Let the sword be a sword

A student of mine who unfortunately had to move a couple of thousand miles away reminded me today of the lesson he remembers most fondly.  It involves the use of the sword in aikido and jodo.  It goes something like this...

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Consider what the sword is - a 3-foot long, razor sharp knife with a swept blade.  You do not have to swing it like a caveman wielding a stalagmite!

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Let the sword have the sword-nature!

• don't power all the way through the stroke with arm strength - raise it in front of your body and let it drop by relaxing your shoulders
• don't drape the sword over your back in preparation for a menuchi or yokomenuchi because you will have to exert muscularly to pick the blade back up before you can drop it on the target in front of you.
• Let the blade drop with absolutely minimal steerage from your muscles.  The more you try to steer the blade, the more it wavers from its true path - and a blade that is vibrating laterally will not cut cleanly.  Let gravity drop the blade in a straight line.

Let the sword be a sword.

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Patrick Parker

www.mokurendojo.com

Variation: 31 jo kata - 4 directional

Here is an interesting variation of the 31 jo kata performed by Stenudd Sensei.  Typically the kata is done in a line, facing either forward or back for each move.  In this variation, he changes some of the turns to place him on all four cardinal points, similar to the shihogiri sword exercise.  This version has nice rhythm and flow, and so long as his changes do not interfere with the applications that the solo exercise is supposed to represent, this version is fine with me (as if I'm the authority on this thing).

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Patrick Parker
www.mokurendojo.com

You don't have to strike a pose

Here is an interesting old film of M. Saito demonstrating the 31 jo kata.  Part of what makes this film most interesting to me is that he appears to be wearing zori or geta and that affects his taisabaki and kamae.  Specifically, he is placing his feet more carefully and is using more upright, natural postures than are seen in most demonstrations of the 31 jo kata.  The lesson to take from this is that you do not have to strike a wide-legged pose between every move (see the following film) for the exercise to be correct.

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Patrick Parker
www.mokurendojo.com

Application before 31-jo kata

When working a solo kata, like 31-jo kata, into your routine, you need to be aware that the best way to utilize this kata is as a reminder of the paired-kata that you have already practiced with a partner.

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Application must come before solo kata, or else you will have no guideline for what the solo kata is supposed to become and what it is supposed to do for you.  With no prior experience of the application, solo kata is very subjective and vulnerable to our fantasies about what we might be doing.  If you learn the solo kata outside of the context of application then you can easily come up with some retarded, imaginary applications that then become written in stone because of your solo kata practice.

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Instead, if you learn and practice the paired applications first, then the solo kata becomes an aid to visualization and review of that material when you do not have a partner.

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So, if possible, you should learn the applications with a live partner before you spend much time on the 31-jo kata - or at least learn application concurrently.

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Patrick Parker

www.mokurendojo.com

Sumigaeshi and tomoenage

So, what's the difference between sumigaeshi and tomoenage? Are these two throws the same thing except with two different "grips" or connections?  Your high-powered Trick-Question Sense should immediately start tingling when you read that question, because as I've said before (repeatedly) the old, dead Japanese guys that developed this stuff were not into mindless multiplication of techniques.  If two things were not significantly different in principle then they lumped them together and give them one name.

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So, now that we know there really must be differences between these two throws, what are those differences?

• name - tomoenage means something like, "circular throw" or "yin-yang-shaped throw," while sumigaeshi means something like "corner counter" or "turning the corner."
• direction - at least as I think of these two throws, tomoenage happens in one axis of rotation(flipping forward), while sumigaeshi happens in two axes of rotation (turning horizontally as you flip frontally).  In other words, I usually throw tomoenage in uke's direction of travel, but I throw sumigaeshi close to 90 degrees to uke's direction of travel (similar to the yokoguruma in nagenokata).
• force - tomoenage appears to me to have more muscular insurance associated with it.  If you get it close to right, often you can push hard with the strongest muscles in your leg and finish the throw.  On the other hand, sumigaeshi often feels like a less forceful, more graceful action that you have to get closer to right because you do not have as much muscular backup.

I have never gotten much mileage from tomoenage. I suppose because of my long legs it is hard to get seated directly under uke and still get my foot in his gut and not in his groin.  I do, however have a yokotomoenage that I like a lot, and I get good mileage out of sumigaeshi.

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Patrick Parker

www.mokurendojo.com

No class tonight

We might could have class tonight despite the ice and county-wide bridge closings and wrecks and etc...

But let's practice some real self defense instead.

Stay home and stay safe and I'll see you for Jo class Saturday at 9am.

You take all the turns

Sensei Strange asked me in an interview a couple of weeks ago, "When does our practice become not-aiki?"  Today this question got me thinking regarding the 10 kumijo applications to the 31 jo kata - What is it that makes this exercise aiki instead of just stick-swinging?

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Well, there might be several answers, but here's one thing that can potentially make it not-aiki.  Aiki is not about taking turns, as in...

• you strike and I block
• then I strike and you block
• then you strike and I block
• and so on...

Nobody ever gets ahead of that cycle except by luck.  Aiki is about seizing the initiative so that you get to take all the turns.  So an aiki encounter might go something like...

• you strike and I evade and counterstrike
• you try to deal with my strike and I strike again
• you try to deal with that strike and I strike again (notice that these "strikes" might be any sort of technique - not just atemi)
• until the attacker is destroyed or controlled or irrelevant...

When working these kumijo exercises beyond the uttermost basic levels, avoid the taking-turns mode.  Get into the taking-uke's-turn-away-from-him mode.  Watch for places where the pattern looks like it might become taking-turns but tori breaks the rhythm, seizes the initiative, and triumphs.

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As you are watching for this shift in initiative in the kumijo, notice that it often happens in non-weapon aiki via the application of atemi and/or kuzushi, and it is always accompanied by exquisite taisabaki.

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Patrick Parker

www.mokurendojo.com

Blocking-in the moves of 31-jo kata

This is the best instructional vid I've found on YouTube for helping to learn 31 jo kata.  Note, when I say 'learn' the kata, I don't mean application or really anything more than superficial blocking-in of the movements.  For that purpose, this video is excellent because of the slow and step-wise pacing.

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Also notice the reference lines on the floor.  You can take those as general indicators of what direction to step, but instead, I prefer to pay attention to which quadrant he is stepping into with each foot rather than which line he is stepping on. Concentrate on stepping off of lines rather than onto lines.

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Solo kata like this has some major issues, that can be overcome through other forms of training.  I will get into that in a later post.

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Patrick Parker
www.mokurendojo.com

Seitei jo kihon in 31 jo kata

Jo and aikido go together like peas and carrots. But what kind of jo?  There are several jo systems that various aikido classes use as an adjunct to aikido, including

• Shindo Muso-ryu Jojutsu (developed feudally)
• ZNKR Seitei Jo (developed 1968)
• aikijo and aikiken (developed pre-war by Ueshiba and formalized in 1973 by Saito)

One distinctive feature of Aikijo is its pair of extended, solo kata titled (uncreatively) the 31-step kata and the 13-step kata.  Seitei Jo does not have this sort of prolonged solo forms and from what very little I've seen of the Koryu Jo, neither do they. 

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31-jo kata is interesting as an exercise when you do not have a partner because it provides a method of practicing some of the same kihon as found in Seitei Jo - but within a context of aiki-like movement.  The Seiteijo kihon that are easiest to identify in 31-jo kata include:

• tsuki (both honte and gyakute)
• honteuchi
• gyakuteuchi
• hikiotoshi uchi
• kaeshizuki
• gyakutezuki
• makiotoshi
• kuritsuki
• kurihanashi

More kihon analogous to stuff in Seitei Jo are probably in 31-jo kata but I just haven't been able to find them yet.  In any case, 31-jo kata makes for an interesting solo exercise when you don't have a jo partner available to help keep your jo skills honed.

 

[photo courtesy of Quemando Chirucas]

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Patrick Parker

www.mokurendojo.com

Helpful handful: why emphasize small ashiwaza

According to Daigo's Throwing Techniques book, the Kodokan guys  mostly used small ashiwaza to win their matches in the famous Police judo tournament.  That is, throws like kosotogari and deashibarai and hizaguruma.  These throws are certainly not the most commonly seen things in judo tournaments these days, but here's a handful of reasons you might consider brushing up on these techniques.

• Small ashiwaza is usually the first thing you can get into position for as uke moves into touching distance.  When uke steps close enough to grab you, he first exposes himself to deashi, kosoto, sasaeTKashi, and kouchi attacks.
• Because these throws are generally less favored by competitors, they are relatively unexpected.
• Small ashiwaza is low-commitment and therefore relatively low-risk for counterattack.
• Small ashiwaza is ideal for setting up other throws.  Regardless of what your tokuiwaza is, it can always be preceeded in a combo by small ashiwaza.
• Because they are small-motion, low-strength throws, they are particularly energy-efficient.

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Patrick Parker

www.mokurendojo.com

One month of 31 aikijo kata

Each month this year I plan to focus on a different kata or formal exercise here on the Mokuren Dojo blog.  This past month I have  dealt with judo's Koshiki no kata.  This coming month I will be writing a good bit on the 31-step aikijo kata and some of its associated exercises, like the suburi and kumijo.
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I know it's not the kind of jo work that we usually do - but what's the point of writing a month's worth of articles about stuff that we already know by heart?

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To whet your appetite, here is a demonstration of the 31 aikijo kata and associated kumijo.

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Patrick Parker
www.mokurendojo.com

Your favorite part of judo

Judo is not just throws.  It also includes matwork, chokes, jointlocks, self-defense material.  It is a very diverse art that can be practiced through drills, randori (sparring), or kata.  It can be profitably practiced in a competitive or a co-operative environment.

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Coming up through the ranks, we were a heavily ground-oriented club.  But lately I've been surprised to see that the part of judo that I really love is the throwing skills - especially the small ashiwaza (footsweeps), and particularly in the context of self-defense application.

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So, what is your favorite aspect of judo?

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Patrick Parker
www.mokurendojo.com

Judo has become an art of 5 techniques

I got to thinking lately, trying to figure out which throws I've seen thrown successfully in shiai more than once in the last 15 years.  It turned out to be a pretty small set.  Just about the only competition throws I've seen successfully attempted are:

• seoinage
• osotogari
• morotegari
• uchimata
• taiotoshi
• tomoenage

And that's about it.  That's pretty much the technical range of most of the competitors I've seen on any level.  Every so often someone falls for some other action, but the throws in this list represent the vast majority.

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Then the IJF comes along and makes morotegari illegal, so the range is now reduced to a mere handful of techniques.

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Seems relatively easy to me if you only ever have to watch out for about five potential actions from the entire field of competition.  Seems like some expert at some unexpected throw could relatively easily become the Grim Reaper of the judo world. 

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What do y'all think?  Am I way off from reality?  If my perception is close to right then is this situation a good or a bad thing for judo as a whole?

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Patrick Parker

www.mokurendojo.com

Koshiki no kata recap

This past month I have done a series of posts on judo's Koshiki no kata.  Like with any good kata, there is a lot there - certainly a lot more than I talked about.  But if you are interested in this exercise, you might find some of my posts this past month of use.

• Koshiki no kata month
• On loan from the Kito Ryu
• Koshiki - omote and ura
• Koshiki no kata is like a family reunion
• Very old Koshiki no kata film
• Poetry in motion
• Precision in Koshiki no Kata
• Embodiment of integrity and dignity
• The third level of knowledge
• A Kitoryu rendition of Koshiki no Kata
• Mizuguruma - the water wheel

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Patrick Parker
www.mokurendojo.com