The Science Of Techniques - Part IV: The Golgi Tendon Organ
Since I have spent the last few parts of, “The Science of Techniques,” discussing how important it is to know the science which makes techniques work, I thought I would now give an example of what I’ve been discussing.
For this example I will try to make the following information as basic as possible, with as few medical terms as needed. Keep in mind this is just a basic breakdown of this particular technique.
The best basic example I can think of to illustrate how one dissects a technique into the scientific principles that make it work is the Golgi Tendon Reflex (aka Inverse Myotatic Reflex).
This is a very useful one to know, and one utilized by almost every martial art system in the world.
The Martial Technique:
For this example we will use a basic Aikido form called Ikkajo Osae Ichi. In this technique the defender applies downward pressure just above the elbow joint, and the attacker collapses to the ground.
In order to apply this technique correctly one must utilize The Golgi Tendon Reflex as well as other physiological techniques.
Anatomy of the Arm:
Your arm is basically comprised of bones, muscle, tendons, arteries and veins, and nerves.
Knowing the anatomy of the arm is important since your arm is designed to move only in certain directions. In addition knowing the anatomy of the arm allows a martial art practitioner to know where there are weaknesses in the anatomy, and the best ways to use them to their fullest advantage.
For example, as it applies to this technique, the elbow joint can bend inwards towards the body, but not in the opposite direction. Turning the arm so the wrist faces upward elongates the limb, and prevents the elbow from being able to articulate as easily as it normally can.
How your arm moves normally:
Muscles are attached to bone on opposite sides of a joint, such that one will cause extension of a limb, its opposite flexion. For a monosynaptic reflex to occur, the opposing muscle of the limb must simultaneously be relaxed. This is accomplished via a three-neuron relay, which inhibits the opposing muscles (the flexors) so that extension of the limb may occur.
The monosynaptic stretch reflex is the only spinal reflex known that involves only one synapse, (the junction across which a nerve impulse passes from an axon terminal to a neuron, a muscle cell, or a gland cell.)
The Golgi Organ:
The Golgi Tendon Organ (also called neurotendinous spindle) is a proprioceptive sensory receptor that is located at the insertion of skeletal muscle fibers into the tendons of skeletal muscle.
Their function is to act as sort of a monitoring device to keep track of tension within the muscle tissue. As a polysynaptic fiber, the golgis are deigned to inhibit the original contracting muscle and facilitate antagonistic muscles. Or in other words, it serves as a servomechanism, which uses feedback to correct a performance of a mechanism.
That’s a fancy way of saying that when the Golgi tendon feels too much tension it causes the limb to go limp, in order to prevent an injury such as ripped muscles, damaged tendons, or injured bones.
So, in the above martial technique, when too much pressure is applied to the arm, and tension reaches a certain level, the Golgi tendon “relaxes.” Since the arm bar is being held, the only way the body can “reflex” is by going down towards the ground, making the attacker fall downward.
Reflex Action:
I’m not going to get into the various types of reflex actions; that could fill a book. But it is important to understand the working process of the reflex actions utilized in this technique.
Step one in this process is the sensation of pain, or in this case a sensation of tension in the arm.
The Golgi Tendon senses a change in pressures and fires off signals to the spinal cord and brain. To keep things simple let's say your brain is the “conscience” thinking part of the equation, while the spinal cord is the “basic instinct” element.
Now from your body's perspective, your arm is about to be damaged and an immediate response is required. There is no time to “think.” Any counter-measure taken to prevent injury must be done as soon as possible. Do you pull, push, jump, fall, scream, etc to be effective?
In this case, the speedier of the two reactions comes from your spinal cord where the reaction is based on instinct. In this defense sequence, pressure is being applied downwards, so the body seeking the path of least resistance (as instinct dictates) moves further downwards away from the perceived attack.
There is no “conscious” thought used during this response, and the subject's brain hasn’t responded yet: neither to confirm his reaction nor to give him an alternate course of action.
In this example, the subject's response is solely based on a “perceived” threat. It is perceived because in actuality there is often not enough force being applied to actually injure the limb, especially in practice.
If the attacker could some how wait for a response from the brain, chances are that instead of falling downward, the attacker would launch a counter offensive. Clearly the technique would be neutralized, or much less effective.
This means the defender must fool the attacker’s body into believing more is happening than is actually happening, thus utilizing a natural physical response to gain an advantage. This natural response, when properly stimulated, cannot be prevented. It is unavoidable even if the attacker is aware of what is going to happen, such as in the case of practicing the technique over and over again in a classroom.
Of course in order to do this technique properly one must know how to “stretch” the Golgi Tendon, and stimulate it to the point of reaction. This takes practice.
For this example I will try to make the following information as basic as possible, with as few medical terms as needed. Keep in mind this is just a basic breakdown of this particular technique.
The best basic example I can think of to illustrate how one dissects a technique into the scientific principles that make it work is the Golgi Tendon Reflex (aka Inverse Myotatic Reflex).
This is a very useful one to know, and one utilized by almost every martial art system in the world.
The Martial Technique:
For this example we will use a basic Aikido form called Ikkajo Osae Ichi. In this technique the defender applies downward pressure just above the elbow joint, and the attacker collapses to the ground.
In order to apply this technique correctly one must utilize The Golgi Tendon Reflex as well as other physiological techniques.
Anatomy of the Arm:
Your arm is basically comprised of bones, muscle, tendons, arteries and veins, and nerves.
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Knowing the anatomy of the arm is important since your arm is designed to move only in certain directions. In addition knowing the anatomy of the arm allows a martial art practitioner to know where there are weaknesses in the anatomy, and the best ways to use them to their fullest advantage.
For example, as it applies to this technique, the elbow joint can bend inwards towards the body, but not in the opposite direction. Turning the arm so the wrist faces upward elongates the limb, and prevents the elbow from being able to articulate as easily as it normally can.
How your arm moves normally:
Muscles are attached to bone on opposite sides of a joint, such that one will cause extension of a limb, its opposite flexion. For a monosynaptic reflex to occur, the opposing muscle of the limb must simultaneously be relaxed. This is accomplished via a three-neuron relay, which inhibits the opposing muscles (the flexors) so that extension of the limb may occur.
The monosynaptic stretch reflex is the only spinal reflex known that involves only one synapse, (the junction across which a nerve impulse passes from an axon terminal to a neuron, a muscle cell, or a gland cell.)
The Golgi Organ:
The Golgi Tendon Organ (also called neurotendinous spindle) is a proprioceptive sensory receptor that is located at the insertion of skeletal muscle fibers into the tendons of skeletal muscle.
Their function is to act as sort of a monitoring device to keep track of tension within the muscle tissue. As a polysynaptic fiber, the golgis are deigned to inhibit the original contracting muscle and facilitate antagonistic muscles. Or in other words, it serves as a servomechanism, which uses feedback to correct a performance of a mechanism.
That’s a fancy way of saying that when the Golgi tendon feels too much tension it causes the limb to go limp, in order to prevent an injury such as ripped muscles, damaged tendons, or injured bones.
So, in the above martial technique, when too much pressure is applied to the arm, and tension reaches a certain level, the Golgi tendon “relaxes.” Since the arm bar is being held, the only way the body can “reflex” is by going down towards the ground, making the attacker fall downward.
Reflex Action:
I’m not going to get into the various types of reflex actions; that could fill a book. But it is important to understand the working process of the reflex actions utilized in this technique.
Step one in this process is the sensation of pain, or in this case a sensation of tension in the arm.
The Golgi Tendon senses a change in pressures and fires off signals to the spinal cord and brain. To keep things simple let's say your brain is the “conscience” thinking part of the equation, while the spinal cord is the “basic instinct” element.
Now from your body's perspective, your arm is about to be damaged and an immediate response is required. There is no time to “think.” Any counter-measure taken to prevent injury must be done as soon as possible. Do you pull, push, jump, fall, scream, etc to be effective?
In this case, the speedier of the two reactions comes from your spinal cord where the reaction is based on instinct. In this defense sequence, pressure is being applied downwards, so the body seeking the path of least resistance (as instinct dictates) moves further downwards away from the perceived attack.
There is no “conscious” thought used during this response, and the subject's brain hasn’t responded yet: neither to confirm his reaction nor to give him an alternate course of action.
In this example, the subject's response is solely based on a “perceived” threat. It is perceived because in actuality there is often not enough force being applied to actually injure the limb, especially in practice.
If the attacker could some how wait for a response from the brain, chances are that instead of falling downward, the attacker would launch a counter offensive. Clearly the technique would be neutralized, or much less effective.
This means the defender must fool the attacker’s body into believing more is happening than is actually happening, thus utilizing a natural physical response to gain an advantage. This natural response, when properly stimulated, cannot be prevented. It is unavoidable even if the attacker is aware of what is going to happen, such as in the case of practicing the technique over and over again in a classroom.
Of course in order to do this technique properly one must know how to “stretch” the Golgi Tendon, and stimulate it to the point of reaction. This takes practice.
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