Judo's Kuzushi

The whole point of Judo type throws is so a smaller person can beat a larger person. Strength against strength however, the smaller person may have less chance of toppling the larger, but why, when knowing this would the smaller person try and out muscle the larger?

In order to take the larger person down, the smaller person must unbalance his/her opponent then an easy effortless technique can be applied. This unbalancing is referred in the Judo world as kuzushi.

As you can see from the diagram above, kuzushi can be applied in all directions via pushing or pulling your opponent. Rather than moving your opponent with your hands only, this unbalancing should be applied, whilst holding your opponent and moving your whole body in one of the directions shown above. Trying to use just arm strength will not work as well and will waste far more energy.

Obviously sometimes you do not half to move your opponent yourself. When moving around during sparring or fighting, both yours and your opponents balance will be shifting in all directions and this can be used to throw your opponent, but without this basic knowledge of kuzushi, advanced concepts will never be grasped.

With a partner, practise breaking each others balance using the diagram above to help. After a while add throws when kuzushi has been applied and notice just how easy it easy for yourself. Kuzushi is something that is not nearly practised as much as it should be and with superior knowledge of it, lots of wasted energy can be saved which is something all martial artists should think about.

Marks

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