but sometimes you’re at close quarters and the person comes from behind or gets right in your face, and it’s very difficult to use the weapon.
There’s a second problem: You want to use your weapon, but there are women and children around. You have to be careful because of the bad public relations that can be generated for the United States. You have to have some hand-to-hand skills.
I’m not saying that every soldier in the U.S. Army must become a black belt. All I’m saying is that they should get a minimum amount of skill. Take a course in combatives that gives you a few kicks, strikes, controlling techniques and pressure-point techniques so you can take somebody down without the use of your weapon.
Black Belt: What should that “minimum amount of skill” include?
John Pellegrini: I would like to see every troop learn at least a simplified version of what we do. We don’t kick to the head; we don’t jump and spin; we don’t do anything with big, wide circles. Everything is synthesized with a core of techniques that give them a fighting chance when they’re in close quarters.
Black Belt: Which hand-to-hand combat techniques do you focus on for the military?
John Pellegrini: The most important use for the hands is to make sure the attacker doesn’t grab your weapon. The second most important use is close-quarters blade defense. Somebody approaches you, maybe to ask for food or information—or maybe you’re interviewing the person—and all of a sudden he pulls out a knife. That’s why you need trapping techniques, basically redirecting the attack and immediately closing the gap and taking control of him. We teach a combination of techniques, like low-line kicking, strikes with the hands and joint-locking with the possible application of pressure points. That obviously doesn’t work all the time, depending on the clothing and other factors.
We always encourage striking to the head because it contains the computer of the human body. You want to rattle and stun the computer and take away the vision of the attacker so he can’t see what’s going on. Then you can take him down easily.
Black Belt: What if the other person is wearing a helmet or body armor?
John Pellegrini: The people I taught in Afghanistan [said they] seldom encounter that. Even if the bad guys wear a helmet, their eyes and trachea are still available. You can target the face.
Now, our people wear helmets all the time, and we encourage them to use them as weapons. Head-butting has a whole new meaning when you’re wearing a helmet. Our people also wear Kevlar body armor, but it covers them only up to a point. Their arms are still open, and they contain serious arteries, so they can still get slashed. The neck is somewhat covered, but it’s also open in places. The femoral artery is open, the groin is open—it’s not a complete set of armor like medieval knights wore.
That brings up another point: A lot of military combatives courses are 90-percent ground survival. I’m appalled that some units learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu and are encouraged to fight on the ground. When you look at their training on base, they’re wearing shorts, gym shoes and T-shirts while they roll around and do ankle locks and armbars—and that’s beautiful. But do that on rocky terrain in Afghanistan with the soldier wearing 65 pounds of equipment, and it’s insane.
Do we teach ground survival to the troops? Absolutely. As a matter of fact, several months ago, the 10th Mountain Division sent six of their team leaders here to Phoenix to spend a week with us and get certified as military ground-survival instructors. [They know they] can be pushed to the ground, fall or lose their balance, and if the guy gets on top of them with a knife, there could be a close-quarters struggle. But the idea is to immediately dislodge the person and recover the dominant standing position. It’s not about grappling and rolling on the ground.
Black Belt: What kind of grappling techniques are effective in those situations?
John Pellegrini: If you’re on the ground, you need to immediately strike hard. The head is the main target. Take out the eyes, the breathing apparatus, the throat, the nerve groups. Try to stun the person long enough, or hurt him as much as possible, so you can get up. If you find yourself on the ground, hopefully a couple of buddies will come to your aid, deploy their weapons and grab the person.
Black Belt: Are there techniques you teach for disengaging from someone who may have jumped you from behind or surprised you from a doorway?
John Pellegrini: Yes, they’re mostly sweeps and takedowns using what we call the balance-disruption system, [which is characterized by] taking away their balance, trapping their feet or doing some low-line sweeping. If they come from behind, you can do a hip throw, but it’s not a high throw like you’d see in a tournament.
It’s not that easy to attack soldiers from behind because of what they carry on their backs. So if somebody comes from behind and tries to bear-hug or choke a soldier, there’s a big backpack between the soldier and the attacker. It’s not necessarily a smart move.
Black Belt: Do you teach kicks? Are they restricted to low targets?
John Pellegrini: We teach kicks to the groin—if it’s available at close quarters, you can employ your knee, shinbone or boot. But mostly we do kicks to targets that are even lower. There are several pressure points on the legs and in other areas that can instantly drop an attacker.
We teach only four kicks to the military: the front kick, the side kick, the low-line roundhouse kick to the side of the leg and the scoop kick, which is used when you’re almost in a grappling situation and need to use the inside blade of your boot to rake the shin. With those four, you should be able to take care of any situation.
Obviously, there are a couple of reasons we use only a few kicks and only extremely low-line. One of them is that 65 pounds of equipment. How long do you want to be off-balance on one leg? If you’re already in a clinch, the longer you stay on one leg, the sooner you’ll wind up on the ground.
Our kicks are low-line, fast and directly to the leg area. The bad guys don’t wear armor on their legs. If you give them a hard kick to the leg, you can drop them.
This is not taekwondo or even regular hapkido. The average soldier doesn’t have much flexibility or do stretching exercises every day like you do in the dojang. It’s insane to expect them to kick to the chest or face. The risk of having their leg grabbed and being taken down [is too great].
Black Belt: How do you handle knife and gun defense?
John Pellegrini: Law-enforcement officers often ask us why they need to learn to take away a knife or handgun when they’re already armed and in a deadly-force situation, which means they can shoot the bad guy. The problem is, sometimes you’re in such close quarters and the person manages to close the gap and put a gun to your head. Understand that when the bad guy gets the gun, if he wants to kill you, he’ll pull the trigger. When he points a gun at your face, it means he wants to capture you.
It’s a different environment for a soldier than it is for a civilian or law-enforcement officer. If you’re at close quarters and the person’s got a gun pointed at your face, you’d be insane to try to deploy your weapon. But you can employ your hands from a surrender posture and disarm him.
Black Belt: Why might the military need empty-hand-versus-weapons skills?
John Pellegrini: They’re not always going to have all that equipment and weapons. Just to give you an example, I got a call from the Pentagon about a year ago to train people attached to the Office of Naval Intelligence who were being deployed to Iraq. They were dressed in civilian clothes, and some of them had beards—they weren’t your regular troops, which is why they wanted empty-hand training. They explained that they may go into a village and extract people from their houses, then put them in a cave or a tent and interview them. In those interrogation scenarios, [often] they’re not allowed to carry weapons. So they go in and sit down with a translator.
Sometimes the detainees go nuts or try to escape or overcome the interrogator. They don’t care if they die in the process because that was the idea to begin with—which is why we have suicide bombers. I was explaining to them what happens if the guy’s hiding a knife somewhere or if he grabs a pencil or rock. Isn’t it better if the soldier has some techniques to defend himself? He needs to put his hands up, deflect the attack, take the guy down quickly and be done with it. Granted, help will arrive within seconds, but at least he didn’t get killed or maimed.
Black Belt: Are there any secret moves that you teach the military that you can’t reveal to civilians?
John Pellegrini: Yes, but I don’t call them “secret.” There are no secrets. Everything has already been invented and shown.
I refuse to teach certain techniques to civilians because they’re direct-kill techniques. I don’t think that civilians need to see them. You say, “Wait a minute, civilians can be in deadly situations, too.” Yes, and we teach as much as possible so they can defend themselves and escape. But what I’m talking about here is direct kill. That means that the technique is designed to do nothing else but kill the person by destroying the airway, the spine or a couple of other things. You’re going directly into a kill mode because maybe you’re faced with multiple attackers or weapons. You do your threat analysis and decide that you have to eliminate this person; you cannot just push him to the side, kick or punch him, or take him to the ground and put him in a joint lock. You need to eliminate him so you can face the next threat. It’s not that the techniques are different; they’re different in application.
Black Belt: You were recently in Colombia, South America. What were you teaching there?
John Pellegrini: Colombia has faced two problems for the past 30 years. One is the Marxist guerrilla movement. They do a lot of kidnappings and bombings, and they attack troops, police officers and civilians. The other problem is the drug cartels. Both of them engage the troops and the police.
The guerrilla operations often take place in a jungle or a mountainous environment. They use different tactics, but once you start looking at the threats they face, you see that the threats aren’t much different from what our troops are facing in Afghanistan and Iraq. You employ your weapons first, but what happens if you’re in close quarters or an urban environment where women and children are running around? It’s good to know some hand-to-hand techniques.
So, when we were asked to teach a counterterrorism unit of the Colombian air force, we taught them basically the same stuff we teach our military. They also needed to know how to [handle] political demonstrations when the crowd gets out of control. Obviously, they’re not going to fire an M-16 into the crowd.
The second group we did there—policemen who worked in plain clothes—was interesting. They carry sidearms and provide security for diplomatic personnel. When the American ambassador or a visiting dignitary goes out, the first layer of protection is provided by the FBI, Secret Service and our own people, but there’s an outer circle of security provided by the Colombian police. These people have received little if any empty-hand training. They’ve been taught to shoot and do defensive driving, they take courses in executive protection and they’re good at their job, but during their training, close-quarters hand-to-hand combat wasn’t emphasized. They were extremely grateful that we taught them some good stuff. We did it at the American Embassy, one of the most well-protected in the world.
Black Belt: In terms of brutality, how different is what you teach the military from what you teach law enforcement and civilians?
John Pellegrini: When our troops are in a theater of operation, they’re at war and people are trying to kill them. It’s not like a bar fight or a street fight in which a juvenile tries to snatch your wallet. There are lethal situations in civilian life and certainly with police officers, but the brutality that war brings to the equation is different. It’s employed by the enemy; therefore, we have to respond with the same kind of brutality.
On the battlefield, even if your life isn’t in danger, you’re struggling with somebody trying to hurt or capture you. You must use that brutality. You have a weapon, and you can hit him in the face with it. Imagine a police officer pistol-whipping somebody in a civilian setting; it wouldn’t go over very well.
Even so, we live in a 24-hour news environment, and our soldiers have to limit the degree of brutality they use. Think about how hard that is: They have to be in survival mode every second, yet they also have to be aware of the possibility of doing something that will come back to haunt them. When you fight people who don’t wear uniforms—in Iraq and Afghanistan, the bad guys don’t have uniforms—you never know who’s who and who’s going to do what.
That’s why, in the final analysis, what we do with our combat-hapkido training is simply give them one more tool for survival. We’re not trying to create super invincible warriors. We’re not trying to make them into martial arts experts and black belts. It’s an additional tool that might save a life and might prevent charges of brutality if a soldier can take the person down and control him instead of shooting him.

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Article printed from Black Belt: http://www.blackbeltmag.com

Principles of Judo, Kenji Tomiki

Kenji Tomiki was born March 15, 1900. In 1956 when the following was first published, Kenji Tomiki was 7th dan Judo, 8th dan Aikido, Professor of Judo at Waseda University, a member of the Kodokan's Special Direction Committee, and an official of the All Japan Judo Federation. In 1971 he was awarded the 8th dan in Kodokan Judo. Kenji Tomiki died December 25, 1979.

          

Table of Contents

1. Physical Training
2. Shizentai (natural posture)
3. Courtesy
4. Sen (initiative)
5. Kuzushi (breaking balance)
6. Stability
7. Ju-no-ri (principle of gentleness)

1. Judo as Physical Training

It is a fundamental principle of sports to carry on exercises in proportion to the bodily strength. Judo as a game belongs to the fighting games and so often assumes all the aspects of an intensive feat of strength requiring strenuous exertions. In the practice of Judo, however, this evil can be averted by means of Kata (forms). That is, the kata enables the Judo student to adjust the amount of exercise according to his bodily strength and age, and yet is fully effectual both in respect to interest and benefit.

Judo includes the following three points in its objective on the physical side:

• Toughness (giving steadiness, elasticity and staying power to the muscles)
• Flexibility (giving mobility to the spinal column and other joints together with full elasticity of the muscles)
• Adroitness (quickening the function of the motor nerves and making movements both nimble and steady)

From the standpoint of athletic physiology these qualities are correlated with one another, and the bodily activities in Judo exercises are best adapted to those requirements.

2. Natural Posture (Shizentai)

The shizentai, or natural posture, is the posture of a person standing quietly with his head and upper body kept upright, arms hanging without constraint and legs not so firm and widely apart. This is the description of the proper posture as regards its form, but it has a deeper, wider significance. When this posture is maintained, it may be considered that 1) the body keeps stability and does not fall and 2)as the limbs are kept soft they can shift to any action at any moment.

In the preceding paragraph the natural posture is explained as a standing posture. If, however, outward form or posture is left out of consideration, and the natural posture is an attitude of the body which is capable of repelling the opponent's attack, and moreover of assuming the offensive whenever there is an opening in the opponent's guard, the natural posture may be said to be possible not only when standing, but also when sitting or lying. In fact, in a Judo contest, the contestant who has fallen is not nedessarily beaten. On the contrary, he may make an attack against his opponent while lying on the mats. In fact, the natural posture is an attitude of the body which is always capable of taking the lead.

There is an old expression, "Motion in rest." It means that rest is pregnant with motion as infinite activity, so it indicates the principle of natural posture. Functioning like this, the natural posture must necessarily be studied from a mental point of view, and from olden times the ultimate secrets of jujutsu have lain here.

3. Courtesy

Courtesy is the formal manifestation of the spirit of respect. With the spirit of respect we recognize the dignity of another's personality. In other words, it is the spirit of living in harmony with one another in social life. In a Judo contest the contestants should face each other in the proper posture, looking properly at each other and using moderation in their actions. Thus they are in a state of harmony in which they never set each other at defiance, and maintain the dignity of personality. Hence it is taught that exercises in Judo should begin with courtesy and end with courtesy.

4. Initiative (Sen)

In all athletic sports one must, in order to gain the victory, surpass the opponent in mental power, technical skill, and physical strength. These three factors must be united in gaining the mastery over an opponent. The mastery is brought into play in the form of various techniques, and although there are a large number of them, they may be summed up and resolved into one word sen (initiative or lead).

In the old densho (books of secret principles) the way of taking the initiative is explained in three stages.

• Sen-sen-no-sen (superior initiative). Superior initiative is given play in a delicate situation where one confronts an opponent who intends to attack, and gains mastery over him by subtly guessing his mentality and forestalling his actions. This is the highest reach of the mental cultivation in any military art and is regarded as not easily attainable. But if you consider it more deeply, you will find it too late to try to gain command over anything when it has taken a concrete form, and you must have the mental preparedness to hold it down beforehand. For this purpose it is necessary to learn to maintain the openness and serenity of mind as signified by the old expression, "Clear as a stainless mirror and calm as still water." Lao-tse teaches this almost divine state of mind in the following words: "It is the way of heaven to prevail without contention."
• Sen (initiative). This is to forestall your opponent by starting an action before he begins attack on you.
• Ato-no-sen (initiative in defense). This is not to guess the mentality of your opponent and check his action before it is done, but to start action in defense the moment you have an inkling of the offensive of your opponent. It is to avoid the opponent's attack the instant it is about to be launched upon you, and to make a counter-attack taking advantage of a pause in your opponent's movement and a disturbance in his posture. A man who takes the initiative in defense rises in opposition to his opponent's attack, and parries or averts it. Seemingly it is a defensive move. In order to stave off the opponent's attack at the last moment and restore one's position one must keep the moral attitude of initiative so as not to get worsted by the adversary.

The secrets of victory thus lie in taking the initiative, and in getting the start of one's adversary there are included the following factors:

• The first is the eyes. From old times it is said that the important things in a bout are "first the eyes, second the feet, third grit, and fourth strength." The eyes are said to be the window for the mind. They are an index to your mind. Where the eyes are fixed, there the mind is concentrated, and naturally the will is attracted.
• The second in importance is the posture. In a wider sense, it is the bodily attitude. It is a preparatory posture either for attack or for defense. Therefore, unless a proper posture is well maintained, not only is it impossible to take advantage of any opening for attack in the adversary, but you get your posture broken and are given a blow.
• The third is the movement. Even though you maintain the proper posture or bodily attitude, you cannot attain your object unless your movement and action conform to the rules.
• The fourth is the space condition. It consists of your distance, direction, and position as against your opponent. It is essential to study the principles of space condition, for from this study you will realize the secret principle of "fighting after getting the better of the opponent first."

5. Breaking Balance (Kuzushi)

Kenji Tomiki performing ude garami

In the preceding section on the principle of natural posture, explanation was given regarding how to make oneself invulnerable to all possible attacks and how victory is gained. In this section on the principle of kuzushi (breaking the posture) it will he shown how it is that one is defeated. For in order to make clear the theory of victory one must at the same time know the theory of defeat. The Kodokan Judo found that the principle of the techniques (either with naked fists, or using a weapon like the sword, spear, club, etc.) of the old-school jujutsuconsists in breaking the condition of the body which has lost equilibrium. It is called kuzure-no-jotai (state of broken balance). Sometimes the opponent himself loses the balance, and at other times you positively destroy the opponent's balance, leading him to a vulnerable posture. In Judo each technique is analyzed into tsukuri (preparatory action) and kake (attack). Preparatory action is further divided into aite-no-tsukuri (preparing of the opponent) and jibun-no-tsukuri (preparing of self). Preparing of the opponent consists in destroying the opponent's balance before performing a technique and putting him in a posture where it will be easy to apply it. At the same instant the contestant himself must be in a posture and position in which it is easy to apply a technique. This is the preparing of self.

The nicety of judo techniques lies not in the action of performing techniques, but rather in the skill with which the preparing is done as a preliminary. It was the clear-sighted and original idea of the founder of the Kodokan Judo that analyzed the technique which is applied in an instant, and attached importance to the study and practice of preparatory action. In the case of the preparing of the opponent, the theory and practice of the principle of breaking the balance must be studied, while as regards preparing of self it is necessary to study the natural posture and also the theory and practice of ma-ai (space condition).

6. Stability

The center of gravity of a standing man's body is nearly in the hypogastric region. When the perpendicular line drawn from the center of gravity passes through the fulcrum or the middle of the base formed by the two feet, the posture of the man is stabilized.

A man is ready to fall when his body swings forward and backward or from side to side, and the perpendicular line drawn from the center of gravity departs from the fulcrum. However, when a living person's body loses its balance, he tries to regain it. Though the center of gravity wavers, he is able to maintain his erect posture. In case the center of gravity of a standing person wavers sharply and he is unable to maintain stability he supports his body by putting his foot forward in the direction in which the center of gravity tends. In short, the posture of a standing man appears unstable at first sight, but the equilibrium is cleverly kept by taking steps properly. If some external force acts upon the man the moment he loses balance, he falls at once, as is described below

• The body falls easily, when something impedes the foot which is set in the direction in which the center of gravity tends, e. g., when the foot put out stumbles on a pebble.
• When the equilibrium of the body is lost, the time when the center of gravity is lost is shorter than the time required for the peripheral sensory organ to communicate the loss of the body equilibrium to the nerve center and the latter to order the foot muscles through the foot nerve to put the foot forward; for instance, when the body inclines forward and falls forward because a sudden force is applied from the back, giving the person no time to put the foot forward.

7. Principle of Gentleness (Ju-no-ri)

In the previous sections it was asserted that we are never defeated if we keep our proper posture and presence of mind, and in carrying on movements and actions we use the body in a natural and reasonable manner. It was also shown how easily we are defeated when the balance of the body is lost. Next we must learn how these two principles should be put into practice in the judo contest, namely how to deal with the opponent's power when applied upon us, and to gain the final victory. The rules of this activity are called ju-no-ri, or the principle of gentleness.

a. The Principle of Gentleness as Viewed from the Relation of Force

When meeting an opponent, there are various ways that the principle of gentleness can be applied against the force that is used upon us. The bout may be performed in a standing position or sometimes in a lying posture. There are also various kinds of techniques such as standing position techniques, lying posture techniques, holding techniques, strangle-hold techniques, and the bending and twisting of joints. In order to give the techniques full play in their respective situations it is necessary to apply the principle of gentleness.

What then is the principle of gentleness? In the standing position techniques the contestant does not act against the force applied by the opponent, but, while following it, he makes use of the force and tries to break the opponent's posture. For instance, when you and your opponent confront each other at some interval, and he takes a step forward and pushes your chest with his hand, you too take a step backward instead of acting against him, and you will not feel the resistance of the opponent's force. If at that time your step backward is longer than the opponent's step forward, his balance is broken forward by his own force, and you can throw him down forward by pulling the arm which he thrust forward. If, again, the opponent pulls your front lapel, then you can throw him down in the same way by moving forward following the pull. In short, the principle is to pull in response to the opponent's push and to push in response to his pull. In other words, while yielding to the force of the opponent's action upon you, you break his balance by striking at the weak point in his posture. In this case it will be more effective to dodge the opponent's push and pull him by seizing that opportunity than to retreat in the direction of your opponent's push and pull him. The direction of the opponent's movement shifts around you and the opponent not only has to make more movement than you, but he is apt to lose his balance partly owing to the action of centrifugal force. The saying goes among judo experts, “ Move round in response to push." While following your opponent's action, you must always make your movement so as to lead your opponent around you and destroy the balance of his posture.

This principle of gentleness means in a wide sense action to maintain your initiative against the resistance and obstruction arising from the surroundings. The manners of taking your posture, taking your steps and moving your body as taught according to the principle of natural posture indicates that the action against all resistance should follow the principle of gentleness. In regard to the case where your body loses its balance and you fall at last, breaking falls are devised as a means to protect your own body from the impact on the ground. This is also an application of the principle of gentleness. As was explained elsewhere in detail, when your own body is about to fall you should round yourself up and fall instead of resisting the impetus, while you use your arms to protect the body from the impact on the ground. In short, you avert the resistance of the ground while yielding cleverly to the terrestrial gravitation (which acts on you before you come under the opponent's force), and thus endeavor to exercise the initiative.

b. The Principle of Gentleness as Viewed from the Relation of Movement

In the foregoing passage explanation was given concerning the relations of the force between oneself and the opponent. It must further be given from the relation of movement. In a bout your opponent develops a feverish bodily activity; so it does not turn out as you want it to. For instance, it would be difficult for you to deliver a blow on your opponent's face, forearm, or side, or to sweep his foot or waist, because the opponent does not stand still a moment, either. Still more difficult is it to grasp the opponent's wrist or arm. An old book of secrets in martial arts mentions the three following opportunities to land a blow on the opponent:

• Giving a blow at the beginning.
• Giving a blow at the finish.
• Giving a blow on the receipt.

"Giving a blow at the beginning" is effected when the opponent is beginning an action in which he shifts from a stationary state. Close observation reveals that a man's movement is a succession of rest and motion, resting followed by motion and motion by rest. You land a blow on the opponent at the turn of his action. For instance, when the opponent strikes with his fist, he must first raise it. The moment he begins to raise his fist and the moment he begins to deal a blow with his raised fist are called the "beginning." In "giving a blow at the finish," "finish" means the moment the opponent has dealt a blow with raised fist and forearm fully stretched. "Giving a blow on the receipt" is effected when the opponent has received the blow you gave him and, intent only on parrying it, has ceased all other action.

In all these cases you avail yourself of the pause at the change of one action to another. By taking advantage of the three above-mentioned cases you give a blow, grasp, or parry. But as a matter of fact, you must be more careful. The pause at the turn of one action to another means the instant the opponent comes to rest. The instant may perhaps be a minute fraction of a second and so it is difficult to give a blow or a grasp just that instant. When, for instance, you chase a fly or dragonfly, you often fail if you try to catch it the moment it settles on something. You will succeed if you catch it by adjusting the motion of your hand to the speed and direction of the insect before it alights. Thus one realizes that in order to seize the three opportunities giving a blow successfully, it is necessary to have practice in adjusting the rhythm of your action to that of the opponent's motion. One cannot understand the principle of gentleness unless one learns this relation of rhythm. As with the way of movement in the natural posture, it is possible to adjust the rhythm of the motion of your body to that of the motion of the opponent's body. It is only when the rhythm of the body movement is thus in accord that you can make the rhythm of your foot and hand movements in accord with that of your opponent and seize the opportunity of applying various techniques.

The application of the principle of gentleness is well manifested in the techniques and five kata (forms) of the (ito school ofjujutsu which are preserved as the koshiki-no-kata (forms antique) of the Kodokan Judo. The application of force and the movement of the body are effected quite naturally without causing any strain, and enable the contestant to bring the opponent under control without acting against his force. The movement makes a magnificent and beautiful rhythm. From olden times the principle of gentleness has been symbolized by a willow branch or a bamboo, which is pliant and not easily broken. It was also likened to the movement of billows rolling in and receding on the beach. Many of the old schools of jujutsutook their names from these symbols. The term aiki as used in the aikijujutsu or aikido signifies after all "gentleness." The Orientals sought the source of all human actions in ki (spirit). Force is derived from spirit, and movement of the body is effected by spirit. So they held it of primary importance to foster spirit. Mencius says: "Will leads spirit; spirit permeates the body." Issai-Chozan, ancient swordsman, writes, "Spirit carries the mind and controls the body." To adjust one's own spirit to the opponent's is to adjust one's own power to the opponent's, and this is an internal explanation of the principle of gentleness.

Kenji Tomiki, author of "Judo, with Aikido", published in 1956

Jujutsu (art of gentleness) was also formerly called wa-jutsu (art of accord). This shows that ju(gentleness) has also the meaning of wa (accord). In the Ryuko-no-maki (lit. Book of Dragon and Tiger) which is regarded as one of the oldest volumes expounding the secrets of the martial arts, there is a passage, "If the enemy turns upon us we meet him; if he leaves we let him leave. Facing the enemy, we stand in accord with him. Five and five are ten. Two and eight are ten. One and nine are ten. All this shows accord."

Wa, or accord, is the fundamental principle of the Japanese martial arts. Expressed in modern terms and made easy of practice to anyone, it became the principle of gentleness. The principle of gentleness teaches that one should go, not against, but with, the the opponent's force, and yet maintain one's proper position so as not lose one's balance. This corresponds to the spirit set forth in Confucius' remark in his Analects, "The superior man is compliant but not blindly yielding." Jujutsuoriginated as a method of fighting between men. But through practice by experts for many years it has been refined as an art, with its principles more and more closely studied and invested with moral significance, until it has developed into Judo as we learn and practice it today. Judo is neither a mere manifestation of violence nor a means of fighting, but can be studied and followed as a doctrine of life.

The True Meaning of Aiki in Aikido and Aikijujutsu, Part 2

I am posting Part 2 of an article that has been running in BB magazine online.  Read to the bottom then go to
Part 1.

http://www.blackbeltmag.com/daily/traditional-martial-arts-training/aikijujutsu/the-true-meaning-of-aiki-in-aikido-and-aikijujutsu-part-2

The True Meaning of Aiki in Aikido and Aikijujutsu, Part 2

Posted By Robert W. Young On January 26, 2015 @ 5:50 pm In Aikijujutsu | No Comments

When comparing aikijujutsu ^[1] and aikido ^[2], some generalization is necessary because several styles of aikido and branches of daito-ryu aikijujutsu exist.
Although the technical influence of daito-ryu on aikido is still clear, according to Antonino Certa, a daito-ryu teacher in Milan, Italy, the two are now separate arts with different outlooks. Certa, a longtime student of aikido prior to taking up daito-ryu, stresses that genuine aikijujutsu is not simply “hard aikido” or “aikido plus strikes and weapons.”
For one thing, Certa found that the number of techniques in aikido is far fewer than in daito-ryu. Morihei Ueshiba distilled a core of about 20 main techniques — including shiho-nage, irimi-nage, kote-gaeshi, ikkyo and nikyo— as the basis for aikido. United Kingdom-based aikido instructor Dave Humm agrees but points out that aikidoka can use those core techniques to generate an infinite number of variations based on circumstances, situations and methods of attack. The ethos, he says, is to be able to make any one of those applications fit any given situation.
In daito-ryu, however, the approach is very different. The techniques number several hundred, and each is performed only in a small number of situations for which it’s deemed most suitable — for instance, when kneeling, when standing, when attacked from behind, when attacked by a taller person and so forth. No attempt is made to fit a technique to all situations.
 ^[3]
Sogaku Takeda’s son and successor, Tokimune Takeda, sits with students in their dojo in Hokkaido, Japan.
Certa found that aikido practice is generally conducted in a more “free” way than aikijujutsu, with a continuous flow and the use of circles to bind movements and applications together. In contrast, daito-ryu uses mostly formal, two-person kata practice. The techniques are short and direct, and tend to be more linear and angular than circular.
Daito-ryu also tends to favor throwing with a dropping motion, rather than an outward projection as in aikido. The objective in daito-ryu is to keep the thrown ^[4] enemy close so he can be finished off, if need be. Also, where aikido often favors controlling (osae) the opponent without causing excessive pain or injury, daito-ryu leans toward breaking (kansetsu).
Relative Lethality
Another important point is that daito-ryu doesn’t claim to be a purely defensive system: There are several formal techniques in which one makes a pre-emptive attack rather than waiting for the enemy to strike first.
Although much of aikido seems to be practiced as a defensive form, Humm believes that it can be employed proactively in real situations simply by changing the mind-set. His experience as a prison officer serving in high-security establishments has shown that while the application looks nothing like the techniques in the dojo, the principles behind the techniques (distancing, blending and unbalancing) are definitely valid and have served him well when he’s had to initiate encounters.
The martial and often brutal spirit of daito-ryu is illustrated by the explanations of Takeda’s son and successor Tokimune Takeda. In an interview in Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu ^[5], by Stanley Pranin, Tokimune states, “The essence of daito-ryu is to keep alert until you have cut the enemy’s throat.” In modern times, health and safety regulations and the hassle of lawsuits make it a little impractical to actually cut the throats of partners in training. Therefore, the essence of the final kill has been preserved in a symbolic way: The practitioner delivers a sword-hand strike to the downed opponent, accompanying it with a sharp kiai.
Daito-ryu features more use of atemi waza (striking ^[6] techniques) than do most aikido styles. In the early days, aikido training did include a large amount of striking — Ueshiba is famously quoted as saying, “Atemi is 99 percent of aikido” — but this seems to have been de-emphasized in many styles as the years progressed. The atemi in daito-ryu use the fist, the edge of the hand, the elbow and the feet, and are crucial parts of many techniques.
There’s also a difference in the use of weapons. Some daito-ryu branches incorporate the classical sword style of ono-ha itto-ryu and consider kenjutsu ^[7] important for understanding the daito-ryu system. In addition to the sword, some techniques involving the tessen (iron fan), jutte (truncheon), tanto ^[8] (knife), shuriken ^[9] (throwing stars) and other weapons are taught at the higher levels in some branches. A few substyles of daito-ryu are alleged to contain aiki nito (two-sword) and spear techniques, but they’re rarely seen today. Aikido, on the other hand, is largely an unarmed art, although some styles, notably the iwama style, do include somesword ^[10] and jo ^[11] (staff) training.
The advanced teachings of daito-ryu also include aiki no jutsu, which are throwing techniques that appear to have been one of Ueshiba’s specialties, forming the basis for the kokyu nage (breath throw) of aikido.
Certa regards aiki as an important part of daito-ryu but eschews the kind of fantastical interpretations described earlier. In the above-mentioned interview, Tokimune Takeda remarked that, “Aiki is to pull when you are pushed, and to push when you are pulled.” Certa met and studied under Tokimune prior to the latter’s death in 1993 and seems to share this pragmatic view. In his opinion, aiki is but one of the tactics a skilled fighter can use. At a mechanical level, it’s a particular way of meeting force that differs from simply opposing or yielding. He offers this illustration: The opponent attacks and projects his force against the defender, who momentarily resists. That makes the attacker react in the opposite direction, and the defender yields in that new direction using the force of both people to execute a throw.
Rather than being a secret “no contact” power, it’s an application of physics, physiology and psychology.
Conclusions
Daito-ryu aikijujutsu and aikido are very different arts, despite their technical and historical links. Neither can be called better than the other, as they have quite different objectives. It would be wrong to assume that aikijujutsu practitioners are automatically better at fighting.
A good way to summarize things is to say that aikido is a modern philosophy and way of life that can also be an effective defense system, while aikijujutsu is a classical combat system that can also lead to self-improvement.
As for the exact meaning of aiki, it has proved difficult to pin down with a single definition. In fact, interpretations vary enormously from art to art and even from teacher to teacher. But returning to the question posed at the beginning of this article — namely, What’s so aiki about peace, love and understanding? — the true answer must be: Originally, nothing!
Read Part 1 of this article here. ^[12]
About the author: Dr. Nick Hallale has practiced the Chinese and Japanese martial arts since 1988. He has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and taught for several years at the University of Manchester in England. He has written freelance articles about the martial arts for the past 10 years. The author is grateful to Antonino Certa and Giacomo Merello of Milan, Italy, for providing much of the technical information about daito-ryu. He also wishes to thank Dave Humm of the Higashi Kaigan Aikido Dojo in England.
(Photos courtesy of Antonino Certa)

Get Motivated!

We change as we get older.  Our bodies tend to ache at times, we gain weight often and even our minds tend to lose a step or two in regards to memory.  Does it have to be this way?

Not according to this guy!

  Sure we will change with age but can we reverse the aging process?  I am working on that problem as are many more folks like me.  Once I approached 50, I started thinking in terms of what my life would be like for the next 20 or 30 years, if I'm blessed to live that long.  I decided I wanted to make the best of it and I started training in Aikido, then Combat Hapkido.  My job is also very physical so I had to get into much better condition just to keep up with all I had going.  Not to mention the fact that I have seen too many people eat themselves into oblivion in these later years and become so out of shape that they can't even walk up a small flight of steps without needing oxygen.  I knew I did not want to be like that.

My workouts were OK for a few years then I stepped it up.  With the help of a personal trainer I learned new techniques to help me reach some goals.  Now, with a body-weight workout of my own design, I am reaching goals and going beyond!

You can too!  As I have said many times all you need to do is get your mind right.  Once you find the proper motivation it is ON!  I still remember one evening several years ago I was having a cold beer with a friend and I told him when I reached 50 I wanted to be in the best shape of my life.  His response?  He laughed...

Now, at 53 I can honestly say I am in the best shape of my life and intend to keep pushing until I see just how fit I can be.


What's your motivation?

The mystery of "Aikido & Hapkido"

Many people have never heard of Aikido. 

 Even some in the martial arts world who have heard of it do not know or understand how it works.  At the dojo last night we were talking with a student who is about to earn her 2nd Kyu and she told us when she decided to learn Aikido, she did not really understand the art even though she had read about the blending with energy from your attacker.  She of course had no idea of the many drills for hand and foot movements that we do over and over again. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar Aikdo is a Japanese art founded by Morihei Ueshiba, December 14, 1883 - April 26, 1969. The founder also known as "O'Sensei",  (pictured above) was a man of small stature, it is said he was just under 5 feet tall but was of a strong muscular build after he left the Japanese army.  He understood that smaller people needed something extra when confronted by larger and stronger attackers.

In my humble opinion, this is the essence of Aikido. 

 My Sensei has taught me that I do not need to use my strength when applying these techniques, especially the joint locks.  I am one who has built my upper body for many years to be stronger and capable of using my strength to my advantage, so I have had to train myself NOT to be strong when using these techniques.  It is still a struggle at times for me but I am moving in that direction.  In fact, this concept of applying Aikido techniques softly is probably the hardest part of my training.  Now don't misunderstand,  Aikido can be used very forcefully!  When it is applied this way it is no less than devastating.   Bones will be broken and opponents can be maimed.  No doubt Aikido can be very dangerous when applied with violence of action.  Yet we are trained to be able to control our use of force and treat our training partners and even our opponents with respect and not injure them if the situation calls for that.

Now let's move on to Hapkido which is a Korean martial art developed by Choi Yong-Sool, it is said the Hapkido was heavily influenced by "Daito ryu aiki jujutsu" as was Aikido. Much like Aikido, Hapkido has many joint locks, throws and pins.  Yet it is different in that there are many more strikes and even kicks which are not taught in Aikido.  That leads me to Combat Hapkido.  This system is heavliy influenced by the Korean form of Hapkido but is not a traditional martial art.

Combat Hapkido

My training in Combat Hapkido has also been useful in applying this concept as we learn to use our entire body to manipulate our attacker with many techniques to injure, control or throw our attackers.  Combat Hapkido is a blending if you will of many arts, including Korean Hapkido, Aikido, Judo, JuJutsu/JuJitsu, Taekwondo, Jeet Kune Do and others.  Grand Master John Pellegrini, (pictured above) took what he felt was useful from each art and combined it all to make a form of Close Combat Self Defense.  He calls it the Science of Self-Defense.  I am trained to use it at 10%, 50% or 100% depending on what technique I am doing and what the situation calls for.  Always remember there are legal and moral ramifications to an encounter.  You must be wise when defending yourself or wind up in court.  Of course if your life is in danger you have to do what it takes to survive and Combat Hapkido will teach you those lethal skills.  So it is obvious that this is an art that when applied with full violence of action is devastating and can maim or kill an attacker.

Yet I digress.

My original intent here is to explain the kido arts in a way to make it more approachable and understandable to those who have never experienced it.  There are universal principles involved that span many martial arts.

1. Balance Disruption
2. Circular Movement
3. Non Resistance (Harmony)
4. Water Principle

These are critical!  In order to take control of an attacker you must gain control of his/her balance.  Once you have this you can manipulate the opportunity, often by using circular movement. If you use the energy coming at you and do not resist it, it makes taking the balance easier.  You see, all principles at play here, working together in harmony to allow you to gain control over your attacker and find a suitable outcome.  As you work, you flow in, around, over and under, like water. How it ends is up to you!

Now before I conclude this essay let me explain the OODA loop!

Observe, Orient, Decide and Act!  I must explain that I was taught this by Master Doyle a 4th Dan in Combat Hapkido who is a Special Forces Veteran. This is a simple decision cycle our minds use every moment as we live.  When it comes to martial arts these are critical seconds that tick by as we determine how dangerous the situation is (Situational Awareness) and decide how to respond.  Here's what I found online:

The phrase OODA loop refers to the decision cycle of observe, orient, decide, and act, developed by military strategist and USAFColonel John Boyd. Boyd applied the concept to the combat operations process, often at the strategic level in military operations. It is now also often applied to understand commercial operations and learning processes.


Be Safe!


Peace

JD

FYI ~ Focusing on Martial Arts this month.

Just a brief note to say I have a new post coming soon getting into detail about Aikido and Hapkido.  Also explaining the OODA LOOP!  This one is taking me a while to write and I have limited time these days.

Until then continue to practice Situational Awareness and be safe!

Don't forget if you want to look like this!  

You have to stop eating this!

Peace

JD

Prepared, Educated, Awake, Controlled and Engaged

Self Defense 2014 - Are you Aware?

I left off in the last blog post talking about self defense and how the most important element is Situational Awareness.  You must always be on the lookout when you are in a public place.  Trouble can be only a footstep away...




I have a video to share that will illuminate this..

Notice how in the very beginning of the video the couple seems to be totally unaware of what's coming.  Are they ignoring them or just oblivious?  Also notice that once the attack ensues, the man and woman fight back forcefully and it seems to help some, as a few of the bad guys decide to run instead of hanging around to keep fighting. 

OK, now imagine the guy, girl or both were trained to deal with multiple attackers and they managed to take out one or two of the thugs before the rest could get their licks in.  How many of them would have run away from the get go once they realized these people were gonna kick their asses?

Here's another video to explain how this could be accomplished...

This is why we train folks!  

Now let's look at where they are and why.  Could they have avoided being alone in a part of town that obviously is less than safe?  Certainly, always consider this in an area where these types of criminals prey on folks just like these two.  DON'T walk down deserted alleys or streets.  Take a longer route if you have to in a more public area where many people are around.  Perhaps this could have been avoided altogether had they planned their route more carefully...

Next blog I will talk about the OODA - LOOP.  This is a very important concept in a self defense situation....

OODA - LOOP

Peace

JD

Prepared, Educated, Awake, Controlled and Engaged