Formosa Neijia

This is how you do it. He even tells you how to get a free resistance band. I’m finding that this type of training is crucial for your throwing. You just can’t get enough reps with a partner. And you get strength training to boot. Another thing to add to this setup is a kickpad at the base of whatever you have the tube tied to. With the kickpad, you can practice sweeps with the feet at you off-balance with the hands. Give it a shot.

In randori on Wednesday, I got a black belt that gave me no quarter whatsoever. His grip fighting was intense, and once he had that grip there was nothing I could do. His grip felt like it was part of my uniform. I couldn’t budge him. And his arm was like iron. Nothing I tried from any martial art worked. I tried to pull him backwards and the first time, I used my balance to pull him back. Bad idea. As soon as he sense my balance going backwards, he just let go. It was really embarrassing as I threw myself. The second time, I sunk into my stance and used my structure to try to pull him back at an angle. But his stance was really strong and it was my strength against his. That didn’t work either.

Needless to say, he kept me out pretty well with this style and I didn’t get a single throw. But to maintain it, he had to forgo a lot of throws too. Except for the sacrifice throw tomoe-nagi, which he got on me numerous times. I finally caught on and on the last one I blocked him so he didn’t have momentum to complete the throw. We got stuck with his foot in my stomach and me in mid-air like Superman. Everyone got a good laugh.

The only thing I could do from the outside was double-leg (morote-gari)– which I did and it worked. I was very happy that i got it but I’m getting worried about doing this too much. I don’t want to rely on it, but then again, I’m a beginner so when the randori is tough like this one and I’m not allowed to try anything, I have to take what I can get.

This brings up the necessity of “ugly judo” or throws that aren’t pretty but are very useful. Consider this clip:

Pickups are interesting because they are more universal. Several of these, like fireman’s carry, are in CIMA. In taiji, it’s an application of snake creeps down or the transition into Buddha pounds mortar.

The version of double-leg I like to use looks like this:

I say this version even though they are basically all the same because this one uses the opponent’s backward motion against him. It’s less strength-based.

But regardless of how they’re done, I’m finding that pickups can’t be ignored even if they are considered ugly or bad judo by some. They are a tool in the toolbox. Nothing more, nothing less. If that’s all you have to work with, as happened to me in that randori, then you MUST have them.

I say all this because some of my blinders are falling away as I realize that I can’t turn up my nose at certain tactics or throws just because they don’t agree with my preconceived notions. That doesn’t mean I have to do everything just because I can. But awareness of technique and opportunity is important. And not everyone is so accommodating.

In randori, I’m finding that some situations are like puzzles. You have to solve them. In order to do that, you need lots of tools and an ability to think outside the box. I have to be open to that process.

Funny how preconceptions and how they hold you back keep popping up for me.

In approaching this topic, let me first say that I’ve read a ton of nonsense on discussion boards, usually by aikidokas or taiji guys, about how judo is crude or some such nonsense. Let me dispel that right away. Judo is a sophisticated martial art. It has it’s own subtleties. Jigoro Kano was a genius in formulating a martial art that practices its techniques at full speed and power against resisting opponents. The art needs to be respected for what it is. It has qualities that CIMA and aikido just don’t have and should be respected as such. Naturally, that last statement goes the other way, too.

While I’m at it, let me throw this out: just because you might be practicing a “higher” martial art doesn’t necessarily mean you are a “higher” martial artist.

Many people too easily forget that. Styles may have lofty principles and techniques, but if you can’t use them against resisting opponents (within reason) then those things are completely irrelevant.

I say this because anyone looking to test their taiji or aikido skills in judo randori should realize that judoka spend a whole lot of time actually doing their art in randori. They don’t make noise about fancy or deadly techniques that can’t be done safely. So if you try to apply your skills against these guys, approach it very carefully and humbly.

I’ve only done three matches so far so anything I say is just preliminary. But here are my initial thoughts.

Grabbing the gi makes a big difference. If your opponent gets a grip, then he has an anchor point for his power. This can be very hard to deal with. I tried to control my opponent’s elbow before he grabbed but judo grip fighting doesn’t allow much opportunity for that. There is no hand or arm contact as in push hands. The two of you will just fight for the grab. Since that kind of arm contact isn’t part of the game, the opponent will do a decent job of getting you not to stick.

If he gets the lapel grab, there are things you can do. I find it ironic that aikido is criticized because it starts with grabbing attacks, which everyone says are unrealisitic. And yet, 99% of judo attacks use grabbing. Seems like aikido is the antidote to judo, eh?

Well, I did allow my opponent to grab and then I broke his grip and went in for my throws. That seemed the best way to avoid the grip fighting game. The breaks I used were mostly circular in nature and often put me on the outside of his arm instead of the inside as in much of the judo I’m seeing. This outside position is something I’m looking to explore more and might be very fruitful.

Taiji throws may be useful in randori, but people need to keep in mind that judo people throw and are thrown all the time. Many of the softer off-balancing moves done in taiji work well against old people in the park — not against strong, young judoka. These guys are pretty good at keeping their balance and counter-throwing. They do it all the time. None of this “push my center” stuff is going to make a bit of difference to them.

To get your taiji throws to work, you may need to put more commitment into them than you are used to. For example, you’ll have to learn how to actually throw someone all the way to the ground with them. Simple off-balancing won’t work. There’s no where near enough commitment in that.

I feel that my push hands experience helped in the interaction between I and my opponent in randori. I saw potential for many of the concepts that I’ve studied to work, and with some modification, quite a few of the techniques should work as well.

Let’s see how it pans out.

A couple of you have written in asking for advice on seeking some training in JMA. Usually this is done because the CIMA student is seeking more opportunities for application training and/or sparring. Below are my thoughts on this.

1. Seek out BJJ and judo rather than aikido.

Aikido would seem like a natural first choice for a CIMA guy looking to move into some JMA. And it’s a great style. I admire it a lot. But if you’re looking for sparring opportunities, you just won’t get it at the adverage aikido shcool. You WILL get lots of application training, many of which have counterparts in CIMA. First control is a variation of pichuan from xingyiquan, second control is an application of “needle to the bottom of the sea” from Yang style taiji, etc. Many of the moves (but not all) are found in CIMA, so you could get a whole lot of practice on apps in an aikido school. But the lack of sparring (randori) is a big issue. BJJ and judo do lots of sparring and apps training.

2. Start getting in shape

Grappling takes physical energy and you have to be in shape for it. This perfectly compliments the less atheletically challenging CIMAs. You want to be in shape for this stuff for a number of reasons, but foremost is probably because it reduces the chance of injury. Grappling involves more angles and positions that you’ve encountered in the stand-up fighitng of CIMA. You need overall strength and endurance to protect yourself at all those odd angles. See this as the yang side of your training.

3. Pay special attention to chokes, pins, and submissions

These are THE most important technqiues you as a CIMA guy will learn in the JMA grappling arts. Chokes, pins, and submissions are absolutely vital for self-defense purposes and CIMA does not cover them. I have actually used these technqiues in self-defense. I’ve saved a couple of lives with these techniques. You MUST know them but only in BJJ and judo schools will you find sufficient training in them. Get what you don’t already have under your belt.

4. Don’t fear doing something different but be prepared for a backlash

After having done CIMA for a while, it will be difficult to start something so new. I felt it too when I showed up the first time to judo class. You’re a fish out of water in many ways. Relax and go with the flow (that’s what we’re good at, right?). You’ll be picking it up in no time. Just let the JMA be JMA and the CIMA be CIMA for a while, though. Don’t expect everything to be like taiji class. But do expect that your practice of JMA will ruffle feathers. In fact, I recommend that you keep this part of your life secret and compartmentalized. Don’t tell the JMA school you have CIMA experience (why would you?) and certainly don’t tell your CIMA class or buddies you’re doing JMA. They probably won’t understand. You know how it is.

If you go this route, enjoy the training and let me know how it goes.

…. in 15 years, at least.

Wow! Mike Swain and the boys make it look real simple. Conditioning is obviously one key, and my taiji “muscles” weren’t quite up to the task. Developing my judo “muscles” is now a key goal. But all-in-all, I held my own and ….um…..only threw up once. Hey, you have to take these small victories where you can find them. And it was 33 degrees Celsisus in the dojo.

So I got paired with a really big black belt for the first match. He let me try a lot of things, none of which worked. He was just too big and strong. My techniques pretty much bounced off him. It was also my first taste of grip fighting and that was a bit awkward for me. My push hands instincts helped and hurt in that aspect. He had his hand cocked into funny position and would stab it in and grab my lapel for the throw. Different. But he never slammed me. He threw me pretty gently and afterwards I was very happy that I had chosen this dojo. These guys aren’t just a bunch of mat bullies.

After that, I got a smaller black belt more my size. This time I got two throws to work. I’ve been playing with different entries based on my taiji/bagua background and how the aikido might approach a judo throw. I think about aikido a lot because it’s a JMA grappling style that most resembles what I already do. One result is that I’ve found a version of big foot sweep (osoto-gari) that works a bit like entering throw (irminage) from aikido.

This black belt grabbed my lapel and I immediately broke his grip and pulled his arm across so I was on the outside of his arm. I then went in iriminage style with the arm cutting down the top of the body near the throat and my right leg sweeping out his right leg. Down he went. Sweet! And it was pretty clean. I don’t think that setup is common in judo (?).

The second throw I got was also something I’ve been thinking about - the double leg (morote-gari). This move is controversial and the Japanese consider it barbaric. They think it’s just strength based so I’ve been questioning how to make it a part of my game. Considering how common it is, I’m not willing to throw it out altogether. What I’ve decided to do is combo it with other throws.

So with this black belt, I went in for a pulling throw that failed naturally because he saw it coming from a mile away. But when he resisted by pulling back, I turned around and used his backward momentum to hit him with the double leg. Down he went. This way I’m not using strength to pull it off, but timing and his own force. I prefer it that way.

Thing is, I’m fairly certain I heard someone on the sidelines say “foreigners like to use that move.” Hmm…

Other than that, he threw me several times. To be expected. But again, he was nice about it so this way a nice way to experience my first time.

The third match had me worried. It was with an aggressive white belt who is preparing for competition. I was really tired by that point and wondered if I was about to get injured. The white belt was aggressive like I expected, but all his attacks were right-sided. So I learned real quick to keep my left arm on his right shoulder to sense when he was coming in. I didn’t get anything on him and he got several throws on me. I was too tired to do anything about it. It actually felt better to just go with the throw. Took less energy.

It was a blast and I’m looking forward to my next time. If you guys get a chance to do anything like this, then go for it. It will really open your eyes about a few things. More on that next time.

A while back, I got in a email disagreement with a taiji teacher. He informed me that if we ever met up, we could spar to settle the disagreement. But he was also quick to inform me that could include anything except going to the ground. He said he was no good at that. Now I ask you, had we have met up, what is the first thing you think I would have done?

In order to be generally competent in fighting, you can’t be deficient in any one area. You may not be a specialist at all or even any particular area. But you can’t have gaping holes in what you’re capable of doing, especially if it’s likely that you will encounter those kinds of techniques. For example, not having ANY ability at ground grappling in today’s world is a pretty big risk, martially speaking.

And yet, this general competency goes against the grain of training seriously in one martial art. If you look at any traditional art, they become more and more specialized as they advance. In this respect, taijiquan and BJJ are no different. But if you continue to progress in that one art, there will be a pull to become more and more specialized, likely to the detriment of your overall abilities. You only have so much time, right?

So what are you going to do — be as widely and as generally competent as you can in meeting the widest variety of attacks or will you choose to specialize in one area? Are you comfortable being called a “jack of all trades, master of none” or will you choose a niche and say “I can’t master everything”?

Not that what I want to personally practice needs any defending, but what is all this stuff about judo, aikido, etc. doing on the blog anyway?

I’m just following my path. I’m doing my thing. If that’s different from other people, then that’s okay. Different strokes and all that.

In learning taijiquan, bagauzhang, xingyiquan, etc. I’ve noticed certain things in those arts that were not as well developed as in judo and aikido (and vice versa). All arts have their strengths and weaknesses. It just stands to reason that some arts will have figured out some things better than others. Why not look around at what they are doing?

I’ll never forgive myself for giving up judo when I did. If only I had kept it up, just think where I would be today. Kick, kick, kick.

Spreading the net wider also gives me more people to play with. I REALLY enjoy that. Learn some judo and aikido and then you can play with those guys. Exposure to different ideas shows a healthy mind IMO and I’m having a blast seeing how different people train and fight. It’s making me more well-rounded for sure.

So why wait any longer? I figure just do it. If it turns out badly then I’ll just drop it. No big deal.

Let me tell you guys something: if you want to do something then just go for it. Don’t let anyone else’s ideas stop you. Life is short. REALLY short. If doing some aikido or yoga or even dancing sounds like a great idea to you, then just go do it. Sure, you’ll run into many people that won’t understand why you’re doing that. But who cares?

And this idea that you’re taking other stuff because you “just don’t get it” regarding your first art is also something that you can just ignore. These are just the one-up-manship games we play with each other. Think of crabs in a barrel. One tries to crawl out so the others pull him back down. Don’t let any fear of what others might say prevent you from something you might enjoy.

See, I let notions of purity and loyalty cloud my mind in the past and now I regret it. I now realize that your world won’t come to an end because you like doing different things. Be yourself and enjoy it!

In looking at how IMAs are done across the aisle, so to speak, I’m constantly struck by how many aikido people just naturally understand that we are supposed to use the opponent’s force against them instead of fighting against that force.

Why is that?

Why is it that so many CIMA people have this wrong idea that in order to use those styles martially, we have to use force against force?

Aikido-ka seem to naturally understand they are supposed to blend with something rather than oppose it.  Why are they so thoroughly grounded in that idea when the CIMA world is still missing it? What is it about aikido that facilitates it and what is it about taiji, bagua, and xingyi that prevents that idea from taking root?

Peter Ralston will be in Tokyo in February 2009. He doesn’t come to Asia very often so this is your big chance to see him if you live in the area. I will try to attend at least the boxing session held on the last weekend, so if you go then we could meet up. An added bonus.

The entire seminar lasts about 10 days but you can take bits and pieces of it to suit your schedule and budget. He will be covering principles of body being and various martial topics.

More info on the body being event is here and info on the martial event is here. Of course, the body being seminar helps a lot with the martial event. One supports the other. Hope to see you there!

It seems most of my readers are not in love with competition. So this should be a welcome viewpoint from Donn Draeger. Reading the whole thing here is highly recommended. His comments could address any art that competes.

Judo, as a classical budo, or martial “way”, of Japan, was intended by its founder, Jigoro Kano, to be less martial and to be rather a vehicle for the spiritual and physical development …By perseverance, regardless of the superficial achievements (rank, contest successes, prestige), every judoist can realize improvement of mental and physical self, and can be prepared, therefore, to make a better application of his mental and physical energies in his daily living.

Make no mistake, today’s Judo is not parallel to Kano’s original product, not a mirror-image of it, and is more diverse from than congruent with it.

For one thing, the Judo training system, as is in vogue in our modern-day society, is in reality a cruel system insofar as it is wanton to recognize the inexorable decline of a judoist’s physical and mental powers as the judoist descends the chronological ladder, as each of us inevitably must. Modern-day Judo training manifests in this cruelty by insisting that, regardless of age or other bodily limitations, the proof of the judoist is in the contest. The judoist for advancement in rank, and once established as a yudansha is more often than not forced to pay himself physically against opponents far younger than knee; opponents whom he is expected to defeat if he is to gain the advancement or if used to continue his popularity via the route of respect to other judoists.

Judo training, therefore, which requires the oldster to keep competitive pace with the youngster is opposed to our natural design, and is further tangential to that which the founder intended for Kodokan Judo. Kano accepted the reality of two types of Judo, one an entity in complete accord with nature – the other, substantially opposed to it.

Kano defined these two types as Judo in a “high” sense (jodan Judo), and Judo in a “low” sense (godan Judo). With his definitions, he also cautioned that the latter type is more entertaining, because it is less precise, plain to the mediocre mind as more of a “game” and contains, therefore, less valuable disciplines. While its technical implications are very similar to those adopted for the “high” Judo, the end point of a “low” Judo is a short road to almost nowhere.