The Second Top Ten Principles Of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei - #7 Coupling Principle

Since I first stated that the techniques taught at my school were based on principles, and that we focus more on understanding the principles that makes things work than the techniques themselves, people have e-mailed me asking me if I could explain these principles in more detail.

Last year I spent several months writing about the “Top Ten Principles of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei.” Now it is time to cover the next ten most important principles. Of course, one must keep in mind that while these principles are officially less important than first ten, in actuality they are just as important. The truth is that in many cases understanding and executing them properly is essential in order to make the “top ten” fully effective. In other words, they are just another piece of a very complex puzzle illustrating how sceintific martial techniques really are.

Unfortunately, trying to explain many of these principals in writing is very difficult, since many can’t be explained in words alone. However, I will try my best to describe these principles for the “blog” readers, using words, charts and pictures.

Keep in mind though, that in order to sometimes fully understand a principle you have to also understand other principles that relate to it. Most principles aren’t fully useable on their own, and have to be integrated with others.

COUPLING PRINCIPLE

Generally, coupling means a mechanical connection between two things. In physics, two systems are coupled if they mutually interact. There is another definition from computer programming that also seems appropriate to the art I teach: coupling is a linkage between two parts of a program such that if one part of the program is modified, the behavior of the other part may also be affected.

Basically, the coupling principle is the concept that once a connection is made between two or more bodies, whatever action one body makes will have a direct effect on the other bodies.

In other words, one plus one equals one.

For example, the square and circle below represent two individual objects:

If you move the circle, that movement has absolutely no effect on the square:

Now, let's say you drive a stick into both the square and circle so they are connected to each other. They are now “coupled.”

If you push the circle down, the square will move also. In this example, the movement will be in the opposite direction as the objects rotate around their common center of mass.

Because they are “coupled,” whatever movement one object makes will affect the other. This is even more apparent when the connection point is rigid, as it is here. Needless to say, this is a crude example of a much more complex principle; but it explains the science that makes this principle work better than any other I can think of, at least in this format.

Maybe a simpler way of thinking about the “Coupling Principle,” is something many of us do outside the dojo--walking a dog on leash.

When I take my dog for a walk on the street we are “coupled” by his leash. Although there is no direct physical connection between our bodies--my hand is not touching the dog--by moving my end of his six foot leash in the proper direction, I can make my dog go left, right, or forward. Or I can make him stop and sit, down.

I don’t have to use verbal commands. If I adjust the tension on the leash the right way, because of proper training my dog knows what he is suppose to do--unless of course he sees a squirrel or a cat, then I’m on the receiving end of the commands and being dragged down the street.

What’s important to understand with this example is that I’m not using verbal commands.  He is responding to non-verbal communication through our couple. My dog reacts to the movements I make that affect the leash.

In this example, my dog he has been trained to respond a certain way to specific movements. But if I don’t move the leash correctly he gets confused and does not know what to do. My movements must be right to get him to behave the way I desire him to.

This is an important factor to remember because one’s opponent in a fight has received no training at all. This means when you use the “Coupling Principle,” your non-verbal communication--in this case “body language”--has to be specific, otherwise the other person’s body won't know how to respond to your directions.

The basic rule one needs to remember about this principle is that once you’re coupled, any movement, no matter how subtle, has a direct impact on your opponent. Even rotating the head at the wrong moment can move one’s opponent inches off their original position. This is one reason why so many martial art styles emphasize the theory of “no wasted motion.”

Avoiding wasted motion is even more important when practitioners try to execute projections (throws), especially projections that rely on exacting alignments. Sometimes even the slightest, almost imperceptible movement can have drastic consequences.

This of course means that in order to execute the “Coupling” Principle at the higher levels one must learn “cause and effect.” In other words, one must know exactly what wll happen when any given part of the body is moved.

Example: Rear Shoulder Projection

Photo 1 – Two individuals with no connection to each other.

Photo 2 – As the uke (attacker) grabs the tori (defender) they become coupled. Even though the point of contact is small (tip of shoulder) a connection is made and tori can affect the ukes’ centerline.

Photo 3 – The tori lifts his shoulder (the shoulder only) and rotates slightly to the rear by rotating at the waist. Since both subjects are coupled, the lift and rotation pushes the uke off balance to his rear. If done correctly, uke’s hips come forward, creating a hole for the uke to fall into.

Photo 4 – The tori continues his rotation to the rear until the uke is totally off balance.
The shoulder is then quickly dropped straight downward causing the uke to fall into the space that was created during photo #3.

In addition, one must also learn the differences such things as turning the hand versus turning the forearm versus rotating the upper arm can cause. Try it; you’ll be surprised at the results.

Example

Photo 1 – Uke grabs tori by the wrist.

2. Tori rotates his forearm (forearm only) towards the ukes’ arm. Since the tori and uke are coupled at the wrist, the rotation of the forearm causes the uke to come forward and downward. Note how the uke’s wrist has rotated around the forearm. (See below photos.) Also note that nothing has moved from the original position. The only movement was the rotation, everything else remained the same.

Learning all of these intricacies of controlling an opponent through coupling can take years, if not a lifetime to fully master. Add this complexity to the fact that in a real life or death fight numerous movements are taking place within milliseconds, each with the potential to change how one must apply the “coupling principle,” and one can start to see how difficult utilizing this principle actually is.

Fortunately, many of these issues are addressed in the techniques most of us are taught, though one must keep in mind that techniques taught in class often tend to illustrate ideal situations. That’s not a bad thing; it just means it pays to experiment. Nothing beats trial and error.

Oh, and if all of that isn’t difficult enough: how about coupling techniques that involve weaponry? Yes, even that sword on sword blocking action observed in so many styles is a form of coupling, which if the practitioner is skilled enough can be used to create a projection.

Just one more facet to think about.

The Second Top Ten Principles Of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei - #6 Marriage to Gravity

Since I first stated that the techniques taught at my school were based on principles, and that we focus more on understanding the principles that makes things work than the techniques themselves, people have e-mailed me asking me if I could explain these principles in more detail.

Last year I spent several months writing about the “Top Ten Principles of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei.” Now it is time to cover the next ten most important principles. Of course, one must keep in mind that while these principles are officially less important than first ten, in actuality they are just as important. The truth is that in many cases understanding and executing them properly is essential in order to make the “top ten” fully effective. In other words, they are just another piece of a very complex puzzle illustrating how sceintific martial techniques really are.

Unfortunately, trying to explain many of these principals in writing is very difficult, since many can’t be explained in words alone. However, I will try my best to describe these principles for the “blog” readers, using words, charts and pictures.

Keep in mind though, that in order to sometimes fully understand a principle you have to also understand other principles that relate to it. Most principles aren’t fully useable on their own, and have to be integrated with others.

MARRIAGE TO GRAVITY

When I started training with Yachigusa Sensei, 30 plus years ago, he would yell at me all the time about my posture. I was always either too slouchy or too rigid, too soft, or too hard. I leaned too much this way or that way. It seemed no matter what I did, or how hard I tried, my posture was never good enough.

Yachigusa Sensei would yell, he would scream, and he would even forcibly move me into the proper position--and I mean forcibly, with whatever he happened to have in his hands at the time, which was often a wooden cane.

Unfortunately for me no matter what he did to correct my posture during my first years, none of it seemed to work, at least from his perspective.

Now, I don’t know if my problems with posture were due to my age, the fact I didn’t understand Japanese and he spoke terrible English, my poor coordination, or if Yachigusa Sensei expected instant perfection; but things must have really gotten bad because the next thing I knew I was doing all my solo techniques with a book balanced on my head.

If you’ve never tried this, it can become quite frustrating very quickly-especially if there are consequences when the book falls. These consequences were usually harsh and unpleasant. However, balancing a book on your head is a great training tool, and after several long months of “book learning” the frequency of posture related yelling decreased.

I had slowly, unwittingly, been introduced to the principle of “Marriage to Gravity.”

After my teacher’s death, I started to attend various seminars where numerous Aikido, Jujutsu, and Judo practitioners often accused me of being extremely rigid. In other words they couldn’t capture my center, displace me, or project me. Of course, instead of examining their technical ability, they just assumed I was countering them. In a way they were partially right, but I didn’t do it intentionally. Without even realizing it, I had learned to spontaneously apply the principle of “Marriage to Gravity.”

I guess all of Yachigusa Sensei’s lambasting paid off.

Over the years I have heard this principle described in numerous ways, ranging the gamut from the supernatural to the scientific. Its been called things such as sticking, grounding, rooting, sinking, and even body dropping.

It is clear that this principle is done in numerous martial art styles, and from my experience every teacher who tries to explain it does so in a distinct, often stylistic manner. Unfortunately, these stylistic approaches often perpetuate myths and tricks over true technique.

This is a trick often used to show one’s ability to “root.”
I won't explain here how it is done, but it has to do with physics, not Chi.
My student had five minutes of instruction before he posed for the photo, and was able to do the technique fairly well. With some practice he could fool a lot of people with his “mystical powers.”

Another famous trick to show one’s rooting ability.
Once again it’s all about physics, not Chi.
This technique is a little harder to learn than the one above.

Often the ancient mystical explanations for this principle, especially those propagated in Chinese arts, are exquisite and definitely appeal to many people’s desire to transcend normality via some ancient “secret.”

However, as much as I can respect these peoples’ desires and beliefs, I’ll forgo the usual metaphysical explanation--which normally relates to externalizing ones’ Chi and projecting said energy into he ground thus rooting a person to the earth--for something a little more tangible.

Basically, the principle of “Marriage to Gravity” refers to a postural alignment that unifies one with their centerline. It is nothing more than having the skill to align the feet and torso in a manner were force is transferred efficiently into the ground, allowing for maximum balance and stability.

Yes, you guessed it…. It’s all related to posture.

A major difference between the principle of Marriage to Gravity,” and methods often referred to as “Rooting,” is that “Marriage to Gravity” is not static. The principle applies to both bodies at rest, and bodies moving at full speed. Though I’ll be the first to admit, one is easier to do than the other.

To be honest teaching this principle is not easy. It takes a lot of time, and one on one interaction. Having taught for over fifteen years now, I can clearly see how frustrating it must have been for Yachigusa Sensei to teach me this, especially with the language barrier between us.

I know I’ve experienced times where students have simply driven me crazy, and I’ve felt I must be explaining things in some foreign language they can’t comprehend. While I’ve never resorted to striking any of them, (okay, one or two), many have endured the ancient “Yachigusa Ryu Book” method of training.

Unfortunately, I can’t think of any way to teach this principle in this medium. Like I said, it takes a lot of one on one interaction to get people to do it right. Even practicing this principle in front of a mirror is inadvisable since moving the head to see oneself can often change alignments.

While I can’t teach this principle in writing, I can give some anatomical background, guidelines, and a few things for readers to try.

1. Basic Posture Rules

Standing – Normal Posture

1. Always hold your head straight with your chin in. The head should never tilt in any direction.
   
2. Keep your shoulder blades back.
   
3. Keep your knees straight.
   
4. Tuck your stomach in but do not tilt your pelvis forward.
   
5. The arches of your feet should always be supported.

Martial Posture

1. Always hold your head straight with your chin in. The head should never tilt in any direction. The head only moves split seconds before any turning action.
   
2. Keep your shoulder blades back, yet relaxed.
   
3. Keep your knees straight. Straight does not mean locked-out. There should actually be some give, an almost sinking sensation towards the ground. Just make sure your knee never ever passes the toes when moving; that puts a lot of strain in your knees.
   
4. Tuck your stomach in but do not tilt your pelvis forward. Hips and waist should always be over the weight bearing foot.
   
5. The arches of your feet should always be supported. One method I employ which is related to the principle of Marriage to Gravity, is placing my weight on three points of each foot. These points are the base of the big toe, the inner part of the ball of the foot, and the inside side of the heal portion of the foot. I then think about pushing the ground with these three points, concentrating my focus on the ball of the foot area.

At first, when this is done correctly one should feel their thigh muscles doing a substantial amount of work to maintain stability. That feeling should go away with training. However once this is learned, one’s stability should feel stronger.

Another benefit with this type of stance is that one will be able to execute stronger and faster turning motions. This has to do with the nature of the stance itself, which controls the action of the thigh muscles, which in turn control the upper torso.

A point to remember is that the thigh muscles don’t really have the ability to rotate without moving a least one foot. If you don’t believe that try executing a proper round kick without shifting the foot.

2. Balance

Balance is something we humans use all the time, but literally take for granted until we lose it. After all, good balance is necessary in order to independently perform acts of daily living and to avoid constantly falling down and injuring ourselves.

The definition of “balance,” is "the ability to maintain and control the position and motion of the total center of body mass relative to the base of support."

Sound familiar?

It should. However, in martial arts, this is often described more metaphysically. From a martial arts perspective, this center of mass is normally located three finger widths down from the belly button, and referred to as the tanden in Japanese and dantian in Chinese, and is the equivalent to the Hara of Buddhism.

This point is regarded as the spiritual center of man, where all psychic and physical forces are centered. The Hara is the point where “Chi” (life energy) is located--“Chi” being the essential energy to perform martial art techniques quickly and efficiently.

The importantce of the human balance system is that it helps your body maintain equilibrium on an automatic basis. Keep in mind that the human frame is inherently unstable since 2/3 of our mass is located 2/3 of our body height above the ground. Even the normal act of walking is a constant state of falling and regaining balance.

In order to maintain balance the “Human Balance System” consists of three parts. They are:

• Vestibular System (inner ear) – This is the most important element of human balance. The main function of the vestibular system is maintaining balance (posture and equilibrium) by monitoring the motion of the head and stabilizing the eyes relative to the surround environment.
  
  Within the inner ear are three canals that contain a gel-like liquid called endolymph and tiny hair cells. When both inner ears are working properly they give the brain information through the central nervous system about linear and angular positions of the body with respect to gravity.
  
  
  
  
  
• Visual system (depth, velocity, and motion perception) – Input from the eyes sends the brain information about the position of the body relative to other objects, their depth, velocity and motion. In addition, the eyes work in conjunction with the ears to maintain balance, as well as maintain clear vision during movements. The inner ear continuously sends impulses that adjust your eyes in coordination to the smallest movement of the body.
  


• Somatic Sensory or Somatosensory System) – This system provides the brain with two valuable pieces of internal and external spatial information that helps maintain balance. These two systems are called, proprioception and exteroception.
  
  • Proprioception – Propriceptors are internal sensors in the body that give the central nervous system information about the movement of body parts in relation to other parts of the body. With out such a system it would be impossible to put food in your mouth without visually watching your hand move from the plate to your mouth.
    
  • Exteroception - Exteroceptors are pressure sensors located in your feet and hands that provide external spatial information about the topography of the ground or support surface.

Evaluating Your Balance

This is a basic test to see what your current state of balance is. Start by standing upright, arms to your side. Now while looking forward raise one foot up without touching the supporting leg. Hold this position for as long as you can without tilting or losing stability. Failure occurs when your upper body starts tilting, your foot drops, your raised foot touches supporting leg, you hop, or your drop your foot to the ground.

Now repeat this test with your eyes closed. To make this test a little more complicated, try extending your arms to the side and touching your nose with your index finger--sort of like the field sobriety tests police officers give to see if you’re driving under the influence.

The importance of this simple exercise is manifold. First of all, being on one leg is less stable than two, thus requiring precise body mechanics to remain upright without tilting or swaying. Secondly, one must learn to properly align the base foot in order to press against the ground and provide the strength to remain stable (the Marriage to Gravity element). Lastly, a clear focus and concentration is required to maintain control over the body, and its natural instinct to fall over.

Remember the movie “The Karate Kid?”
Well Mr. Miyagi had a reason to make Daniel-san do that silly crane stance.
It was all about improving Daniel-san’s balance.

3. Stance (Static Posture)

Any stance refers to a method of “placement.” “Placement” is an orientation based on the flex of the feet, knees and hips, as well as associated body weight distribution. A simple rule to follow is that one should always point their hips and waist in the same direction as the toes of their weight-bearing leg.

This rule is simple to test. Start by assuming a long stance, a common stance found in many martial art styles where 40% of the weight is on the back leg and 60% is on the front leg.

Once in long-stance rotate your hips and waist in the direction of your back leg. How stable do you feel? If you think you have sufficient stability, try having someone push you backwards. Do not have them push hard, just enough to see if you lose stability.

Now do another long-stance, and this time rotate your hips and waist over the front leg. How stable do you feel? You should be able to feel a difference. Once again after you feel you are stable, have someone push you with the same power as before. There should be a major difference in how quickly and easily you can be pushed off balance.

Now try this same test with other postures (stances) for your particular style. You should get the same results.

4. Movement / Force

The first guideline has to do with body mechanics. Body mechanics are essentially posture in motion used to gain power. The purpose of utilizing proper body mechanics is to maximize applicable forces by taking advantage of the principles of physics as it relates to the structure of the human body.

When I teach my students I look for specific things. I look to see what muscles they utilize to accomplish a particular movement. Are they tense, or are they too relaxed? Is their weight distributed correctly, allowing for ease of movement? I check to see what muscles are utilized, over utilized, or under utilized.

In order to use the “Marriage to Gravity” principle when moving, one must first learn to use it statically. The next step is to learn to move one step at a time, utilizing the static form between each step. This progression is continued until the practitioner can make a series of movements and instantly stop with out having to make any adjustments in their posture. It can be a tedious process.

Of course, it is essential when learning this that one pays careful attention to their movements, and learns to feel how their body shifts. Maintaining complete control of ones body’s movements is also essential since one must learn override their body’s natural instincts. This means training the body to do what you want it to do, not what it wants to do, or what feels the most comfortable.

Remember we humans are basically lazy creatures and if given the choice are bodies will normally do what’s easiest. This means our bodies slouch rather than stand erect. We sit instead of stand. We walk instead of run. You get the idea.

Keep in mind that fighting is motion, and that having the ability to maintain one’s body mechanics is essential. Without proper body mechanics, it is impossible to deliver full force strikes, project one’s opponents, and maintain stability against the incoming force from one’s attacker.

Hopefully, the above four items aid anyone in examining this topic further. For the most part all of the components are fairly basic. The difficulty is putting them all together. But nothing worth doing is ever easy.

Just keep in mind that the basic tenet of the principle “Marriage to Gravity,” is to instill proper body posture. With proper body posture martial techniques can be executed with more power and speed. A martial arts practitioner is more stable making them harder to unbalance and project. Most of all overall effectiveness and efficiency are greatly increased.

Learning this principle is not easy, but it worth all of the effort.

Hands always push...an iaito

The Electronic Journal of Martial Arts and Sciences recently published a very well written article about the distinction between "pushing" and "pulling" when drawing a sword in the art of iaido. The article is available here.

While sword drawing is a very different facet of martial arts from jujutsu, this article sheds a lot of light on the aiki principle of "hands always push" that we often talk about in our art.

Often times, we will perform an arm movement during a technique that seems like a pull, but is better described as a push. This article does an excellent job of clarifying how the mechanics can be different when one visualizes a push instead of a pull.

[I've been meaning to put this up for a while now. To apologize to our readership, both Gary and I have had hectic lives recently, leaving writing and editing unattended.]

The Second Top Ten Principles Of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei - #5 Push When Pulled/ Pull When Pushed, Enter When Pulled/ Turn When Pushed

Since I first stated that the techniques taught at my school were based on principles, and that we focus more on understanding the principles that makes things work than the techniques themselves, people have e-mailed me asking me if I could explain these principles in more detail.

Last year I spent several months writing about the “Top Ten Principles of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei.” Now it is time to cover the next ten most important principles. Of course, one must keep in mind that while these principles are officially less important than first ten, in actuality they are just as important. The truth is that in many cases understanding and executing them properly is essential in order to make the “top ten” fully effective. In other words, they are just another piece of a very complex puzzle illustrating how sceintific martial techniques really are.

Unfortunately, trying to explain many of these principals in writing is very difficult, since many can’t be explained in words alone. However, I will try my best to describe these principles for the “blog” readers, using words, charts and pictures.

Keep in mind though, that in order to sometimes fully understand a principle you have to also understand other principles that relate to it. Most principles aren’t fully useable on their own, and have to be integrated with others.

Push When Pulled/ Pull When Pushed, Enter When Pulled/ Turn When Pushed

“Softness triumphs over hardness, feebleness over strength. What is more malleable is always superior over that which is immoveable. This is the principle of controlling things by going along with them, of mastery through adaptation.”

Laozi (Lao-tzu) Taoist Philosopher

Clearly, these four principles are not unique to the Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei system. In fact these four principles are utilized in numerous martial art systems, and they form the foundation of the techniques utilized in the arts of Judo and Aikido.

The same can be said for the system I teach, though these principles are often only associated to methods of projecting one's opponent. When it comes to striking, or the use of weaponry, we often do the opposite. For example, when an attacker punches or cuts at us with a sword (a forward push like motion), we will enter. Of course, this is done for specific strategic reasons I wont go into here.

For the most part though, we utilize these four principles in the same manner as the other styles listed above, simply because they are the best method to instill and teach practitioners the proper way to react to specific forces that can occur when one is attacked.

Basically, these four principles teach the concept of embracing and accepting an attacker’s energy to use it against them. Instead of opposing the attacker’s force (their “flow of energy”), one increases it by entering, or extends it by pulling away. By doing so, the attacker’s balance and focus is disrupted making follow-up attacks almost impossible to achieve.

Many years ago during a seminar with Don Angier, he made the statement that “every fight is a contest to control the centerline.” At first, this statement didn’t completely resonate in my brain, but with further explanation on his part, and some introspection I believe I have a better grasp on what he meant. (Although putting it into actual application is another thing.)

Furthermore, I’ve come to discover that when I employ any of the above four principles, I am in fact controlling the centerline. By moving with the force of my opponent, I prevent him from placing himself where he intended to be. This makes it hard for him to properly step and/or maintain his equilibrium. I have taken him off the centerline; and because I have accomplished that, he is in a weakened state. He is in a state where I can now launch my counter attack with relative safety

Since there is so much information on these four principles on the Internet I don’t feel the necessity to explain them any further. Furthermore, the principles themselves are pretty self-descriptive.

All one has to remember is that these four principles are intended to teach a martial arts practitioner how to react and move when facing force. Instead of moving in the opposite direction--the ways our bodies are hardwired to behave--one must allow themselves to flow with it.

The Second Top Ten Principles Of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei - #4 Giving An Out

Since I first stated that the techniques taught at my school were based on principles, and that we focus more on understanding the principles that makes things work than the techniques themselves, people have e-mailed me asking me if I could explain these principles in more detail.

Last year I spent several months writing about the “Top Ten Principles of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei.” Now it is time to cover the next ten most important principles. Of course, one must keep in mind that while these principles are officially less important than first ten, in actuality they are just as important. The truth is that in many cases understanding and executing them properly is essential in order to make the “top ten” fully effective. In other words, they are just another piece of a very complex puzzle illustrating how sceintific martial techniques really are.

Unfortunately, trying to explain many of these principals in writing is very difficult, since many can’t be explained in words alone. However, I will try my best to describe these principles for the “blog” readers, using words, charts and pictures.

Keep in mind though, that in order to sometimes fully understand a principle you have to also understand other principles that relate to it. Most principles aren’t fully useable on their own, and have to be integrated with others.

GIVING AN OUT

“Giving an Out,” is another one of those multifaceted principles, used in a variety of forms. Basically, “Giving an Out,” refers to a method where the practitioner creates an artificial route of escape/retreat for the aggressor when applying a technique.

I call it an “artificial route” since the route is pre-determined and dictated by the practitioner. It’s a route intended to place the aggressor in a specific place, or state, so follow-up techniques can be easily employed.

These “outs” are based on science, especially the knowledge of physiology. For the most part they are based on innate reactions to specific stimuli and utilize the subconscious, hardwired, reactions of the nervous system.

Many of the best examples for clearly illustrating the principle of “Giving an Out,” are pain compliance techniques. A pain compliance technique is normally executed by applying a specific painful stimulus to a particular point on the body. This stimulus invokes an innate response via the reflex arch, and the body reacts is a predictable repeatable manner.

The technique is predictable and repeatable because it capitalizes on the innate physiology of the human body. Since it is predictable and repeatable, it’s an example of the principle of “Giving an Out;” If one knows how the reflex arch operates, and what stimulus invokes what reactions, one can use these reflexes to their advantage and direct an opponent's body in specific directions.

While I have already written in detail about the reflex arch in my essay titled, “Pain and Pain Withdrawal Reflexes” and “The Top Ten Principles Of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei - #3 Reflex Action,” I think it’s important enough to once again explain in order to fully understand the principle of “Giving an Out.”

Example

A common technique used in numerous martial art systems, which utilizes the reflex arch, and the principle of “Giving an Out,” is Gokyu (5th Immobilization). This technique is nothing more than an arm bar, which is accomplished by applying pressure directly above the elbow, at a point where numerous receptors are located; one in particular is called the Golgi tendon organ.

This technique works because when muscles contract, they produce tension at the point where the muscle is connected to the tendon. The Golgi tendon organ is located at such a point. The function of Golgi tendon organ is to register changes in tension, and the rate of these changes. When properly stimulated, such as by downward pressure that exceeds a certain threshold, the Golgi tendon organ sends signals to the spine, which triggers the stretch reflex (lengthening reaction). This inhibits the muscles from contracting, causing them to relax.


However, because of the position of the arm in the technique, the arm cannot relax fully; the only way the body can neutralize the threat is by falling forward or downward--the direction away from the point of the threatening stimulus. That’s the “Out.”

Because the basic function of the Golgi tendon organ is to help protect the muscles, tendons, and ligaments from injury, and because the reaction is innate, Gokyu and other similar techniques are highly repeatable.

Done properly, these techniques can work every time, even if one’s uke is aware of what is about to happen and tries to counter the technique. The important factor is that the stimulus has to be applied properly so that the body’s (spinal cord's) command to fall will override their conscious will (brain) not to fall.

The Reflex Arch

If you read the above example carefully you will notice I said the Golgi tendon sends signals to the spinal cord, and not the brain. In actuality, signals are sent to both, but the spinal cord is responsible for the response.

With this in mind let’s break down the above technique and see what is actually occurring.
.
Initially, the attacker felt a stimulus of pain in his arm that was intended to make them believe their tendons were in danger of ripping/tearing. Reacting to the stimulus in the arm, messages were transmitted to the brain and spinal column. Milliseconds before this information ever reached the brain, the spinal column respond and caused two reactions; the arm went limp, and the person fell to his knees.

Milliseconds later, the brain received the same information as the spinal cord. This information was analyzed, and appropriate responses were signaled back to the source of the stimulus. Of course, by this time, the perceived threat was over.

It is important to fully understand that the initial responses occurred prior to the brain processing the information. Even though both processes take place within milliseconds of each other, if the body had waited for the brain to signal a response it could have been too late, and the arm could have been damaged.

This fact is important because the body [spinal cord] reacts without “consciously” processing what is really occurring. This allows the defender to use their opponent's innate body responses against himself. The defender causes a reaction their opponent can't control, and in many cases isn't even aware they are making. By the time their brain realizes what is going on it's too late.

When applying a technique such as Gokyu, the defender’s goal is to create an artificial stimulus that the tendons are about to be severely damaged. In actuality, the arm is never in such extreme danger of being injured. If the brain had been responsible for providing a response it would have realized no real danger existed, and there would be no reason that the at the arm would have to go limp, or the person should collapse to their knees.

This change in responses would definitely have major consequences. Since the brain is aware that no real danger exists, it would allow the attacker to react differently, possibly affording him a chance to escape and/or counter attack.

Other Ways

Of course pain compliance techniques are just one example of the principle of “Giving an Out.” Other methods are more subtle, and are often used to project an opponent. This is a little harder to explain in writing, but suffice it to say that most systems which teach projection (throwing) techniques utilize this method to one degree or another.

However, the group I’ve found that utilizes a lot of the principle of “Giving an Out”--without most likely even realizing that they are--are practitioners of Judo and Wrestling. Grapplers, who have the ability to direct their opponent’s actions, will create intentional gaps of attack or escape, or will pretend to attack one limb while actually focusing on another. In this way, they fully utilize this principle.

Clearly, the principle of “Giving an Out,” is a method to subconsciously manipulate the actions of one’s opponent. In many instances, this action is direct cause and effect (reflex arch), while in others the action is almost imperceptible and psychological.

In either case, this principle is extremely effective, and those that learn to utilize the various methods to apply it will discover a new dimension to what they already do.

The Second Top Ten Principles Of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei - #3 Angle of Efficiency

Since I first stated that the techniques taught at my school were based on principles, and that we focus more on understanding the principles that makes things work than the techniques themselves, people have e-mailed me asking me if I could explain these principles in more detail.

Last year I spent several months writing about the “Top Ten Principles of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei.” Now it is time to cover the next ten most important principles. Of course, one must keep in mind that while these principles are officially less important than first ten, in actuality they are just as important. The truth is that in many cases understanding and executing them properly is essential in order to make the “top ten” fully effective. In other words, they are just another piece of a very complex puzzle illustrating how sceintific martial techniques really are.

Unfortunately, trying to explain many of these principals in writing is very difficult, since many can’t be explained in words alone. However, I will try my best to describe these principles for the “blog” readers, using words, charts and pictures.

Keep in mind though, that in order to sometimes fully understand a principle you have to also understand other principles that relate to it. Most principles aren’t fully useable on their own, and have to be integrated with others.

ANGLE OF EFFICIENCY

This principle is pretty much self-descriptive. Employing “Angle of Efficiency” is literally learning to use the proper angles in order to be more efficient, in both offense and defense. This principle basically refers to utilizing the old maxim that, “less is more.”

The American Kenpo dictionary defines “Angle of Efficiency,” as:

“Refers to (1) the positioning of your feet and/or body whereby the alternatives in terms of weapon availability are increased proportionately; (2) the positioning of one's body to make a particular attack more operative or effective.”

This is a good definition, but it's too limited. The principle as employed in the art I teach encompasses a lot more. The main difference being that we don’t restrict the principle to just striking or blocking.

In the art I teach, the principle of “Angle of Efficiency” is applied to all aspects of combat. This means knowing everything from the proper angles to attack joints, to the proper angles that will align a body to set up projections (throws).

However, all applications of this principle share one thing in common. These angles of efficiency are all based on the fact that martial art techniques are founded on specific mathematical formulas and geometry. Such formulas that can be diagramed and calculated to show specific body geometry, anatomical strengths and weaknesses, torques, points of balance, and stress points that help a martial artist be energy efficient (in terms of useful work per quantity of effort).

Unfortunately, attempting to describe every angle of efficiency possible, in every combat situation possible, would take too long. That would be something worthy of a book. It is also something one has to experience first-hand in order to fully comprehend and appreciate the nuisances.

My best advice for people, who wish to really learn to be more efficient in their fighting forms, is:

1. Study anatomy, physics, and physiology. This means more than just a cursory glance at the material.
2. Trial and error practice. Play around with techniques you know and see if changing an angle makes things work better or not.
3. Ask your instructor specific questions relating to the application of techniques. (Note: some instructors are more open to such questions than others.) However, never settle for an answer that doesn’t make sense.
4. If you’re learning a technique and you scratch your head in disbelief, or mutter the phrase you would never do that in “real life,” examine the technique in greater detail. Maybe a small change in angles will make the technique more effective, or at least justify the time it takes to learn it.
5. Search out and read texts that are well researched--texts where the author has really studied the material they are discussing, and in which they display a very good understanding of the actual sciences that make them work. (Keep in mind that just because someone is labeled an expert or a master doesn’t mean they know a lot or have the ability to articulate what they do know.)
   For starters I recommend:
   • “Practical Chin Na A Detailed Analysis of the Art of Seizing and Locking,” by Zhao Da Yuan ISBN#1-883175-02-X
   • “The Secrets of Judo A Text For Instructors and Students,” by Jiichi Watanabe and Lindy Avakian ISBN#0-8048-1631-X
   • “Total Aikido The Master Course,” by Gozo Shioda ISBN#4-7700-2058-9
6. The most important factor of all…. Practice, practice, practice!

The Second Top Ten Principles Of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei - #2 Angle of Cancellation

Since I first stated that the techniques taught at my school were based on principles, and that we focus more on understanding the principles that makes things work than the techniques themselves, people have e-mailed me asking me if I could explain these principles in more detail.

Last year I spent several months writing about the “Top Ten Principles of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei.” Now it is time to cover the next ten most important principles. Of course, one must keep in mind that while these principles are officially less important than first ten, in actuality they are just as important. The truth is that in many cases understanding and executing them properly is essential in order to make the “top ten” fully effective. In other words, they are just another piece of a very complex puzzle illustrating how sceintific martial techniques really are.

Unfortunately, trying to explain many of these principals in writing is very difficult, since many can’t be explained in words alone. However, I will try my best to describe these principles for the “blog” readers, using words, charts and pictures.

Keep in mind though, that in order to sometimes fully understand a principle you have to also understand other principles that relate to it. Most principles aren’t fully useable on their own, and have to be integrated with others.

ANGLE OF CANCELLATION

The simple definition of this principle is: a “controlled” angle that places one’s opponent in a position that minimizes or even nullifies their ability to attack with weapons (hands, feet, etc.), use force, or launch a counter attack.

This “controlled” angle can be created in various ways. One can directly meet the force head-on, collide with the force at a point away from the apex, intercept/deflect the force, ride the force, elongate the force, or any combination of the above.

In a broader definition, "Angle of Cancellation" can also relate to kuzushi (breaking balance). In this case, "Angle of Cancellation" refers to the geometric angle one needs to apply in order to disrupt the opponent’s equilibrium and place them in a state where they cannot maintain or regain their stability/balance.

Basically, the principle of “Angle of Cancellation” is geometry combined with laws of physics. It is based on the presumption that all martial art techniques can be diagramed on graph paper and mathematically calculated.

Fortunately for those of us who lack mathematical skills to figure these calculations on their own, these formulas have been tried and tested throughout the ages via trail and error--trial and error that can’t be duplicated in the modern age.

The Second Top Ten Principles of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugeu - #1 Clocking The Room

Since I first stated that the techniques taught at my school were based on principles, and that we focus more on understanding the principles that makes things work than the techniques themselves, people have e-mailed me asking me if I could explain these principles in more detail.

Last year I spent several months writing about the “Top Ten Principles of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei.” Now it is time to cover the next ten most important principles. Of course, one must keep in mind that while these principles are officially less important than first ten, in actuality they are just as important. The truth is that in many cases understanding and executing them properly is essential in order to make the “top ten” fully effective. In other words, they are just another piece of a very complex puzzle illustrating how sceintific martial techniques really are.

Unfortunately, trying to explain many of these principals in writing is very difficult, since many can’t be explained in words alone. However, I will try my best to describe these principles for the “blog” readers, using words, charts and pictures.

Keep in mind though, that in order to sometimes fully understand a principle you have to also understand other principles that relate to it. Most principles aren’t fully useable on their own, and have to be integrated with others.

Clocking The Room

The principle of “Clocking the Room” is an easy concept to understand, but very hard to apply in real life, especially under stressful conditions. While it’s a principle discussed in numerous martial art styles, few practitioners ever try to develop the skill to its full potential.

In the Budo arts the principle of “Clocking the Room,” is often referred to as Metsuke, (Seeing Eye / Mind’s Eye), or more specifically "Enzan-no-metsuke" (Gazing at a Distant Mountain), an expression referring to a specific method of looking at one’s entire surroundings instead of focusing on just one aspect of it.

Essentially, the principle of “Clocking the Room” teaches and instills a method of “relaxed vision,” where the practitioner learns to rely on their peripheral vision instead of their centralized vision. Of course, in order to understand this fully one must first understand how our eyes work.

Lets start off with the presupposition that over 85% of the information relayed to the brain comes via the eyes, 9% via the ears, and 4% via the other senses. Let's also presuppose that the eyes can be fooled, or tricked into believing things that aren’t really true.

Take for example the below picture. Which line is longer? Measure them and find out.

Okay that example was simple, but how about the below illustration? What do you see?

Do you see a fish on a plate, or the head of a woman?

Clearly, these examples are intended to fool you. However, visual miscues often happen due to natural physical reactions, especially when one is under stress. One of the most common forms of a visual miscue is called “Tunnel Vision.”

“Tunnel Vision,” is a term that basically refers to s a state where one’s visual field is severely constricted, or to be more precise, “Tunnel Vision” is a state where one suffers a loss of peripheral vision resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision.

For example, as a police officer I can’t tell you how many times I came across victims who could clearly describe the weapon they were threatened with, but couldn’t even start to describe the person wielding it. They focused so much on the wepom that was all they saw. In addition one would be surprised how often descriptions of these weapons are distorted. What often turns out to be a small pocket knife, is often perceived as a machete or a sword.

While "Tunnel Vision" can be caused by a variety of reasons (drugs, alcohol, glaucoma, etc), it is most often associated with extreme fear, distress, or intense physical fighting. Because of these common associations, learning a skill such as “Clocking the Room” is an absolute necessity to be an effective martial artist. Nothing is worse than reacting to a visual miscue, espicialy in a life or death situation.

At this point, and without trying to get two scientific, one has to understand how vision works, and the two components that make up the visual system.

Human eyes basically work in the same manner as a camera. The front parts of the eye (cornea, pupil, and lens) are clear and like a camera’s lenses allow light to enter to the back of the retina, which is like the film. When the focused light reaches the retina, a picture is taken and messages are sent to the brain through the optic nerve.

The retina has two parts, the peripheral retina and the macula. The macula is very small and located near the optic nerve. The macula is specialized for high acuity vision. This is often referred to as “Central Vision.”

The large area that surrounds the macula and makes up 95% of the retina is called the peripheral retina. The peripheral retina gives us vision to the side of the head, which is called “Peripheral Vision.”

Although central and peripheral vision are both components of the visual system, peripheral vision is a subconscious function, independent of central vision, whose primary responsibility is to orient an individual to one’s environment. That is to say, one could utilize central vision by reading, (a conscious action) while simultaneously obtaining sufficient cues with their peripheral vision to walk (a subconscious function).

Obviously, there is no argument that central vision is better suited for detailed vision. However, peripheral vision is better for detecting motion and is relatively strong in low light or the dark, when the lack of color cues and lighting make cone cells (receptors found in the macula) less useful. This feature of peripheral vision makes understanding and utilizing peripheral vision in combat a lot more important for reacting and avoiding attacks.

Central Vision

Central vision (Foveal vision) is the normal mode of vision during daylight conditions and can basically be described as straight-ahead vision, about 0 – 15 degrees from center.

Central vision is the work of the macula, which is a small area in the center of the retina that contains a high density of color-sensitive receptors known as cones. These cones are nerves cells that are sensitive to light, fine detail, and color. They are primarily responsible for object recognition, reading, watching TV, driving, and other activities where vision is of primary importance, (surgery for example).

In other words, central vision is sort of like seeing the world in high definition. However, because of its limited field a lot of surrounding information goes unnoticed.

In addition, the neural pathways associated with using central vision are associated with the arousal of the Sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight, and stress), which is in contrast to peripheral vision that is linked with the Parasympatheic nervous system (relaxation and calmness).

Peripheral Vision

Peripheral vision is the part of vision that occurs outside the center of our gaze. It accounts for 80% of the information that helps guide us through space. This region contains a mixture of cones and rods and does not provide as high a resolution as does the fovea.

The most important difference between central vision and peripheral vision is that peripheral vision emphasizes movement rather than form. Objects are less focused.

For example, as we walk, objects in our direction of motion seem to expand slowly from the center of view, while objects beside us (those in the peripheral field) pass us quickly. This rapid movement is difficult for a precise visual system to track accurately, and in order to make sense of the information gathered in the peripheral field, comparisons are made based on differences in movement.

These comparisons are then merged forming a conceptual picture of the world around us, based on clear concepts and memories of what we would see if we choose to look directly in that direction. In other words, a lot of peripheral vision is not truly visual but actually more conceptual.

The result of combining all of this with the information processed by central vision is that the mind creates a unified visual experience. Thus we have the ability to see the world all around us.

Clearly, using peripheral vision for the martial artists has benefits, since martial arts practitioners are taught to react to movement. One can’t block a punch or evade a kick if they don’t see it coming--or if they see it coming to late.

In addition, if one were to use only central vision to fight their opponent, they would not have the ability to see other potential threats since all their attention is fixed at one point. This is why topics about awareness of one’s surroundings are so often discussed in self-defense.

Another point, which is often not mentioned or discussed, is that using peripheral vision allows the martial arts practitioner to move their head less. That might not sound very important but it is. While many Karate practitioners are taught that the head always leads the body when doing kata, moving the head in a real fight can be hazardous.

First of all, many people aim for the head when striking. Just watch a real fight--like many of those posted on Youtube.com or any professional mixed martial arts match. If the head moves, that movement can be tracked.

This is especially true when applying evasion techniques or soft, “no-touch,” blocks.

Example:

This technique is one method taught to evade a midline attack or downward cut to the head. It is basically nothing more than a cross-step to the side. However, the lower torso does all the motion, and the head and shoulders remain fixed. By only moving the lower torso the evasion is almost impossible to perceive. Further more, since the upper torso remains fixed, there is no stimulus for reactive tracking from the aggressor.

The second reason why not moving the head is important is because things can remain in sharper focus if your head and eyes do not move. A lot of the flitching one witnesses in a martial arts class is not attributable to fear; it is simply a result of the eyes trying to maintain and/or focus on a fast moving object.

An example that illustrates this best, and that most of us have witnessed first hand, is when a fly buzzes around our head. As the fly approaches our face we pull our head back and away. Clearly, a fly is no threat, but the initial movement is often picked up peripherally and the head adjusts to focus on what the incoming object is. Since the fly is moving forward towards the face, the head moves back and away in direct relation to the speed of the incoming object in order to initially focus on the object and then to maintain focus. Basically, we flinch to focus.

The last reason why moving the head can be hazardous is because when one moves their head they also tend to move their body. That may not sound like much of an issue, but small movements of the torso can certainly change the effectiveness of a technique, especially a technique that relies on proper body alignment to be optimal.

Torso movement can also affect balance, which can be used against you offensively.

If these reasons are not enough to instill the benefits of using peripheral vision, maybe the fact that learning to rely on peripheral vision helps one relax during a stressful situation will. Clearly, a more relaxed demeanor allows a person to better actualize and respond to specific actions in a productive manner.

In addition, a relaxed demeanor, an almost lackadaisical gaze at one’s opponent, can have clear psychological advantages. Outwardly displaying a presence of indifference, even boredom at the events taking place, can either make one’s opponent become over confident or extremely weary. In either case, the attacker either does too much or to little, creating an advantageous situation for the defender.

To learn to access and optimize peripheral vision takes a lot of practice. One should start by looking a point directly in front of you, and without moving your head, or eyes, relax and let your vision spread out as wide as it can to both sides.

A drill we employ at the school to work on peripheral vision takes three students. One student stands in the middle and the other two stand approximately an arms length away on each side.

Once the center student relaxes his gaze he is asked if he can see the two other students. If the answer is yes, both of the other students take one step to the rear. If the student in the center still has some awareness of their location, the process is repeated until both students disappear completely.

Of course in order to do this drill properly, the center student cannot search (look for) the other two. The center student must maintain his head position as well as his relaxed state. The center student must always look forward, though focused on no particular object.

The advanced form of this drill starts off in the same manner. However, once the students on each side disappear from view things change. These students then take one more step to the rear at a 45-degree angle. After that they either throw an object at the student in the center or advance towards them in order to attack him.

The object here is to teach the person in the center to pick up the threatening movement peripherally and react properly to it. It sounds easy, but its not. Often the body wants to move in the wrong direction or hesitates while trying to completely process what it going on.

Over time, and with proper practice, one can increase their ability to pick things up peripherally. Sometimes the results can be dramatic. Of course along with learning how to pick things up visually comes a new heightened sense of awareness, precise coordinated body movement, and an increase in reaction time (less hesitation).

Correction on the Principle of Back Pressure

The article on this blog on the Principle of Back Pressure recently caused controversy after it was (much to our surprise) featured on the front page of the Aikido Journal website. Part of the anger we received was due to the fact that nothing in the "Back Pressure" article gave credit to Don Angier of Yanagi ryu.

That was a mistake on our part, and we apologize.

We had intended to give Mr. Angier significant credit for the debt we owe him, but due to negligence during editing, that section of the original article was not included. Indeed, in the other "principles" essays, Mr. Angier was given significant credit for his help (e.g. the essay on #9 Chains of Motion/Commutive Locking).

Mr. Angier not only provided the name "Back Pressure," but he also really opened our eyes as to how to understand the subtleties. The way Gary has described it to me is that he had previously had an understanding of this principle on a less sophisticated level and had asked other instructors about it; most jujutsu instructors also had an intuitive understanding of Back Pressure, but no term to describe it. However, Mr. Angier was able to describe it in more detail and give us the language to describe it. So as a named principle, this is not something that was handed down to us from the ages, but we have adapted it because of its importance.

As has been pointed out, if one really wants to understand this principle more deeply, Mr. Angier would be a superior source of knowledge. Be we have found working on this article to be very educational for us and we hope that it has been helpful for others. Our intention has never been to try to take credit for Mr. Angier or anybody else's work; rather, we are trying to better understand these principles of how the human body moves and share with others our meager understanding.

We are sorry once again for the omission.

--Spencer Burns

Some Thoughts on the Essays Regarding the Top 10 Principles of Yachigusa Ryu

Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have lies in this; when I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. My mind becomes pervaded with it. Then the effort that I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought.

Alexander Hamilton

Now that I’ve spent almost three months writing down the top ten principles of the Yachigusa Ryu martial art system I have to admit I’ve learned a lot. Yes, it’s true, I definitely learned a lot from this experience.

You see, it’s one thing to explain things orally or with physical demonstrations, and a totally different thing to describe the same things in writing. Writing clearly takes more effort and lucidity, since there is no opportunity to discuss the matter or answer questions that may arise during the explanation.

Because I finally made the effort to sit down and explain our principles in writing, I had to really examine the science within them, and figure out the best manner in which to explain them. This is something I had never really done before. I never felt I had to do it before.

In order to complete this project, I also had to do a lot of extra research. That is something I do routinely, but I normally have no set goal or motivating factors.

However, I didn’t have to do all of the research on my own this time. I had a lot of help from my students. Not only did we have a lot of discussions and debates about each principle and the best way to explain them, there was also a lot of discussion which techniques we should use to illustrate them.

In addition, many of my students aided my endeavor by sharing their expertise, and I really appreciate all their efforts and patience in taking the time to see that I fully comprehended the material they shared. I’ll be the first to admit that mathematics and physics were not my strong points in school.

To be honest, without the aid of my students, and their cooperation during a lot of physical trial and error, this project would still not be finished.

I also want to thank one “blog” reader from Texas who was the first to ask me to write about these principles, and kept e-mailing me with encouragement until I was done. It’s nice to know someone is actually reading this stuff, and appreciates the effort.

While I’m not totally satisfied with many of the essays I wrote (the perfectionist part of me always feels I could have done better no matter what others may think), and question how valuable the information really is, I know I did my best. At least I did my best with the information and transmission skills I have at this time. Hopefully, as I improve in the future, so will my abilities to explain these principles in more precise and intelligible detail.

For now, I know I’ve learned a lot of new information, and gained valuable insights into the intricacies within the principles themselves. That alone was worth the effort, and the insights I gained will definitely improve my skills as a student of the martial arts and as a teacher of life-protection skills.

While I know I benefited from this experience, one of my main goals when I decided to explain these principles was to get other people to share what they knew regarding them.

I know for a fact that these principles are not unique to the system of martial arts I teach. While we may call them by different names than other styles, everyone utilizes these principles to some degree or another. After all, science is science, and there are only so many ways the body can be manipulated and various forces applied.

Like I’ve said many times before, teaching martial arts was never something I thought about when I was young. The fact that I’m teaching today, and that people think I have something interesting to share still amazes me at times.

Of course once I started teaching, I made up my mind to be the best teacher I could be, and to never stop learning. There is an old Latin Proverb that states “By learning you will teach, by teaching you will learn,” and I can honestly say I’ve learned a lot by teaching and listening to what my students have to share. Furthermore, I’ve definitely learned that sometimes the simplest question can lead to so many new discoveries.

William Ward stated:

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.

It is my hope that by sharing these principles I willinspire others to come forward and share what they know on these topics. I, for one, would really like to learn more about them, and I promise to investigate any leads, and/or share any and all information I think will help to clarify each topic.

The Top Ten Principles Of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei - #10 Back Pressure

Since I first stated that the techniques taught at my school were based on principles, and that we focus more on understanding the principles that makes things work than the techniques themselves, people have e-mailed me asking me if I could explain these principles in more detail.

Unfortunately, trying to explain many of these principals in writing is very difficult, since many can’t be explained in words alone. However, I will try my best to describe these principles for the “blog” readers, using words, charts and pictures.

Keep in mind though, that in order to sometimes fully understand a principle you have to also understand other principles that relate to it. Most principles aren’t fully useable on their own, and have to be integrated with others.

Back Pressure

Trying to explain the principle of Back Pressure in written words and illustrations is almost impossible. In fact, it’s hard to describe—period—even in the classroom. And in my experience, trying to explain “Back Pressure” often confuses people more than it helps them.

Of all the top ten principles in the Yachigusa martial art system, Back Pressure is most likely the hardest to teach. And it is definitely the hardest one to learn to utilize properly. However, once learned, properly executed Back Pressure will greatly increase a martial art practitioner’s efficiency and effectiveness at projecting others.

To be honest, even though we use Back Pressure in many of our techniques, to this day I still find it hard to come up with a concise description: what it is, why it works, or how to practice it. I am still looking for an easy method with which to teach my students how to learn to apply it properly.

The main reason why teaching the principle of Back Pressure is so difficult is that Back Pressure is basically an intangible force. It is intangible in the sense that Back Pressure cannot be seen, and when executed properly the movement that creates the force is relatively hard to perceive. This makes the movements hard for others to emulate.

Furthermore, Back Pressure is definitely one of those forces where “less is more.” Using too much torque/power actually makes techniques less effective. This means that Back Pressure is a principle that can’t be faked or forced; you either do it in the right way at the right moment, or it won’t work.

Now before I continue to try and explain what Back Pressure is let me start by stating what it is not. Back Pressure is NOT Chi, Ki, or some other mystical force. It is an application of science. However, I’ll be the first to say that one could easily con others into believing it is something else; and the truth is that many upper level martial art practitioners do.

However, while Back Pressure is not something mystical, when one is describing it or trying to understand it, one must think “outside of the box” in order to fully grasp the concept.

In the most simplistic language possible, Back Pressure is a specific force that is generated by rotating or sharply twisting the back/hips. This rotational force is used to accelerate one’s opponent— usually in a manner that projects them off balance and to the ground.

It is a circular force that basically moves in a semi-arching circle from point “A” to the centerline of the aggressor, point "B."

In this photo Subject "A" rotates his back creating pressure to Subject "B’s" centerline.

While the “force” can certainly be felt, this “force” has no real direct relationship to the connection points (arms in picture above) between tori and uke. In other words, while tori and uke might only be connected at the arm, the force that actually makes the technique feasible comes from Back Pressure attacking the centerline of one’s opponent.

Confused yet? If you are, you’re like most of my students when first introduced to this topic. In fact, when I initially discuss the topic with new students, I often get perplexed looks; I often wonder if they think I’m just babbling.

While I do indeed often babble, the truth is that in order to understand Back Pressure one must understand basic “Body Geometry,” and some basic physics.

I’ll get to the physics later, but let's start with the premise that human body exists on several planes. These planes are commonly referred to as the:

• Coronal (Frontal) Plane – A vertical plane running from side to side; it divides the body or any of its parts into anterior and posterior portions.
  
• Sagittal (Lateral) Plane – A vertical plane running from front to back; it divides the body or any of its parts into right and left sides.
  
• Transverse (Horizontal) Plane - A horizontal plane; it divides the body or any of its parts into upper and lower parts.

As you will note, all of these planes share one common trait; they are all located along the midline of the body and intersect on the body’s axis. In addition, one can divide each of these planes into 45 degree sectors in a manner identical to the more familiar Happo No Kazushi (eight directions of breaking balance) diagram. I believe I’ve stated numerous times that Happo No Kazushi is an extremely important science to fully understand.

Thinking “outside of the box,” let's pretend that the lines dividing each of the three planes actually exist and extend away from the body as in the diagram. Imagine that these lines are rigid (like rods), fixed to the body, and move in direct correspondence to the movements of the body.

In other words, when the subject is standing still these lines are just as pictured. However, if the subject rotates his upper body, without moving his feet, those lines will also move the same distance.

Now, assuming these lines exist and are rigid like rods, they would push anything that may happen to be in their way as the person rotated. That would be Back Pressure.

Of course, in the real world there are no invisible lines that extend from our bodies. So the question I; if there is nothing there to actually “push” with, how can Back Pressure work?

As I was being taught the Aiki arts I was always told that one of the goals of proper Aiki technique was to learn to “blend/flow” with ones opponent. This often meant understanding the concept that when two individuals become connected together the truly become as one. They share a common point of center and any movement done by one person will create a direct resulting movement on the other.

Imagine there are two individuals sharing a common center of balance, which I’ll refer to as the "axis point." It’s easy to see that if Subject "A" rotates his upper body rearwards to his left side, his right side moves forward a corresponding 45 degrees.

Since both parties share a common axis point, as "A" moves he also pushes subject "B." The force may not come from the connection point, but since there is a direct relationship between the two subjects, whenever one moves so does the other. The torque of the body from Subject "A" produces the force that creates the movement, and that is Back Pressure.

Now for the more scientific explanation.

Fortunately for me, I have a student who majored in physics at Stanford University and has given the science of Back Pressure a lot of careful scrutiny. Due to his efforts, we actually have a working model we can demonstrate Back Pressure on at the school. Unfortunately, that model won't work in this format, though we hope to eventually film it and add that to the “blog.” Until then. I will defer to his written explanation.

* * *

A Simplistic Model for Understanding Back Pressure

By Spencer Burns

As is traditional in physics, we should simplify the problem until it is almost, but not quite, trivial. The basic model I'm going to talk about consists of two masses connected by a bar. These represent the tori (who applies the technique), the uke (who receives it), and their connection. We want to think about how force can be exerted on the "tori" to cause the "uke" to move in a direction perpendicular to the connection with minimal effort or disruption. The apparent force that causes that perpendicular motion is the "Back Pressure."

"Zeroth Order" Model

The simplest thing for thinking about the mechanics of Back Pressure is to imagine one of those "balancing man" toys.

Ignore the "man" in the center; he's just a fulcrum. Consider the two weights on the sides: these are the uke and the tori. When you push on tori, then uke also moves. This is the most basic model of Back Pressure: uke and tori rotate as one around their common center of mass (at the fulcrum).

"First Order" Model

The major failing of the "balancing man" model is that in the real world, there is no fixed fulcrum. So let's be more formal: the tori and uke are rectangles of width "w" and mass "m". They are connected by a massless rigid bar of length "2d-w"; that is, the distance from the center of the bar (which is the common center of mass of the system) to the center of mass of each rectangle is "d". This system has no fixed point and is free to move in any direction.

Naively, we push on the center of tori, perpendicular to the connection, with an impulse "I". This would make tori move in a line at a speed of "I/m" if he weren't attached to uke. However, the impulse moves the combined center of mass of uke + tori linearly forward at a speed of "I / 2m" while simultaneously inducing a rotational velocity of "I / 2md". The instantaneous effect of this is that tori moves forwards at speed "I/m" while uke twists but doesn't move laterally at all, as in the diagram below.

In a real world analogy, tori just applied back pressure incorrectly and has the feeling of having "bounced off" uke while uke just stands there well balanced.

This is the opposite of what we want; we would like to see tori stay stationary while uke moves. Consider instead what happens if we give impulse Ia backwards on the outer edge of tori and impults Ib forwards on the inner edge, with Ib<Ia. If we balance the forces exactly right, such that Ib = (2d+w)/(2d-w)*Ia, then we have the situation where tori is instantaneously motionless (but rotating), while uke is moving forwards at speed (Ib-Ia)/m—exactly the opposite of the naive case.

In a real word analogy, tori would be simultaneously moving both of his hips in opposite directions with a balance of force such that he can "hit" uke with Back Pressure without having to move or losing his balance.

In other words, the Back Pressure in this case involves balancing a translation motion of uke and tori perpendicular to their connection together with a rotation around their common center of mass in such a manner that tori remains stable while uke is displaced in a crisp fashion.

There are many other configurations in which Back Pressure can be applied, but they all involve similar physics. In each case, the "first order" issue is balancing rotational and translational impulses on the connected uke-tori "system" such that tori's center remains stationary while uke's center is displaced.

* * *

Like I said at the beginning, describing Back Pressure—especially in this format—is very difficult. Hopefully, between Spencer and I, we have at least started to transmit the core of what we know. Or, I should say, the parts that we have figured out how to explain in writing.

Fortunately, plans are in the works to film and post more details on this principle as well as the other nine already posted. While there is no projected date to complete this project, we should do it by the beginning of the New Year. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.

Until then, please feel free to ask questions. Or, more importantly, if you have any clearer explanations please share them with me so I can continue my study of this principle.

I realize that almost every Aiki/Budo system utilizes this principle, whether explicitly or implicitly. I’m sure there are many instructors/students who have faced the perplexing problem of verbally passing on this principle. I, for one, would find it extremely interesting to see how others describe/explain this principle.

* * *

The article on this blog on the Principle of Back Pressure recently caused controversy after it was (much to our surprise) featured on the front page of the Aikido Journal website. Part of the anger we received was due to the fact that nothing in the "Back Pressure" article gave credit to Don Angier of Yanagi ryu.

That was a mistake on our part, and we apologize.

We had intended to give Mr. Angier significant credit for the debt we owe him, but due to negligence during editing, that section of the original article was not included. Indeed, in the other "principles" essays, Mr. Angier was given significant credit for his help (e.g. the essay on #9 Chains of Motion/Commutive Locking).

Mr. Angier not only provided the name "Back Pressure," but he also really opened our eyes as to how to understand the subtleties. The way Gary has described it to me is that he had previously had an understanding of this principle on a less sophisticated level and had asked other instructors about it; most jujutsu instructors also had an intuitive understanding of Back Pressure, but no term to describe it. However, Mr. Angier was able to describe it in more detail and give us the language to describe it. So as a named principle, this is not something that was handed down to us from the ages, but we have adapted it because of its importance.

As has been pointed out, if one really wants to understand this principle more deeply, Mr. Angier would be a superior source of knowledge. Be we have found working on this article to be very educational for us and we hope that it has been helpful for others. Our intention has never been to try to take credit for Mr. Angier or anybody else's work; rather, we are trying to better understand these principles of how the human body moves and share with others our meager understanding.

We are sorry once again for the omission.

--Spencer Burns
March 05, 2007

The Top Ten Principles Of Yachigusa Ryu Aiki Bugei - #9 Chains Of Motion / Commutive Locking

Since I first stated that the techniques taught at my school were based on principles, and that we focus more on understanding the principles that makes things work than the techniques themselves, people have e-mailed me asking me if I could explain these principles in more detail.

Unfortunately, trying to explain many of these principals in writing is very difficult, since many can’t be explained in words alone. However, I will try my best to describe these principles for the “blog” readers, using words, charts and pictures.

Keep in mind though, that in order to sometimes fully understand a principle you have to also understand other principles that relate to it. Most principles aren’t fully useable on their own, and have to be integrated with others.

Commutive Locking

I originally called this principle "Chains Of Motion," which quite literally explains what the principle is all about.

However, I started using a different term about twelve years ago after hearing Don Angier, Soke of Yanagi Ryu, talk about this principle. He called it “Commutive Locking,” which I thought sounded a lot better. Since I often defer to his expertise on specific elements of the martial art I do, I switched to his terminology.

Recently it has been brought to my attention recently that Mr. Angier’s terminology might be inaccurate. "Commutive" is not a proper word, although there is something called a "commutator" that is used in the sequential “control of current to produce torque” in an electric motor. It is possible that Mr. Angier uses this term as a metaphor—referring to the sequential movement which is essential in this principle—but I have no first hand knowledge if this assertion is accurate. [See note below]

Chances are that a better term for this principle would be “Cumulative Locking,” which I’ve been informed is a better translation of a Japanese term (unfortunately, I do not know what that term is) that relates to this principle. In this instance, cumulative is defined as the act of following successively.

However, the name of this principle really isn’t as important as understanding it fully, or realizing its importance. To be very honest, understanding this principle is absolutely critical in any art that utilizes joint locks, projections (throws), and/or restraining holds.

The simplest explanation of Chains Of Motion is: One joint locks up another joint which locks up another joint. It is sort of like taking a length of chain and twisting it until it become all knotted up.

In other words one starts twisting at point “A,” which ultimately effects part “B,” and so on and so on until there is so much tension that the chain can no longer twist either B must let go or the chain will break.

To illustrate this concept in a martial art context I like to use a commonly done technique called kotegaeshi. kotegaeshi clearly demonstrates how the bones, muscles, tendons, and joints of the body are rotated to the point where they lock up and become “knotted” like the chain.

Click for full size

In the first picture, the arm is in its natural state. As the hand and wrist are rotated outwards the ulna and radius bones lock at the elbow: thus rotating the humerus, which in turn ultimately locks at the shoulder joint. The end result is that the uke either falls with the rotating force or his arm/shoulder joint is injured—often at multiple points.

While the above is a very simplified explanation of the process, it clearly shows the progressions from the point of applied force (the hand) to the shoulder. In order to fully understand the specific body mechanics involved in this technique and others like it, I strongly suggest that one reads an anatomy book.

The whole concept behind the principle of Chains of Motion is that he human skeleton can be divided into two parts.

I refer to the first part as those joints that form “Open Chains.” By this I mean joints that that can move independently without causing other joints to move in reaction.

The second division is called “Closed Chains,” which I use to describe joints that when moved cause other joints to move through reactive motion.

These “Chains” are further divided as follows:

• Chain #1 – Torso (head, neck, and trunk)
  
• Chain #2 – Upper Extremities (shoulders and arms)
  This chain is determined by the movement and structure of the collarbone, scapula, and the connection of the arm to the trunk.
  Upper extremities have the greatest range of motion.
  
• Chain #3 - Lower Extremities (pelvis and legs)
  This chain is determined by the connections of the upper leg to the torso from the hips to the femur to the knees to the fibula and tibia down through the ankles to the feet.

In the example of kotegaeshi, "Chain #2 Upper Extremities" is being manipulated in a specific, sequential order. As a result, a predetermined and repeatable reaction occurs. It requires very little force, and pain is not necessary to make the technique work.

However, as previously stated, this is just a superficial description of what is occurring and what the principle of Chains of Motion is all about. Unfortunately, in many styles of martial arts, kotegaeshi is simply completed by torquing the wrist to the point where it hurts so much that the person falls in order to prevent the wrist from breaking. In this case, kotegaeshi becomes nothing more than a joint lock—a joint lock designed to attack the wrist.

From a martial arts perspective, where a technique's merits must be judged on effectiveness, simply doing kotegaeshi as a joint lock misses the point. There is a big difference between doing simple “Joint Locks” and doing “Chains Of Motion”/"Commutive Locking" even though both methods are often referred to as kansetsu waza.

Kansetsu Waza

When I was younger, my teacher often referred to all joint locks as kansetsu waza (literally, "joint technique"). However, specific kansetsu waza were often categorized by the joint used and/or the technique(s) used to manipulate them. For example, wrist techniques were kote waza, finger locks were yubi waza, and arm locks were ude waza.

According to my teacher, kansetsu waza, was a generic term that referred to exploiting mechanical weak points of the body by applying force at one specific point, or by manipulating a joint (or joints) to their limit (past their normal range of motion). These kansetsu waza could be used as a means to project an opponent (break their balance), restrain an opponent, or injure/break a specific part of the body.

However, since my teacher’s death in 1989, I have come to discover that there are two main types of kansetsu waza applications. The first is the easiest to teach, and is the most often seen method. This method basically involves twisting, rotating, or bending a specific joint in a manner that moves the joint either past its normal range of motion or directly opposed to its direction of motion.

The second method is subtler and often only demonstrated by senior practitioners who have transcended the first type or locks. In this form, joints are manipulated precisely using proper sequential movement and alignment, thus locking the entire skeletal frame.

Clearly, the first method is easier to accomplish, yet often requires more strength in order to be effective. The main drawback to these methods is that while one is applying such techniques, the opponent can often feel the lock being applied, giving him a greater chance of launching a counter-defense.

The second method, however, requires a lot of practice and finesse to do properly. It also requires proper comprehension of human anatomy, physics, and physiology. Yet, while more difficult to accomplish, when done properly these methods require little or no strength. And by the time one’s opponent realizes what is happening it is too late to launch a counter-defense.

In addition, during the application of these second methods, the stimulus of pain is not required. It is not even necessarily an objective. It may be a welcome byproduct, but it is not the primary goal, since pain can be subjective. (Note: no real martial art technique, in any martial art system, should ever rely on pain in order to be effective. NEVER!)

Originally, I was going to spend a lot of time writing about anatomy and physiology in order to explain the principle of Chains of Motion to the fullest of my ability. However, that would require pages and pages of text, and I would still have to leave a ton of material out. That would not be fair to those individuals who seriously want to learn.

To be honest, I am often shocked at how few martial artists, even extremely highly ranked ones, ever bother to pick up and read an anatomy book. And if they do, they rarely study it in depth. It’s a fact that never ceases to amaze me.

I mean, I realized that understanding human anatomy was essential to fully understand my martial art techniques in my early teens. That was long before teaching others was something I ever considered. For me, understanding how the body works—its structure and its limitations—was crucial in order for me to be more effective with less effort.

Sure, my teacher covered the various applicable sciences in depth—to the best of his ability and with a serious language barrier between us. But seeking out even more information and studying different sciences in detail is what truly separates martial artists from martial hobbyists.

Okay, I’m getting preachy and off topic. My point is that if you study anatomy, you will understand how to do the principle of Chains of Motion. The simple truth is that compared to all of the principles I have covered so far, this is one of the easiest to understand and—with some serious trial and error—to learn.

[Editors note (for the terminologically inclined): There seems to be a lot of confusion in the Aikido and Jujutsu worlds as to exactly what Mr. Angier calls this principle. This is presumably because "commutive" is not a word in the dictionary.

One most often sees this principle referred to as "Commutative Locking," even though that is not very appropriate in a literal sense (it would imply you can do the lock in any order). I have also heard "Communicative Locking," which sounds quite nice. It has been speculated that "Cumulative Locking" would be closest to the original concept.

It is possible Mr. Angier intended to use the term "cumulative." He also might have purposely created a new word to make a metaphor with "commutator" or some other concept. See this thread for reference and details.]

Why Judo

Now that I’ve completed eight of the top ten principles used in the system of martial arts I teach, I would like to answer a question asked by one of my students, which I’m sure has also been asked by other readers of this “blog.”

That question being why I often use judo techniques to illustrate our principles instead of techniques used in Aikido. After all, our techniques, the art that I teach, must have more in common with Aikido than Judo.

Well, yes and