“In the end, you must clarify your goals. Once they have been clarified you must exercise your mental and physical energy in the most effective way in order to achieve them.” This quote, taken from Jigoro Kano’s essay “Judo and Intellectual Training”, introduces a third principle of Judo – Clarifying Your Goals.
Professor Kano, who founded Judo in 1882, extended his thinking about his martial art beyond the dojo and self-defense. He believed the practice and discipline of Judo leads to improved physical health, intellectual achievement, and improved moral character.
His beliefs in this regard were based on the two basic principles of Judo, Maximum Efficiency and Mutual Prosperity, and also on Clarifying Your Goals. He mentions this third principle numerous times in "Mind Over Muscle" essays directed at the external benefits of Judo.
In the essay, “The One True Path” Jigoro Kano writes, “… if our goal is not clear, the method cannot be determined. Once the goal has been clearly established, one can study how one’s energy can be put to use in order to achieve it – seiryoko zenyo (maximum efficiency).”
Maximum Efficiency means using your energy in the most effective manner to accomplish your goal. Professor Kano’s above quote makes it clear that to apply your energy most effectively, you must first fully understand your goal – you must clarify your goal.
In Judo and self-defense clarifying your goal means having a strategy for defeating your opponent. In physical, intellectual, and moral training it means knowing what you are trying to achieve. It means developing a plan to get you from where you are to where you want to be.
Clarify your goals.
Link to the Special Report: Mind Over Muscle - Jigoro Kano's Judo
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Mind Over Muscle: Part 2 – Mutual Prosperity
“There are things that cannot be done alone but need the assistance of others.” So writes Jigoro Kano in his essay “Group Life and Judo”. In this essay from “Mind Over Muscle”, a compilation of the writings of Judo’s founder, Professor Kano introduces a second principle of Judo – Mutual Prosperity.
Mutual prosperity is a shortened form of “mutual prosperity through mutual assistance and concession” – in Japanese, “sojo sojou jita kyoei”
The meaning behind the term is that each member of a group should selflessly help other members of the group. As a result, the group will be in harmony and thus able to make the best use of its collective energy – maximum efficiency.
Since it takes only one individual to disrupt the harmony of a group, all members of the group must act considerately, avoid conflict, and avoid offending other members of the group. Furthermore, each group member has different strengths that can compliment and provide assistance to one another. This principle applies to groups great and small.
In the Judo dojo (training hall) its application is immediate and obvious. Judoka (judo practitioners) train as opponents. They attack each other and defend attacks. But they also train as partners. They teach each other and they protect each other from injury. They adhere to a set of rules that minimizes injury from judo waza (techniques).
When all judoka follow the rules and help one another, all benefit from increased learning, increased camaraderie, and improved conditioning without injury – in short - mutual prosperity.
Link to the Special Report: Mind Over Muscle - Jigoro Kano's Judo
Mutual prosperity is a shortened form of “mutual prosperity through mutual assistance and concession” – in Japanese, “sojo sojou jita kyoei”
The meaning behind the term is that each member of a group should selflessly help other members of the group. As a result, the group will be in harmony and thus able to make the best use of its collective energy – maximum efficiency.
Since it takes only one individual to disrupt the harmony of a group, all members of the group must act considerately, avoid conflict, and avoid offending other members of the group. Furthermore, each group member has different strengths that can compliment and provide assistance to one another. This principle applies to groups great and small.
In the Judo dojo (training hall) its application is immediate and obvious. Judoka (judo practitioners) train as opponents. They attack each other and defend attacks. But they also train as partners. They teach each other and they protect each other from injury. They adhere to a set of rules that minimizes injury from judo waza (techniques).
When all judoka follow the rules and help one another, all benefit from increased learning, increased camaraderie, and improved conditioning without injury – in short - mutual prosperity.
Link to the Special Report: Mind Over Muscle - Jigoro Kano's Judo
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Mind Over Muscle: Part 1 – Maximum Efficiency
Modern Judo is strongly tied to Olympic Judo and competitive sport Judo generally. That isn’t the thrust of the early writings of Judo’s founder.
Professor Jigoro Kano founded Kodokan Judo in 1882 and spent the remainder of his life, practicing it, thinking about it, and promoting it.
"Mind Over Muscle" is a collection of Jigoro Kano’s writings on the founding of Judo, the philosophical and social underpinnings of Judo, and the virtues developed through the practice of Judo. The collection was complied and edited by Naoki Murata and translated from the original Japanese by Nancy H Ross.
Professor Kano’s first principle of Judo, as described in “Mind Over Muscle”, is Maximum Efficiency.
In order to achieve any goal a person must use his mental and physical energy in the most effective manner possible so energy is not wasted and so the maximum possible power is applied toward the goal. This is the meaning of Maximum Efficiency.
The original Japanese term for this first principle is “seiryoku saizen katsuyo” and translates to “best use of one’s energy”. The original term was shortened to “Maximum Efficiency” which is commonly used within the Judo community.
As applied to martial arts and self-defense, maximum efficiency implies using the technique that is most effective in achieving your goal of self-defense under the circumstances at the time. If the most effective thing you can do is punch then punch – if throw then throw – if running away then run away.
Maximum efficiency implies designing techniques to use your energy in the most effective way so as to achieve the specific goal of the technique. Professor Kano used this criterion in selecting and modifying the techniques he included in the Kodokan Judo.
Maximum efficiency also implies using the most effective training methods when developing the appropriate skills in Judo practitioners (Judoka). Professor Kano believed the best way to develop Judo skills was to practice them extensively and frequently with a live opponent and fellow Judoka.
For this reason Judo techniques were selected and modified to allow safe full speed practice. This is also the reason “randori” – free practice Judo sparring – has always been a major element of training sessions in Judo dojos (training halls) around the world.
The first principle of Judo is “maximum efficiency” – using your mental and physical energy in the most effective way in order to achieve your objective.
Link to the Special Report: Mind Over Muscle - Jigoro Kano's Judo
Professor Jigoro Kano founded Kodokan Judo in 1882 and spent the remainder of his life, practicing it, thinking about it, and promoting it.
"Mind Over Muscle" is a collection of Jigoro Kano’s writings on the founding of Judo, the philosophical and social underpinnings of Judo, and the virtues developed through the practice of Judo. The collection was complied and edited by Naoki Murata and translated from the original Japanese by Nancy H Ross.
Professor Kano’s first principle of Judo, as described in “Mind Over Muscle”, is Maximum Efficiency.
In order to achieve any goal a person must use his mental and physical energy in the most effective manner possible so energy is not wasted and so the maximum possible power is applied toward the goal. This is the meaning of Maximum Efficiency.
The original Japanese term for this first principle is “seiryoku saizen katsuyo” and translates to “best use of one’s energy”. The original term was shortened to “Maximum Efficiency” which is commonly used within the Judo community.
As applied to martial arts and self-defense, maximum efficiency implies using the technique that is most effective in achieving your goal of self-defense under the circumstances at the time. If the most effective thing you can do is punch then punch – if throw then throw – if running away then run away.
Maximum efficiency implies designing techniques to use your energy in the most effective way so as to achieve the specific goal of the technique. Professor Kano used this criterion in selecting and modifying the techniques he included in the Kodokan Judo.
Maximum efficiency also implies using the most effective training methods when developing the appropriate skills in Judo practitioners (Judoka). Professor Kano believed the best way to develop Judo skills was to practice them extensively and frequently with a live opponent and fellow Judoka.
For this reason Judo techniques were selected and modified to allow safe full speed practice. This is also the reason “randori” – free practice Judo sparring – has always been a major element of training sessions in Judo dojos (training halls) around the world.
The first principle of Judo is “maximum efficiency” – using your mental and physical energy in the most effective way in order to achieve your objective.
Link to the Special Report: Mind Over Muscle - Jigoro Kano's Judo
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Special Report: Mind Over Muscle - Jigoro Kano's Judo
Links to Other Topics in Mind Over Muscle - Jigoro Kano's Judo
"Mind Over Muscle" - Book Review
Mind Over Muscle: Part 1 - Maximum Efficiency
Mind Over Muscle: Part 2 - Mutual Prosperity
Mind Over Muscle: Part 3 - Clarify Your Goals
Mind Over Muscle: Part 4 - Applying Judo to Life
"Mind Over Muscle" - Book Review
Mind Over Muscle: Part 1 - Maximum Efficiency
Mind Over Muscle: Part 2 - Mutual Prosperity
Mind Over Muscle: Part 3 - Clarify Your Goals
Mind Over Muscle: Part 4 - Applying Judo to Life
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Neko Ryu General Principles: Part 8 – Life Balance
A centered life implies a general sense of calm self-control. It implies balance – a balance of your life energy such that each area of your life receives the energy required and appropriate at the time.
In Part 7 of this series I discussed spiritual balance and I equated it with “centeredness”. Being more centered than your opponent gives you an advantage in a confrontation. Centeredness is relative, however, and it affects to your entire life.
Each person acquires certain responsibilities from being a member of society. Still more responsibilities are voluntarily assumed by choices made. Choices like marriage, having children, starting a business, contracting for a mortgage, accepting an offer of employment.
Each relationship, role, and contract must be attended to. There is a minimum acceptable amount of attention and energy required to sustain each responsibility. As long as the sum of all required energy demands is less than the energy you have available then you are capable of a balanced life.
You can also choose to spend energy on non-responsibilities and that’s okay, even good for you, if you have an energy surplus after taking care of your responsibilities.
Being capable and being in balance are not the same, however. If you choose to spend more energy than necessary on some responsibilities and not enough on others; or so much energy on non-responsibilities that you haven’t enough left to satisfy your responsibilities, then your life will be out of balance.
Basic forms of personal energy are time, attention, stress, and money (essentially a store of time & attention). People have a limited amount of each form of energy, a budget if you will. Some have more than others, but no one has an unlimited supply. Warren Buffet has the same number of hours per day as you and, even with his billions of dollars, there is a limit to his money – it wouldn’t buy very many aircraft carriers.
Back to centeredness – calm self-control that preserves the ability to make reasoned decisions and take appropriate action. A centered person will nearly always be disciplined enough to take care of his responsibilities – to avoid overdrawing his bank account or his personal energy accounts through over-indulgence. He, like all others, is subject to the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" and Murphy’s Law. But he maintains his life in balance so that he is not the cause of his own misfortune.
The centered person dips lightly into his stress account. In nearly all situations, he retains his mental balance and the ability to make reasoned decisions and take appropriate action.
Centeredness, if nothing else, means the having the ability to limit, control, and manage stress so that getting “stressed out” is a very unusual event.
Once again, centeredness is a relative thing. When I write of “a centered person” I mean one who is significantly more centered than average. I’m certainly not describing a “Buddha-like” figure sitting in the lotus position humming “ommmmm…” in the middle of a battle field. Still less of Jesus arousing from a nap in the bottom of a boat in the middle of a thunderstorm and commanding the storm, “Peace, be still.”
I am talking about normal human men and women who have developed their mental and emotional self-control enough to keep their mental balance under conditions in which most people would be unbalanced.
Link to other topics in the Special Report: Balance and Kuzushi
In Part 7 of this series I discussed spiritual balance and I equated it with “centeredness”. Being more centered than your opponent gives you an advantage in a confrontation. Centeredness is relative, however, and it affects to your entire life.
Each person acquires certain responsibilities from being a member of society. Still more responsibilities are voluntarily assumed by choices made. Choices like marriage, having children, starting a business, contracting for a mortgage, accepting an offer of employment.
Each relationship, role, and contract must be attended to. There is a minimum acceptable amount of attention and energy required to sustain each responsibility. As long as the sum of all required energy demands is less than the energy you have available then you are capable of a balanced life.
You can also choose to spend energy on non-responsibilities and that’s okay, even good for you, if you have an energy surplus after taking care of your responsibilities.
Being capable and being in balance are not the same, however. If you choose to spend more energy than necessary on some responsibilities and not enough on others; or so much energy on non-responsibilities that you haven’t enough left to satisfy your responsibilities, then your life will be out of balance.
Basic forms of personal energy are time, attention, stress, and money (essentially a store of time & attention). People have a limited amount of each form of energy, a budget if you will. Some have more than others, but no one has an unlimited supply. Warren Buffet has the same number of hours per day as you and, even with his billions of dollars, there is a limit to his money – it wouldn’t buy very many aircraft carriers.
Back to centeredness – calm self-control that preserves the ability to make reasoned decisions and take appropriate action. A centered person will nearly always be disciplined enough to take care of his responsibilities – to avoid overdrawing his bank account or his personal energy accounts through over-indulgence. He, like all others, is subject to the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" and Murphy’s Law. But he maintains his life in balance so that he is not the cause of his own misfortune.
The centered person dips lightly into his stress account. In nearly all situations, he retains his mental balance and the ability to make reasoned decisions and take appropriate action.
Centeredness, if nothing else, means the having the ability to limit, control, and manage stress so that getting “stressed out” is a very unusual event.
Once again, centeredness is a relative thing. When I write of “a centered person” I mean one who is significantly more centered than average. I’m certainly not describing a “Buddha-like” figure sitting in the lotus position humming “ommmmm…” in the middle of a battle field. Still less of Jesus arousing from a nap in the bottom of a boat in the middle of a thunderstorm and commanding the storm, “Peace, be still.”
I am talking about normal human men and women who have developed their mental and emotional self-control enough to keep their mental balance under conditions in which most people would be unbalanced.
Link to other topics in the Special Report: Balance and Kuzushi
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