Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Judo Strategy - Turning Your Opponent's Strength to Your Advantage


Take advantage of your opponent's long reaction time. This is excellent judo strategy. We must consider how to make the opponent's reaction time longer and make use of it in a practical manner. When your opponent focuses his attention on something, his reaction time to another stimulus becomes longer. We would like to take up here two instances in which you can avail yourself of your opponent's force and his long reaction time.

It often happens that if you attack your opponent consecutively, the second or third attack enables you to make a decisive stroke. This happens because the first and second attacks put him in disorder while you are placed in a convenient position for taking advantage of his force and long reaction time. For instance, you might employ o-uchi-gari on him as he has leaned backward with his feet spread widely.

He must push his upper body forward; otherwise, he will fall backwards. At this moment he can think of nothing but coming back into a natural posture. He doesn't realize how his pushing force is made use of by your next movement. You can now easily break his posture forward and apply seoi-nage (shoulder throw) or tai-otoshi (body drop) with success.

The second instance is that of escaping your opponent's attack. In whatever direction you advance or retreat, you must do it according to the principle of ju. The working of this principle will be clearly shown if you use good judo strategy and dexterously escape from his attack. He will break his posture by himself by lengthening his reaction time, since he attacks you with all his strength.

At this moment your are put into a position extremely convenient for applying a throw. For example, suppose he attacks you with a right uchi-mata (inner thigh sweep). If you pull your left foot to the back of your right just before his body touches yours and at the same time pull his upper body with your right hand, his posture will break to his left front corner through his own force.
This gives you an opportunity to apply left tai-otoshi (body drop) or right ko-soto-gake (foot hook). In case he applies left hane-goshi you must swerve your body aside just before he springs up your lower body with his left loin and leg and simultaneously sidestep with your left foot inside his left loin while twisting your right loin backward and at the same time pulling his upper body with your left hand.

He will then break toward his right front corner, giving you the best chance to hold him up with your right arm on your back waist in order to throw him down. This technique is called utsuri-goshi (counterattack throw).

The principle of ju should be applied only during advancing or retreating. To take advantage of both your opponent's force and his long reaction time, you must move faster and farther than he does. Through this technique, if you repeat it consecutively, you will finally bring him off balance. No matter what posture you take in accordance with his motion, you must be able to return to a position of natural posture before he attacks you.

Taking this as a center that systematizes all the forces working between the two of you, you can lead him easily at your convenience, adding your force to his as you are giving way.
Learn the appropriate judo strategy and practise these maneuvers to obtain the upper hand at all times.

     By Desmond McKay


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2644972

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