The Upended Umbrella

Yesterday,

I lost the second umbrella in three months.

This has taken quite a toll on me.

Those umbrellas are not your usual run of the mill umbrellas.

They are sturdy, rigid, and eponymous. Being an umbrella, that is.

Quite such self-defense tools, there umbrellas are. And I lost one in arguably a self-defence situation yesterday.

Well, if you can call helping a small mob capture a petty pickpocket a self-defence situation, as in tripping the pickpocket (he did a nice zenpo mae ukemi, though failing miserably at the rollout) as a defence for whom pocket was picked. Whatever.

Yet, I find that I need to reassert my position on self-defence.

I can't stop thinking the the pickpocket needed self-defence in a grander scheme of things more, compared to my petty needs.

Keep safe.

Meanwhile, I'm in the market for a new umbrella. One that has to prove to be somewhat longer lasting than the last two.

Multiple Targets

Salam Budo!

Absent from today’s June 16, 2007 training session were several Beruang Merah club members who missed out an interesting session on wristlocks, sasae tsuri komi gaeshi, striking drills and multiple opponents.

Regular warms ups on kuzushi and stand up throws which is one of Beruang Merah’s club trade mark were replaced by striking drills divided in four phases. Listed below are the striking drills and their corresponding phase:

Phase 1: Precision/ Focused Striking

The aim of the first phase is to learn the motion of the strike and to understand the dynamics of the strike itself. Proper technique and body motion is monitored in order to achieve the best result which in turn equals damage for the opponent.

Phase 2: Speed striking

Delivering full power the trainee executes five to ten consecutive strikes while maintaining proper technique and breath control. At this phase there is a tendency for the trainee to soften up on the strikes due to improper breath control or fatigue beginning to settle in. Interestingly after a two or three time repetition, the gross motor movements are recorded which its benefit will be apparent during the fourth phase.

Phase 3: Combo striking

Under a two minute time limit the trainee delivers a barrage of striking techniques which may include any of the following:

• palm heel
• jab
• straight punch
• chop
• elbow smash
• head butt
• knees
• and kicks

At this phase, the drill will be quite demanding on the trainee’s physical stamina which will affect the striking power and focus.

Phase 4: Multiple targets & multiple opponents

The last phase which is highly demanding on the trainee’s physique and to a certain degree perhaps even more tiring than randori, the reason for this is that since the last phase is a “Live” drill; the targets and the opponents are constantly moving. The trainee simultaneously must also be on the move always repositioning either his position or the opponents making sure that no one comes around from behind to “Tag” him which is obviously lethal in real life.

Lessons learned:

1. Keeping your strikes simple not only shortens reaction time which is valuable in a real skirmish but constant repetition also programs the body muscles and memory to move without hesitation.
2. In a multiples situation move your opponent to form a single line thus decreasing the likelihood of them flanking you or by aggressively moving towards one, seizing, grabbing or controlling and using the opponent to shield or obstruct his tag team.
3. Attack, attack and attack! In fact do not stop until you know for sure that your strikes connected enough to stun or KO your opponent giving you the opportunity to escape and reach for safety.
4. When seconds count technical simplicity is gold

Jujutsu Tradition: Don't Teach To Non-Japanese

I'm just reading through 'Small Circle JuJitsu,' by Professor Wally Jay. (1989, Ohara Publications). On Page 16. it describes how Okazaki, the main teacher of Wally Jay was "ostracized," by the Japanese for doing "the unthinkable - he offered to teach Baron [a Caucasian] jujitsu.' The author continues,"In those days, judo and jujitsu were taught to the Japanese only. Systems and styles were closed to all but a select few."

Furthermore, "defying the traditionalists, Okazaki, for a time, was ostracized. He had broken tradition by teaching non-Japanese."

So a call to the traditionalists:

* If you received your belt from a non-Japanese: Give it Back. Only Japanese should receive ranks in jujutsu, jujitsu, or jiu-jitsu (I don't know how to write the Kanji).

* If you're really serious, behead with a Samurai sword any commoner who doesn't bow to you.

* Finally, work out which Shogun who owe loyalty to and then commit Seppuku , or ritual suicide, necessary to restore your and the Shogun's honour. (They all lost face after the U.S. turned up with gunboats and triggered the Meiji Restoration in Japan).

Triangle Choke

And here we have a good example of self-submission. TEH TRIANGLE COHKE!!



Gotta say Carl, that's fine that you got yourself perfectly set up for the choke, but dammit, get his--I mean your--arm across his--I mean your--throat for it to sink in! No judge will even give you osae-komi for that!

Tradition or Confusion ?

It's 1592. You're a Japanese foot soldier, part of an advance unit sent to capture a strategic mountain pass in Korea. Farmer-warriors stare at you from behind rocks and trees, armed only with crude iron swords and tools. Steam rises from their breath and their sweat in the icy dawn air.

Many leagues behind you, Samurai General Toyotomi Hideyoshi is commanding a 160,000-strong force that is steadily advancing over Korea towards the eventual goal of China. Right now, you're outnumbered.

The Koreans have fought bravely to defend their huts, but your your superior weaponry, strategy and above all, European-designed Arquebus, a flintlock rifle that hit Japan 49 years ago, is turning the tide. Soon, this mountainside will fall to the Japanese, as will the whole of Korea.

Suddenly, Hideyoshi appears in full Samurai helmet, blasting orders from a loudspeaker. "Ok, boys, drop the Arquebus and the new military strategies."

The the clinker: "They're not traditional. We can't betray the fighting traditions of our Samurai ancestors."

He adds: "In fact, even the Katana is only few hundred years old -- so you'll have to use sticks and stones."

Such is the dilemma students of the traditional martial arts. They risk preserving outdated techniques and rituals thus turning the Dojo into a museum. They risk becoming not martial artists, but instead martial archeologists.

Back when I was at University in Australia, there was a campus group called, "the Society for Creative Anachronism." (See photo above). It's members liked to dress up in mediaeval armour and clothes and have Camelot-style jousting matches.

The society has organized itself across the world into little Kingdoms where the monarchs bestow upon members the right to call themselves "Baron,'"or "Duchess," or "Lord". Their unofficial motto is,"reacreate the Middle Ages as they should have been, " i.e., without things such as serfdom, the bubonic plague, and open-pit sewers. They were odd, if endearing people.

A lot of young Japanese see traditional martial arts Budoka in the same way.

Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, didn't see a problem in tinkering with tradition. He introduced Randori so as Judoka could train against a resisting opponent. Thus when the Randori-trained Kodokan faced a group of Kata-only trained Jujutsuka, they kicked their asses.

In fact, even one of the 'traditional' Jujutsu schools Kano studied was only founded in 1832, after the period of civil war. The greater emphasis on Atemi was possible due to delicate parts of the body exposed due to the lack of armour.

Traditional jujutsuka today who only train in Kata, without any pressure-testing, reaction drills, sparring, Randori, or body conditioning are risking having their own asses kicked, thrown, and choked either on the street or in the Dojo.

So what traditions are we preserving and why ? Is Japan after the Meiji restoration ? Pre-Meiji ? Civil War period ? Kamakura ? Tokugawa ? Sengoku ?

In fact, if we're serious about respecting tradition, why not go all the way to China, hell, even India and Bodhidharma, which according to many martial arts histories is where the arts come from.

Should we be wearing Lunghis (Indian loinclothes) instead of Gis ?

Most Senseis won't have any answer to these questions: they don't know.

In reality, they present tradition as a weird amalgamation of the last 2,000 years of Japanese history, much like a chain Sushi restaurant aimed at middle America. A few Kanji characters on the wall, maybe a Hokusai print or Zen painting, lots of Japanese counting, kneeling and bowing.

More importantly, tradition - as many Senseis define it - serves for them very important roles:

* Boosting their personal authority
* Shrouding the school in vague mystique which they and they only define.

The truth is the Samurai were practical fighting men. If you're serious about honouring their tradition and legacy, keep the style realistic and effective. By all means, there's nothing wrong with the bows, Japanese names, and mat courtesies.

If you want to dress-up in Hakama, go ahead.

But for those of us who are interested in defending ourselves, and staying fit, let's remember Toyotomi Hideyoshi and those that followed him were soldiers, not archeologists.

Training With Myself

Friends,

At Cempaka Putih Dojo, we're pioneering a radical new training concept that will take one's jujutsu to a whole new level, a one-person sparring method that breaks boundaries, wrists, and elbows in search of excellence.

It's called self-submission.

Friends, this is a one-person training drill that involves applying an Americana, Kimura, Udi-Gatama, Triangle choke, or any other submission you can manage to the person who matters most: yourself.

The concept can also be extended to sparring, whereby you swipe at yourself with hooks, jabs and crosses, even Thai roundhouse kicks and knee-strikes.

We can't pretend it's 100 percent safe, but hey, this is martial arts. If you want safe, go and take up knitting or even better - play with your Dolly.

Joey Danu, ever the pioneer, added an ukemi element to the drill, called 'Superman,' where you just throw yourself off progressively higher levels of a building. (You can work up to this level by falling down the stairs).

Ok. Enjoy training and stay safe.

Salam Budo !

Kusanagi Research Project - Month 2.

The Kusanagi is a mythical Japanese sword said to be handed down from the sun-goddess Amaterasu. (See above). Kusanagi, it seems, is also a Japanese model and possibly porn star (see above). Unfortunately, we're concerned with the former.

The second month of the Kusanagi Research Project has yielded a curriculum of basic techniques for common attacks, a database of attacks and source list, or 'bibliography.'

The curriculum, which Joey Danu has set out in a chart, resembles a cross between WW2 combatives, Moni Aizik's combat jujutsu, John Perkin's attack proof, and some Indonesian spices and flavourings.

The trick now will be refine, modify, and practice, practice, practice. Drill, drill, and drill some more.

The practice will involve full contact attacks with mats, shields, and mits.

We'll also train outdoors on a variety of different surfaces. This environment training is what is most lacking in nearly all reality programs, I'm told, including the pros, that is military and police. (In fact, it seems from our research that the military and police aren't all they're cracked out to be when it comes to unarmed combat, because they're rarely unarmed. Even the special forces have to spend so much time studying stuff like ballistics and technology, they might not have time to be cutting edge in hand-to-hand stuff).