]udo koan

By

This is one of the most complicated of the ways, and perhaps the nearest to life. It is a general training of the body and not concentration on a special aim with special instruments. But because of the complexity of the technique, many students become wholly absorbed in technical achievement, losing the one principle in study of the individual tricks.

In judo there is no complete rest at all; always the balance has to be actively preserved under the push and pull of the opponent. The student is expected to find the truth of the Taoist saying: ‘The stillness is not the real stillness; only when there is stillness in movement does the universal rhythm manifest.’

In the series of photographs on the next page the attacker (on the right) finds a small chance and comes in. At the crucial moment the opponent will either shift his right foot forward to take his weight, or keep it still (steps 2 or 6). If he moves his right foot, then the throw (series A) will succeed, and the throw (series B) fails; if he does not move, then B will suceed and A will fail. The difficulty is that if we wait to see which he will do, we shall hesitate, and the rhythm of the movement will be lost. (The complete whirling action of B takes only about a second). If we do not hesitate but go in blindly, we are liable to find ourselves attempting the wrong throw.

As in most of these koan (spiritual riddle), there is a sort of cheating method by which we can half solve the problem. Suppose we have tried B and succeeded; when we come in again in the same way, the other man will probably expect B again, and this time he will move his right foot. If we anticipate this, we can go smoothly into the other throw. Then next time we change again. Simple alteration is of course too obvious for success, but good results can be obtained by determining in advance a sequence like A-B-A-A-A or A-B-B-B-A and so on. Still the problem is not solved. By determining our action in advance we get the advantage of smooth uninterrupted movement, but often we shall still be trying the wrong throw and be doomed to fail.

There is a song of the Way on the point:

The trees on the mountain are not so thick
That from time to time a moonbeam
Cannot penetrate.

Perhaps we can find an intellectual application of this verse to the problem, but unless it can help us to find a solution in practice, we cannot be said to understand it.

 

Similar Posts

  • Humble

    By

    Judo is one of the Ways of inner development’, and an important element in one’s inner development is not to forget the sense of shame. When Dr. Kano founded his judo academy, some of the schools of jujitsu contained members who were litde more than street fighters; some of these had jobs as debt collectors;…

  • Judo and shuji

    By

    When I had been a few months in Japan and had learnt a few hundred of the most frequently occurring Chinese characters, and became able to read a sentence here and there which was written in those common characters, I felt quite pleased with my progress. But then I found that for anything beyond simple…

  • Manners

    By

    Among the judo fraternity in Japan, the roughest are the medical students. I practised once with such a man though at first I didn’t know where he came from. Now, normally in the dojo, people just come up and say ‘0-negai\ (‘Will you?’). But this chap came up and made a deep formal bow. ‘O-negai-itashimasu*….

  • Efficiency of the heart

    By

    Dr. Kano, the founding father of judo, put forward what he called the ‘principle of highest efficiency’ as one of the central pillars of his system. He used to give illustrations in the physical field which are familiar to all students of judo; for instance, unnecessary force should not be used in making a throw,…

  • Imagination and Open Judo

    By

    But it is much more than that. In order to safeguard the health of competitors, contest judo has become narrower and narrower. The rules have been narrowed down and every time they are narrowed, the opportunities for the small man are limited. And that means there’s a poverty of imagination. I suggest you should go…