Photo courtesy of Parhesiates
In judo competition, it is illegal to touch your opponent's face. This is nominally a safety rule, but there is a second reason that people either don't understand or don't talk about. What's the dark secret behind this rule?
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Much of judo tachiwaza (standing technique) is defined by what is possible when you know the other guy will not hit you in the face. Shomenate basically negates virtually all judo throws. Don't believe it? Try this - do some uchikomi but give your partner permission to put either hand in your face and stiff-arm your head away from them. See how easy it is to get your body into position for a throw. For goodness' sake, go slow and easy with this so you don't run your face into a palmheel.
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It is possible to bypass this problem if you develop some good kumikata (gripping skills) in judo. Rhadi Ferguson and Jimmy Pedro assert that gripping is a lost facet of judo. I'd say that gripping is a piece of the lost facet of judo - that facet being hamarejudo (separated judo) which mainly includes aspects of gripping (kumikata), moving safely from outside ma-ai into a clench (taisabaki), and striking (atemi).
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Hmmm... kumikata, taisabaki, and atemi... sounds to me like aikido.
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That's right. Aikido is the lost facet of judo - the separated judo as Tomiki called it. The part of judo that deals with atemi and defending against atemiwaza via proper kumikata and taisabaki. Aikido and judo are opposite sides of the same coin.
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Patrick Parker is a Christian, husband, father, martial arts teacher, Program Director for a Cardiac Rehab, and a Ph.D. Contact: mokurendojo@gmail.com or phone 601.248.7282
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