Zuihitsu-Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

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Judo-Ron 82-Judo Combat Strategies: Courage and Strength
In the pursuit of different activities, there are dissimilar approaches and strategies
one can take. From laissez- faire and rolling with the punch we can pursue to
develop precise plans of accomplishments. There are thousands of ways to
accomplish the task.
udo !eing a strategic sport where two individuals are trying to reach the same
goal within a given time frame and where individuals are trying to improve their
com!ative skills or warriors spirit to face up against daily o!stacles as those
found in the natural surroundings, it is important that all "udo performers or
"udoka need to ela!orate winning strategies to suppress their fear of the
unknown, gain some practical e#periences with whom they can !uild their
arsenals of resources to accomplish the given task.
Aim
This article will address two aspects of a warriors character$ the mental fortitude
through the display of courage !efore adversities which marks the difference
!etween the true champions %efficient& from the regular fighter %effective&.
The second element that will !e !riefly e#posed will consist of a review of the
greater use of our physical capacities through the intelligent use of energy
resources in order to !etter conserve our stamina for the right moment and thus
enhanced our capa!ilities to !etter tackle some of the more challenging of
situations.
'e cannot talk a!out these two dimensions without making some references to
the warriors character and its form of e#pression through virtues that have for
centuries !een lauded as essentials to attain the highest form of e#cellence. (ut
of si# or seven common virtues which made the difference !etween !eing an
efficient performer and !ecoming an e#cellent or good practitioner, we find as
common denominators the elements of$ courage, "ustice, temperance, strength,
wisdom and !enevolence. (ver the years, the literature suggested that anyone of
these virtues can simultaneously !e of a natural and universal )uality yet its
physical e#pression will remain very personal in nature. It is reported that each
virtue or source of power can !e complemented !y the others and that there is a
cumulative effect which leads towards a form of e#cellence.
Zuihitsu-Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

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Judo pedagogical corpus
'e are making the emphasis upon the elements of courage and intelligent use of
energy as they are implicit to the udo training regime. igoro +ano introduced his
+odokan "udo in 1,,*. -e then designed his teaching corpus as a vehicle
encompassing various elements for !uilding the physical and moral character
intended for the apanese youth and for the general population.
Through his teaching of !asic values associated with a modified form of physical
education, he added some ethical doctrines which could penetrate the social
culture and give added moral discipline. .s such, he successfully made the linkage
!etween physical a!ilities and mental suppleness. In some way, his approach or
philosophy followed the old .ristotelian philosophy !y defining the general goals
or purpose of the human !eing/ providing or e#posing the various steps or
mechanisms for reaching that goal until fulfilment/ and demonstrating that the
new "udoka could !e more efficient while serving the greater society.
The following )uotes are indicatives of the power of virtues which transcend the
need to always please our ego and start developing a greater schemes or sets of
goals which are more socially oriented.
Martial arts without martial virtue are useless for the ways of warfare.0
1akae To"u
Virtue is a state of war. To live in it, we have always to combat with ourselves.
ean ac)ues 2ousseau
3harles -ackney in his e#pos4 56artial 7irtues0
i
sums up his impressions of
courage as follow$
Courage in its diverse forms is a great asset to one who wishes to engage
in martial training. By performing the necessary actions in the face of fear and
pain in training, it becomes more likely that the student will correctly perform
these behaviors in actual defensive situations...
Courage is also an asset to one who wishes to develop their overall
character. While others virtues guide and complement courage, it is courage that
provides the strength necessary to carry out admirable acts in the face of
opposition.
Zuihitsu-Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

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efinitions of Courage
It is often said that courage is the e#pression of our a!ility and willingness to
confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. 'e fre)uently
distinguish a form of !hysical courage with the attitude with the physical
endurance and perseverance of our actions !efore sustained pain, hardship, th, or
threat of death or death itself.
'e also mention that displaying moral courage represent our personal skills to
act rightly and defend our !eliefs with fortitude when facing popular opposition,
contradictory statements and erroneous sayings or when faced with some
e#ternal scandalous !ehaviors.
9#ercising courageous acts does not mean to launch into action without proper
prudence and self-control since e#cessive !ravado leads to recklessness and
entails taking to many unnecessary risks which may harm one or impede the
general safety of others around us. 'isdom, moderation and temperance are
often the complementary actions which follow our general assessment of the
situation and our determined plan of action.
3ourage is somewhat a group of corrective actions or a protecting shield
e#ercised to prevent further in"uries to our natural vulnera!ilities towards in"uries
or in the presence of imminent death. .s such, courage is a natural reaction to
deal with our fears that prevent us from reaching our o!"ectives. It is also an
ensem!le of mental and physical weapons that we put together to manage our
positive responses and actions !y ensuring that we do the right thing to overcome
our fears.
3ourage is often revealed !y composure, calmness, tran)uility or !y daring,
audacious, !old or sustained actions:attacks against what constitute the elements
of our fear. These two dimensions %passive-active& when com!ined will facilitate
the implementation of a swift and decisive action plan to neutralize most of the
risks involved. 3ourage is then the a!ility to muster the necessary resources to
overcome fear. 3ourage also means to$
"#$#R %&$# '!

Zuihitsu-Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

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!erse(erance
A quality greater than any precept or virtue: Perseverance maes people great!
-akuin 9kaku
There are many e#amples in many countries and around us where!y persons of
different status displayed e#traordinary courage in front of difficulties or
adversities. There is multitude of role-models from which we can a!stract the
pertinent virtues and serve our particular interests. 'e deli!erately try to avoid
naming names of heroes that may influence our thinking. 'e will nevertheless
highlight some perceptions of general heroes traits as encountered within the
6artial .rts community. udo !eing of apanese origin has !een influenced !y
past apanese culture and events. In the historical drama depicted in the !ook
called Heike onogatari we can perceive the influences of the !attlefields and
the comportments of key warriors that made their imprints upon the apanese
culture for generations.
In the former, there are ample illustrations depicting the !ehaviors of model
warriors displaying e#traordinary courage in front of enemies and or !efore life
threatening situations as they occurred in the war !etween the 6inamoto and
Taira clans at end of the 1*th century. This red and white epic marked the
!eginning of the new apan. The warriors descri!ed in Heike onogatari indeed
served as models for the generations of warriors that followed.
.nother reference !ook called the Hagakure produced in the !"##$s
ii
illustrates
the very high commitment of the <amurai to serving their lords. In that respect,
they were to a!andon and forfeit their own pleasures and even pledge total
allegiance to their =ord and 6aster. The way of a true <amurai was found in his
own death. %>ersonal achievements, self-pride and satisfaction !ecoming second
to their total commitment at the service of the =ord&.It was considered that not
having attained their aim and continuing to live was a form of cowardice. 6ost
follow the ma#ims that no matter what the o!stacle were, there was nothing that
cannot !e done. Therefore, in every day, they had to !ecome more skillful than
yesterday and continue each day in a never-ending progress until the o!"ectives
were met. For the samurai, there was nothing that one could suppose cannot !e
done. They lived for that singular high purpose at every moment$ that of !eing
totally committed to the service of their =ord.
Zuihitsu-Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

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Addressing Courage
<ome of those sought after )ualities as self-development, commitments and
services to the community have made their way in the teachings of u utsu and
later introduced into the "udo principles. 5%f one has not previously mastered his
body and mind, he will not defeat the enemy
iii
.
igoro +ano demonstrated that his "udo composite system presented sufficient
opportunities for everyone to think that no matter what the circumstances might
!e, one should always have in mind the possi!ilities to overcome. (ne should
seek the opportunity to take advantage of the dise)uili!rium found in the other
posture to strike, thus securing a con)uest. 'hen descri!ing the 9ssence of "udo
with the theory of Ju )o*o %o o Seisu+ he mentioned$ 5%n short, resisting a more
powerful opponent will result in your defeat, whilst ad&usting to and evading your
opponent$s attack will cause him to lose his balance, his power will be reduced,
and you will defeat him.
iv

.s "udoka, we all have the opportunities to e#ploit courage in different forms. @y
choosing to practice "udo when most of your peers have selected to practice
hockey or soccer takes some courage to !e different and to !e a!le to persevere
with your choice. .ccepting the many hours of practicing !reakfalls and Achi +omi
and its associated pain and sweat takes special dedication. To seek continually the
answers to your )uestioning a!out the dos and donts of selected techni)ues
takes dedication and perseverance. .lways seeking the truth until you discover
the principles associated with techni)ues also takes courage. Trying to improve
your efficiency day after day is yet another sign of courage. -elping peers and
lesser talented "udoka with their techni)ues shows your devotion towards your
greater goals. There are multiple scenarios you can add to this short list
depending upon your individual personalities.
If you have chosen to !e an active competitor, your engagement into the severe
and arduous training regimes is yet another display of courage. 2eturning to fight
with determination after a defeat or loss is another good e#ample of applied
courage.


Zuihitsu-Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

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It is without saying that to !e successful nowadays, one needs the capacity to
forge ahead regardless of the o!stacles. 'hen the goal is right and worthy, all our
energy and emotions can !e mustered to achieve it. .s such, we constantly need
to properly assess developing situations and identify the purpose of our
commitments towards certain goals. (ur motives need periodic reinforcements
and our actions will !ecome more precise with some periodic ad"ustments. 'hen
the cause inciting our actions is worthy, we will respond in kind through our
commitments and thus proceed with limited fear of a potential failure.
A chosen course of action
.rmed with such a general approach, we can start developing a general map to
e#ploit our courage.
'ith whatever struggle, we first need to esta!lish who or what is the o!stacle. If
it is an opponent, an o!"ect or a circumstance, we first need to gather as much
intelligence as possi!le of the characteristics and perimeters. There will !e some
!lank spots of course and these may turn out to !e fear gathering elements. To
minimize such impact, we need to find out their true identity, their composition,
purpose, mechanism and mode of operation and their weaknesses. Through early
detection of fear factors and the esta!lishment of the weak points, we can
proceed to minimize their effects. @y )ualifying the attri!utes, reading a!out
what they are, how they performed in the past, understanding their ratio of
success and having identified when they are at their most vulnera!le moments
will provide us with an edge to apply necessary counter-actions.
<ports psychologist and Cen teachers may have added another weapon for our
arsenal$ the imaging concept. ust like in the preparation of key "udo <hiai, one
may consider visualizing what can take place in the coming circumstances.
>ositive reinforcement of our capa!ilities when su!"ected to mental
manipulations can !e internalized to represent possi!le scenario that we will
repeat in reality. This de"a-vu can help us with the mounting of general mental
rehearsal and should assist us with repeating such a winning com!ination or
e#ample when we face the real moment of com!at. @y posting hypothetical
scenarios in our mind and visualizing those at times of uncertainty may !ring forth
new ideas and means to cope with our fear of not performing well or face defeat.

Zuihitsu-Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

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.s human !eings, we may at times, hesitate and dou!t our capacity to forge
ahead in view of the )uantity or )uality of the adversities we face. 'e may even
feel that we are not the super and !rave hero at this precise moment. 'e must
not despair and look !ack at all the steps or small victories we have already
accomplished. There is no need to panic, nor find e#cuses to lay down our guard,
we must try to remain calm as we seek to undertake some alternate forms of
!ehavior which will help deflate the current situation and !etter prepare us for
the real fights ahead.
<hould we get e#cited, !e indifferent to what is happening or should we panic in
the face of difficulties there is no dou!t that our whole personality will !e
influenced and our !ehavior will reflect our state of mind. 'isdom and
composure must prevail so that we only show signs of strength.
.s with the ancient spirit of the samurai, we must align our activities with a "ust
and worthy cause. 1owadays, we may not have a =ord to serve !ut we have some
definite purposes in life which guided our past endeavors$ to !etter serve the
community, to achieve certain mastery in diverse fields, to pass on our savoir-
faire, to reach happiness in our daily life, to e#tend our love to family mem!ers or
friends, to continue our personal growth etc.
(ur association with udo or other activities may !e limited !y time and other
uncontrolled circumstances. 'e have to make the !est of every moment and
ensure that our presence and actions reflect our true commitment. .s life is a
continual cycle of changes, there is no opportunity to come !ack and change the
past, we can only perform now, therefore, every one of our contri!ution must !e
sincere and timely. The virtue of courage grows with practice. <o lets us all go
and practice.
,-aste no time arguing about .hat a good man should be. /e one
6arcus .urelius





Zuihitsu-Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

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&nner strength

=et us classify strength as our a!ility to e#teriorize our power or energy to act or
work efficiently. It can !e e#pressed in mental, physical or moral !ehaviors. @y
!eing strong we show our ro!ustness, dura!ility and capacity to perform an act
with positive results.
Cen philosopher talking a!out the overall strength
It is reported that training in the apanese -akuin-style Cen re)uired great
stamina, something akin to "udo training now days. -akuin 9kaku lived in the
period 1B,B-1DB,5and it is written in his training instructions$ E 5'he key to
nourishing life is to strengthen the body. 'he secret of strengthening the body lies
in concentrating the spirit. When the spirit is concentrated, energy develops.
When energy develops, the eli(ir of life is forged. When the eli(ir of life is forged,
the body becomes steadfast. When the body is steadfast, the spirit is perfected. 5
v

igoro +ano wrote in 6ind over 6uscle
vi
that$0 While combat may have been at
the core of )u&utsu practice, it also had the related goals of physical education and
mental training*+ll forms of combat re,uire ingenuity and the various tricks and
devices, so in the course of &u&utsu training the mind is unconsciously trained in
many ways. Courage, composure and other traits that are beneficial in life can
also be developed.
<aito Tostado who lived during the period 1DFD-1,B? was a classical 3onfucianism
scholar who wrote a!out the manners of a warrior$ 5-imple stolidity is the basic
character of the warrior, since being the claws and the fangs of the state lies in
this. We should always be this way*.those of the warrior class should learn to be
ashamed of weakness and take pleasure in strength. 'hey should be shamed and
rebuked as cowards if they get scared or startled. .ou should always cultivate
courage and not being startled by thunder, unhesitating in conflict and not letting
your e(pression change even if a mountain should crumble right in front of you0
vii




Zuihitsu-Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

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igoro +ano e#horted us to make intelligent use of our energy in order to achieve
our goal. -is approach was to apply the most effective method or techni)ue for
the simultaneous use of the mind and !ody. -e made it its first principle/ -eiryoku
-ai0en 1atsuyo. This principle entails that we must seek the right opportunity and
deploy the right amount of energy for the !est results. 1ot only should we seek
the effectiveness !y getting the "o! done and scoring the victory !ut we must also
seek to reach the ma#imum effectiveness in our victory through the employ of
technical refinement and speedy mental e#ecution.
To !e strong does not necessarily mean to possess massive muscle groups
re)uiring daily e#ercising. <trength is fre)uently measured !y latent power
com!ined with ade)uate speed and swiftly applied at the right contact point. It is
within our interest to seek out those vulnera!le areas or opportunity moments in
order to limit the use of e#cessive force to accomplish the task. 'ith proper
posturing, rhythm, use of mechanical levers, playing on angular movements and
keeping visual acuity we can certainly overcome with fle#i!ility rather than !rute
force.
Conclusion
To em!ark upon any kind of competition, one must have the sincere desire to win
and !e ready to test his ac)uired skills against the kind of o!stacles raised !y
other competitors or !y nature.
'ishing you all good success with your action plan.
2onald G4sormeau#,
udo teacher, Aniversity of Toronto, -art -ouse do"o, uly *H1;


i
3harles -ackney+ 0artial $irtues, Tuttle pu!lishing, Tokyo, *H1H, page DF
ii
Iamamoto Tsunemoto, 1aga*ure, translated !y <cott 'ilson, . discus @ook 1F,1,page 1D
iii
idem, page FF
iv
igoro +ano, 1aoki 6urata, 0ind 2(er 0uscle, +odansha International Tokyo, *HH?, page ;1
v
ohn <tevens, 3en 0asters, +odansha International, Tokyo, 1FFF. page F1
vi
igoro +ano, 1aoki 6urata+ 0ind 2(er 0uscle, +odansha International, Tokyo,*HH?, page 1D
vii
Thomas 3leary, 4raining 4he Samurai 0ind, <ham!hala !ooks =ondon, *HH,, page *81
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