Injury potential in Hirano's Kata

I just got back from Summer Seminar 2015 at Windsong Dojo in OKC, where I was honored to lead an exploration of Tokio Hirano's ideas that were groundbreaking in the 1950's in European Judo, and which are still amazingly innovative in American Judo.

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Each class we worked on ...

• ashi-sabaki drills (because Hirano was an amazingly agile guy with great footwork).
• uchikomi of some of Hirano's tokuiwaza (like osotogari and seoinage and taiotoshi) using his interesting rhythmic practice methods.
• Hirano's Nanatsu no kata (A.K.A. Hando no kata)

Here is a pretty good video of the type of things we worked on...

At the end of the 3rd day of the seminar, we'd not quite finished all of Nanatsu no kata - we had run out of time for several of the counters, most distinctive of which are uchimata sukashi, harai-utsurigoshi, and jumping around taiotoshi into yokoguruma.

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If y'all want to explore this whole kata including those last few counter sacrifices, I'd like to give y'all some advice - to the degree possible, work slowly and carefully with a compliant partner and a crash pad and make sure everyone involved always knows what's coming.

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The reason I say this is because the jump-around counter to taiotoshi is the only technique that I've ever been seriously injured practicing!  In college we were practicing this exact counter - jumping around taiotoshi into yokoguruma.  It's not too difficult when you go slow and step through it with a compliant partner, but as you get it moving more quickly with both uke and tori moving into their techniques at the same time, it becomes tricky.  Anyway, I moved into taiotoshi and my partner tripped and fell on my leg.  In his attempt to regain his balance, he pulled me down on top of him and we ended up with my leg entangled and trapped under him, with him trapped under me.  I was yelling and he couldn't get off of me because I was lying on top of him.

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Broken ankle. No fun.  Put a major damper on my participation and enjoyment of judo for about a semester.

The technique I'm talking about is demonstrated here by Hirano sensei so smoothly that it looks easy. (starting at about 5:50)

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Patrick Parker

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Today I Injured a Kid

(Another excellent guest post from Andre Goran...)

It’s only the second time my partner got seriously hurt in randori since I took up judo, and the first time in years, since I was a brown belt or earlier. It surprised me because I think of myself as a very safe opponent, but that wasn’t the case tonight. I did not do anything illegal or intentionally mean but I knew better. As the senpai, the responsibility to keep training safe was mostly with me, so of course I feel terrible. But feeling terrible isn’t going to help anything, so I’m trying to learn. 

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My opponent is a very skilled guy. He has crazy 18-year-old strength and speed, and the few techniques he specializes in he can take from almost any position. His uchikomi has such snap and power that he knocks the wind out of you with every fit, and he can survive a fall. He isn’t a jerk, and he knows how to tone it down and work safely with beginners. However, he is very competitive when he works with higher ranks. 

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I don’t prefer playing rough, but if that’s what someone wants, I give it to them , so when I met this fellow and got slammed hard every time I came in light and slow, I decided to meet him at his level of play. That was a mistake, because...

• I outweigh him.
• I had no reason to think he had particularly good ukemi, and
• He was already bringing so much energy to the equation that adding anything more was neither safe nor necessary. 

When he threw those explosive hip throws his weight was rooted, his whole body was applying maximum force in one direction (which is really unstable, see aikido), and he was determined to finish the technique no matter what. I knew this after the first time he threw me, or at least I had felt enough that I should have known it. I also knew after the first time I threw him that, while his ukemi was ok, he never gave in and accepted a throw, but fought for his life until he was millimeters above the mat.

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But I didn’t want to get slammed again damn it, I wanted to get some throwing practice too, and if he was going to snuff all my techniques with speed and power then I would have to do something about it. 

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Stupid stupid stupid. 

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The result was that he came in for a dynamic harai, I was partially pulled off balance but attempted tani otoshi anyway, he tried to spin to his stomach to avoid a back landing (why, oh why ever do this randori!), and we landed in a big messy pile. Since my weight was off my feet, I was fine. He fell trying to hold up both of us, and somewhere in the process his knee got wrenched, bad. He went to the emergency room, and I went to go figure out how I just let that happen. 

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I’m still working out what I need to change in my practice to be a safer partner, but this I know...

• Many people can survive big throws, but it’s much harder to survive messy throws. If there is resistance, energy, and power going on in randori, only throw from stable dominant positions which ensure you can control the throw all the way to the ground. Assume your opponent will do anything they can to make their own fall worse and account for it.
• Fall for your partner. If you are healthy and able to take falls, take all that you are sincerely offered. Once your balance has been partially broken, the safest thing is to find your way to the mat and start fresh. Two people both on the edge of balance struggling to stay on their feet is just too risky.
• Since you cannot simultaneously fight a throw and go with it, fighting and losing means no chance to adapt and pull out good ukemi. This is obvious, but often forgotten.
• Watch yourself for any flicker of ego or pride. If you see it, go soft as a noodle and offer no resistance whatsoever. If someone younger and lower rank ends up thinking they kicked your ass, it does you no harm at all. There is nothing to lose by that.
• It’s ok to tell people to lighten up if you’re not comfortable with the level of play. Not only is it ok, it’s obligatory. Even if the person going too hard is smaller, lower ranked, less skilled, a person you should be able to “handle”, you must insist on a level of play that feels right. If they won’t lighten up, decline to continue working. Not doing so is irresponsible

Andre Goran is an enthusiastic martial arts nerd. He has studied Tracy lineage Kenpo, Judo, and Shodokan Aikido, and holds the rank of shodan in the latter two with Kaze Uta Budokai, as well as shodan in judo with the USJI. He currently lives in Philadelphia, where he trains at Osagame Martial arts under Ray Huxen Sensei and Alma Qualli Sensei.




More from Andre...

• Take the Damn Fall!

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Patrick Parker
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I left my toes in San Francisco

Over the years I've done several articles about the prevalence and incidence of various injuries and illnesses related to judo and aikido classes.  Some of the most memorable ones include...

• Judo Bruisers
• Attention to Details
• Avoiding Heat Injuries
• Safety of Judo Chokes
• What Are You Getting Yourself Into?
• Judo Hurts My Hands
• Concussions
• Second Day Soreness

And perhaps the funniest...

• He Said
• She Said

But somehow in all my blogging over the years, I managed to miss posting about perhaps the most common judo injury - mat burn.

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Pretty much all beginners, when they begin judo, succumb to mat burns - typically on the tops of their most proximal toe knuckles.  Most cases are pretty mild and go away in a day or two with some soap and water and maybe some Lanacane spray.  My personal bout with bat burn was more profound because I was a bit more obstinate in my newaza encounters.  I scraped all the meat off the tops of my metatarso-phalangeal knuckles so badly that I could see the white of tendon moving about in there.  Fortunately I've wised up (a little bit) in the ensuing 20 years.

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My coach's instructions with regard to mat burn on the toes was along the lines of, "Maybe you shouldn't do that to yourself."

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Recently, having completely forgotten about the specter of mat burn, I had two different beginners tell me that they burnt the meat off their toes during newaza class.  First time that's happened in a LONG TIME, so I figured I'd drop a couple of hints with regard to avoiding matburn..

• God made us to bear weight against the Earth with the bottoms of our feet - not the tops of our feet.  Not only is the skin of the bottom of your foot tougher, but you can push much harder when the bottom of your foot is on the ground.  So, LIVE TOES!
• Mat burn on the forehead and corners of the brow is also very common, and this happens when you turtle up and someone jumps on you and grinds you against the ground.  So, DON'T TURTLE but if you do find yourself being smeared on the mat, TAP EARLY instead of insisting that the other guy injure you to prove that you are in an inferior position.
• Mat burn and gi burn also happen commonly on your knees and elbows.  You might want to GET A RASHGUARD - a long-sleeved, long-legged set of nylon undergarments - Under Armour or the like - to prevent this.
• The three previous warnings probably eliminate 95% of all mat burns, but BURNS HAPPEN, so LEARN FIRST AID.  You want to wash a mat burn with soap and water, perhaps spray some Lanacane on it, and cover it with a sterile bandage.

[Photo courtesy of Nate Marquardt]

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Patrick Parker
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Do NOT try this at home

We've been working a ogoshi-to-ouchigari combo in judo, but you have to be careful to make sure that what you end up with is definitely not kawazugake - a banned technique. You do that by making sure to rotate fully toward uke so that you are facing him between techniques.

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The first of these vids is a controlled demo of kawazugake, but the second one is a neat vid of a kawazugake thrown in a sumo competition in the 1970's. It's not obvious from these videos why it is a banned technique, but I suspect that it is tempting for players under combat stress to entangle the leg and sit back onto it, endangering the knee as well as cracking uke's head and falling on him.

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The other thing that is not obvious to me is why it is called kawazugake (the frog-hook). Seems to me it would be called kiwazu gake (the dangerous hook) - but that's just me.

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Patrick Parker, is a Christian, husband, father, judo and aikido teacher, Program Director for a Cardiac Rehab, and a Ph.D. Contact: mokurendojo@gmail.com or phone 601.248.7282
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Avoid heat injuries in judo and aikido

Photo courtesy of IntangibleArts

Yep - it's that time of year again. Summer is just about here and we are languishing under day-after-day of 96+ degree temperature, combined with humidity that you can swim through. In such an environment, we have to turn on the air conditioner full blast hours before class in order to get the temps down to a survivable level - and it's still pretty hot in the dojo.

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During the summer I am not a stickler for uniforms. We declare it to be tee-shirt season at aikido class and kids judo (most of our adult judo happens very early in the morning). It would just be suicidal to try to wear those oven mitts during the late afternoon classes. Sure, there's the down-side to it, we sweat all over each other. But it's either that or die of heatstroke.

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Which brings me to the real reason for this post - to warn y'all to take some precautions against heat injury during the summer at your dojo. Some common sense hints you might consider, include:

• Dispense with the traditional uniforms for the summertime. Implement tee-shirt classes.
• Consider rescheduling more of your classes to early morning or evening after sundown.
• Consider shortening classes or working less strenuous activities during the summer.
• Make students, instructors, and observers bring bottles of water or gatorade with them and encourage them to drink. Watch out, though - drinking too much clear water while sweating can cause electrolyte problems - especially in children or low body mass adults.
• You don't lose significant heat through your teeshirt until it becomes wet with sweat, so stop changing your wet shirt for a dry one.
• Watch for the signs: red or very pale skin, confusion, irritability, headache, dizziness, fast heartrate and breathing, muscle cramps
• Know the first aid: move the victim to a cool environment, remove clothes, try to get them to drink cool water or gatorade, pour cool water onto them, and put a fan on them. If they don't get better soon, or if it gets worse, call 911 and get them to the ER rapidly.

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Patrick Parker, is a Christian, husband, father, judo and aikido teacher, Program Director for a Cardiac Rehab, and a Ph.D. Contact: mokurendojo@gmail.com or phone 601.248.7282

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Taniotoshi as a variant of sumiotoshi

Sensei Strange is doing a very entertaining and instructional series over on his blog about ukiwaza - the floating throws of the Tomikiryu.  In my opinion, sumiotoshi is the archetype, or prime example of the ukiwaza in aikido, while ukiotoshi is the prime example of the floating throw in judo.

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But sometimes you can see the principle of a particular throw more clearly by looking at some other, seemingly unrelated throw.  For example, in his most recent post, Strange talks about sumiotoshi being properly thrown in the back corner instead of the front corner like ukiotoshi.  Check out the following video of taniotoshi.  This is a variation that Mifune was fond of demonstrating, though I couldn't find the video of him doing it on YouTube.  

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I think this throw is remarkable because it is, in principle, identical to sumiotoshi, but also because it emphasizes the 'dropping' nature of the otoshi even better than sumiotoshi.

Also, watch the following and bear in mind the dire warning it implies.  I recall a judo lesson years ago, in which Sensei Clif Norgard  asked me what technique I wanted to work on and I said, "taniotoshi."  Well, he let me know in no uncertain terms that we would not be playing with that technique that day because it was too dangerous.  I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the hell he was talking about.  What is so particularly dangerous about taniotoshi...

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Thanks, Sensei!

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Patrick Parker, is a Christian, husband, father, judo and aikido teacher, Program Director for a Cardiac Rehab, and a Ph.D. Contact: mokurendojo@gmail.com or phone 601.248.7282

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Endo breaks Yamashita's knee

Ever since I've been in judo, kanibasami (the crab-claw sweep) has been illegal. We'd always been explained to that it was dangerous but we figured because it tends to smack uke's head against the mat so hard. We always joked that they banned kanibasami to stop sensei Mac McNease from throwing it so viciously and so successfully against so many competitors.

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I'd never seen this clip of Yamashita getting his left knee broken by Endo with kanibasami, immediately after which the technique was banned in competition.

Yasuhiro Yamashita (JPN) - Sumio Endo (JPN) [Open]
Uploaded by McCormick1971
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Patrick Parker, is a Christian, husband, father, judo and aikido teacher, Program Director for a Cardiac Rehab, and a Ph.D. Contact: mokurendojo@gmail.com or phone 601.248.7282
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The safety of judo chokes

A student asked me the other day about the safety of practicing choking techniques in judo and brazilian jiu-jitsu. I was actually taken by surprise, having become comfortable with the practice years ago. But it really was a good question. My answer was basically that:

• Choking is safe because the way we do it in judo is a temporary occlusion of carotid(s) instead of compression of the windpipe (which we call a strangle). Blood chokes are considered safer than air chokes.
• Choking is safe because we emphasize to the student to tap before they pass out or get hurt. It doesn't take but a couple of repetitions before folks are familiar enough with chokes to (usually) know when to tap. We also emphasize that folks let go when the opponent is tapping. Because of these two rules choking very rarely goes far enough to even cause unconsciousness.
• Choking is safe, at least so far as I know, because I know of no instance in my practice or in the history of judo, when someone died as a result of being choked.

Despite the apparent safety of the practice, some coaches consider it prudent to enforce a few more rules...

• Make sure of the ground rules with people you are going to be rolling with. We don't do strangles (air chokes) and neck cranks, but some clubs do.
• Some coaches don't let kids younger than about teen age practice chokes because they are not considered responsible enough to play safely.
• I've heard some coaches say that they don't allow chokes to be done on men over about 50 years old because of the potential for carotid plaque injuries.
• I was also warned early on in my judo career that people who have known heart issues, who are taking cardioactive drugs, or who are known to be taking recreational drugs should not be choked because they might have higher risk of not recovering spontaneously.

References from JudoInfo...

• How safe is choking in judo? by E.K. Koiwai
• The Safety of Judo Chokes by Leonard I. Lapinsohm M.D.
• Emergency Care for Chokeholds by John Boulay
• Deaths allegedly caused by shoke-holds (shimewaza) by E.K. Koiwai

What you are getting yourself into

To spend even a few minutes around wrestling is to understand one of its immutable laws: People get hurt. This isn’t by accident; it’s by design... [These arts] inflict immense amounts of pain and suffering ..., often by means that look outright cruel but in fact are the product of months of hard labor spent in perfecting the technical aspects ... If you should quit, be it mentally or physically, and you are still at some indeterminate midpoint ... then you stand roughly a 99% chance of getting hurt. (Mark Kreidler, Four Days to Glory)

There is, to my way of thinking, an unusual trend in American martial arts. Folks get into the arts without fully understanding that they might be setting themselves up for injury. These same kids will sign up for football knowing that it will be rough and tough and painful. Their parents understand this too. We all know folks that have been hurt playing contact sports. But then we sign up for a martial arts class (supposedly a class on how to fight) and we don't expect it to be rough.

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My instructors have always made it abundantly clear that there is no chance involved - if you practice these arts you will eventually be injured. Hopefully later, but maybe sooner. I tell all of my students in writing the dangerous nature of the activity. Note also the disclaimer at the bottom of this page – it is not just for decoration…

The contents of this website are for informational purposes only. Do not mistake any of this information for advice.

Martial arts training is a physical contact activity in which there is risk to the participants. Practice is frequently very physically strenuous and mentally and emotionally challenging. Participation can result in injuries or damages of any sort, including permanent disability, deformity, or death. Sometimes the risks are not even foreseeable by trained experts.

It would be wise of you to obtain the help of a qualified instructor and have a physician examine you and clear you for strenuous physical contact activity before you try any of these very dangerous activities. Always inspect the practice area, the equipment, your partners, and yourself for risks before starting. Your participation is voluntary, so if you see something that you think is unsafe you should immediately tell the instructor and decline to participate in that activity. Always work within your own limits.

In fact, one of my instructors, when repeatedly asked about starting 3 and 4 and 5 year-olds in karate classes eventually began responding, "Would you give your child a handgun for Christmas?" And after seeing their horrified responses he would tell them, "Well, this is the same thing because in this class, I teach people to kill other people."

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While I would not go that far (I do not teach people to kill other people) the violent physical contact activities we practice and experiment with in class are derived from battlefield sciences that were designed and evolved to injure and kill.

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You can't go into this thing without knowing what you are getting yourself into.

Judo bruisers

Somebody hit upon my blog the other day with the search term, “bruising in judo.” That certainly brings back un-fond memories. Back in the day when I was first learning to fall, I would have these huge bruises on the sides of my hips and thighs from falling and I would have hand-shaped bruises on my upper arms and chest from people grabbing for sleeve and pinching flesh. Abrasions (mat-burn or gi-burn) on the knuckles and feet and forehead and neck were common too. This abrasion and bruising was a perpetual thing. It lasted for years. I would often have overlapping areas of purple, blue-green, and yellow bruises all in different stages of recovery.
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So far as I know, this bruising was common to most everyone who did judo and it was benign, though I’ve wondered about the possibility of impact hemolytic anemia in judoka (BTW, that would be a great medical study to run if anyone wants to give me credit for the idea.)
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But anyway, in answer to the question implied by that search term, bruising in judo is common, normal, and probably benign in young judoka who play rough. Abrasions, on the other hand, can become seriously infected. If you get mat burn or gi burn a lot, keep your mats as clean as possible and keep a can of Solarcaine (or other spray antiseptic) handy in the dojo.

Concussion

A vital skill that is perhaps sometimes overlooked in some martial arts syllabi is First Aid. I recommend that everyone participating in martial arts classes obtain and maintain a First Aid and CPR certification equivalent to either American Heart Association or Red Cross standards. At the very minimum, these certifications should be prerequisite to black belt rank or teaching functions in a club.

Today I creased my skull working on putting up some vertical blinds for my wife. Classical concussion symptoms - that is, head trauma followed by change in mental status. In my case I was mildly confused and disoriented for a couple of hours after the six-foot long 1x6 board fell onto my head. I seem to have gotten over it - rested for a while, took a bath and washed the blood out of my hair, and HEY, the blinds look fabulous!

But seriously, concussion is a good thing to be able to recognize, because if it is severe (vomiting, amnesia, drowsiness, staggering, or crazy speech) you should seek medical attention. Repeated concussions, even mild ones, have been known to cause impairment disproportional to the apparent severity of the trauma. Children are particularly succeptible to sudden death from second or third concussions.

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So, get some training, know when to seek medical attention, and know when to discontinue practice and get medical clearance to resume.