http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/Essays by Dan Djurdjevic on the martial arts and related disciplinesennoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:50:47 PSTBlogger http://www.blogger.com133125noreply@blogger.comnoEssays by Dan Djurdjevic on the martial arts and related disciplineshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/OaxD2utUEGc/importance-of-visualisaton.html2 persondrillsvisualisationnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:32:48 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-3061724384576330340I find visualisation essential in martial arts training: from learning new techniques, to applying them in a dynamic context.There was a time (2003) when I was confined to a hospital bed on a drip for 3 whole months. All I could do was visualise things. I used to look at the drip and think of it as an arm, with the bend as the elbow. Then I'd imagine locks or holds. I progressed to thinking 2009-12-31T12:32:48.520+08:001http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/12/importance-of-visualisaton.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/4eXPJSmi26g/fight-dynamics-how-civilian-defence-and.htmlresistancereal fightingcivilian defencepressure-testingnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:41:40 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-6302615829729207613Two recent blog posts have caught my eye - both relating to broadly the same issue, and one that is close to my heart: the difference between combat sports and civilian defence.I have previously described, in some detail, the difference between civilian defence and combat sports (or military combat, for that matter). However both these blog posts offer a different perspective which I find quite 2010-01-05T18:41:40.929+08:000http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/12/fight-dynamics-how-civilian-defence-and.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/8DhInLh9_rY/extract-1-from-essential-jo.htmlmuidokanessential jowu-wei daojonoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:28:32 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-3535319152154446549Here is the first of a series of extracts taken from my upcoming book "Essential Jo: Comprehensive techniques and combat 2 person drills for the Japanese 4 foot staff".The muido/wu-wei dao jo methodWe call our school “muidokan” or “wu-wei dao guan” – the “house of the way of least resistance”. This reflects both our philosophical and technical emphasis of avoiding unnecessary action by “going 2009-12-15T19:28:32.569+08:002http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/12/extract-1-from-essential-jo.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/ztRWJDX37TA/memories-of-sensei-part-2.htmlBob Daviessenseishinainoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:11:47 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-3578353986756489830Continued from Part 1:I mentioned in my previous post that my teacher, Bob Davies, is an "old-school" teacher. I'm not sure how he teaches nowadays, but certainly my early years of training with him were underlined with a kind of discipline that would probably meet with grave consternation in today's Australia.Well do I remember his shinai stick (a split bamboo sword used in kendo) - 2009-12-14T09:11:47.029+08:004http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/12/memories-of-sensei-part-2.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/z1KXTz6gkUk/memories-of-sensei-part-1.htmlBob Daviessenseinoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:45:26 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-4708614795986734741Recently my karate sensei - Bob Davies - asked me to write a "warts and all" reflective testimonial of my experiences with him.I have previously recounted some of those experiences, but I thought I'd give a fuller account. With regard to the "warts", I'll make this opening remark: every martial arts teacher is a human being with foibles and idiosyncrasies, and these are generally neither here nor2009-12-12T15:45:26.747+08:002http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/12/memories-of-sensei-part-1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/1_P3BwAq44w/making-movements-smaller.htmlnaifunchindouble hipsine wavenaihanchitelegraphingshrinkingkoshipre-loadingnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:38:00 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-6664432491127893599In my previous article "Abandoning form: the paradox of the shrinking martial art" I discuss how movements become smaller as you progress - until ultimately the form you have learned is abandoned altogether.Recently this approach has been suggested to me as the reason for the use of "koshi" - and by this I refer to a preloading/telegraphing hip action - in the kata naihanchi. I've previously 2009-12-11T20:38:00.940+08:000http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/12/making-movements-smaller.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/cFATBzBgrCc/internal-arts-and-pushing.htmlVisible forcetaijimomentumpush handssilk reelingpushingbaguaxingyiEarl Montaiguenoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:45:32 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-701995006040784392I have previously highlighted my disdain for "mystical" interpretations of the internal martial arts. In my view all martial arts function within the bounds of known physics; there is simply nothing metaphysical - nothing that is left wanting for a "paranormal" explanation.However there are still many people out there who adhere to the opposite view. To quote a correspondent on an internet 2009-11-19T18:45:32.026+08:009http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/11/internal-arts-and-pushing.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/ue-qRmP8ESo/dropped-diaphragms-and-internal-power.htmlqiinternaldiaphragmfatnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:46:36 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-8897414020052839294There is a persistent myth that I've heard over the years that somehow training in the internal martial arts gives you a big belly.I've never regarded this myth as anything other than an obvious, self-referential joke: ie. "I don't have a beer gut - it's just that my belly is full of qi/ki."Recently however I have become aware that some people actually think there is such a syndrome. Just 2009-11-18T16:46:36.876+08:004http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/11/dropped-diaphragms-and-internal-power.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/IQpgbbA6gcs/jo-introduction-to-4ft-staff.htmlmuidokanaikijojonoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:48:29 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-7904292376969332840I will admit to having a love affair that started after I met my wife and that endures to the present day. No, the object of this affection is not another woman/man (although I suspect that my wife, like many women, probably envies its figure!). The object is none other than a 4 foot stick, made of Japanese oak.It feels surprisingly light in the hands, is textured with the bumps and bruises of 2009-11-22T11:48:29.265+08:008http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/11/jo-introduction-to-4ft-staff.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/z5PNEc7z7rM/going-solo.htmlapplication2 personVisible forcehydrostaticfocusformnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:52:16 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-1381934206447541006A common criticism of traditional eastern fighting arts is the emphasis those arts place on solo practice - often at the expense of 2 person practise.Indeed, many traditional fighting arts are so steeped in solo forms that they have barely no partner application at all. When they do, it is often stilted, stylised and unrealistic.This criticism has led many martial artists who are interested in 2009-11-23T10:52:16.354+08:002http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/11/going-solo.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/yJEQ0NEC3Mk/another-blind-alley-sine-wave-debate.htmlITFHitting hardersine wavebouncingtaekwondocivilian defencefaux boxingnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:35:23 PSTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-1147184538404422056I have indicated before that it is dangerous to be obsessed with “power generation” in your martial art; there is so much more, particularly if your approach is oriented towards civilian defence. You don’t want to get hit, for starters. To do that you need not only evasion but “blocking” (deflection). You need a good foundation in terms of grounding and movement – in particular movement that 2009-11-05T14:35:23.035+08:003http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/10/another-blind-alley-sine-wave-debate.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/1yhhMV4EBA8/role-of-traditional-stances.htmlzhan bustancedachizenkutsuLyoto Machidashikogong bukibasanchinneko ashinoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:10:57 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-2776686005467342640It has occurred to me that I have not ever addressed one of the major elements of traditional fighting arts before: stances.Stances are an integral part of traditional eastern fighting arts. Moreover they are surprisingly consistent in form.For example, virtually every eastern fighting art has the “forward” stance (sometimes called the "bow and arrow stance"). In Japanese it is called “zenkutsu2009-10-29T07:10:57.199+08:001http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/10/role-of-traditional-stances.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/UVUF16bZuic/naihanchi-stance.htmlnaifunchinstancedachinaihanchishikotekkikibanoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:45:49 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-2247240497432926439Readers of my blog will be aware that I am at odds with many karate practitioners in relation to how the kata naihanchi/naifanchi should be performed.I have previously detailed my dislike of "hip shaking" - ie. pre-loading or telegraphing the hips to gain extra power - in practically every technique in naihanchi/naifanchi.However I have recently become aware of another point of disagreement I 2009-10-22T22:45:49.983+08:000http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/10/naihanchi-stance.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/MxM54MtkcLg/usefulness-of-naihanchitekki-nidan-and.htmlWado ryuOhtsuka Hinorinaifunchinnaihanchitekkisandannidannoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:41:05 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-1031812457953092247In I have previously discussed the origins of the kata known as "naihanchi", and "tekki"1. As most people are aware, there are 3 in the series, shodan, nidan and sandan.It is important to note that not every school of karate practise all 3 naihanchi kata. Our school is one of many that practises only the first of the series, feeling that it is sufficient.his book "Wado Ryu Karate"2 Hironori 2009-10-22T23:41:05.550+08:005http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/10/usefulness-of-naihanchitekki-nidan-and.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/OBUHzNm3UIc/dilution-of-martial-techniques-chudan.htmldilutionclayton's gapchudanblocknoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:46:45 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-6777984328067793713IntroductionPeople are often at me to illustrate what I mean when I talk about "dilution" in karate/martial arts so I thought I'd do so by reference to the common chudan uke or chest deflection. I have chose chudan uke because I think it provides one of the starkest examples of how a technique can be passed down from generation to generation with the same macro movement - but with all the 2009-10-11T18:46:45.785+08:001http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/09/dilution-of-martial-techniques-chudan.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/27iO1b70vuw/memories-of-taiwan-lost-in-translation.htmlKaohsiungChen Yun-ChingTaiwantranslationnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:48:11 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-3761055588974543938I was walking with my teacher, Chen Yun Ching, through the cluttered, stony streets of a Hakka village somewhere in southern Taiwan, blood-red paper and tinsel jostling with with the pushy crowds and endless market stalls."How do you you say 'Happy New Year'?" I asked him, and he paused, mid-stream, while people flowed around him, a rock in the rapids.I carefully repeated his words again and 2009-09-23T09:48:11.381+08:001http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/09/memories-of-taiwan-lost-in-translation.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/q118KCQBXjc/decadal-gashuku-part-4-aftermath.htmlgashukuBob Davies1990Tim HullGreg SeymourMidmar Damdecadalnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:46:30 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-6492968590787687841So what was the Decadal Gashuku all about? In 10 days we had run more than 150 km, performed close to 10 000 kicks and an equal number of punches, strikes and blocks. We had trained for 10 hours per day, sweated buckets of water, used up litres of sunscreen and eaten gallons of maltabela porridge. We had lifted chi shis, pressed the kongo ken, done thousands of knuckle push-ups, sit-ups, squat2009-09-04T16:46:30.211+08:003http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/09/decadal-gashuku-part-4-aftermath.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/i9N79OeaWeI/decadal-gashuku-part-3-running-on-empty.htmlgashukuBob Davies1990Tim HullGreg SeymourMidmar Damdecadalnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:39:58 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-4857076369535300962It was mid-afternoon half way through the second week of the Decadal gashuku. Tim Hull and I were shuffling along a dusty track somewhere in the African savannah. The group with which we’d started running had long since dispersed; the front pack having disappeared into the far distance while behind us about 20 or so stragglers were spread out over several kilometres.We were about 16 km into 2009-09-02T21:39:58.447+08:000http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/09/decadal-gashuku-part-3-running-on-empty.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/ooSIXL9-jxA/decadal-gashuku-part-2-ten-blind.htmlgashukuBob Davies1990Midmar Damdecadalnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:25:15 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-1932244462376439803My favourite passage in the Hagakure1 is the one about the 10 blind2 masseuses. I have copied it below:“Once a group of ten blind masseuses were traveling together in the mountains, and when they began to pass along the top of a precipice, they all became very cautious, their legs shook, and they were in general struck with terror. Just then the leading man stumbled and fell off the cliff. Those2009-09-03T09:25:15.634+08:004http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/08/decadal-gashuku-part-2-ten-blind.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/OZ57bUTqSAs/glimpse-into-heart-of-evil.htmlDumfriesVirginiaempathysociopathYoutubepsychopathnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Sat, 05 Sep 2009 07:44:21 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-7338878373400279154By now many of you will be aware of the video below, apparently taken on 13 December 19841 at a karate dojo in Dumfries, Virginia. It shows a brutal, unprovoked and totally reprehensible bashing of a young mentally disturbed man who claimed to be a kung fu practitioner "taught by Jesus". The video has gone viral. Possibly the only good thing to emerge from this is the universal outrage and 2009-09-05T22:44:21.294+08:002http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/08/glimpse-into-heart-of-evil.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/Y9eCcd9b4dw/anatomy-of-randori.htmlDesmond LawrencemeleerandoriBob DaviestaijiHong Kongcivilian defencebaguafaux boxingHans-Kurt Schäfertaisabakisvebornoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:20:37 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-1504170086140966391IntroductionI am about to reveal one of my personal "secret" martial art training methods. I would go so far as to say that it is the single most important way to learn how to apply civilian defence techniques in a dynamic environment. I am speaking, of course, of the sparring method we call randori.As I have explained previously, randori is a kind of sparring analogous to the "playfighting" of2009-08-27T11:20:37.059+08:002http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/08/anatomy-of-randori.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/XsTdLjcbEco/upset-applecarts-and-question-of.htmlAn'ichi MiyagigojuTomoyuki KatoMorio HigaonnalineageAlexandr Filimonovnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:28:02 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-6190663746479377687In traditional martial arts the question of lineage is often seen as paramount. I remember well the debates that raged from issue to issue on the letters page of the (now defunct) Australasian Fighting Arts Magazine. Various taijiquan schools would send in letters that stated: "X does not do authentic Yang style because he only studied with Y and Z while I studied with A, B and C" etc. 2009-08-20T15:28:02.794+08:004http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/08/upset-applecarts-and-question-of.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/DNbmdff9Rew/decadal-gashuku-1990.htmlgashukuBob Davies1990Midmar Damdecadalnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:34:12 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-5960692908421430748It's hard to believe we are rapidly approaching the 20th anniversary of the Decadal Gashuku, a martial arts training camp held by Lao Shi Bob Davies at Midmar Dam in Kwazulu Natal from 3 to 13 January 1990. It was an international event comprising 2 separate 5 day courses. Some of us (the "decadal participants") were there for both.For those unfamiliar with the gashuku (training camp) concept, 2009-08-31T23:34:12.511+08:003http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/08/decadal-gashuku-1990.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/MDuE6Edtduw/running-with-bob.htmlgashukuBob DaviesTim Hulllimitationsdecadalrunningnoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:47:09 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-3235787541426547271In 1991 I had a visit from one of my former karate classmates in South Africa, Peter Banks. Peter started training shortly after I did, but where I was a fresh-faced teenager, Peter was already in his late 30s. And where I was pencil thin, Peter was not. To be blunt, he had a sizable middle-aged spread.Imagine my surprise when, almost a decade later, Peter turned up at our dojo looking like an2009-09-01T22:47:09.686+08:001http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/08/running-with-bob.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dandjurdjevic/~3/Hyx-9RRW_vg/taiji-and-yoga-poles-apart.htmlyogatransitionsahajataijihathachangesasanayin and yangposturekundalininoreply@blogger.com (Dan Djurdjevic)Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:16:24 PDTtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135073576999431197.post-7008608376658839291My Chen Pan-Ling brother and good friend Mark Small sent me a link to the Camp Tai Chi site run by John Crewdson. John's home page has the intriguing heading "7 Ways Tai Chi is Different From Yoga". I don't disagree with any of John's points, particularly his observation that taiji (tai chi) is a martial art, where yoga is not. But I can't help thinking there is much more to the distinction 2009-08-01T08:16:24.783+08:004http://dandjurdjevic.blogspot.com/2009/07/taiji-and-yoga-poles-apart.htmlnonadult