Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Neko Ryu General Principles: Balance – Part 2 – Retaining Your Balance

Kuzushi, putting your opponent off balance, is largely about moving your opponent’s center of gravity past the edge of his balance zone or causing him to change his balance zone.

Retaining your own balance is about keeping your center of gravity within your balance zone. You maintain your ability to move fluidly. You stay loose. You keep your knees slightly bent. You keep your feet roughly shoulder-width apart. And you move with your opponent – anticipating him, responding to him, or leading him – but always adjusting your posture and your position to maximize your balance while moving, defending, and attacking.

Things to Avoid:
1. Standing with your knees locked degrades your movement response time and makes it easier for your opponent to take your balance because your center of gravity is locked on the end of the lever of your legs.

2. Standing with your feet close together shrinks your balance zone making your balance much less secure.

3. Standing with your feet too far apart only increases your balance zone on one axis. At the same time it greatly degrades your ability to move.

4. Keeping your muscles tense will turn your arms and legs into levers your opponent can use to move your center of gravity out of your balance zone.

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

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

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

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

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Neko Ryu General Principles: Maximizing Effectiveness – Curve Step

Moving with Curve Steps (or C-Steps) maximizes effectiveness by improving Kuzushi and conserving your attack options.

Curve steps are “L” shaped movements executed with one foot at a time. Usually the initial movement is down the long leg of the “L” to your front or rear with the short leg of the “L” usually extending the step to the outside – away from your center line.

A single c-step is essentially the same as a “Knight’s” movement is Chess. The c-step can be combined with a pivot to change your facing direction.

Every martial arts instructor I’ve studied under (all seven of them) taught me to use the c-step. But I didn’t understand it. I didn’t like it. And it seemed to add no value to my martial art or to my competitive abilities. I resisted using it and so, of course, it was of no value to me.

Grandmaster Moose Cates, the current head or Soke of Neko Ryu Goshin Jitsu, taught the curve step in the recent Camp Budo martial arts seminar. When Grandmaster Cates fielded my questions I had an epiphany – an “ah ha!” moment. Suddenly I saw the c-step as part of my Kuzushi.

When you move your feet your opponent notices the motion; its direction, its speed, and its nature. Smooth steps in a straight line or in a smooth curve are easily predictable. Your opponent intuitively calculates the path your smooth step will take and uses it to set up his own technique or to disrupt yours.

The c-step is deceptive. It starts as a smooth linear motion and changes direction at the end. By itself this can alter your opponent’s balance both physically and mentally; setting up your technique or your follow up Kuzushi.

Because it’s a planned and drilled motion it enables you to change the end-movement of the step. It allows a last split second adjustment to uki’s body movement and position (your opponent or sparring partner is called uki).

There are other advantages to the curve step. It increases the “stroke” length when you use your body mass to apply power to uki. And, it puts you in position to rotate your hips into a strike or throw. But these are just nice additions to the core advantage of the c-step – maximizing Kuzushi and conserving attack options.

Now that I’ve had my epiphany, it’s obvious how important the curve step is in martial arts and self-defense. Kuzushi is the most important part of any attack. Once your opponent (uki) is well off-balance almost any technique will work. If uki retains his balance and a solid base - almost no technique will work.

Kuzushi is critical. Kuzushi is hard to learn (at least for me). And, the curve step makes it easier and more effective.

Link to other topics in the Special Report: Neko Ryu Goshin Jitsu

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Neko Ryu General Principles: Maximizing Effectiveness

Neko Ryu Goshin Jitsu finds ways to make the most of what you’ve got. It was developed as a simple self-defense system for sedentary businessmen – not for world-class athletes.

The sedentary businessman assaulted by a thug is probably physically overmatched. The natural attributes of strength, speed, and youth likely favor the thug. So, to succeed in defending himself, the businessman needs unnatural attributes.

The businessman needs attributes such as:

· Economy of motion
· Body alignment
· Body movement (maneuver to a position of advantage)
· Efficient use of body mass
· Efficient application of force (maximizing pressure)
· Vital point targets
· Rotational energy
· Leverage
· Balance
· Connection with the earth
· Surprise
· Misdirection
· Distraction
· Expedient weapons
· Training (skills drilled repetitively and executed without thought)
· Tactics
· Strategy

If you’re a world-class athlete you may believe you can take care of yourself in any situation. But, there’s always someone bigger, faster, stronger, smarter, better armed, or luckier than you. Even if you’re the reigning world champion – you won’t be tomorrow.

Future posts will explore these unnatural attributes.

Link to Neko Ryu Goshin Jitsu Special Report Topics