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Being a jujitsu-hump, I tend to do things from "structure" a lot of times rather than mystifying things. The "energy ball" is a shape that can be any size, but it puts your arms into the right structure. As you "try to hold" the ball and enlarge the size, it keeps your arms in the right attitude and shape.




I enjoyed jujitsu's "scientific" approach. It made many connections for me in terms of understanding structure. Do you find that certain descriptions tend to make students try to "compensate" holding the structure by using muscular tension?

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Like your diagram shows, the energy moves into the attacker, and as long as they hold their center, it's child's play to handle anyone. I sometimes talk about the energy being applied as "wispy" or "whispering" rather than overpowering, so I think we're on the same page... just using different words.




I think we're on the same page. It goes back to the "ki is subtle" idea. But it's kinda interesting that with your mechanical engineering background, why would you use a different analogy to describe it...? Is that because force vectors connotates "muscular" force? Just curious from a teaching perspective.

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My teachers studied with Sogunuma Sensei and Tohei Sensei, so it's kind of a mix of Hombu and Shin Shin Toitsu. My jujitsu comes from mixes of Okinawan karate and Japanese systems, so I'm kind of like a "kitchen milkshake" where everything is thrown in and blended. Luckily, many of the teachers I've studied with were world class, and legends in their particular arts. My training partner is an international representative of the Kyudo federation in Japan, and on the Jujitsu committee and heads up the Aikido committee of the U.S. Judo Association, so I've got "good information lines" to find out things or get training in something that comes up.




I think we are molded by who our teachers are.

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I really hope you let your surgery heal before you dive in and do it any harm. I went back after hernia surgery a little too early and paid for it dearly, so take time to heal and don't "booger up the work" by being enthusiastic. You're probably like me, though, I'm so used to being sore and injured that I don't pay too much attention to it unless it restricts my movement. Just take care of yourself. You only get one body per lifetime.




Thanks for the kind thoughts. Yep, you guessed it... training isn't going to stop for pain... it's only pain... If you can feel it, it means you're still alive.

But there's a heap of other stuff I could still do... other than suwari waza.