Practical Martial Arts Association

I was recently listening to an old episode of the 'Managing Violence Podcast' in which the presenter introduced his 'Violence Survival Pyramid'.  It inspired me to get my own one down on 'paper' so here it is.  The presenter noted that he had gone through several iterations of his own, and I must say like everything in Jujutsu it is subject to change.  The 'Managing Violence Podcast' is an excellent listen if you are interested in dealing with violence - check out the relevant episode here .

In his oldest work (Shanghai Municipal Police - Manual of Self-Defense 1915), W.E. Fairbairn includes the following tidbit towards the end of the book in a section that matches situations and techniques (no picture or further description is in the manual): (2) Your opponent attempts:- (A) To strike you with his fist... (3) With baton, strike forearm a smart blow from below. Those of us who practice certain forms of Jujutsu probably understand a number of reasons why the baton may be down in such a position as to allow this strike - most obviously, it is not particularly civil for police to begin many interactions with weapons in offensive positions (the photo below is from the UN Police Manual 2015, showing the sort of position we are talking about). So one reason to have a less than ideal starting position may be context - especially when equipped with weapons one cannot simply get the weapon between themselves and a possible aggressor, let alone cocked into an aggressive position as ...

In the Water scroll, as Musashi’s advice becomes more specific, we must turn to an often-overlooked factor when considering his writings – his training methods.  He often finished a section by saying drill yourself thoroughly in these techniques, practice this cadence repeatedly, learn how to apply this method – but how exactly?  Consideration of training methods is one of the most overlooked pieces of research with regard to Musashi. When we consider that Musashi and his contemporaries were concerned with preparation for combat we can quickly come to the somewhat obvious conclusion that it is doubtful those methods used by current koryu practitioners were the only training methods used at the time.  In Jujutsu we are aware that many of the training methods used around the time of the Meiji restoration were not successfully transmitted into the Showa period. When considering a training program in any era, especially with regards to traditional martial arts, what is typic...

The active struggle against barbarity and totalitarianism is not a quasi myth from the feudal period nor an abstract  koan  for contemplation - it is in our recent past and goes on in much of the world today.  We who live in societies so civilised that the carrying of weapons is not a regular habit of most of the population live in one of history's outliers.  One who practices a  gendai  school of Jujutsu should always keep the closeness of these struggles in mind. Each year, around this time, we are given cause to remember the Second World War.  My thoughts always turn to my teacher's teacher, whom I trained with only occasionally but whom many of my contemporaries knew quite well and trained with quite a bit.  This man, fresh in the memory of many people, had to use Jujutsu to survive in occupied Holland being part of the Dutch resistance. Rather than being somewhat ashamed that the majority of the Jujutsu schools I have prac...

When I started Jujutsu in 1992, there wasn’t an easy way to find out what other people actually did in terms of martial arts, especially from the comfort of one’s favourite chair.  Books on the subject, much like today, were either quite general, too specific or a loose collection of drivel that relied on the cover and title to get you in (clickbait for books – readbait?) and best left on the shelf altogether. This is one of the reasons for this blog – I try to give Jujutsu people a small insight into what other people do – and it is for this reason there are not all that many articles purely on Jujutsu on a blog called Jujutsukan. Strangely enough, Jujutsu people are at an advantage over many others when it comes to understanding what other people do – because what other people do is a lot more uniform than what comes under the umbrella term of Jujutsu (especially in terms of Japanese arts). If someone tells you that they do Judo, BJJ, Kendo or the like you can immediately have a ...

The reader may be familiar with a current advertisement from Apple with regards to their latest watch, known as 'Better You'.  The premise is that by using the functions of the watch, the owner can incrementally adjust their lifestyle to a more healthy one.  The notion is actually a parallel with associations many people have with martial arts, particularly modern Budo (which most people probably term 'Traditional Martial Arts'). I will link the add here if you have not seen it, however, this is not a monetised blog so I receive no benefit from you watching it (and Apple has not paid me although I would happily accept their cash). The add, of course, tries to have the person watching buy into the idea that if they purchase the watch they too can make their life better.  The same is often understood to be true in modern Budo whereby the practitioner gradually 'polishes their spirit' through participation.  There is a consequent link that results, that is the a...

Asymmetry is a crucial factor in considering the strategic precepts of Jujutsu.  Continuing with the theme of concepts illustrated by Jukendo kata, I will attempt to articulate why this concept is so important and as an aside, how many 'modern' martial arts (or more specifically combat sports) can often be subject to the pitfall of symmetry. I'd start by reminding the reader that I do not know anything about Jukendo other than what I observe, and therefore would not rely on my thoughts if constructing an essay on the essence of Jukendo.  We do however find in the Jukendo kata something that is often missing - comprehensive asymmetry. The kata do not simply include fixed bayonet vs fixed bayonet for Jukendo and bayonet vs bayonet for Tankendo.  There is fixed bayonet vs bayonet, fixed bayonet vs sword and bayonet vs sword - all of which contain successful outcomes for both sides.  This comprehensive asymmetry is a rare treasure. The essence of my own school's strategi...

In Jujutsu, how do you gauge the 'level' of any action?  What makes a technique that of a 7th Dan rather than a 7th Kyu?  Embedded in the kata of Jukendo (of which I know next to nothing) is an important component of the answer - that the skill with which you are operating is in many ways a function of the quality of your opponent's actions. In the details of the Jukendo kata, we see the following: In the first kata, an opening appears and you skewer your opponent.  Ideally, of course, timing, distance, footwork, technique, targetting, posture etc are all entirely correct.  This is the pattern of the first four kata. In the fifth kata, the opponent essentially performs the same action as the demonstrator in the first kata, in the same manner,  that is to say, timing, distance, footwork, technique, targetting, posture etc is all entirely correct.  The demonstrator then defends the original technique.  The opponent does not over-commit, does not do ...

I recently picked up a book by Mark Hatmaker at a second-hand book sale - No Second Chance - A Reality-Based Guide to Self Defense .   You may be familiar with the author from his No Holds Barred series.  Whenever I come across work like this I am immediately reminded of the television series Doomsday Preppers. I think we can draw some parallels between martial arts and survivalism that may be beneficial to people in either camp.  Indeed many people I know, with a few exceptions, started training martial arts with a view to 'self-defence'.  This in itself could be likened to a form of prepping, and I'm sure a lot of survivalists love to pull on the cargo pants and knee the hell out of the odd striking shield. In No Second Chance, the author focuses on the worst case scenario - you are accosted by someone who is pure evil and are in the fight for your life.  Every other scenario is considered a folly, not 'real' enough.  Many true examples of the grote...

There is a lot to be said for assessing the items which you have to have with you all the time in terms of their use as a weapon.  In the final section of the Lähitaistelu film, we see fighting with and against the small shovel.  It is important because it is something everyone in these circumstances had on them, so you can use it if you have to and someone may use it against you. If you gave me a choice I wouldn't select a fake metal fan to fight with, however, if it was all I was allowed to carry when I went to many cultural events then I would try to make the best of it as a weapon. Against the rifle, we see a common thread of short weapons - when the opponent armed with a longer weapon inevitably gets the first shot at you, deflect it and move in. You wouldn't equip a soldier with a baton (or a jutte) however there is a congruence with weapons of a certain size be it a small shovel, baton or the kama on a kusarigama. This is why weapons don't really become outdat...

In the final section of the film, we see fighting with and against the small shovel (or entrenching tool, which I presume everyone had to carry around with them). Lapio (Shovel)  Stance with shovel same as usual: Stance variation for the better-armed opponent: Striking targets: Unarmed against shovel: Shovel against fixed bayonet: