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Strategy is something you can learn from judo, but also from games like chess and 'stratego'. It is a skill of the mind to think and act appropriately. It is a cardinal virtue in the sense of 'courage' or 'fortitude' (see menu 'virtues'). This is especially evident while acting. A judoka can not live without, but a man in the ordinary everyday life neither. Mitesco makes the following classification-system based on the teachings of Jigoro Kano on jukuryo danko. What that exactly means will be clear after reading the whole story.
1. Careful preparation (jukuryo)
a. Observation (kansatsu)
In judo and every situation, it is extremely important to watch and observe well. Kuzushi in technical meaning is mainly felt, but the rest (including mental kuzushi) is almost always an issue of watching carefully, listening and analyzing. People are showing a lot of themselves, even without noticing. When you contact people throughout the day, you will see most things immediately. How someone is dressed, looking, moving, connected to their natural environment, tells more than a fascinating story. Body language expresses more than words. On the tatami quick observation is of great importance. Those who do not see what an other judoka wants, how he feels or moves, is missing the most important thing. With the look, the way he moves with his hands or feet, he betrays almost always his inner attitude. You see an open mind, or anxiety, brutality, in short, everything you need to respond adequately. The attitude of the other makes clear what techniques he's going to use. If all is well everything fits in the picture. Mitesco compares judo often with traffic. On the road, an extremely good driver can look at a glance and can detect where danger appears or where rapid action is required. Who doesn't observe sharply, or loses himself in details or billboards could miss a pedestrian - or not. Mitesco learned of his former driving instructor: If you drive in a street and want to know whether a playing child will appear from behind a parked car, you should not look for the head of a child, but look for each movement. When you see in the distance a rolling ball or something moving under a car, you don't need to know that there is a child, but you will be prepared that there might be one. Most things in life, you see almost instinctively, in a flash. And usually you see also things that you don't see directly. Be aware of these versatile perception. And be concentrated. So you'll see on the tatami the uncertainty of a person's heart in a hesitant movement of the feet, or the positioning of the hands when he stands. You see in the movement of the eyes someone's intention. You observe a complete mental balance or imbalance by seemingly trivial outward signals. You see what movements someone makes to attack or defend. A good judoka observes everything in his opponent, but carefully hides his own intentions, if possible. Its is literally, in-sight: look inside.
b. Memory and comparison (kioku)
There is a game and it is called 'memory'. Knowing exactly which cards with specific images lay where. You can train young children with this game, but also elderly people who start to forget things. Most games with cards are based on careful observation and remembering. Stratego is the same. It's all a matter of memory. In judo you learn waza in the same way. Observe, remember, apply. We often see how difficult it is to memorize a technique perfectly. How can you remember each movement and apply them flexibly ? Some complicated techniques seem te be simple, but one single forgotten detail means the whole technique will be failing. Let's compare it once more with driving. Some people are trusting blindly their navigation system. Is that stupid or not? Only if you are afraid of maps, or when it's dark, that makes sense. It is perhaps much better to get used to orient yourself after studying a map, and drive the road after observation and memory. But people nowadays remember nothing. "Had it been the fourth or fifth street on the right?" If you should have seen that it was the first street after the cemetery, you would have known now. How smart can you be? As you do it when studying a language, you can do in traffic or in judo class. You can train and only rely in special cases on devices. Anyone who has seen or experienced much, and who has the intellect to save things well on the hard drive of his mind, is building a treasure of knowledge and memory. That will help to observe even better, remember more, and to grow in wisdom and knowledge. Applied on judo. Who thoroughly examines the principles, and observes techniques of others and himself, can learn better the subtle movements of each technique - from his memory and knowledge. He has seen it previously and will see it happen again. Who enters the tatami, prepared with that knowledge, will feel exactly what the other is doing. The only thing is speed. Because between the observation, the connection with knowledge and memory, and the throw, lays sometimes less than a second.
c. Imagination (sozo)
Observation and memory offer the opportunity to think conceptually. In other words, the stored images appear in new situations. How does it work? If you save images in your memory, you can also make abstractions of it. You can make generalities. A house is a house. But who is looking at houses all days, also learns the characteristics of a house. Who knows the characteristics, can study and do something. You could use this knowledge te be an architect or constructor. Board games as "stratego" are very instructive. They teach not only to remember, but also to build a system of attack and defense. So many pieces and grades, in order to organize the defeat of an imaginary opponent. Judoka's should found a stratego-club in the dojo... It's the same in traffic. Who has a lot of driving experience, knows exactly about every conceivable situation. He can imagine what he will find when he goes to Amsterdam, and how he must drive the canals along. But he also knows what the sharpness of a curve on a roundabout is, without the geometric data to know. He knows his speed, and can immediately imagine how sharp the exit is and how fast he must drive. In judo, a judoka with a lot of experience in mind can prepare for waza. For example, if you have observed ude garami often, and you know exactly what movement you have to make with your hand and the arm of the other, and where to hold it at exactly - and especially where your own arm should move below uke's - you can see the whole waza in your mind, or practice it (in a manner of speaking) with the drain hose from the laundry-dryer ...
d. Anticipation (saki o tore)
Many people say that Germans and Italians are such bad drivers. Generalizing is never good, but okay. Yet Germans like to drive faster (as they have no penalties in 'Flensburg'), and Italians are driving less according to the rules. But they generally have one thing in common. They anticipate greatly. And so they are the really good drivers. Those who criticize, are driving perhaps worse - or respond too late and are afraid of the assertive behavior. Mitesco loves to drive in those countries. He knows that if he is with more than 130 km/h on the left, that small van right of him has seen him and doesn't move suddenly to the left (like Dutch drivers do so often). You look so far ahead and backward as you can, and if others are doing something, you can still react without endangering each other's lives. In judo we are aware of the principle of saki o tore. It means to use the a technique before the other does. It is nothing more than anticipation. If you observe carefully, you will see every movement of the other. If you have a good memory, you know, for example, that a certain amount of movements usually or always prepare for an attack. If you have a good imagination, you will need the technique of others even less for you. If you love to anticipate, you will make within a second an image and clear conclusion, and you know from your memories of techniques and defense which will be your own kaeshi-waza. Actually, all kaeshi-waza and renraku-waza in judo are a matter of anticipating and adequately responding immediately. The fact that modern competition judo is using so few nice combinations, seems to be an issue of the same mentality as in the Dutch traffic: not observing, not thinking, not anticipating. Just try something. Judoka's should maybe play more chess. Chess is the ultimate art of anticipation. If a good chess player can't look further than five moves, he is almost checkmate. Anticipating is: the art not to be surprised. On the tatami and beyond.
e. Logic (gengo)
Logic is the basis to understand something. Except from some forms of art (which you should feel or not) you can analyze almost everything and determine why something is true or not. Even language is an exact science. Who studies judo-waza, must understand the logic of the human body and movements. There are no good judo techniques which don't correspond to the basic principles of logic. Nothing is simply invented. Logic of judo technique shows its effectiveness during training. Acting in accordance with the logical principles is to be obtained by careful thinking and analysis, applied to everything what is observed and remembered. Logic corresponds to the truth of the universe, Kyuzo Mifune would say: the element ju in judo, which stands for the natural, is part of an objective truth. Anyone who recognizes the truth and searches for it, provides the basis for the correct understanding of judo and all decisions in life. Whether it's driving, or games like chess or stratego - as previously mentioned, we will not understand what we must do if we are not doing it with a certain logic. Each strategy should match with logical principles.
f. Broadmindedness (tairyo)
The principle of ju means that you are open and flexible. Who fixes himself in his mind, can learn no more. As judo is a lifelong way, such fixation should never be the case. Judo is lifelong learning and opening yourself for challenges. No single technique is ever boring, because you and the person with whom you apply it, are every day new and different. We can never say: "I knew that already". Because we never know enough, and never have enough experience. If we prepare ourselves strategically by observation, analysis and logical application, our memory can also hamper us, instead of helping us. It can be prejudicial. We may, for example, know a certain judoka already for years, so we know that he is usually applies in situation X technique Y. If we assume that he will do the same now, and he applies waza Z, we will be surprised and overruled. It's the same in traffic. When we drive each day the same route from A to B at the same time, we still should not be sleepy, but always remain sharp and open to changing situations. Because today there could be a cyclist crossing... and he should not be overlooked. And so it is in everyday life among people. Prejudices towards our fellows are the most persistent social barriers in our mind. They not only lead to forms of racial hate, but even to small wars within families, or situations at work or school. The generalizing "he / she is this or something", pins people and deprives you of the freedom that you need to be able to observe purely in any situation. You see the things that you observe with your own colored glasses. Who observes badly, however, draws almost always the wrong conclusions. This leads to the greatest contradictions. Judo can help someone to approach a partner openly, to discover new challenges - without prejudice. Partly for that reason judo is often used as behavioral therapy for people who are difficult to access, or even in situations of autism. It is a natural (ju) way to get rid of fixations or subconscious fears. It is a path of practice, which lets easily feel what openness is, more than a thousand beautiful words can achieve.
2. Decisive action (danko)
Let's put the elements together:
After this preparation you can draw an obvious conclusion and then act. Jigoro Kano calls this principle jukuryo danko. (*) It is: act decisively after careful consideration.
a. Decide
Some people can make no decisions. They think they must have the openness of mind to consider everything again and again. And maybe again. The politicians (in the Netherlands) have the same attitude - they rather form a committee than cutting a knot. But there are also people who want to move and don't - because they find in any new home something wrong. Or they want to buy a new car, but after piles of folders and endless visits with the whole family to the showroom, they can't even choose. Perfection is something to aspire to, but perfectionism is a problem. (As nearly all-'isms'.) Judo can help people to overcome that reluctance. Because in randori and shiai you always have someone else to make decisions if you don't. In competitions you will get more shido's than you want, if you do nothing, if you can't decide. Judo also teaches you to apply the whole process of preparation, decision and act, very quickly. Because the whole process of kuzushi, tai-sabaki, tsukuri and kake goes on almost faster than the speed of light. Then you will have no more time to think about deciding, or your opponent has seen your hesitation and throws you in response. Indecisive judoka's should rather play a game of speed-chess: chess with the clock. Because making decisions is mainly a question of courage and fortitude. Yes, that also means: courage to take risks. When you quickly play chess, the pieces will be flying through the room. But if you're training toughly, you will be better and you'll learn to win without loss of vital pieces - until the time that you will be that good and move the other checkmate. Decisiveness is also learning to make quick decisions and learn from your mistakes. Judo is essentially the same. Who enters randori full of courage, might perhaps be thrown constantly the first time. But who perseveres, is gradually growing by better understanding and better decisions. Through trial and error you will go forward.
For that reason Mitesco connects decisive acting to the cardinal virtue of fortitude. People who cannot choose, are not brave, but cowards. Considering everything again and again is often also a matter of avoiding any risk. That's not what life is about. Who wants to know everything certainly, and always plays safe, does nothing and is nothing. They deserve a shido for life. Fortitude, courage, determination, perseverance - these are all virtues for strong men. Judoka must be brave people who take the risk to be thrown. Thrown today = learned today and be better tomorrow. That is courage.
A chance to try your technique is in one instant never to be regained, so try it without hesitation.
Kyuzo Mifune
b. Act
You can make brave decisions, but acting is the most important thing. Courage is to be shown by deeds. That is visible in judo. Someone may be so sure, but whether you are successful in randori is shown by the act and taking the initiative (sen), or when you do kake. In combat, there are three types of initiative: go no sen (initiative in response to the initiative of others), sen (simultaneously initiative) and sen no sen (initiative before others). Whatever decision is to be made, who takes the initiative, must be equally resolute and effective. Decide courageous = act courageous. That's the essence of danko. The more experienced someone is, the easier he will rely on his decision and action. For that reason judo is so suitable as a training in self-confidence. Self-confidence is to be build up and you'll not obtain it after one lesson. But when someone notes that he often draws the right conclusions from observations, and experiences that is his decisions are successful, he will act with more courage than before. Indeed, it will become a virtue - a virtue is a good act that you often do, and it becomes a second nature. Courage, you have to have it, but courage also often arise after repeatedly acting properly.
In relation to this courage to act, we must also obtain the virtue of selfcontrol. Virtues are always connected. Courage can also be overcourageous. Therefore Jigoro Kano mentions (when discussing danko) also the principle tomaru tokoro o shire - know when to stop. The correct action is always a balance between courage and restraint. On the tatami you'll learn that gradually - in relation to the other - to pay attention. Judo can be a life lesson, to balance your acts - just like you do on your feet.
3. Growth as a person
Who is acting like this: thoughtful, decisive and courageous, develops a personality that will last your entire life. You will find yourself being more capable to defend and to attack when necessary, to grow in assertiveness and modesty. You will build a strategic vision, courageous and virtuous. You will be a pleasant man, gentle and flexible, but also strong and a man of principles - always consistent with what is required for some time. You will use your energy (seiryoku) always best, because you are able to plan strategically. That gives a certain freedom of spirit, useful for your own life, for personal perfection, and the development of mankind.
Judo helps you to learn more on the way. But it's made true wherever you are, and that is in everyday life.
Tsutomu Oshima
(*) Note: Mind over Muscle p. 120-121.
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