# Judo is the Way of Maximum Efficiency



## Jaz (Jul 20, 2021)

The term 柔, pronounced Ju, traditionally refers to the act of yielding.  Jigoro Kano felt that, in regards to Judo, it meant something more.  This video briefly explains why Kano believed this, and how he defined it.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Jul 20, 2021)

Jaz said:


>


The grip fight at 1.24 - 1.32 requires strength. To tear apart your opponent's strong grips cannot be done by soft principle. If you can't break apart your opponent's monster grips, none of your throws will work.

You can only use soft when you wait for an opportunity to happen. If you want to create an opportunity, you will need hard.


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## Jaz (Jul 25, 2021)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> The grip fight at 1.24 - 1.32 requires strength. To tear apart your opponent's strong grips cannot be done by soft principle. If you can't break apart your opponent's monster grips, none of your throws will work.
> 
> You can only use soft when you wait for an opportunity to happen. If you want to create an opportunity, you will need hard.


Not necessarily.  It's more about using the most efficient way to achieve the outcome.  Yes, you can use strength to break the grip but your grip break will be more efficient if you go in the direction of where the opponent's grip is weaker, as well as use two hands against their one hand etc. That way, your grip break is more efficient and you use less energy.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Jul 25, 2021)

Jaz said:


> Not necessarily.  It's more about using the most efficient way to achieve the outcome.  Yes, you can use strength to break the grip but your grip break will be more efficient if you go in the direction of where the opponent's grip is weaker, as well as use two hands against their one hand etc. That way, your grip break is more efficient and you use less energy.


It depends on the definition of "soft". Soft force is yield, sticky, follow, ... IMO, tearing, cracking, shaking, ... (force used in grip fight) are not soft force.

I like the term "maximum efficiency". I just don't like the term "soft". Soft by itself is not enough. One needs to use both soft and hard.


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## Jaz (Jul 26, 2021)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> It depends on the definition of "soft". Soft force is yield, sticky, follow, ... IMO, tearing, cracking, shaking, ... (force used in grip fight) are not soft force.
> 
> I like the term "maximum efficiency". I just don't like the term "soft". Soft by itself is not enough. One needs to use both soft and hard.


And that is why Jigoro Kano used the term 'Maximum Efficiency' to define the interpretation of 'Ju' in Judo. He recognised that there are moments when you do need to use strength, or 'hardness'. There has to be a balance. For Kano, it was more important to follow the principle of 'Maximum Efficiency' rather than adhere to just 'Soft', 'Gentle' or 'yielding'. You can use a balance of 'hard' and 'soft' but you must use them 'efficiently'. I think we're saying the same thing, to be honest.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Jul 26, 2021)

Jaz said:


> I think we're saying the same thing, to be honest.


Agree!

This is why in grip fight, one should turn his arm against his opponent's thumb, 1 finger instead of to against the other 4 fingers.


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## Jusroc (Sep 28, 2021)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> The grip fight at 1.24 - 1.32 requires strength. To tear apart your opponent's strong grips cannot be done by soft principle. If you can't break apart your opponent's monster grips, none of your throws will work.
> 
> You can only use soft when you wait for an opportunity to happen. If you want to create an opportunity, you will need hard.


Although a lot of people use grip breaking as a strategy to make applying their techniques easy (and this includes international practitioners).

There are also many practitioners who do not break grip and still are able to throw their opponent, even when their opponent is superior in strength. 

Some practitioners will trick their opponent to move in the direction that they want them to, often as a strategy to defend against another throw, and the practitioner will then use their opponents movement in that direction in order to aid them to throw their opponent.

When this happens, this is a good example of the application of maximum efficiency through minimum effort.
More advanced Judoka will use combinations of techniques in order to achieve the above effect. I.e. use one or more techniques as dummy attacks (false telegraphing), so as to get the opponent to move in the direction they want, so they then can use that movement during their real attack.

Breaking grip is a different strategy that doesn't always use the opponents movement (force)
but which also arguably uses maximum efficiency minimum effort. (as breaking your opponents grip stops them from resisting, so with no grip resisting you have to only use minimum effort).

If it works. It works. Although I would say that the former, of using combinations and sensing your opponents movement so that you can then use that movement is a much more subtle art form than grip breaking or superior gripping (kumikata).


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## Kung Fu Wang (Sep 28, 2021)

Jusroc said:


> There are also many practitioners who do not break grip and still are able to throw their opponent, even when their opponent is superior in strength.


When your opponent has grips on you, the moment that he can sense you try to do something, he can "shake" you and interrupt your movement. This is why you don't want your opponent to have grips on you.


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## Kung Fu Wang (Sep 28, 2021)

When you have 1 grip on your opponent and he has no grip on you, when he tries to get the 1st grip on you, you try to throw him at that moment, you are 1 step ahead of him.


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## wab25 (Sep 29, 2021)

Kung Fu Wang said:


> If you can't break apart your opponent's monster grips, none of your throws will work.


Really?




Sure one or two of those throws, only the person throwing has a grip. But in the vast majority of the throws, they both have grips. As it turns out, grip by itself is just a connection between two people. Either side can use that point of connection for their own benefit. Sure its a little easier said than done... but we see in the above video, quite a few examples of people having their grip and being thrown anyway.


Kung Fu Wang said:


> When your opponent has grips on you, the moment that he can sense you try to do something, he can "shake" you and interrupt your movement. This is why you don't want your opponent to have grips on you.


I refer you to the above video. Yes, you can shake someone to stop whatever they start. But in practice... nothing is 100%. Half of the Judo competitors above, were unable to shake and stop the throw...


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## Jusroc (Sep 29, 2021)

In Judo Competitions, Loads of the matches have both players gripping.
In fact, if one of the players does not have a grip for any lengthy period of time, that player
can become endangered of having a penalty awarded against them for non-activity.

Also, re grip breaking. Where I believe grip breaking is one strategy that the player can get a "free shot" at scoring a technique against a non-resisting opponent, players have to be extremely aware that they are limited to how many grip breaks they make during one match, that is, at least in Judo Competition Matches under present ruling.

The way the player breaks grip also is restricted by various limitations.

BJJ competitions are often more liberal with what they regard as legal. I am no expert on BJJ rules.
I am a county level BJA referee, so have a bit of a clue, what is allowed and what is not.

Yes, good Judoka are able to throw opponents even if their opponent has them gripped.
Sometimes, due to using combination techniques and feints, some times countering to opponents techniques,
sometimes due to simply catching their opponent off guard with direct attacks, and in other cases, 
through the use of a refined skill in sensing their opponents movement and using it to their advantage.

The latter being a more refined aspect of Ju. How high quality Judoka can use their opponents movement to their advantage. High Level Judoka are brilliant.


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