A Traditional Alternative Christmas

By Joyce Brookes

It’s that time again when we think about our family traditions. Although our Dojos close at Christmas, (everyone needs a rest at Christmas…..Sensei and students alike.) we always remember the traditions on which Jiu-Jitsu was formed.

Jiu-Jitsu was adopted by the Samurai and a code of conduct was developed known as “Bushido” (Way of the Warrior). It was centered round a number of core values including loyalty, justice, manners, purity, modesty, honor and self-confidence. These values still hold true today and are the basis of every good Dojo, and upheld by all students no matter what colour their belt.

We thought we would have a go at combining the two traditions and write our own version of the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ with a Jiu-Jitsu twist. It amused us anyway…

The Twelve Days of Jiu-Jitsu

12 Young Leaders

11 Kyu Grade Katas

10 New Red Belts

9 Tonfas Striking

8 Senior Black Belts

7 Parents Sitting

6 Sweaty Warm-ups

5 Break Falls

4 Lessons Left (till Christmas)

3 Grading Lists (a year)

2 Man Attack

And a Sensei with a broken leg

Ok so not quite so traditional for Christmas but it certainly represents our relaxed and friendly Dojo. Maybe you could do better. Email us your version and win an extra special sweaty warm-up with Sensei Phil.

Did you see yourself in that list? Do you want to be part of our Jiu-Jitsu family next year? Come and join us in January and get your first lesson free by filling out the coupon at ijjauk.com.

How to Carve a Turkey With A Samurai Sword

by Russell McCartney / Modified by Lynne Myerscough-Newton

The subject of Japanese swordsmanship during the holidays is a delicate one. Christmas Day is definitely not the time for practice. When you’re standing in front of a roasted turkey, katana drawn and relatives looking on, the last thing you want to do is rehearse your swing. It won’t impress anyone. The time to hone your technique is now. Then, when the moment of truth arrives, you’ll be able to razor off perfect slices of juicy white meat like Miyamoto Musashi. (If you tried to slice up your bird this Christmas and ran into trouble, then this article is for YOU so you can bone up for next year’s celebrations.)

To do this without breaking a sweat, you’ll need to develop the “inner principles” of movement:

Breathing

The primary element of action is breathing. The flow of air into and out of your body is directly connected to how smoothly you flow from one slice to the next and how cool you look. Caution: Inhaling the aroma of your Christmas meal can stimulate your salivary glands, causing uncontrolled drooling. If that happens while your mouth is positioned over your blade, you’ll need to wipe the droplets from the metal and immediately apply vegetable oil to prevent corrosion.

Make your inhalations and exhalations calm, smooth and full. It’s essential to observe the transition between moving air in and moving air out. When standing in front of a golden-brown bird and being watched by family members who may not understand the intricacies of swordsmanship, nerves can cause you to gulp in air. Proper training beforehand, perhaps using a cheaper form of fowl, can prevent that.

Footwork

Don’t stand flat-footed with your feet relaxed. The bones of your feet can move a considerable distance within the skin that encases them. Their musculature must exert firmness to take up that slack. No matter how hungry you are, take time to use your muscles to anchor yourself to the floor. Go barefoot if it won’t offend your guests; then you can actually “grip” the floor with your toes.

Even though you’re facing a foe that not only has been slaughtered but also has spent the past three hours at 450 degrees Fahrenheit, you should imagine that it’s a wild animal, coiled and ready to strike. Hear its breath flowing in and out. Envision its muscles ready to drive its beak into your neck and tear out your windpipe. Calm yourself by breathing properly while glancing down at the 3-foot-long piece of hardened steel that separates you and the beast. Release all the tension in your body but remember it.

Posture

Your posture should provide balance during your action. Give it too much angle, and you’ll lose your balance. Give it too little, and you’ll fatigue your muscles more quickly. The result: slices of turkey breast that are anything but parallel. Even worse: an errant cut that severs the wishbone and injects fragments into the meat.

Don’t let your contracting muscles shrink you. Strive for height in your posture. Use the length of your arms and legs to enhance your stature. Tower over that fowl. Your hips and core are the connection and energy-transfer point for generating power and moving it through your swing. Firmness should be the norm in the pelvic region, back and tailbone area — yours, not the turkey’s! With practice, you’ll be able to create energy and hold it in place before spreading it throughout your body and into your blade.

Swing

Strive to ground your structure from the waist down and elongate it from your torso to the base of your skull. This may sound contradictory, but the balance of power and unified articulation of these areas depend on inner awareness. That connection and the energy of your grounded body are transferred to your shoulders during the swing. Your shoulders and the rest of your being must cut down into the target.

But don’t cut down too much. Remember that there’s a platter underneath, and damaging it may not be viewed kindly by your spouse. That’s why our warrior ancestors — in both the sword arts and the empty-hand arts — emphasized control. Paramount in their practice was the ability to perform a precision technique and stop the motion a half-inch from the target. That skill is often mistakenly thought to be an effort to promote safe sparring; in reality, it’s to prevent the sword from cleaving the dinner table.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sensei’s Note:

Obviously, this article was written with tongue in cheek. The IJJA strongly advises all martial artists to learn how to safely wield a sword under a qualified instructor. Do not practice test cutting with anything other than rolled tatami mats.

Martial Arts Makes Children Violent?

by Joyce Brookes

In a society where violence is glorified on a daily basis, is it such a good idea to enroll your child in a class specifically designed to teach them to fight?

My son started martial arts when he was 6 and some people were horrified when they found out. I was even called into school and advised that he shouldn’t use his training in the playground. But the reality is that children copy what they see and play fighting is a natural part of a child’s world regardless of whether they attend martial arts classes or not.

Martial arts are in fact less about violence and more about learning self-control, discipline and respect for others. Traditional moral codes are at the center of this type of training and honor and loyalty are at the heart of every good dojo. Classes are strict and children have to stand still and listen as well as showing respect to everyone around them.

There is a ton of research that has looked at this very topic. All of which shows no evidence linking martial arts and violence, yet the opinion that martial arts makes ‘fighting’ acceptable is still widely held. It can also be seen that violence is a direct response to fear. Martial arts can help eliminate some of this fear by increasing confidence in a child’s abilities and therefore reducing the violent response.

In my experience, the club and its members, particularly the instructors, are what had the biggest impact on my Son’s training. He was encouraged to develop relationships based on respect, given leadership responsibilities and learned to set and achieve goals.

My Son recently became the victim of an assault from an older teenager at school. Fortunately, because of his training, he wasn’t hurt but what surprised me was his response to the attack. He didn’t go seeking revenge but looked upon the experience as ‘just part of life’. He didn’t feel the need to save face by retaliating even though some of his peers encouraged him ‘defend’ his black belt. He recognized that this was not the solution and would only continue the cycle of violence.

 Martial arts encourages violent behavior is an acceptable opinion if your only experience includes scenes from Hollywood. In fact it encourages non-violent conflict resolution and places an emphasis on avoiding physical interaction. I would encourage you to go and see for yourself. And while you’re there, ask as many questions as you like. Every good Sensei will be happy to answer all of your questions and maybe even get you excited about the prospect of your child starting martial arts.

Why not fill in the coupon and get your child’s first lesson free? What have you got to lose?