The process of mastering judo begins when you can apply the principles appropriately, even in new and quickly changing conditions.
an appreciation for the predictable role that gravity plays, the most effective application and direction of force, how to anticipate specific reactions, using movement and leverage to overcome friction, the power of momentum in off-balancing (kuzushi), and other topics covered in this book.
“Ride the horse in the direction it is going.”
judo teaches the maximum efficient use of mental and physical energy.
The device of giving way until the proper time involves the use of perfect balance, rhythm and harmony, and perception—the kinesthetic or “sixth-sense” feel—of the opponent’s off-balance movements.
“gentleness means giving way until the right moment arrives”;
unguarded moment is set up by two steps: first, by taking advantage of your opponent’s long reaction time and, second, by breaking his posture before he can react.
In broken posture he cannot change his position and his direction of motion conveniently, and he takes a longer time to react to your attack.
Therefore the problem of how to break your opponent’s posture is the first thing that must be studied.
human body would lose its balance if it was only pushed backward or pulled forward.
the throw to be applied is effective only when the opponent has lost his balance.
The stability of any standing object is determined by three factors: weight, base, and position of center of gravity.
best for you to break his posture backwards or forwards in a direction perpendicular to the straight line passing through both his big toes.
But what happens when your opponent is in motion? In this case it is best to push or pull him in the direction of his movement.
you must pull or push your opponent with your body and not with your hands only.
You place your foot forward because you must push your body forward to break your opponent’s posture backward. If you wish to break his posture forward, you must draw your foot backward. If you do not use this principle, you will pull or push with your hands only.
To take advantage of both your opponent’s force and his long reaction time, you must move faster and farther than he does. Through this technique, if you repeat it consecutively, you will finally bring him off balance.
Taking this as a center that systematizes all the forces working between the two of you, you can lead him easily at your convenience, adding your force to his as you are giving way.
What is it that gives your actions vitality or life? It is the force of the waist and abdominal region,
The force of the waist and abdominal region coordinates all parts of the body
In throwing, also, you must realize that the thorough use of the big toes is vital in making both the legs and the feet work together in one complete force.
We may define force as an action to overcome the inertia of a body.
The third law of motion—the law of reaction—proves that a dynamically produced force is more important than the force of the muscles in breaking the posture of the opponent and making him fall as the result of a fast and powerful movement of your body.
In grappling, why is it difficult for your opponent to get up when he is turned over on his back? It is because he has nothing to push against effectively with either of his feet.
One of the important facts about judo is that successful employment of techniques is the result of total body muscular movement—as, for example, in the execution of an over-shoulder throw.
If your hands pull your opponent horizontally, they serve as chains that tightly tie his body to yours. If you push him back, your arms serve as poles that cannot be bent.
Since judo employs many forces, such as those of gravity, momentum, and friction, you must not mistake muscular force for the only effective one. If you do, your judo will become hard, heavy, slow, and ineffective.
Even now some of the secrets of the force of momentum seem hidden by a veil of ignorance. The secret is in the force of the waist and abdominal region:
Review the above-cited Figures again. It should be clear that you, even though you may not be very large in stature, can easily throw your opponent if your attack is fast enough.
Drop an iron ball and try to stop it on its way down. First, stop it slowly with your hand, then stop it quickly in the shortest time possible. You will find that in the first case a comparatively small force is needed, but in the latter case a larger force is required.
In judo, in order to apply a large force to your opponent, you must induce momentum in him in the shortest time possible as well as make the m (weight) express your whole weight and enlarge the v (velocity) so that mv will become greater.
In both cases the same momentum mv will be induced in him by your hands. But the time required to stop your body will be different. Consider which is the better of the two ways. Of course it is the latter, since in the former your opponent’s lapel and sleeve serve as springs to make the time t longer.
We also know that the heavier the man, the more difficult it is to make him slide or slip.
We can therefore understand that there is no change of friction whether one stands on one foot, on both feet, or on tiptoe.
