PersonalNinjutsu

Detail

In Jujutsu, details matter. The Bansenshukai Ninjutsu jujutsu curriculum is made up of a 30 part kata of maneuvers from American Jujutsu in the Crawford system. It's the basic stuff you see in an MMA fight, really. Mount reversal, guard break, side mount, key lock, arm bar, arm bar, juji gatame ... you get the idea.

What astounds me is how much the details matter. Fo instance, in step 4 of the drill Tori is in side mount and Uke breaks an arm bar and grabs for a scarf choke. Tori goes to gaidon and get a vertical arm bar. Uke's arm is laying against the back shoulder and chest of Tori, and Tori has both hands to get the lock. In BSSKN, we use the palm grip (palms together, thumbs interlocked, fingers folded over back of hand) and tonight Sensei reminded me to use the knife edge of the inside of the forearm to get the lock. Just put that bone right on the top of the tricep.

That makes all the difference.

It is simpler to just grab the elbow joint with the hands. In fact, you can just hit it with a fist and break the elbow joint if you want. But putting that edge there just puts Uke in an inordinate amount of pain right away, and who doesn't want to end a fight faster?

So next time you train, work out the details. It's not just a fight, it is a set of techniques, and blending them will take time. Focus on the techniques now so them come naturally later.

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