Jizaikan

3 Steps To Training Safely

There are many different types of martial arts. There are some that focus solely on striking fast and hard and others that train just on throws and the grappling side of combat. There are some that are practiced primarily for exercise or competition and others that focus on dealing with real life self defense situations.

In our martial art, we focus on striking, throwing and joint locking/breaking, all for self-protection. This makes for a more prepared warrior student but it does have its drawbacks. One of those is how do we train in a way that is both preparing us for a possible real life attack and at the same time make sure that we are always safe. No one signs up at a martial art school hoping that they will get their arm hyper-extended, their knee or shoulder ripped out or even worse be paralyzed or killed.

The problem with doing a martial art that is very effective is that the techniques are made to destroy another human being. If these techniques are done correctly, at a realistic speed, then the joints or bones will break. This will lead to students not being able to train for weeks or months and scare other students away from training where there is a possibility for severe injury. The long term effect is that the dojo we all love would then have to close taking away the opportunity to learn these powerful techniques.

I have been in systems where the owners decided that they could no longer teach the really effective techniques because they were too dangerous for students to learn. That meant that the entire art suffered because it was losing the one thing that separated it from the other systems. This made me frustrated because I had been training with those same techniques for years and had never injured anyone.

Let’s look at what you can do as a training partner that will help keep your friends safe as you train in this incredible combat art that has been passed down for centuries.

1. Slow Down! The main reason people get injured is that they are going to fast. Speed and strength are used when technique breaks down whether due to lack of confidence, control or skill. To develop the skill necessary you need to feel when you have someone’s balance. This can only be accomplished at lower speeds. Once you have internalized these skills then the speed will come naturally. This is not only geared at Tori (defender) but also Uke (attacker). The Uke sets the speed of the technique. If you come in too fast and strong then the defender is going to have to match your speed which will lead to you getting injured.

2. Practice Your Ukemi! You are ultimately responsible for your own safety. If you practice your rolling and breakfalls then you will not be injured when you hit the ground. In our system, we practice a lot of Randori or “Free Response” sparring. When you attack someone, you have no idea what defense they are going to use, so you need to be prepared for anything that might happen. You need to be able to fall and roll out of all situations. I personally have been saved by my ukemi both in martial arts training and when slipping and falling. This is the one skill that everyone needs to spend more time on.

3. Get Rid of Your Ego / Need To Win! You need to practice your Musubi (Harmonious Interaction). When you are in the dojo in normal classes your job is to provide a realistic attack so that your training partner can learn and master a technique. You need to be a cooperative training partner and not try to counter or defeat them when they are learning. It is very easy to defeat what you know is coming. If your partner were not working on a specific technique your resistance would just lead to a different solution with the same outcome, your demise. As a warrior, you need to understand that the more you “die” in the dojo, the better the odds of you surviving on the street. If you are always winning, then you are probably not training correctly.

I have been training in martial arts for over 30 years and I can proudly say that I have never injured anyone. I have caused lots of pain but I have never damaged my training partners. If you learn to train safely, then you too can have a long and prosperous martial arts career. If you don’t then you will never make it to the really cool stuff that interested you in taking martial arts in the first place.

Michael Jutoshi Eichenberg
The Warrior’s Edge
Naperville, IL
Jizaikan Kancho