Rank?

No, this isn't a hygiene post.

I've never been a huge fan of our rank system...  Know this subset of techniques, get a yellow belt... Know this additional subset of techniques, get an orange belt...  It always seemed kind of arbitrary to me.  Debating whether green belts should have to know Uchi Mata is about as useful as debating how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.  And then there are the differences in what a black belt means.  In some places - and I think this predominates in Asia - it means you have a reasonable grasp of the fundamentals.  You can get your Shodan in a year... Of course, that's a year of 10 hours of judo per week...  Others view the black belt as the sign that you are ready to teach.  In some places, you get your next rank based on beating enough others of your rank (e.g., the UK).  So... there is no standard, other than a black belt should be more skilled than a white belt.

At some point (and maybe still going in some parts of the world), I understand that there were just three ranks:  white, brown, and black.  That gets closer to something I can understand. 

• White:  you don't know much of anything. 
• Brown:  you know something, but not a ton.
• Black: you know lots.

Still a reasonably arbitrary difference on where to draw the lines, but much less arbitrary than the white/yellow/orange, etc. scheme.  But I think we can do better...

In Jiu Jitsu University by Saolo Ribeiro (which I will review sooner or later, and you can purchase via the Amazon side bar), he lays out his philosophy on rank in BJJ, which I think is awesome.  I don't recall the specifics and don't particularly feel like looking it up at the moment, but it went something like this:

• White:  you can't really do much of anything very well
• Blue:  you can survive - i.e., you have a grasp of defensive techniques such that you aren't tapping every 5 seconds
• Purple:  you can achieve position - i.e., you have a good grasp of how to pass guard, sweep, etc
• Brown:  you can submit folks
• Black:  ... I don't remember... Maybe it was along the lines of you can submit brown belts pretty well...?

Anyhoo, these are decidedly non-arbitrary standards.  The way he lays it out, you are looking to gain certain skills in a logical order.  Now that's useful.

So how do we apply this to Judo?  I don't have a great answer.  Yet.  But here's a first stab at it:

• White:  you can't really do much of anything very well (ok, this is a useful standard)
• Yellow:  you can survive - i.e., you can fall with some skill, you can avoid throws, and you don't keel over and die during groundwork
• Orange:  you can create opportunities - i.e., you can move your opponent, you show some handle on kuzushi, and you can gain position on the ground (which includes pinning)
• Brown:  you can win - i.e., you can throw with some proficiency (in a non-cooperative situation), and you can submit your opponents
• Black:  you can handle brown belts with some proficiency

Differentiation between black belts, then, is how good are they at teaching...

Needs some work... but what do you think?  Anybody have a better idea?

Book Review: The Twelve Winds of Aikido and Judo by Karl Geis

A disappointing book written by a great Judoka.  Well... they can't all be winners.
The Twelve Winds of Aikido and Judo

The Upshot:
Honestly, I'm a little bitter about this one.  First, the book should have been called "Stuff Karl Geis thinks about life and martial arts, and how it sort of relates to Aikido!" - though I guess that may not have sold as well.  But it really irks me that the "Judo" in the title is approximately 1/3 of the total mentions of Judo in the book.  If I'm exaggerating, it isn't by much.  I guess somebody told him that adding the word "Judo" to the title would get him more sales.  And it worked on me, I guess.  Fool me once...  That said, it isn't devoid of merit and does contain some interesting thoughts.

What's In It and How It's Organized:
This is a book of musings about, I suppose, the "soul" of  Aikido, broken into an intro and 12 winds (get it?):

• Introduction
• The Graceful Wind:  How to put the "art" into being a Martial Artist.
• Wind is Wind:  Don't worry about the different flavors of Aikido... they all have merit.
• Our Invincible Inner Winds:  Thoughts on Self-Discipline, Self-Confidence, and Self-Respect
• The Wind of the Mind:  Thoughts on personality development, culture ("Oriental" vs. Western), how the West needs to consider how to apply this art developed in the East, and how Aikido can help the individual. 
• The Pure Wind:  Geis's thoughts on why martial arts should not be combined.  Not sure whether I agree with him, but it's definitely an interesting argument.
• Nature's Wind:  The importance of being able to execute in real situations.
• The Flowing Wind:  Thoughts on Ki.  (He doesn't seem to view it as mystical energy with which one can zap someone across the room, but his views do seem to be somewhat mystical...)
• The Miracle Wind:  Multi-channel communication and Aikido.  And how Aikido helps you know who to trust.
• The Safe Wind:  Aikido as self-defense.
• The Wind of Life:  Aikido keeps you healthy.
• The New Wind:  Thoughts for the fledgling Aikidoka.
• The Divine Wind:  Thoughts on mastery.

The Good:
He had some really interesting things to say on the combination of martial arts.  He is decidedly not in favor of it, believing that an art focuses on the path (a.k.a., the "Do" - the way, or the path), not on the end (e.g., ridding yourself of an assailant).  Each Do distills its own path into some core principles and fundamentals that manifest themselves in the techniques of the art.  Combining arts, then, contaminates what had been a pure path, all for the sake of the wrong goal...  There is other interesting stuff in here, too, that you certainly won't find in any other book that I have read.

Could Have Been Better:
That said, I don't believe that because you are a genius with martial arts (while I have never met him, I heard enough to make me believe that he is) that you are necessarily qualified to tell me how to live, and that's what I feel is going on in a lot of the book.  And it gets to psuedo-poetical for me, at times, with passages like "The Miracle Wind of Aikido is like a jet stream high in the sky that, if ridden by us honestly and with humility, will carry us into and allow us to see a larger and more exciting world.  Come, let us join hands and fly this wind together."  And lastly, the whole deal with the false advertisement in putting "Judo" in the title.  Sure, a lot of it can apply to Judo as well, but that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  But who knows... maybe I will appreciate this more as I progress down the path...

One Thing I Learned:
Well, it may be a bit trivial, but my first instructor (Chris Dewey) used to tell a story about a guy who wanted to learn Uchi Mata while he was in Japan.  This guy's instructor sent him to the resident expert in Uchi Mata, who proceeded to blast him with it for a few years straight.  Well, a funny thing happened during this blasting.  The unexpectant uke got so familiar with the path to his demise - the wrong step he'd take, the feel of the off balance, the contact at the load point, etc - that he subconsciously got really good at Uchi Mata.  Plus, after being thrown by one of the best, *nobody* else could throw him with it.  Well, evidently that guy was Karl Geis.  Either that, or there are a few people with that story... But my money is that he was talking about Geis.

Another thought on Freestyle Judo

When I first heard about Freestyle Judo, I was a fan.  Not completely sold on the rules, but I was happy to see that someone was actively trying to undo some of the garbage that the IJF was pushing down, and glad to see someone trying something new.  After my interview with USJA president Gary Goltz, however, my feeling was that since the USJA would back a tourney with decent rules, I would prefer people to go that route (using non-IJF rules in a USJA/F sponsored tourney) rather than requiring people to join another organization (the AAU) to compete...

Thinking further about it, though, I think the distinction between "allowing" and "promoting" a decent rule set is really important.  JA/JF will allow different rules, but they promote the IJF nonsense.  AAU and Steve Scott actively promote the different rules, and I think that is what our dedicated Judo organizations should be doing, as well.  So, until they do, I'm all for AAU and Freestyle Judo.  Maybe the competition (if there turns out to be some) will get these organizations' heads right.

Judo for Girls and the Sexist 60s

I came across a book titled "Judo for Girls" in Amazon, but there was no description or reviews associated with this book.  I thought that this could be an informative read, as I have never been a girl, and have considered that there may be some unique concerns from the female perspective that I haven't really considered...  So looking for a review (which I didn't find), I came across this article from Black Belt Magazine (1965):

http://books.google.com/books?id=r9kDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA35&dq=%22Judo+for+girls%22&hl=en&ei=u8fKTrnJLKTx0gHP_Mkd&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CEcQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22Judo%20for%20girls%22&f=false

My favorite part was the caption for the photo at the bottom of the first page:  "Ruth stands husband Nick Horan on end in a Ju-no-Kata position.  Girls in the class find this technique helpful for getting loose change out of their husbands' pockets."  Seriously?  Also interesting was that they apparently didn't let women participate in Shiai - kata competition was the only option.  Well, I guess they were encouraged to only ride sidesaddle back in the day, so we're progressing on all fronts?

Anyone out there know anything about this "Judo for Girls" book?

Book Review: Winning on the Mat by Steve Scott

A solid, well-rounded book that focuses, as the title says, on "winning on the mat."  Three stars (out of four).
Winning on the Mat: Judo, Freestyle Judo And Submission Grappling

Here's a review for (probably) the first Judo book that I have read cover-to-cover.

The Upshot:
This was a really good book.  While most Judo books out there focus solely on technique, and thus significantly overlap with... most Judo books out there, this book has a heavy focus on the practical aspects of winning a Judo contest.  Mind you, the bulk of the book is technique description, but there are sections on defense, gripping, etc.  Steve Scott (interviewed here) shares a deep knowledge of Judo, and a his framework for "organizing" Judo is fairly unique.  I enjoyed the book (even if the numerous typos were annoying), and I think it is a great addition to your Judo library - even if you aren't a competitor.

What's In It and How It's Organized:
Winning on the Mat covers standing and ground techniques, in addition to gripping, defenses, other tactics, and more.  Each of the technique sections begins with principles, frameworks, and key points on the subject at hand.

• Winning Concepts:  Definitely my favorite section of the book.  It's here that he discusses "Control Judo" and has tips on things like scouting opponents, mat-side coaching, grip fighting, defensive tactics, and more.  This is the section that really differentiates it from other books.
• Winning Forward Throws: Not as self-explanatory as one might think.  His classification of "foward throws" describes those throws that, while standing, involve taking an opponent over your body from back to front (e.g., Ogoshi, Seoi Nage, etc), and does not include those throws listed as other sections.
• Winning Knee Drop Throws:  Basically those throws that involve dropping to one or both knees.
• Winning Uchi Mata:  3 guesses...
• Winning Pick Up Throws:  As this book focuses on winning using Freestyle Judo rules which (appropriately) don't forbid attacking the legs, Scott devotes a nice section to pick-ups.
• Winning O Soto Gari/Harai Goshi (titled "Winning O Soto Harai")
• Winning O Uchi Gari
• Winning Leg Hooks (titled "Winning Ko Soto Tani Otoshi"):  In addition to the "Gake" throws, this also includes Tani Otoshi.
• Winning Foot Sweeps
• Winning Tai Otoshi
• Winning Sacrifice Throws
• Winning Groundwork (title "Winning Newaza Pins):  Includes not just pins, but also general groundwork principles, breakdowns, rollovers, sweeps, guard passes, and basically all aspects of groundwork, save submissions.
• Winning Armlocks:  Fairly self-explanatory, with lots of nifty entries for Juji Gatame.
• Winning Strangles: Strangles - including a nice bit of history that mentions how "Shime Waza" originally included a) constricting the neck (same as today), b) constricting the body (e.g., Do Jime - illegal today), and c) smothering your opponent (one of my personal faves - never knew I was still performing Shime Waza!)
• Winning Final Thoughts:  Primarily Freestyle Judo rules.

The Good:
One of the first things you'll notice is that this is a big book - over 400 pages.  So he's not holding much back.  Among these 400 pages, there is healthy section (~150 pages) on groundwork, which I think often goes lacking in most Judo books.  As I mentioned above, my favorite parts of the book are when he isn't describing techniques; not because there is anything wrong with them - indeed, I picked up some new approaches from this book - rather, it is here that the most unique insight is shared.  There also is a decent smattering of history and language in there, both topics of interest to me (though he does have a definition of Zanshin that is markedly different than everything I had ever heard...  but that's just a couple of lines of text, and it may be that everything I had heard before was wrong).

Could Have Been Better:
I think it is telling that the only two complaints I have about this book have little to do with substance... The pictures in this book are almost entirely competition shots - I like the approach, but in many cases, it can be difficult to see exactly what is going on.  Neither here nor there, but at first, I thought it may be due to low resoultion in the cameras used, but I think it may actually be to low resolution in the printing...).  Another downer is that there are tons of typos in here.  Tons.  Mutiple chapter headings (repeated on every page of the chapter) have typos, and it can be annoying if that sort of thing bothers you.  Other than that, I would have liked to have seen more real-estated devoted to pins, but given the Freestyle Judo approach, it is understandable that he placed the emphasis where he did.

One Thing I Learned:
There was a lot, but I think one of my favorites was a slick rollover into Juji Gatame from when you are sprawled on your opponent after he attempted a leg pick or something similar, such that he is still grabbing your right leg.  It involves swinging your left leg over, and hooking it on to his left leg, grabbing his right arm with both of your arms, and then rolling to finish in Juji.

As a side note, Gerald Lafon recently reviewed Winning... in his blog.  I generally try not to overlap other blogs I read, but in this case, I just recently finished this 400+ page book, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to post my own review after such an investment!

Throwing Principles: Come in Low

This one is simple:  you know you need to bend your knees before you throw.  Many reasons for this:

• You can straighten your legs to get lift.
• You lower the fulcrum for your throw, which generally makes it easier to execute.
• And much much more!

But when does this bending of the knees need to occur?  When practicing, beginners will often wait until they have set in to bend their knees, but that is TOO LATE!  You need to lower your body before setting in (a.k.a., before you fix the Glue).  If you wait until you have already fit in, and then you lower yourself, your uke will just lower right along with you, which negates both the benefit of your lift (because when you lift, you will just be putting uke back to the original level) and the benefit of lowering your fulcrum (because uke's body will be dropping right along with you).

So you need to be low before you get there!  If you are taking steps to set in, increase the bend in your knees with each step such that you are at the desired level by the time you have set in.  If you are hopping in, make sure that by the time uke makes body contact with you, you are at the right level.  This means that your level will have to be dropping as you hop.  When you practice your uchi komis, take note of your level.  For most throws, you will want those knees bent, and bent before you have set in.

COME IN LOOOOOOOW!

The Value of Competition

"He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool..."
We have a tournament coming up (the Ken Tamai Classic in Beltsville, MD, on 10/15/11) so I wanted to post a few words about the value of competing.  Most - if not all - of the Akari Judoka are the so-called "recreational" Judoka - those with no serious aspirations of winning the nationals or going to the Olympics.  We learn and practice Judo because it is fun, and something we want to get better at.  We (generally) tap before we get hurt by an arm-bar, because it is more important to function well at work than it is to "win" in Randori or Shiai (tournaments). 

That said, I still think that it is vital for us to compete.

Why?  One of the things I love about Judo is the ability to test what you learn.  You can try it on your training partner in static or dynamic repetitions, and then you can test it in Randori.  If it works?  Great!  If it doesn't, you can keep practicing, figure out why, and tweak it until it does - or abandon it.  So we learn a bunch of techniques and then we figure out what we like to use.

But Randori doesn't teach you all that you need to know about the technique. 

• Intensity:  Some Randori sessions may be pretty tense, and you both may be giving your all... but there is still something different about a tournament.  Putting yourself out there in Shiai is a different experience - and a necessary one to get the full benefit of Judo.  Just being out there is a type of training in and of itself - it's usually uncomfortable at first...  but the more you put yourself in the position, the less uncomfortable you feel - and this ability to stay more centered can be applicable in your Judo and beyond.
• Different People:  There is a huge benefit to exposing yourself to different people (no... not that way).  I mean testing your Judo skills against folks that you don't normally see.  You're sure to see some new techniques, and get different responses than what you are used to.  Great learning.
• Calibration:  Closely related to the last point - Whether you are the best at your dojo, the worst, or somewhere in the middle, this still doesn't tell you if you are any good...  Some dojos may be great, such that the 10th best in the club may be the 20th best in the world.  In other places, it may be such that the best in the club can't ever win a match...  So in getting out in the world, you can see how you stack up outside of your own pond. 

I'll be honest... reading this, it doesn't even come close to getting across what I feel is the true value of competition.  Judo was meant to be tested, and a competition is a great place to execute that test...even in a loss, you walk away with so much (perhaps more than in a win)...  And if you have the ability to compete with any regularity, then you can really use the time between your competitions to put some specific goals on your training (which then, I think, improves the quality of your training)...  Anyhoo... Compete.  It's good for your soul.

Lots of people have written good stuff on the topic.  Here's one article I found on JudoInfo.com (the best Judo website out there):
http://judoinfo.com/new/alphabetical-list/judo-competition/282-why-every-recreational-judo-player-should-compete-by-todd-brehe