I love this blog: Rory Miller's Chiron

Rory Miller's Chiron blog, named after the centaur that taught Achilles to fight, is a definite must-read for anyone who wants to think they are practicing a martial art in order to be able to survive violence. Every single post of Rory's is a peek inside the head of a guy who has really had to put his knowledge and experience on the line. Every article at Chiron is an education in and of itself. Here are a few of my favorites...

• If you are going to do a martial art and want it to be effective in a fight, then you need to understand the concept of the OODA loop. Rory Miller's posts on OODA are a really good starting point.
• A while back in a heated debate on some blog or another, Sensei Strange left a comment mocking the idea that punches are good options for controlling the opponent. The gist of the comment was, "Sure, whatever you don't understand and can't control, just punch it into submission!" Well here is a great article about just that idea from a guy who has had to subdue and control aplenty!
• And Rory's thoughts from a few years ago on Miyamoto Musashi.

There is so much material at Rory Miller's Chiron blog, you really ought to head over there and delve into his archives to see what you can glean.  Really, I think any chance you get to study with Rory's would be well worth your time!

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One thing - what goes up comes down

Any thing that goes up must come back down.  Therefore, kick uke's foot into the air (e.g. deashi or uchimata) and get ready for it to come back down.  When it touches the ground, throw an otoshi (e.g. taiotoshi or seoiotoshi).  This uchimata-to-taiotoshi combo is a HOOT!

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Judo vs. BJJ

So, the commonly heard axiom is that BJJ derived from judo but evolved a much more advanced ground game while Judo developed a much more advanced standing game. I think that's mostly too simple a distinction to be useful - judo also has very advanced groundwork and BJJ also has a stand-up game that is in some ways superior to that of judo.
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.Studying BJJ (admitedly mostly from video and book) I can honestly say that I have not seen much BJJ that I'd not already learned in judo except for leglocks and omoplata. Perhaps it's just my particular judo background. Coming up through the ranks, our club seemed to spend much more time than average on the ground. Also, nearly all of us that were studying judo were also concurrently studying aikido or hapkido or jujitsu, so it could just be that what I associate in my mind as 'normal judo' is closer to BJJ than it is to mainstream judo.
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I think that what BJJ (and especially Gracie JJ) really has going for it that judo does not have is excellent, excellent instructors. While there are some good judo instructors out there, there are also a lot of regional champions teaching wannabe-champions 1-2 throws and working on conditioning to try to prepare them to use their power to thrive in competition environments. It seems to me that because of their excellent pedagogy, an average BJJ instructor could probably teach a pencil-necked geek more in less time than an average judo instructor could.
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With all that said, here's a quick point-by-point comparison of a few of the differences between judo and BJJ. Bear in mind that these are simple trends - individual clubs can vary a good bit from these ideas.

• Throws vs. takedowns - Judo players value the perfect throw (ippon) because judo rules reward the perfect throw. BJJ rules do not reward the perfect throw differently than the merely-okay takedown, so BJJ players are generally free to use a wider variety of entries into groundwork. This does not make either art better - it's just a difference. If you want to see larger, higher-impact, more technically perfect throwing techniques, look at judo. If you want to see easier-to-perform, more functional, lower-impact entries into the ground, look at BJJ.
• Different competition rulesets - BJJ has a more practical, more fun ruleset for competitions - The judo ruleset has been modified to a shameful degree over the years, diluting the virility of the art and reducing interest in the sport. The BJJ ruleset is remarkably like early judo rulesets, and has remained mostly unchanged - resulting in an explosion in popularity and interest in the sport.
• Inductive vs. deductive - Judo seems to me to be generally more deductive, while BJJ is more inductive. Judo starts with a handful of principles and deduces the techniques through randori. BJJ teaches lots of techniques, one for every conceivable situation, and leaves the student to induce the general principles through experience in live rolling. Both eventually get to the same state. Both end up with nearly identical sets of techniques. The same principles are at work in both arts. But they approach the development of the art in the student from different directions.

Want more info on the differences between judo and jujitsu?  Mastering Jujitsu (Mastering Martial Arts Series) is one of the best books I've ever read on how BJJ and GJJ evolved differently from judo and why they do things the way they do in BJJ.

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One thing - first, best response

One thing from last night's aikido class: Whenever someone startles you, step aside and reach for their face with both hands!  This switches your attacker into a defensive mode and sets up all your aikido techniques.

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Strong side forward or back?

In high-level Judo competition, the competitive gripfighting gurus say to always fight dominant side forward because it makes for a shorter entry for throws like seoinage.  These gurus say that statistically (that is, looking at lots of past matches), folks that switch sides during a match never win.

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But then, boxers always (or nearly always?) fight dominant side back, so that they can have greater power in their straight cross.  I'm not a follower of boxing, so I don't know of any counterexamples or stats about boxers that fight on their off-sides.

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So my question for y'all is, in a MMA-like environment, is it better to fight dominant side forward to facilitate grappling, or dominant side back to facilitate punching?  Does it depend on the particular skills of the fighter?  Does it matter?

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Tomiki Sensei's false modesty

I've recently heard some very highly-ranked instructors express reluctance to refer to what we do as "Tomiki-ryu" or "Tomiki style" or even just "Tomiki aikido." They say Tomiki sensei didn't want it called this. He preferred to simply call it, "aikido."

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I say this is basically false modesty (on the part of both Tomiki Sensei and these later instructors) and this line of argument gets them into a logical deadend...

• If we think that Tomiki's opinion carries absolute authoritative weight on the subject... If what Tomiki said goes... then it really is Tomiki's thing - Tomiki's aikido that we're doing, and it would be appropriate to call it Tomikiryu.
• On the other hand, if we don't consider Tomiki to absolutely own the aikido that we do... If Tomiki's opinions are guidelines or starting points but not final rules or laws... then who cares what he wanted us to call the thing? We are free to take his expressed wishes into consideration but still do contrary.

I say we ought to proudly refer to the thing we do Tomiki Aikido because...

• The thing that we do has been commonly referred to as Tomiki-ryu or Tomiki Aikido for at least 30 years, if not longer. People in the aikido community understand what we're talking about when we say "Tomiki aikido," even if the purists feel like they have to constantly correct that usage.  
• When we tell someone, "We do aikido," then they practice with us, a long, drawn-out discussion always ensues, "We don't do it that way..." until we finally admit that we do Tomiki aikido.  Why not get that out of the way from the start just for the sake of clear communication?
• I think an homage to Tomiki sensei is appropriate, and that Tomiki's reported modesty does not carry the weight of law. Tomiki's modifications to Ueshiba's teaching methods were truly revolutionary and worthy of respect and remembrance.

You guys can do what you want, but as for me and my family, we do Tomiki aikido.

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One thing...

I usually don't do much metablogging - blogging about how I go about blogging, but this is an issue that I have continued to try to deal with for quite a while and I'm still trying to figure out.  I figured some other aspiring blogger might get something from hearing this litany of errors from which I've grown.

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This blog started out primarily as a simple training log for the benefit of myself and my students.  When I discovered that other folks were following my blog, I started changing my format to accommodate a wider interest.  Part of this has been a continual attempt to re-work my training logs so that I retain some value for myself and my students but I don't let my other readers eyes glaze over from the tedium.

• I started out with long, verbose training logs
• Then I went with condensed summaries, but these were much the same every time
• For a while I tried weekly lesson plans
• I also tried going back and updating some of the older training logs with more up-to-date info and commentary
• Then I went back to the condensed summaries

Now I am going to try a new thing - one single take-away point from each class.  Sort of a condensed, condensed summary.  These should typically be 1-2 sentences about the one "aha! moment in each class," written such that my students benefit but also such that others outside of our particular domain might glean something of value.  If you only remember one thing about each class, this should be it.

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For instance, in this last class, we spent a lot of time on warmup, ukemi, and floating throws, but the "one thing," the "aha! moment" was...

• Floating throws accentuate uke's upward motion just a touch at the peak in order to unhook them from the earth (their power source), then you push or pull them off their base when they try to regain connection with the earth (during an otoshi).

Let's see how these "One things" work for a while.

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What is aikido?

Film of British Shodokan (Tomiki Aikido) practitioner talking about the art.

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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 木蓮
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Happy Independence Day!

Film of Red Skelton passionately explaining the Pledge of Allegiance...


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Mokuren Dojo on your Kindle!

WOW! How cool is this?  One more way that you can keep up with your favorite aikido and judo blog - now you can subscribe to this blog on your Amazon Kindle!

So, Dear Constant Reader, you can help me out ...

1. Hop on your Kindle and go to the Kindle Store.  Type "Mokuren Dojo" into the search bar, and subscribe!
2. Write a review and, by all means, give me a 5-star rating!
3. Tell all your Kindle-phile buddies that they can now get this awesome aikido/judo blog on their Kindle!

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President's Challenge

[Mokuren Dojo is a member of the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and I recently received the following announcement from the AAU offices. Whatever else anyone thinks about our current president, I think this particular program is laudable and important.  Mokuren Dojo has taken part in the President's Challenge in the past, but it's been several years (I received a medal and a letter from George W. Bush).  Perhaps it's time to fire that program back up... PLP (the highlighting below is mine)]

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

June 23, 2010

First Lady Launches President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition

Mrs. Obama joins Washington, DC-area kids to unveil expanded mission of Council, introduce 2010 Council Co-Chairs and Members

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, First Lady Michelle Obama joined kids from the Washington, DC area to launch the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and introduce the 2010 Council co-chairs and members. In conjunction with the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative, this year President Obama has broadened the scope of the Council, formerly known as the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, to include a focus on healthy eating as well as active lifestyles. Yesterday, the President signed an Executive Order outlining the Council's new emphasis on both good nutrition and physical fitness.

The President has named Drew Brees, quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, and Dominique Dawes, three-time Olympian and former U.S. national champion in women's gymnastics, 2010 Council Co-Chairs. Dawes delivered remarks at the event and Brees recorded a video message that was shown there. Joining Dawes at the event were 2010 Council Members Dan Barber, Tedy Bruschi, Allyson Felix, Michelle Kwan, Curtis Pride, Donna Richardson Joyner, Dr. Ian Smith, Carl Edwards, Cornell McClellan and Dr. Stephen McDonough. Council Executive Director, Shellie Pfohl, was also in attendance. Following the announcement, the First Lady, Pfohl and the Council Members joined the kids in participating in a series of activity stations.

"This year we're expanding the work of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition to include not just a focus on active lifestyles, but on healthy eating, too," Mrs. Obama said. "The Council will play an important role in our effort to help combat childhood obesity in this country and I am grateful to the athletes, chefs, doctors and nutrition experts who are volunteering their time on the Council to help make a difference."

The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition is a committee of volunteer citizens who advise the President through the Secretary of Health and Human Services about opportunities to develop accessible, affordable and sustainable physical activity, fitness, sports and nutrition programs for all Americans regardless of age, background or ability. The Council's mission is to engage, educate and empower all Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition. For more information about the Council and its members, visit http://www.fitness.gov/.

In addition to its presidential advisory role, the Council promotes and maintains the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards program (President's Challenge) which encourages all Americans to include physical activity – 30 minutes per day for adults and 60 minutes per day for youth “ in their daily lives. For more information about the President's Challenge programs, visit www.presidentschallenge.org.

 

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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 木蓮

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Training Log

Kids' Judo

• ukemi
• gracie games: base battle
• we had pairs of kids each put a foot down onto a baton and grapple with the intent of getting the other guy's foot off the baton long enough to pick up the baton.
• concentration game - listening to the clouds

Judo

• ukemi w/ emphasis on turning the forward rolling breakfall into a forward airfall
• warmup with deashibarai (2 on one side and one on the other)
• deashi-kouchi-ouchi combo
• kouchi-ouchi-kouchi combo
• kouchi-seoiotoshi combo

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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 木蓮

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I love this blog: Zac's Gaijin Explorer

Zacky Chan's Gaijin Explorer is an excellent blog with a lot of great articles about the cultural experiences of a barbarian living in Japan as well as nice technical aikido articles - frequently with a philosophical or psychological or cultural slant. Here are some of my favorite articles from Zac's archives...

• This is actually (IMO) Zac's best post to date, and is probably one of the very best posts in the entire martial arts blogoshere. What makes it even more interesting than just the excellent content is the lack of engagement Zac's readers have had with it. Many of Zac's articles get at least a handful of good comments but this one (as of this writing) has NONE. You folks are apparently missing out on a true gem!
• This next one contains a wonderful view of the inside of a student's head as he deals with the frustration involved with making it to regular practices. I like that. In order to excel at blogging you have to expose yourself some and get personal. I think Zac's solution to his problem would help a lot of folks a lot of the time. Check it out!
• And an example of some of Zac's more philosophical ponderings, "Do our lives have folds in them?"

I think if you aren't reading this blog regularly, you should be.  Please do yourself a favor and go there right now and bookmark it!

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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 木蓮

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The voice of my kata

I have a confession. I hope you don't think I'm too crazy...

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Kata speaks to me. I don't mean, "I like kata," or, "Doing kata makes me feel good." I mean, kata talks in words and sentences with a voice to me.  Kata and I have long conversations over a beer like old friends sometimes.

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Junanahon kata, for instance, tells me different things at different times...

• Occasionally it's like a lover's spat, and all my kata will say to me is, "Thou shalt step just so, and having steppest thusly, thou shall press with utmost precision upon uke's chin, and then and only then shalt thou..."
• But more often it says something like, "Always start with shomenate or oshitaoshi and go with the flow from there."
• Or it might say, "Try to avoid contact, and if that doesn't work, do #1 or #2, and if those don't work, the rest of the kata is your backup plan."
• Or it can say something like, "Try #6 and if that doesn't work, try #7 and if that doesn't work, try #8, and if that doesn't work, then try #9..."
• Or it might say, "Try #6, and if that doesn't work, Try #6 again. And again... and again. I promise it'll work here in a minute."
• Sometimes it says, "That was pretty good, but couldn't you have been a little bit easier on uke?"
• But at other times it tells me, "That seems to have worked this time, but isn't being so easy on uke a bit risky?"

Since my kata talks to me, does that mean it is alive?

 

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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 木蓮

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