The Three Reactions in Judo Technique

In excitation and message transfer, a time gap, like a physical solid, occurs between the stimulus and the contraction of the muscles. This time gap is called reaction time. It can be used to your advantage in your judo technique.

Evaluation of the use of these three reactions in judo:

a. Unconditioned reflex action

Since this reflex action is unrelated to the joint nerve center, it tends to result unconditionally from any given stimulus. In judo or boxing, for instance, if your opponent makes a movement toward your face, you are apt to close your eyes. You must not do this. If you close your eyes you cannot see him for the moment. This momentary blindness of yours gives him a good chance to attack you. Therefore this reaction must be checked by continual training.

b. Conditioned reflex action

Since this type of reaction rarely troubles the joint nerve center and comes after long acclimatization to the same stimulus, it is similar to the unconditioned reaction. In judo this reflex may not always be useful because other stimuli may be confused in certain techniques. Your opponent may take advantage of this reflex by a feint. So your joint nerve center should, first of all, analyze the various given conditions correctly and send suitable messages to the various areas.

c. Reaction achieved by practice

If you react after judgment is made in the joint nerve center, you take all the given stimuli into consideration. Reaction achieved by practice enables you to exercise correct judgment in each case. It is necessary in the study of all techniques. It is not useful in a contest unless the reaction time is shortened almost to that of an unconditioned reflex action. This can be attained by continual training over a long period of time.

In judo the third type of reaction (reaction by practice) is the best of the three, and the second type (conditioned reflex action) comes next. The first type (unconditioned reflex action) does not have much use in judo.

We have studied the three kinds of short reaction time. Let us now study some cases in which the reaction time is longer. These cases must be taken into consideration as you are studying judo technique.

Nine cases in which reaction time becomes longer:

The following are typical situations or conditions in which the time required for reaction becomes longer:

1. When one is not trained in judo.
2. When one's mind or body is fatigued.
3. When one is absent-minded.
4. When one is emotionally upset.

These cases, except the first, usually occur in daily life. Even if your opponent is not proficient in judo, he will expose these weaknesses in you.

Next let us consider how you can lengthen the time that your opponent reacts:

5. When your opponent focuses his attention on one movement, his reaction time to another stimulus becomes long. For instance, if you try to apply hane-goshi in the left direction, your opponent will try to defend himself in that direction. At this moment his attention will probably be fixed in that direction only. Therefore his reaction time in the opposite direction becomes longer.

6. When stimuli are combined, the time becomes longer. If your opponent knows that you can apply hane-goshi from both sides, he must be ready for an attack from both sides. Therefore his reaction time becomes longer.

7. When we see a movement by indirect sight, the reaction time to that movement becomes longer. When you see an object, you see some parts more clearly than the others because the central fovia of the retina can image an object clearly, but the other parts cannot. Therefore, if you attack your opponent from a direction in which your movement cannot be clearly imaged, his reaction time becomes long.

8. When your opponent inhales, his reaction time is longer than when he exhales. We can exert a stronger force when we exhale than when we inhale. While inhaling, your opponent will find it difficult to defend himself against your attack, whether he be a master or a beginner in judo.

9. The moment your opponent is off balance in any direction, his reaction time becomes longer.
Use this reaction time against your opponent and you judo technique will improve.

      By Desmond McKay

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