Body utilisation and manipulation in Martial Arts (2014) by Daniel Rablin

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Gary Hutchinson
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1 (2014) by Daniel Rablin In most martial arts, almost every technique involves the use of your own body in conjunction with your opponent. Correctly utilising a technique, understanding how the human body moves and balances, and how ligaments, joints and pressure points can be exploited, is a vital aspect of Jujitsu. The martial art Jujitsu comes from a mix of different martial arts, mainly: Judo, Aikido, and Shorinjo kempo (Karate). The first recorded origins of Jujitsu started in 1532 in ancient Japan and was originally created in response to dealing with an opponent wearing armour such as a samurai would. Judo and Aikido were especially useful for dealing with samurai as strikes were not effective against their armour, so other options had to be sought. This is where Jujitsu combines the efforts of those martial arts by employing joint locking techniques to control or disable the opponent, and throws or take-downs to slow or halt movement as well as remove threat and power. Like most martial arts and any other physical sport-like activity, Jujitsu can be broken down into a list of traits that make it work. These traits include: Balance Dynamic balance Positioning Speed Accuracy Distancing Timing Reaction time These traits need to be used to gain effectiveness when performing a technique, however some traits may gain priority depending on the situation or type of attack. In each technique, it is important that we understand the base movements so we can improve our flow, accuracy and speed. We practice a range of body movement, Tai Sebaki, and foot movement, Ashi Sebaki. These movements include: Nagashi / Avoiding Irimi / Entering Irimi Senkai / Entering Rotation O Irimi Senkai / Major Entering Rotation Okuri / Sliding Kawashi / Dodging These are just the base movements however and while they remain prevalent in each technique, some situations require that these be adjusted or even mixed in combination. Daniel Rablin Page 1 of 5

Personal Balance Balance and dynamic balance are one of the most basic but important aspects in any martial art. Without balance you cannot stand, move and throw a punch or kick.

When defending yourself or performing a technique you should consider removing the opponents balance in order to make them vulnerable for a counter-attack, or pre-emptive strike.

2 Personal Balance Balance and dynamic balance are one of the most basic but important aspects in any martial art. Without balance you cannot stand, move and throw a punch or kick. Try and lean forward or backward and throw a punch, and you will find that you have no power behind it. When defending yourself or performing a technique you should consider removing the opponents balance in order to make them vulnerable for a counter-attack, or pre-emptive strike. Balance starts directly from the feet, or however you are connected to the ground as this gives you a base. From the feet, utilising the legs to create a large base will give you a lower centre of mass as well as creating a wide platform to move around without the need to re-adjust your foot position. Performing your techniques can be done but they should border on effortless and you should not need to muscle your way through a technique. Example of low centre of gravity (left) versus high centre of gravity (right) Opponents Balance There are many ways to break an opponents balance, and it is not just about the way you stand or the way your body is leaning. An opponent also has a psychological balance that can be disturbed either physically or mentally. You can or perform a Kiai which is to shout, or attack one of the main target points on the body: Eyes, Neck, Groin, Nose, Legs, Knees and Feet. Depending on the target areas available, risk or situation you should make a quick judgement on what target to attack. The eyes and neck are primary targets that create the most damage and should only be targetted when in a life threatening situation. The groin is also a primary target, but leaves the attacker to recover and should be immediately followed by any other strikes or joint locks. Similarly to the groin, attacking the nose, legs, knees and feet are temporary targets that may stun your attacker for a short duration and be used as a soft attack or to create distance. Balance on the move Dynamic balance is how you retain balance while moving and can be achieved in a similar pattern. By using a large base and lowering your body it is much harder to be knocked down. When moving, keeping the feet close to the ground, or sliding them across will prevent your opponent from gaining a chance to attack while you are vulnerable, when you don't have balance. By keeping your feet close to the ground, you keep the ability to regain your balance instantly. Daniel Rablin Page 2 of 5

3 Similarly to balance, you can use you and your opponents momentum to break your opponents balance in order to perform a technique. When avoiding, blocking, or deflecting your opponents attacks, note the direction they are moving and either keep pushing them in that direction or force them to move in the opposite direction. Using their momentum to push them off balance is effortless where redirecting their momentum requires some strength and movement but in some cases is quite effective. In order to gauge how to break balance using momentum or redirection, keep a note of the opponents height and whether their centre of gravity is low to the ground. Using momentum to break balance can be effective on a person who has balance and a high centre of gravity. Using redirection can be effective on someone who weighs less or is low to the ground. When performing a technique, positioning is important but that all changes in a self-defence aspect where the fight is usually dynamic and chaotic. Here we must train in speed, accuracy and timing to ensure that we can use a technique appropriate to the situation. In a real fight, you're not going to have an obedient Uke (receiver) that will allow you to freely perform your techniques. You must take into account the direction of the fight and realign your balance, while finding a way to remove theirs. This is where Tai Sebaki comes into action, and gives you movements that you can practice and engage with muscle memory. When the attacker is coming straight at you, you can use Nagashi which is a simple avoiding technique by moving your back foot around. Irimi can be used to move in on the opponent while they are moving forward where you are given multiple options. You can launch a pre-emptive strike with almost double the power since you are moving forward while the opponent is moving toward you at the same time, otherwise you would be positioned beside the attacker while they are still moving forward and this gives you an opportunity to utilise their momentum to either pull or redirect them into a technique. Trigger Points During a defensive technique or counter-attack, understanding the reaction of your attacker is important. These reactions can be utilised as a trigger-point for further strikes or to follow with a technique, take-down or throw. In order to utilise an attacker's body position and momentum, you must know where their balance is and how they may react in order to regain it. An attacker who adjusts their body position is in a prime state for further breaking of balance, or redirection with often minimal effort. An attacker who has been dragged forward may want to pull back in order to regain balance, and this trigger-point can be used by following them and redirecting that new momentum. Triggers aren't just a reaction to an attack or movement, and you can lead your opponent into a trigger, for example with an arm drag, to be used in conjunction with your follow up technique or strike. Joint Locks During a joint locking technique, it is important to understand that the human body is comparable to a system of sockets, joints and levers. Like mechanical gears, the body has limitations that can be exploited to achieve a submission. These techniques are often used to control, subdue, and of course lock the opponent both statically and dynamically. Since the sockets and joints are being exploited for their limitations, a locking technique is achieved when pressure is applied against the limits or end-point of the joint. Daniel Rablin Page 3 of 5

4 Humerus, Elbow, Radius, Ulna When applying an arm-bar technique, you can compare the mechanics of a see-saw where there are two sides of a bar and a pivot point in the middle. To create this see-saw mechanism the shoulder and wrist/hand must be held or locked and the arm held out straight, and then pressure should be placed on the elbow joint. In this case, the elbow is a hinge join that only rotates in one direction with minor flexibility. When placing pressure on the joint in an arm-bar, it causes stress and pain on the joint. With enough force, the arm ends in hyper-extension or dislocation and injury of muscle and tendons. Locking techniques must be practised slowly with care because it is extremely easy to push the joint past the designed limit. Pressure Points While not effective in life threatening situations, pressure points can be used in calmer or controllable situations. There are many pressure points on the body. Pressure points are sensitive areas of the body such as nerve bundles. muscles, and specific arteries such as the carotid artery that contain pressure sensitive baroreceptors that control blood pressure. When pressure is applied to specific points on the body, the result is often discomfort and pain. Pressure against a baroreceptor will cause a signal to the brain that blood pressure is too high and result in lower blood pressure where the brain will often shut-down to protect itself. There are many nerve bundles, often located near joints and sockets, and in the torso such as the solar plexus, and knowledge of each point over the body can become a great tool when caught in different situations. While studying and practising Jujitsu or any other martial art, it is important to recognise how each technique results. Choosing a defensive technique is often situational; using the correct Tai Sebaki, retaining balance, utilising momentum or redirection and pressure points or joint locks to diminish the attacker with little power. With thorough examination and practice of each technique, many smaller details may be perceived that you can be used to refine you and your fellow practitioners. Daniel Rablin Page 4 of 5

5 References Image of: Humerus, Elbow, Radius and Ulna Daniel Rablin Page 5 of 5

6 th Kup - 5 th Kup (Green belt - blue tab)

6 th Kup - 5 th Kup (Green belt - blue tab) Long stance - Double knife-hand strike : Hammer-fist strike : Back-fist strike : Spear-Hand Punch : Back stance Single fist guarding block : Double fist guarding