ZUIHITSU- RANDOM NOTES ABOUT JUDO BY RONALD DSORMEAUX JUDO RON 70- Tai Sabaki, an important facet towards

judo excellence
One of judos fundamental techniques is the application of proper Tai-Sabaki or ways to displace oneself lightly and smoothly. This activity is often described as the management of the body while performing translation activities. It is primarily concerned with the appropriate turning of the body to take maximum advantage of the push-pull energies. It is described in the Illustrated Kodokan judoi as one of the best use of flexibility (JU) since one can take advantage of the rotated effect produced to initiate or provoke an action-reaction. One of the best exponents of its application and mastery can be found in the great technician that was Sensei Kyuzo Mifune 10th Danii, and who said that: Tai Sabaki should remain natural, be well balanced and practiced daily. A common expression used to describe such movements is to apply the revolving door concept and the dynamic effects that take place. Another Kodokan professor of high rank, Sensei M Honda, 9th dan has always maintained that every effort must be deployed to learn and master such rotational movements as they are more natural , provide better balance and acceleration and supply the techniques with the optimal use of energy.iii

From the words of International competitors and World champions that were Sensei Isao Inokuma and Nobuyuki Satoiv, we learned that: Tai-Sabaki is the technique for changing position and direction of your body while maintaining a stable posture and that the basis of Nage-waza lies in keeping your opponent off-balance by executing excellent Tai-Sabaki. These two experienced fighters explained three major types of Tai-Sabaki being: Mae Sabaki, the front movement control with the use of right angle posture, the Ushiro Sabaki or back control by retreating and pivoting within the 90 degree angle and Mae Mawari Sabaki the front turn movement control with the execution of 180 degree turns.

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ZUIHITSU- RANDOM NOTES ABOUT JUDO BY RONALD DSORMEAUX

Repeating the errors is not advancing After learning how to break the falls, most of us have learnt Tai-Sabaki and the use of natural postures. Unfortunately, in our haste to proceed with throwing the opponent, we have often taken devious shortcuts and developed bad habits such as: bending the torso forward, lowering the head, looking at the feet, leaning onto the opponent and using the muscles of the arms incorrectly. Those behaviors may have periodically contributed to land some Ippon but they are difficult to correct on the long road to excellence. Maximization of natural posture We have learned that the left and right natural postures provide the necessary balance and flexibility to respond to an attack or to entertain developing our own attack system. From either stance, it is easy to move into an open stance, retreat sideways or backward to conserve the energy or enter into counter attacks. I have previously discussed the importance of postures and Shizen Tai and you may refer to it for additional explanations.v The proper application of the theory is frequently twisted around when we begin the Randori and the Shiai routes. Contestants soon forget the fundamentals and launch into a wrestling match of strength and dominance. The natural posture (Shizen Tai) provides the best advantages while the defensive posture (Jigo Tai) should be used as a secondary and fallback position. Let us try to return to the basic principles and seek to make greater use of the teachings of the ancient Sensei. Composition and Interrelationship Tai Sabaki is composed of several parts: Sensei Toshiro Daigo, 10th dan of the Kodokan has described its five main components:vi 1. Tai Wo Hiraku, to open your body and shift it outwards in such a way as to create a gap between you and the opponent. 2. Tai Wo Kawasu, to shift the body to evade and avoid the effects of the opponents attack. 3. Tai Wo Sabaku, to shift and displace the body in order to control your movement and positioning. 4. Tai Wo Shizumeru, to sink or lower your body to drop the center of gravity in order to be under the opponents center of gravity. 5. Tai WO Suteru, to sacrifice tour body with an intentional fall or by throwing yourself down as part of the process of throwing.

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ZUIHITSU- RANDOM NOTES ABOUT JUDO BY RONALD DSORMEAUX

Importance and effectiveness Tai Sabaki has its origin in the natural posture and is maintained during our advance or retreat (Shintai) before the opponent. Our overall stability is determined by our total weight, the base support onto which we traverse and the relative position of our center of gravity. I have addressed the power associated with judo displacement in another article published in 2011 which you may want to refer to. vii Other studies have demonstrated that the proper posture has 3.5 times better mechanical advantages over unorthodox postures and uses half the muscle strength to affect the work at hand. viii To clarify this point, let us presume that you are trying to pull your opponent forward with your arms and hands alone, in this activity, the opponent will have a tendency to lean forward but at the same time, you will also have to lean forward in order to maintain your hold on him. Therefore, when the moment comes to force him off balance without losing your own, you will be forced to resort to an additional force which is required to pull your own body backward, thus making use of an excessive amount of strength/energy. On the other hand, should you make proper usage of Tai-Sabaki, your rotation will facilitate the pull and push actions with your entire body and you will be taking maximum advantages of the forces located in your waist and abdominal region as part of a chain reaction to your turning motion.

Mastery of Tai-Sabaki is the key to executing effective throwing techniques Kodokan Judo, Jigoro Kano and Kodokan Editorial Committee, 1986

As I often said, judo techniques must be executed with the entire body functioning as an integrated whole. All the Tai-Sabaki elements are similarly integrated in the methods resulting into the subsequent displacements around and about the opponent. Without repeating what you have already deducted from the above, let us keep in mind that while advancing or retreating, we can use two forms of translation actions called Tsugi Ashi (shuffled steps) and Ayumi Ashi (alternate walking style). Of course the feet/legs do not operate separately from the rest of the body. They are linked with the hips and trunk (Koshi-Sabaki) and they need the coordinated actions of the hands holding onto the opponents judogi and called Te-Sabaki or hand movements. These premises must be followed whether we adopt and alternate between the two basic standing positions: Shizen-Tai and Jigo-Tai.

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ZUIHITSU- RANDOM NOTES ABOUT JUDO BY RONALD DSORMEAUX

A wise sensei speaks When explaining the judo fundamentals, Sensei Kazuzo Kudo, 9th dan of the Kodokan emphasized the importance of the hands actions when he wrote in his tome: Throwing Techniquesix that : In taking hold of the judogi, thrust your little finger and ring finger in and then catch the material and pull. At the same time, add your index finger and relax your thumb. Let your thumb slightly rest on the cloth of the jacket because if you tense your thumb, you will spoil the movements of your feet. While in a defensive posture, remember not to open your armpits, keep them close into your body. Sensei Kudo described the general concept applied to throwing techniques with a simple formula: The opponent must be thrown down on his or her back as a result of applying judicious technical skills (Waza) with an increasing momentum (Hazumi) which result in sufficient impetus (Ikioi) when reaching the ground without causing harm. From the teaching of Jigoro Kano (1882) until today, all Sensei or judo teachers make the recommendations not to tense the arms but to stand as loose and flexible as possible during the encounters with various opponents. By doing so, we learn to apply the right amount of strength needed for the task and conserve sufficient energy levels to be later deployed during the application of versatile and forthcoming techniques. Practicing Shintai When attempting to describe Tai-Sabaki to new comers, we must introduce them to the advance-retreat (Shintai) types of movement. This mechanism is vital to facilitate the assessment of proper distances (Ma-Ai) and to enable timely rapprochement or escape from the opponent. To appreciate the advance-retreat style of movement, students must first analyze the way they walk and understand how their weight is distributed in order to maintain equilibrium. In the human-walk, the leading foot receives the bulk of the weight in alternative displacement. Because of the constant weight shit, this process weakens the students strides and provides too many opportunities for the opponent to detect and attack the vulnerable areas. The bobbling effects and oscillations from side to side are given away. It is recommended to have the student practice the Tsugi Ashi method as often as possible in order to get comfortable with moving the legs, hips, and entire bodies forward or backward as a total unit.

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ZUIHITSU- RANDOM NOTES ABOUT JUDO BY RONALD DSORMEAUX

General body control Tai-Sabaki simply means all natural body movements including the tsugi-ashi advance-retreat motions. It also indicates the various ways we employ and control our body's motions. As an ensemble, the body is engaged in all sorts of movements from various segments including the use of the head. As such one should always have the head rest straight on top of the body (following the vertebrae line). In this optimal position the head may weigh only 12 pounds. Should the head be leaning towards the front or sideways, it gains considerably in weight and will strain the stability of the center of gravity and slow down the nervous reflexes. We must pay particular attention to the eyes as they are the principal guiding lens by which we can detect the slightest distance and depict the characteristics of the opponent as they will also reveal our intentions. Observing with no staring and no concentration should be practiced. Our breathing control is also important since in situation of hyperventilation we are frequently unable to make accurate judgment. We should also make use of our upper body or torso to initiate twisting, bending or retracting actions in unison with the hips. Let us not forget the hand actions as noted earlier and the retention of flexibility of the feet/legs in the way we advance, swing them around and accomplishing different motions such as: clipping, sweeping, hooking movements which need to be performed in unison with the rest of the body. We have to remember that whenever we are attempting a technique or trying to get away from one we must use of the total body movements. Return to the basic triangle There are different and complementary actions involved when performing a judo throw. When prescribed actions are not successful, stop and reassess what, where and why you are connecting the different modules involved in the triangular: Kuzushi, Tsukuri and Kake. These components are all affected by the proper body alignment and motion and need to be properly sequenced for a successful throw.

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ZUIHITSU- RANDOM NOTES ABOUT JUDO BY RONALD DSORMEAUX

Timing is essential We have all experienced that a moving opponent is easier to throw than one standing in a stationary posture, so it is important to make him move while we retain our balance. Now that we have confirmed what needs to be done to make a successful throw, the last important dimension is to apply it at the right moment. Anyone can learn the mechanics of how to do a technique but deciding when to apply it is an art by itself. Finding the opportunity (debana) and feeling the readiness to take the necessary risk come with practice, lots of practice and with different players. Timing comes from sensitivity to an opponent's actions and reactions, from having the feeling of what will work and when it will work. The technique is your weapon of choice, it is what needs to be done and the right timing is part of your strategic decision as when you will make it work. Beyond the integration of the judo principles, there is no direct formula for achieving success. The opportunity and the right moment to engage is a moving situation yet, with proper use of Tai-Sabaki, you can launch the attack at any moment of your choosing. Now is time to review the basics principles and integrate them in your daily practice. Have a good session Ronald Dsormeaux Judo Teacher, Hart House Dojo, University of Toronto June 2013 References
i

Risei Kano and the Board of Instructors, Illustrated Kodokan Judo, Kodokan Tokyo, Dec,1954,p 44 Kyuzo Mifune, Canon of Judo, Japan Publications Trading Company,1963,p 33 iii M Honda, Tai Sabaki, Judo International, Revue, A H Plee, Paris 1950 iv Isao Inokuma and Nobuyuki Sato, Best Judo, Kodansha International, Tokyo, 1979. P 16 v Ronald Dsormeaux, Judo Ron 19, Into the depth of Shizen Tai, August, 2009, @ WWW.Scribd.com vi Toshiro Daigo and Teizo Kawamura, Kodokan New Japanese-English Dictionary of Judo, Kodokan2000,p 125 vii Ronald Dsormeaux, Judo Ron 41, The power associated with movements in Judo, Nov 2011, @www.Scribd.com viii Jiichi Watanabe and Lindy Avakian, The Secrets of Judo, Charles Tuttle Coy, Tokyo,1960, chap 3 ix Kazuzo Kudo, Judo in Action, Throwing techniques, Japan Nippon Printing, Pub Coy, Tokyo, 1967. p 11-14
ii

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