Neko Ryu General Principles: Balance – Part 1 - What Is Balance?

It is only a slight exaggeration to say that balance is everything.

If your opponent has lost his balance you can easily defeat him using any of a variety of techniques. Conversely, if your opponent retains his balance defeating him with any technique is very difficult.

Balance works both ways. When you lose your balance your defeat is imminent. Retaining your balance you are difficult to defeat. And so, the combat between individuals or between armies and navies is largely a struggle to create an off-balance condition in your opponent while maintaining your own balance.

So what is balance; how do you keep it and how do you lose it?

The most obvious form of balance is the physical act of staying upright by keeping your center of mass (center of gravity) between your feet or other connections to the earth. When you stand on your two feet you have four supporting points; your two heels and the balls of your two feet. In gross terms keeping your physical balance means keeping your center of gravity (roughly the center of your abdomen) inside a four-sided area defined by your feet, a line connecting your heels and a line connecting the balls of your big toes. I’ll call that four-sided area the balance zone.

The shape of the balance zone constantly changes as you move your feet. But generally, the greater the distance your center of gravity is from the edge of your balance zone in any direction the more difficult it is to lose your balance in that direction. Naturally, the closer your center of gravity is to the edge - the easier it is to lose your balance in that direction.

Kuzushi, putting your opponent off balance, is largely about moving your opponent’s center of gravity past the nearest edge of the balance zone and/or causing your opponent to change his balance zone so that the particular edge you are preparing to attack becomes closest to his center of gravity.

In subsequent posts, I’ll explore methods of keeping your own balance and taking your opponent’s balance. I’ll also explore mental and spiritual forms of balance.

In conflict, balance, Kuzushi, is nearly everything. There’s no more important topic in the martial arts, in war, in politics, or in most other forms of competition.

Link to other topics in the Special Report: Balance and Kuzushi