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DEFENSE AND EFFICIENCY OF PERFORMANCE
Author: Professor Néstor Figueroa |
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Some times I have heard people saying that the best defense is the attack. But we could also think that a solid attack is possible having a good defense as a foundation, a defense that is resistant, compact, untouchable, that would be a support to start any efficient and quick counterattack.
For example, the Uchimata Sukashi of the world champion Shinichi Shinohara is a typical counter-technique, in which Uke receives an Uchimata attack, he evades it with a feint, and counterattacks using Tori's kuzushi, then maneuvering with his arms, makes Tori spin and fall down.
In judo for competence, we observe in these days that the "surprise" factor is an element that is used with dexterity by the athletes. Sometimes no one knows where a positive attack will come from; the attacks tend to get schematized in the simplicity of its movement, but at the same time, in its extreme force and in the confidence and effectiveness of the attacker.
Because of this, when designing a defense model it is necessary to first implement certain mechanisms that would act as sensors, or identifiers of the style, of the attitudes, and intentions of the rival; in a way that certain type of grappling Kumikata, certain displacements and movements Shintai could let us identify in what direction and how to attack the rival, in what moment, and angle too.
Contrary to what many believe, that the strength during a combat should be focused in the arms, making them hard and rigid, we should say that the strength rests in the lower back, as a support to the tandem. The arms must be loose, but highly sensible to the movements of the rival. The wrists should be used as detectors, and to give the orientation to the maneuvers.
Obviously, the rival has been worked to acquire dexterity and perfection in certain form of attack; it can be in direct actions, or in combinations; in monoattacks or polyattacks; intermittent or continuous. Utilizing strength or technique, in blocks, or in counterattacks, they could be by the flanks or the front, in circles, or in straight line.
The judoka must learn to fight using his mind and his senses; to analyze the tactic and the strategy during the combat; to capitalize in seconds the mistakes of the opponent; to have the capacity to change his scheme of work in a determined moment. Always remembering that Judo is bio-mechanics of the body; science and art of the unbalance.
When referring to the bio-mechanics of the movements in Judo, during each of the scenes and passages in a combat there must be stability in the equilibrium in function of the weight, height, agility, base of the feet, center of gravity, occlusion of angles, sensibility in hands and wrists, solidity in the lower back, speed of reaction, identification of the momentum and breakdown of the forces, friction of the bodies, application of centrifugal and centripetal forces, and inert and opposition forces as well. The variables that are the components of a defense system must be fully identified.
Defense is the art of avoiding to be affected as much as possible by the action of the opponent. It can be related to the number of intents of attack that he may do, and the effects or performance of such attacks.
This means as well, the application of the economics principle: maximum result with the minimum effort invested for the self-defense. This is because in Judo, the primary idea is to use the strength, the weight, and the speed of the opponent, in order to have him loose his balance, or kuzushi; his attack, besides becoming weak, and ineffective, would cause him to loose his stability.
The principles of Defense are:
a) Adaptability
b) Base
c) Center of Gravity
d) Creativity and Improvisation
e) Breakdown of the Forces
f) Displacements
g) Direction of Forces
h) Economy of the Movement
i) Stability and Equilibrium
j) Expansion or Opening
k) Perception
l) Sensibility
m) Simplicity
n) Resistance
a) The stage
b) Instruments
c) Procedures
d) Strategies
e) Personal characteristics: style and capacity
f) Opponent characteristics: style and capacity
a) Adaptability:
capacity to adapting to the circumstances without loosing harmony.
b) Blocking:
for neutralizing the opponent's attack.
c) Counterattack:
maximum dexterity to use the weight, strength, and speed applied by the opponent in a particular technique, and turn it against him, making him loose his balance, and his attack.
d) Distance:
separation between the bodies in the displacements during the combat; it may be short, medium, or large.
e) Avoiding:
displacements of the body and its parts like feints, takes-off, deceits, etc.
f) Expansion:
when the defense strategically opens up in order to allow an attack with the object to intercept it.
g) Momentum:
opportunity or proper time to blocking, neutralizing, avoiding an attack, and for counterattacking efficiently.
h) Occlusion:
when the defense closes in order to neutralize the attack of the opponent.
i) Resistance:
opposite force applied upon the pulling or traction of the opponent's arms or body.
j) Speed of reaction:
promptness of mental and corporal response upon certain attack in process.
A judoka must pay special attention to his defense system, working hard to reinforce his skills and capacities in order to become insurmountable to the attacks. Many say that the best defense is the attack, and it could be true in many instances.
According to its varieties, we can see "Defense" as follows:
a) By its Consistency:
- Open Defenses
- Close Defenses
b) By its Style:
- Lateral Defenses
- Frontal Defenses
c) By its Form:
- Defenses of Resistance and Strength
- Defenses of Blocking and Neutralization
- Defenses of Routing and Counterattack
The Defense with the best results is the one of blocking, avoiding, and neutralizing because in it you can apply the Judo principle of utilizing the strength and weight of the opponent in order to make him loose his balance and fall down. By means of breaking down the force of the attack, changing the orientation of it, and rerouting the lost force, which acts at the same time, as unbalancing element of the attacker (Kuzushi); adding the advantage of being able to apply in efficient way some of the counterattack techniques.
We can calculate the performance of a defense system dividing the number of blockings by the number of attacks received, and then multiplying it by 100. In this way we obtain a percentage coefficient of efficiency in a given time.
In order to design and to put in action a defense system, besides the principles, it is necessary to learn what is a system, so to have a defense that would behave systematically, not only in its conception, but also in its application and reprogramming.
A Defense System of combat is the model composed of actions and techniques that allow resolving with efficiency the effects of the attacks of the opponent. This system must have a retro-feeder mechanism, which will act as adjuster of responses, according to the circumstances and the characteristics of the attacks received.
A defense system must have a model for working with the following tactics: displacements, blocks, feints, manipulations, speed of reaction and techniques of rerouting and counterattack. It must also have strategic sources as: perceiving the intention of the opponent, analyzing his movements, measuring of his skills, assimilation of the influence of the environment during the combat, and keeping the emotional stability.
In a defense system each way of grappling of the opponent Kumikata must have a response; each entrance and movements must have a response; each throw or technique from the opponent must have a response, be it a technique of rerouting or of counterattack. In other words, the model in question must have a serial of alternatives as defense sources, in order to know what and how to respond in each of the cases.
The system as such must have four essential and interrelated elements for its functioning:
a) Mechanism of entries (techniques, experience, and skills)
b) Mechanism of process (the fight or combat in its diverse forms)
c) Mechanism of exit (the results in terms of the techniques accomplished and the scores received)
d) Mechanism of retro feeding (in the case that tactic-strategic adjustments would be necessary during or after the combat).
The efficiency of performance in a defense combat is the relation between the number of successful blocks achieved and the total attacks received; it is, the coefficient obtained dividing the output achieved by the total input.
In Judo, what we try to have is a technique with less movement and with a maximum yield out of it. One of the fundamental principles of Judo is to obtain the maximum efficiency with the minimum stress.
This means that in the application of a technique the strength used must be smartly controlled, at least in a way as to accompany the other two more important factors of a Judo technique: the method, and the skill.
a) The method, in other words, the mechanic, organized, and sequential way of realizing the movements.
b) The art, or talent, which is called skill, or dexterity as well. If for example, you receive a frontal Harai goshi attack, what you should do is to employ the minimum number of movements, the minimum intensity of strength as input; but the maximum speed of reaction, anticipation, and counterattack, the more precise angle, the adequate orientation and direction, and the best method and skill in order to block and close your opponent's defense.
In the counterattack phase you will need a Kake charged with the maximum controlled energy; for example, in the execution of a Harai goshi gaeshi, or Uchimata sukashi, this, evidently, makes a defensive counterattack to be effective.
In a defensive process, the components that intervene in the defense ought to obtain their maximum yield in terms of impenetrability. We are referring to the actions of blocking, avoiding, resistance, counterattack, distance, speed, adaptability, momentum, and to the forms of defense that exist, it is open, lateral, frontal, etc.
The system of defense reaches in this way a high level of performance, in other words, a less number of times that a defense is conquered, and the more number of times that an attack is neutralized.
