What You See Is What You Don’t Get
Or: You Get What You Don’t See. Get it?
Let’s say you have just been shown a throw and are now working on doing it. Before sensei comes around, there was a lot going on in the teaching part, before you started to work. What is happening is that you are now being shown what you didn’t see, or maybe weren’t shown, or perhaps what you saw and didn’t realize was important, or misinterpreted... Or… some combination of these things.
There is very likely a teaching / learning disconnect involved.
Let’s begin with a focus on throws, since they are the most challenging aspect of judo. They are so challenging that they are, I believe, one of the main reasons BJJ is so popular. But that’s another blog. I’m going to fly right in the face of my own statement and now say that judo throws aren’t that challenging at all, in and of themselves. In and of themselves, they are a simple matter of biomechanics and the laws of physics. Sequentially, a disruption of balance combined with a fulcrum point and a specifically formed shape and continued motion in the primary direction creates a judo throw. The throws are not challenging, but they present a very challenging learning process. It is the learning process that needs to be worked on. If you do this, your judo will get better sooner.
First, let’s put some responsibility on senseis. I’ve been a sensei for decades, and I have to admit I have not focused on these teaching skills as much as I should, often not at all. Senseis get taught judo, and then they teach it as they were taught, adding their own personal styles and perspectives. Most, fortunately, teach basics in the same traditional style. I did not say “fault”, but “responsibility”. As senseis, we likely did not have the benefit of having senseis who taught us how to be a sensei. Therefore, the following thoughts and suggestions are simultaneously for both student and teacher. Moving forward herein, everybody is student and teacher, student, sensei, and semi-self-sensei.
Judo in itself is easy. Learning it is tough. Why? Because learning judo requires both visual and kinesthetic understanding. You have to both clearly see and feel the throw. There are four basic types of learners: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic (physical). In a live teaching situation, all but the reading and writing part are going on at the same time. No wonder that learning something simple is tough.
Here are five ways to teach / learn better. I hope a couple might be useful for you.
Show and see from different angles. See / show the action from all four directions. Senseis should rotate to show it from four directions. If the sensei doesn’t, then either ask to see it from another angle or move around to see it as you ask to see it again, as needed. (Secretly train your sensei. Keep bugging sensei all the time to “see it again, please.” If you are willing to risk being a nuisance, maybe sensei will become conditioned to just do it.)
Be both presumptive and proactive. If you know what the throw is going to be, figure out where you have to get to for the best viewing angle. Once some teaching is going on, move to the best place to see it. It is typical of students to just stay where they were when doing the practice, waiting to start their endeavors in the same place.
Senseis, plan ahead. Figure out the major action the students have to see and show them that. Think of a couple of best angles to make it clear. Since the students might not know these things ahead of time, it’s your job to make all the viewing angles and details accessible.
Pretend you are making a teaching video and direct your action to the camera (that is the student(s) ). Sometimes, invite a close-up, like “Look at where my right foot has to go to make this work.” Put it there, point at it, hold the pose.
Learn to copy. I say this over and over. If sensei stands in front of class with thumbs hooked in the obi, stand that way. If sensei’s feet are in a certain position, copy it. Copy the details of the general exercises precisely. The better you are at copying physical actions overall, the better you will be when you learn and copy something in specific, when it really counts. If a sensei shows how a hand moves, it might be a good idea to have students then actually physically do the move. If one just says, “Look. Here’s what you do with your right hand to get a better lift,” and then the student waits to try it ten minutes later, there’s a connection concern. If the sensei says, “So, now, take your right hand, grab an imaginary beer mug and pour the contents on your right shoulder, like this,” and has the students do it in the moment, that’s an action that can be copied, more easily recalled, and used later.
Learn / teach the individual physical elements separately. This is a tough one. You have to deal with both hands, both feet; all body angles, specific body contact, head movement, and primary fulcrum point placement. That’s eight items right there. What does each do? What does each continue to do? What changes take place with each as the throw progresses?
We are also cursed with our brain’s tendency to make the mental misinterpretation of the big motion being the primary goal. The big motion is often the leg. For the leg, its throws like harai goshi, hane goshi, o-soto-gari, and (aaargh!) uchi mata; for the arms soto makikomi, regular and sode tsurikomi goshi; and you get the idea. It’s the big thing we see and think we have to copy; but it’s the little things that have to be done correctly before the big things will work.
Senseis should consider all these needs and common fixes for throws. Some examples are: For tai-otoshi, they always leave the collar hand behind; for hane they always get hung up on what looks like an all-leg lift and forget about the uki goshi hip part. Point them out during the initial teaching and get them pre-fixed. Every throw in the entire syllabus has its own “gremlin” list. Don’t teach it and then go around fixing things you could have emphasized in the first place.
Student, be your own sensei and look for what is making the throw really work. Also realize that what you mess up in one throw will likely create gremlins in others. If you have a tendency to not get your fulcrum point in the right place in one front throw, it is likely it happens in another. Watch closely to see how it is done.
Pay attention. As a sensei, I’ve cautioned students that something is a common challenge, something most people do wrong; I send the students out to try the throw, and there it is, the very thing I just showed, happening right before my eyes!
Ask for help. If you aren’t having success, raise your hand. (But it’s embarrassing!) No, actually, it’s not! Nobody is looking.) If it helps, have the sensei put your body parts in the right places (not on yourself, but on uke 😉). Have sensei physically adjust you, as if you are a mannequin. turn your wrist, place the sole of your foot, adjust your hip contact.
Senseis can tend to show, rather than fix. “No. Do it like this. Watch me.” This is followed by a beautiful demonstration of the technique. Whatever it is that the student is supposed to be watching can get lost in the big picture.
Along with this, as a student, once you’ve been shown what to fix, fix it. Don’t be the student who gets in put from sensei, does it, then a few tries down the way reverts back to the bad way. Senseis, don’t fix it and walk away. Keep an eye on this student. Once you walk away, re-check very soon to see if the gremlin is still controlling the student. It ain’t fixed ’till it’s fixed.
Students. Be a team. When you are trying something have uke help out. If the sensei just said “Pull here,” and moves on, then if tori doesn’t manage to do the action, loses it somehow, uke should say something. I’m not suggesting ukes become mini-senseis and start teaching; just be a helpful reminder.
Remember, senseis don’t often get opportunities to work on teaching skills. If they were fortunate, their senseis were great examples, whom they followed. Most senseis are pretty darn good teachers. I apologize for any seeming presumptions otherwise. As a sensei, I'm always very pleased when a new bit of teaching wherewithal comes to me. If I can find a new something the students can do to make their learning more efficient, I'm thrilled.
A judo throw has many basic parts. What direction does this throw go? Where’s the kuzushi? Where and what is the fulcrum point? How does it get there? Then, how does the throw get continued? How does it end?
Just because a throw has many parts doesn’t make it complicated. Just because a throw is easily defined doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Pick a suggestion or two. Or, see if any suggestions ring a bell, “Yeah, that’s me!”. Look at the big picture, then focus on the close-ups. Be proactive. Use these tools to help you have patience with challenges.
Hopefully, these suggestions will help make your judo work.
