mitesco - judo

To hold order in life, it means that there is no energy wasted on pointless acts. Where chaos reigns, much more effort must be made to do something or to organize business. Try to make appointments with people without agenda. Try to find a pen on a desk when there was no cleaning up for weeks. Try to find a book in a library that is not logically organized. Try to find the road without signs or navigation. Try to have a judo contest without rules or referee.

It looks like fun to be completely free in everything, but no one can live without order and discipline. All you want to do is much more complicated and takes a lot of unnecessarily energy. Discipline, order and seiryoku zenyo belong completely together.

Keeping discipline has multiple facets:

Knowing what is good and evil
Keeping things within bounds.
Discipline: the sensei and his dojo.

1. Knowing what is good and evil

Jigoro Kano explains that there is a clear link between intellectual and moral education. Why? Of course, a judoka must have knowledge, before he can apply techniques. Who knows nothing about judo principles, will not perform any waza as it should be. The same is true for entire life. Who knows nothing about principles of good and evil, can't live morality. Those who didn't learn to think logically, can never act consistently when it comes to choices between good and evil. Intellectual training is necessary to think logically. Someone who creates order and discipline in his mind, can live correctly.

Jigoro Kano says (we quoted earlier):

In one respect, moral education must be carried out from the aspect of knowledge. That is to say, it is necessary to know intellectually what is good and what is evil. Its is also necessary to develop the intelligence to distinguish right from wrong in various complex situations. Thus is it necessary to teach the ability to determine good from bad, to discriminate what is right from what is wrong.

(Mind over Muscle p.68)

What is good and evil, is inspired by justice (see menu: 'virtue'). In summary, jita kyoei is the general standard for what a judoka should do or not. The welfare of all is the highest purpose on earth. It is difficult to distinguish what is in alignment with that goal and what is not. Therefore you need prudence and intelligence. Because what is really good or evil? Very often this is a subtle balance of short - and long-term, the choice between a larger or smaller evil, or the absolute prohibition of doing things. Intellectual training helps to master the dilemmas that inevitably arise.

For example. In a judo tournament the question might arise, if it's good or evil to let an opponent - who is aroused and angry - stumble over his own behavior. Because after all, although the other is mentally kuzushi, the question is whether he will learn to be a better man by quickly humiliating him, or let him to be punished by the referee with shido. So what is good or evil? In the long term it seems that he will be getting a proper lesson to learn. In the short term, however, there is a risk of overheating, injuries or unsporting behavior. A good judoka will concern all these considerations in a fast decision, in order to make a choice which contributes to peace and happiness for his partner. The right choice may be pretty complicated.

Virtues help a judoka to make the right decision. If you have made regularly wise and fair decisions, you will have experience. Then your mind is always surer and sharp in the deliberations. Repeatedly carefully chosen, will help to make always a good choice.

About the virtues of prudence, intelligence and justice we can summarize the following:

Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it; "the prudent man looks where he is going." Prudence is "right reason in action," writes Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle. It is not to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure. It is prudence that immediately guides the judgment of conscience. the prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.

Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to the neighbor. Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good.

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2. Keeping everything within bounds

Jigoro Kano gives the example of diligence (zeal). Diligence is not always good, although a lot of people think that you can never be diligent enough. For example, when you are mentally or physically tired, you must not continue at all costs, because you can get sick or injured, or get involved in uncontrollable circumstances. Therefore it's true that:

Virtually no one doubts that diligence is a good thing. (...) You must select the good things from among them and be diligent, but if you are diligent in an irresponsible manner, you will spend a great deal of effort on something that is not very useful, and expend the energy required to do something good wastefully. You must carefully choose something for which diligence is suited. Even when we do what we believe to be best, overdoing something can be harmful. When students stay up late reading a book because their teachers, parents, or society has deemed it best that they should read it, this is certainly diligence, but it's also detrimental to their health to read so long. Diligence is good, but one must be diligent in moderation, to an appropriate extent.

When you consider it this way, it cannot be said unconditionally that simply because something was done diligently it was necessarily good. Behind this notion there must be one major guiding principle, that is to say, seiryoku zenyo. That does not mean pushing yourself to be diligent when you are exhausted. Conversely you cannot do things half-heartedly or randomly. You must not expend so much effort that you become unable to do other things. You must first create an image of seiryoku zenyo in your mind and then set about being diligent. (Mind over Muscle p. 78-79)

In short: hard work - and all virtues - should be arranged by the mind. We could summarize some obvious elements one by one to pursue:

Moderation in everything: not too weak, not too enthusiastic
Think what you are doing, consider whether it is useful and effective
Master and control your own physical and psychical boundaries
Keep versatile in your efforts
Balance your energy consumption.

This is moderation. The right extent does not necessarily lay in the middle, but is adapted to everyone's capabilities.

Another example of Jigoro Kano is the right amount for eating and drinking in relation to your needs:

Devotion to seiryoku zenyo entails striving to act selflessly for the good of society. When carrying out some kind of duty for society, it is all right to skip a meal once or twice, but eating irregularly when it is not necessary to do so is not good. So, from the standpoint of seiryoku zenyo, you must eat a proper amount whenever you can. Yet because work can often be demanding, for the sake of yourself, others and society, you must be prepared to miss a meal once or twice, though not in excess. (Mind over Muscle p.80.)

All this shows that commitment is important, but that the judo principles also help to avoid any form of exaggeration. Unfortunately, some judoka's should take that to heart. Scoring an ippon is not wrong of course, but there is certainly more to do in our country than just judo training or competition. Dr. Kano would learn that judo is a way, but the goal is bigger. Who trains hard, but has no social life because judo determines everything, has understood something entirely wrong. What some competition judoka's do to maintain a certain weight, not to be their natural weight, disrupts in some cases the balance of the body completely. The question is, whether the competition results are stressed too much in relation to the requirements that a human being must make for their energy and nutrition.

In normal life, this application of the proper balance is just as interesting. Any reader, judoka or not, could look into a mirror in which he or she can distinguish his own motives:

To be unmotivated is terrible, because that creates weakness, laziness, disorder, chaos - and a lot of energy is not used when it is needed.
To be overmotivated is also terrible, because that creates overstrain, stress, perfectionism and one-sidedness - and a lot of energy is used where it is not needed.

Both forms of motivation miss order. The discipline of seiryoku zenyo remains clear in everything by distinguishing the means and the goals, what intentions we should have, and what a balanced use of the technical principles mean. Discipline and wisdom in all is the basis for a virtuous life in balance.

If we closely observe the actual state of society all over the world, notwithstanding the fact that morality in all its forms (religious, philosophical and traditional) is meant to improve man's conduct in society and make the world ideal, the fact seems quite the contrary. We notice vices, quarrels, and discontent in every level of society, from the highest to the lowest. While we are taught hygiene and correct ways of living in school from childhood up to mature age, we still are prone to neglect the rules of good clean living and of hygienic and orderly lives.

The actual facts prove that our society is lacking in something which, if brought to light and universally acknowledged, can remodel the society and bring greater happiness and satisfaction to this world. This is the teaching of maximum efficiency and mutual welfare and benefit.

(Jigoro Kano: The Contribution of Judo to Education)

T. Shidachi, speaking on the principles of Judo in 1892 said:

We come by daily training to know that irritability is one of our weakest points, and that we have to try to avoid it in our life, as it facilitates our opponent's efforts to overcome us . Not to be irritated in any emergency, but to always be calm and composed, is one of the first principles of Judo. Prudence, precaution, temperance, perseverance, presence of mind, quick discernment, decision after deliberation, animation with moderation, self-respect, and self-control — all these are surely moral qualities which are inculcated by the study of Judo.

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3. Discipline: the sensei and his dojo

Sensei ni rei!

Jigoro Kano always had great respect for those who had initiated him in ju-jutsu. Not for nothing. It is unthinkable for a Japanese not to honor those who passed the principles of judo. The key feature of the sensei is that he is a lifelong teacher. What we modern judoka's regard as a sort of trainer or coach, would be a too limited vision for Japanese tradition.

We call Jigoro Kano often the O Sensei, the great Sensei. He was a teacher and educator in the broadest sense. Teachers in Japan have a high reputation. That belongs to the culture of Japan, they are almost similar to samurais and the nobles. A teacher is to be treated with the greatest respect. In Japan you would therefore never appeal teachers with their first name. He is not simply 'Peter", but always 'Mr...'.

Courtesy is in the Japanese culture a normal behavior. Power and positions are according to Confucius a "mandate of Heaven". A leader has a mandate from the gods, and he has to keep that high standard up. The subordinates give him unconditional obedience, unless it has been proved that he is not worthy to obey him. The Confucian standards were very strict, had something of a father-child relationship. In Japan, this rule is more cultivated than in China, the birthplace of Confucius. Even in companies, you can still feel this attitude of obedience. We westerners do not understand everything about it. We're much too democratic.

If we do the greetings during training, and honor to the teacher (sensei ni rei) with the greetings, we are behaving not like an Oriental or Japanese. For us, the sensei is someone who is more a friend, we usually don't call him 'Mister' or 'Master'... like all our teachers.

Discipline

From the classical budo principles, discipline was common and ordinary. Obedience, respect for the traditions and predecessors was a subject beyond doubts.

If you are searching the Internet for the relationship between judo and discipline, you will find almost nothing that connects you with those traditions. The modern sensei is not the one who imposes anything, and is certainly not demanding the obedience that the Japanese do like. The dan-grades of a sensei are not fixed. Traditionally a real teacher had at least the 5th or 6th dan. Today the shodan is sufficient and of course a certificate from the trainer-course of the Judo-organization. It has nothing more to do with the idea of a real lifelong-teacher on the 'do'. Judo is not a lifestyle anymore, it seems, but just a sport. The sensei is a democratic sport instructor.

But the discipline in the dojo is more than a system of etiquette. Discipline has become more 'self-discipline'. Yet there is something good to say. Neil Ohlenkamp for example gives a good summary on the judoforum:

As students progress in judo they naturally develop a form of self-discipline that helps not only in judo but that will serve them well in life. At the same time, this is passed on to the newcomers in class who learn by example. The sensei and senior students set the tone in everything. Once the atmosphere of the dojo is established, most new people will try to fit in, even without really knowing why we have the discipline. An undisciplined person in a well run judo class should really stand out.

Many rituals we do in class help to build this serious atmosphere that promotes good discipline, including everyone dressing the same, lining up, bowing, etc. One of the things I like to see in my class is people working hard. A great tool for building discipline is simply hard training, which leads to progress and intrinsic rewards including enjoyment of judo. It still bothers me to see people talking during uchi komi and I encourage them to train harder. I prefer to focus on the positive benefits of good discipline, rather than simply enforce rules. If you try to draw out the best in people they will naturally become more disciplined.

It is very rare to need to impose a more overt outside discipline on a student, but of course a sensei must be able to exert authority when needed. Anyone can get out of line, and we must pull the person back into line. This is a learning opportunity as well since self-control is an essential part of judo.

About Jigoro Kano was said, "As a teacher of Judo he appears to have been human. while one writer recalls that he was a strict taskmaster who went about the dojo (club) urging those resting and conversing to be up and about active practice, another student remarks - with an apparent pang of conscience - that the class was sometimes very noisy and disorderly and that their sensei (teacher) often had trouble in quieting it." (R. W. Smith, see also menu 'Kano and Mifune'.)

However, not to think about military structures, we might say that many judoka's nowadays are very free. Very free... A little more discipline might sometimes be desirable, not least because it serves the judo and good manners very adequately.

Dojo discipline

There are a lot of Internet pages for the various rules dojo. Here we present a few general:

1.) When entering or leaving the tatami, a standing greeting brought (ritsu rei).
2) In the dojo everyone has short nails (hands and feet). And jewelry (necklaces, piercings, rings, earrings, etc.) are dismissed.
3.) Outside the tatami always slippers, not with bare feet to the bathroom or shower.
4.) During training a judoka is silent.
5.) By exchanging training partners, always greetings to each other.
6.) Never leave the tatami without asking.
7.) Never eat or drink on the tatami.
8.) Pay attention to what the teacher says and what occurs!
9.) Respect for the training partner (uke).
10.) Judogi is always clean, and very neatly.

"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."

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