# An interesting moment



## Ironcrane (Aug 11, 2009)

In my Judo school, I partnered up with a black belt to do some randori. And when we grabbed each others uniforms, something about him doing that set off alarms in my head. It was suddenly "holy crap, this guy knows what he's doing!"  And of course, he proceeded to give me a beating with no real effort. 

He wasn't intense, or hyped up or anything like that. He was just completely relaxed. But somehow he was able to convey a lot of skill just through that simple action.

I consider it an experience worth sharing, and I'm now curious if anyone else had something similar.


----------



## lklawson (Aug 11, 2009)

There are a lot of subtle subconscious clues that the experienced player can pick up; grip position, "relaxed" grip, which fingers, posture, how the arms are held, focus, etc.

It doesn't take very many years practicing martial arts to start to get a "feel" for these sort of cues.  And it crosses over to other arts to some degree as well.  After a few years in Judo you could go to, for instance, a school teaching Bowie Knife and get those subconscious "oh frak" feelings facing across from students.  Again, subtle cues in their posture, bearing, and movement will tip you off.

It's actually pretty cool.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk


----------



## morph4me (Aug 11, 2009)

I train in aikido and that is a common occurance when training with someone who knows what he's doing, the knowledge that as soon as you've touched them, you've made a mistake. It's just as good on the other side, when someon grabs you and you can see in their face that they had the same realization :EG:


----------



## chrispillertkd (Aug 11, 2009)

I'm not a judoka, but I've experienced something very similar in Taekwon-Do. There have been several times when I've engaged in free-sparring with my instructor and realized that there was simply no way I could penetrate his defence. And that was before we had even exchanged any techniques. He was totally relaxed and, at the same time, attentive to everything. His posture left no openings and it was obvious that when one appeared they were left open on purpose to lure you in. Couple this with being able to deliver techniques with high speed and power, as well as control, and it is apparent that this is a man who has spent 40 years working to perfect the execution of his art. 

In some ways being on the receiving end of such an experience is something in itself (I just don't want to get _too_ used to it  ). 

I had similar experiences when I was a color belt coming up through the ranks and sparred some of the black belts. They could seemingly score at will and pretty much block anything I threw at them. (OK, maybe it wasn't "seemingly," but hey, I was a white belt once.) Such experiences really motivated me to increase my own training and to spar people who were higher rank than me, faster than me, etc. Lots of bruises and sore muscles later and things have begun to pay off. 

Pax,

Chris


----------



## Stac3y (Aug 11, 2009)

I've experienced that "Oh *****" moment from both directions. I think it's an instinctive reading of nonverbal signals (I have a degree in speech communication with a concentration in interpersonal communication theory, so I tend to go on about this sort of thing) that's magnified by the heightened state of awareness we get when we're pumped up to spar/do randori, etc. Being able to sense that moment is part of being able to "read" your opponent--a good sign of progress in that direction, no matter which direction you're experiencing it from.


----------



## Chris Parker (Aug 11, 2009)

Hi,

Great experience. It shows that you really get the "feel" for an opponent.

Incidentally, there is an old story about a swordsman in old Japan which is quite similar, just wish I could remember the names mentioned... oh, well. Essentially, in the story, the swordsman is asked how he has managed to be successful in the numerous duels he has had in his career. He answers that his success is all down to the particular distance he favours, in which the tip of his sword and that of the opponent touch. With this little contact, he was able to determine the type of grip his opponent had on his weapon, and from that the relative ability of the other swordsman.

If the grip is too tight, then the opponent is tense, and nervous, and will be slow with large, easy to read movements. If the grip is too loose, then the opponent is unsure of themselves, and can be quickly overcome, falling prey to tactics such as faking, or simply overrunning them.

But if the grip is firm, yet free from overt tension, the opponent is experienced, or at least well-schooled. These opponents pose great danger, so the swordsman pull his own weapon back and retreat out of range, saying that the strength of the other was recognised, and there is no need for bloodshed.

So to recognise such skill through such basic contact is very important, and leads to far less likelyhood of danger, if you can possibly avoid it.


----------



## Tez3 (Aug 11, 2009)

I suppose the black belt didn't give you any clues he knew what he was doing lol?


----------



## Stac3y (Aug 11, 2009)

Tez3 said:


> I suppose the black belt didn't give you any clues he knew what he was doing lol?


 
Er...that's not always a good "tell," unfortunately.


----------



## Ironcrane (Aug 11, 2009)

Tez3 said:


> I suppose the black belt didn't give you any clues he knew what he was doing lol?



Haha, I did notice that too, of course. I prefer to work with the blackbelts, but this particular person had that extra feel to him.


----------

