I received this in my email, along with a request to post this. Perhaps we think too little about Jita Kyoei, this interesting commentary may remind us!

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By: Clyde Lewis
Gentle Ways Judo St. Cloud

We have all heard the stories of Jigoro Kano, and his principles of the betterment of mankind through the study of judo. But how many of us truly aspire to this lofty goal? This is not another training guide or a teacher telling you yet another way to perform Tai otoshi. Instead, this paper is being written to inspire all judoka to ask themselves this question: What is my level of judo? And just maybe to help find the answer that has been so elusive to myself.

Now, right off you may say that I’m a Shodan or Yonkyu. Or you may say I’m a state champion or an elite player. My goal is not to minimize ranks or competition. Ranks are a great way to gauge your proficiency at performing certain techniques. Competition can be fun and very rewarding. But is winning a shiai or getting that black belt the ultimate goal for studying judo? Or is there something more that can be derived from the study of judo than just trophies and belts? And if so, how do we go about getting there? My instructors have always taught that winning is secondary to learning and ranks are meaningless outside of the dojo. Although, I do have to admit when I first started judo I wanted to win a competition more than I wanted to learn to get my butt kicked on a regular basis. But as I have progressed in my study of judo my instructor’s words have started to become more clear. Win or lose. Pass or fail. My goal is to come off the mat a better and wiser man. To have learned something about myself, and to hopefully have made my opponent or partner a better judoka as well.

And how does this transfer into daily life? That is the most enigmatic part of the puzzle. I think just the recognition of what is right and fair in everyday life is part of becoming a better person, as well as acknowledging that my way is not the only way in judo, and life.

An example of what I believe to be the most important thing learned by any martial artist follows in this story about a disturbing situation that I found myself in.

I had been the topic of discussion among some of my fellow judoka. Most of which was slanderous and quite self-serving on their part. I found this out due to a misdirected e-mail. The content of the e-mail was to say the least shocking and hurtful due to the fact that the person sending it I had called a friend. My first reaction was to defend myself against his words. But after careful reflection and some helpful guidance by my instructors I decided to leave the situation alone. It was hard to suppress the human reaction of revenge. And to disprove the allegations. But something inside, something instilled by my instructors was stronger. It was at that moment that I experienced Satori or enlightenment. And had to accept that in their eyes what was said was true. But at the same time really doesn’t matter.

So here are the questions that I hope will open the door to discussion for many. Do any of us really endeavor to live up to a higher code of conduct? Do any of us really have an obligation to? These are the questions each of us must answer for ourselves. And I hope that we have the courage to question our commitment to our arts and sports each and every day. And to try not to put others down just so we can experience the least important part of the arts. I will leave the opinion as to what is least important to be answered by each of us individually. Because really the path can only be shown to us. We must decide whether or not to take it.

As for myself I believe that judo and all other martial arts are more than just a fighting style or a sport. I believe that they can be useful mechanisms to make us better people. To make us more accepting of others by seeing that just as we all have our own way of effecting a technique, we all have distinct ways of living our lives. And we all have a great deal to teach each other. On and off the mat.

 

 

I found this post on rec.martial-arts, and asked the author, Kirk Lawson, if I could post it here. Even though it is not about Judo, I encourage everyone to read this one carefully, as the author does a fine job of expressing something not commonly discussed. Kirk has managed to express something I attempted in the article Is BJJ Better Than Judo.

I’ve added a few comments to what Kirk said… to keep it straight, my comments are in [brackets].

 

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Philosophy, Strategy, and Techniques

To be honest, there are multiple errors when it comes to people understanding Aikido, both from Aikidoka and non-Aikidoka. Because of many factors, but primarily the ‘Do’ of Aikido, it is easy for Aikido to ‘be’ many different things. [Just as Judo is seen as a martial art, a method of self defense, a sport, an Olympic event, degraded Jujutsu, wrestling, etc.]

I find that it is easiest to break Aikido (and most ‘Do’ arts for that matter) into three areas. Philosophy, Strategy, and Techniques.

Let’s start with the easiest first: Techniques.

Loosely speaking, Techniques are the conglomeration of punches, kicks, grapples, joint-locks, Weapons subsets, nerve strikes, blocking, slipping, redirecting, etc. that comprise an art. Basically, the actual nuts and bolts of an attack or a defense (both "hard" and "soft" see RMA FAQ). As a general rule, most arts are drawn from the same pool of techniques but typically include the most basic set of techniques from most or all of these "areas." That being said, we can exit "general rules" and get into more specifics in which we can say that a particular art may include more sets or variations of one class of techniques than others and may exclude other sets or variations. Generally speaking, Aikido contains primarily joint-locks and throws, but also includes punches and may include kicks, grapples, ground-work, and weapons subsets depending upon the lineage and the tastes of the instructor. (note: we are not discussing how these techniques are used or in response to what, that’s part of Strategy)

Next there is the aspect of Strategy:

Perhaps the most difficult of the three to determine in specifics about any given art, Strategy describes the overall concept of how the set of techniques of an art are applied to combat or physical confrontations. Basically, the Strategy of an art prepares the practitioner to respond in certain ways with a given set of techniques to various attacks. It is concerned with elements of how Techniques are constructed or applied, particularly in reference to Linear versus Circular. One of the most famous and easily understood Martial Arts Strategies comes from Brazilian JuJitsu. Basically stated, BJJ’s Strategy says: "All, or most, fights are comprised of only two combatants, and end up with both combatants ‘wrestling’ on the ground rather than standing, thus, to be most effective, the greatest emphasis in training should be on ‘groundwork’." Other arts have Strategies that are based on or include "angles of attack", etc. Some arts have the simplest of all Strategies, which is ‘the best defense is a good offense’, or stated another way, ‘do as much damage as possible and keep doing damage until the opponent is no longer a threat’.

In Aikido, the basic Strategy includes concepts of Evading, Controlling incoming attacks and energy, and ‘Off-balancing’ the aggressor. Aikido is also generally considered a very Circular Art. Thus the set of Techniques previously discussed may be viewed through the filter of Aikido’s Strategy. If, for instance, a given style of Aikido includes punches and kicks, then what would be the Strategic purpose of said punches and kicks? Typically, the Strategic purpose of these punches and kicks are to create the "Off-balance’ in the opponent which can then be taken advantage of. Any actual damage inflicted by said punch or kick is ancillary, a "bonus" if you will. Yoshinkan Aikido is a good example the Aikido Strategy using these sort of Techniques.

Much of the "Art X is superior to Art Y" wars seen are in truth based in differing Strategies which proponents of Art X believe to be a superior Strategy, but lacking the framework of Techniques, Strategy, and Philosophy, they can not articulate what specifically makes Art X superior in their opinion.

As a subset of Strategy, let’s briefly examine Training. This describes the methods and exercises used in learning and practicing the art in question. Training can differ radically from one instructor to the next within a single Martial Art, to say nothing of from one Martial Art to another. Thus, it is not really possible to classify training for a specific art in anything other than broad generalization. Training can, and frequently does, include exercises where a given Technique is broken down into small, easily digested, bits which, once understood are then moved into one, flowing movement, The Technique. In the Martial Arts world, there are currently two hotly debated Training tools, Sparring and Forms.

Sparring, sometimes called Randori (and it’s close relative, Competition, or Kumite [For Judo: Shiai]) is where the Martial Artist faces one or more training partners where each engage in varying degrees of free form attacks and defenses. It is widely held that, in order to learn to use Techniques and Strategy "on the fly" or under stress, one must put them to the test in the most realistic practice engagements possible. Since it is undesirable to seriously injure your Sparring partner (who would you have to spar with if you put all your training partners in the hospital?), there is nearly always some level of holding back and/or protective equipment worn during Sparring. Since Aikido is a banner term, covering many interpretations of the Founder’s art, it is again, difficult to make even generalizations, however, some interpretations of Aikido, notably Shodokan (Tomiki) Aikido, and Yoshinkan Aikido, Training does contain variations of Randori.

Forms, sometimes called Kata (or Hyung in Korean). These are a set of prearranged movements; A sequence of Techniques, performed most frequently alone or, sometimes with one or more Training partners who will simulate a specific attack at a given place in the Form. The purpose of Forms is similar to that of western shadowboxing. Forms are sometimes thought to contain "hidden" Techniques that an advanced student would be able to interpret, sometimes with the help of his Master, but which would appear to be nothing more than a basic Technique to a less experience practitioner. Advocates of Forms believe that they help prepare the Martial Artist by giving him:

1) A visualization tool to help him "see" how the Techniques may be applied in an active, yet controlled setting
2) An opportunity to learn how to flow easily from one Technique to the next.

Opponents of Forms believe that they lack reality, which leads to misplaced confidence, and frequently teach bad habits. Most interpretations of Aikido contain differing types of Forms, frequently involving a Training partner.

[I might add that ‘forms’ (kata) range from completely prearranged and razor precise movements, to a very loose and simply repeated movements. The ‘Uchikomi’ of Judo is simply another form of ‘kata’. Much of Aikido is practiced in a way that Judoka would think of as Uchikomi… There are many techniques that simply cannot be practiced safely any other way, so those who object to kata aren’t capable of training in certain techniques…]

Finally, let’s briefly examine Philosophy:

Not all arts contain the element of Philosophy. As is discussed in the rec.martial-arts FAQ, this is primarily the difference between the ‘Do’ and the "Jutsu" Japanese arts. In "Jutsu" Japanese arts, there is no accompanying Philosophy which offers a guide to practitioners in all aspects of life, including conflict resolution (combat). Most Martial Arts Philosophies, aim to build character, morality, and humanity in the practitioner and typically include theories on armed pacifism and responsibility. Others teach a Philosophy that includes civil disobedience, armed rebellion, and guerilla warfare. Many, additionally, leave this to the religious leaders each student chooses to recognize, though, in this case, it may be more correct to say that the Art in question has no Philosophy associated with it. Note that, many Martial Artists today view many or all of these Philosophies with distain, scorn or outright laughter and disbelief.

The application of an arts Philosophy to the practitioner’s life is highly subjective and, in Aikido, tends to be deeply intertwined with how and when Strategy and Techniques are applied. In basic terms, the Philosophy of Aikido is that of returning "harmony" to disharmonious or chaotic situations. Thus, it can be said that a person who mediates an argument is "doing Aikido" despite the fact that the person has not implemented any Techniques, much less used Techniques in an Aikido Strategy (referred to by Aikidoka as ‘Aiki’). This is one of the primary points of confusion and contention between both Aikidoka and non-Aikidoka. For instance, it has been said of various practitioners using Aikido Strategy and Techniques that "he wasn’t doing Aikido" simply because the observer felt that said practitioner was being too aggressive or violent, he wasn’t "attempting to return harmony" to the chaotic situation. Thus, and Aikidoka who "picks a fight" isn’t using Aikido. If you can see you’re way past the apparent contradiction, then you understand a finer point of Aikido.

Many practitioners of other arts find fault with the Aikido Philosophy, especially those of arts who’s Strategy is diametrically opposed to the Aikido Philosophy, such as the "do as much damage as possible" Strategies. This is simply another point of confusion that is easily understood under the Techniques, Strategy, Philosophy framework, even if not resolved. But without this sort of framework, they and the Aikidoka are left to arguing in never ending circles about effectiveness, etc. and are usually forced to end with "Aikido Sucks!" and "You know nothing!", which is wholly unsatisfactory to both parties.

While I don’t expect this sort of framework to solve the many "Aikido Sucks/No It Doesn’t" threads, it will perhaps give participants a better idea of where they disagree and meaningful conversations can then begin.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk Lawson
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"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the Act depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest."
· Mahatma Gandhi, "Gandhi, An Autobiography", M. K. Gandhi, page 446