Unbalancing

[Dubster]

So anyway, Dubster...

I meant to ask, what stood out most for you after class?

BTW, I did manage to find a disc with the exercises on it. Just have to find the time to upload them somewhere.

Hi Shooter,

Really it was the sensation during the throw. I reached a point where my partner was 'rolling round me' rather than me dragging them across my leg and back and dumping them by brute force. I had spin in my throws by the end of it (well sometimes...) and my partner and I felt like we had worked hard but not drained ourselves of energy.

BTW I dig holes as part of my job and am clearing trees and brambles round my place when I'm not working so am very familiar with how your body behaves when you are digging and working all day. That's the frustrating part, I feel I should be throwing much better than I am. Practice practice practice.

EDIT:
Just seen we have cross posted - links not working just yet -be really interested to see the exercises.

Thanks

D

[BruceP]

Links are working now

That's great that you have a job where you get to use this stuff all the time! And, that I'm preaching to the choir.

It's not too hard to get that wave R&I working tactically for you once you pay attention to it in your work. It'll become self-evident, and working from failure will really bring it out more and more as you play with different methods in your training. Anyway, sounds like you got it happening. Sweet.

[Dubster]

Just watched the clips -look deceptively simple. Will give them a go tomorrow am (just cracked a brew) and will make them part of my daily routine. Any suggestion how many reps or for how long to do them?

Yup the job is pretty sweet - I worked with a few old Irish guys that showed me how to keep working all day. They would work all day and then be in the pub all night - never understand how they could do that. I think the working from failure is the key for me right now.

Thanks for your help - much appreciated.

D

[BruceP]

You're very welcome.

I shoulda gave a brief descript of each one.

Mirror-polishing - with a straight, vertical back (slight pelvic tilt) stand as shown and breathe in as you rise, out as you sink. I like doing it til it feels right to stop. Sometimes a few minutes, sometimes a half hour

Prayer-wheel - with a straight, vertical back (slight pelvic tilt) draw the breath in and down as you roll back and 'throw' the breath away as your hands circle outward. Sometimes I just breath naturally and not worry about the movement coordinating with breath. I'm lazy like that.

Corn-grinding -with a straight, vertical back (slight pelvic tilt) breath naturally. Sometimes I do two rotations per breath and sometimes only one. Depends on how slowly I'm moving.

The wave-action is very apparent in the corn-grinding and not hard to get it moving out of the hips. Most folks get it right away.

[Fubo]

Hi All,

I am struggling with unbalancing people (kuzushi) at my judo class - anyone got any suggestions how I can practice unbalancing/ borrowing force when I don't have a training partner?

Thanks

D

Dubster,

you could try practicing kuzushi on a bike inner tube tied around a tree or sturdy post, in the direction of the throw. I've found that the difficult part about kuzushi is not really getting the initial unbalance, but keeping the kuzushi throughout the transition into tsukuri (so they don't escape...). ideally a live person is best, but practicing on a inner tube/tree can be good for training continuous kuzushi into tsukuri, power training, dynamic rooting, loosing and regaining balance, and can develop whole body method or reveal flaws.

[Dubster]

Just to update:

The golden rooster with your eyes closed is really tough! managing a pathetic 3-4 breath cycles but sticking with it.

The drills are great - working them in my practice.

D

[johnwang]

you could try practicing kuzushi on a bike inner tube tied around a tree or sturdy post,

The inner tube is a very interest "modern" training tool. It's not as easy as you think. If you think about your own "rooting" and not willing to give it all up, your body will be pulled back by that inner tube. The only way you can overcome it is to use your body gravity to cancel out the pulling back. The only way you can use your gravity is to unbalance yourself (move your center outside of your base).

[johnrieber]

you could try practicing kuzushi on a bike inner tube tied around a tree or sturdy post,

The inner tube is a very interest "modern" training tool. It's not as easy as you think. If you think about your own "rooting" and not willing to give it all up, your body will be pulled back by that inner tube. The only way you can overcome it is to use your body gravity to cancel out the pulling back. The only way you can use your gravity is to unbalance yourself (move your center outside of your base).

all right! so this feeling is what you've been talking when you've talked about the positive (or necessary) side of 'giving up your root'?'

[johnwang]

It's just like running, you move your center in front of your base, your gravity pull you forward and downward, you then move one of your legs to readjust your base. If you don't move your center outside of your base, you cannot take advantage of your gravity.

[Fubo]

you could try practicing kuzushi on a bike inner tube tied around a tree or sturdy post,

The inner tube is a very interest "modern" training tool. It's not as easy as you think. If you think about your own "rooting" and not willing to give it all up, your body will be pulled back by that inner tube. The only way you can overcome it is to use your body gravity to cancel out the pulling back. The only way you can use your gravity is to unbalance yourself (move your center outside of your base).

John,

I also believe it's important to practice using gravity, but don't you feel that "rooting" can also be used when you unbalance yourself to used gravity? My definition of "rooting" in the drill would be when you have given your balance to gravity, but also "rooting" or pushing with the balls of your feet to add power in the direction of the throw. I have been playing with a couple of methods with this drill:

No.1 Doing the drill and letting my body almost become a dead weight.

No. 2 Doing the drill, and loosing my balance, but also pushing off ("rooting") with the balls of my feet to try to add power + gravity. I practice this way more.

Do any of these sound familiar to the way you practice the drill?

[johnwang]

The SC "leg lift" training requires to train on a down hill slope. Since you can't remain balance even if you want to, you can give everything you got and flip yourself on the ground.

[Fubo]

Thanks for the example!

[CaliG]

Here's a nice old vid of inner tube training...



My Judo coach always emphasizes having a close and dominant grip on your opponent before throwing them. It goes without saying but it's something I've been working on for a year and it's worked out well so far, not only offensively but defensively. (I just mentioned this on the progress thread, but it's been on my mind a lot lately.)

The example he gives is arm wrestling. If you're arm wrestling and your arm is tight to your body then you can use your body to move your arm, where as if your arm is extended away from your body you can't (this is also the principle behind getting an armbar).

But then the problem becomes how to get your opponent close to you and this comes down to grip fighting. There are others on here who can probably explain this in words better than I can but I can start off by saying when you go up against this guy be sure to control his power side. So if he is a rightie control his right sleeve/lapel. Before he can do anything else he'll have to break your grips. Before he does that you want to do your throw or even better a throw combination.

The best part about controlling his power side is that since you know he needs to break those grips you are already one step ahead of him so as soon as you see an opening take it.

[johnwang]

Before he can do anything else he'll have to break your grips. Before he does that you want to do your throw or even better a throw combination.

Old saying said if you lose in grip fight, you are not far from being thrown. Common sense tell you that if your opponent cannot touch you, he cannot throw you. If your opponent has 2 grips on you and you have only 1 grip on him, you lose. If your opponent has 1 grip on you and you have no grip on him, you lose. You should spend at least 80% of your effort not to let your opponent to get the grip he wants, at least not to let him to have the major hand control on your sleeve.

In the ancient time people pay attention on how his opponent put on his SC jacket. If he puts in right arm first, he is a right hand person. If he puts in left arm first, he is a left hand person. If your opponent is a right hand person, your try not to let his left hand to grab on your right sleeve. If your opponent is a left hand person, you try not to let his right hand to grab on your left sleeve. This is why SC guy has a special way to put on his jacket by putting both arms in at the same time when you throw your jacket over your head. This way you won't release any information for your 搶把 (Giang Ba) - grip fight. Allowing your opponent to play his favor game is not in your favor. Being kind to your enemy is being cruel to yourself. To prevent a problem from happening is much easier than to allow a problem to happen and then try to fix it. This sound like a common sense to me but some Judo population look down upon the "grip fight" for some unknown reason that I cannot figure out.

[Doc Stier]

Common sense tell you that if your opponent cannot touch you, he cannot throw you. To prevent a problem from happening is much easier than to allow a problem to happen and then try to fix it.

Agreed. Very true.

That is why training the quick and effective use of evasive footwork skills before closing with an enemy is so import. It is also why training the use of evasive arm and hand movements to become automatic reactions which deny a good grip at close quarters, and training effective grip escape and release techniques, is equally import. Such crucial skills need to be practiced as a fundamental part of any fighter's spontaneous defensive response, IMO.

Doc