The evolution of kuzushi

I did a seminar at Union U. this past weekend. The first session was a talk and demonstration and some trials by the students of the evolution of kuzushi ideas and models from happo no kuzushi to Greg Ables' paired walking to our 2-direction footfall kuzushi idea. Also included some minimal discussion of Tomiki's Shichihon no kuzushi and some ideas I have about how to make the kuzushi-getting process more automatic.

Here are my notes from that session, if anyone might find them interesting or get something from them...

Kuzushi
Lit: “crumbling.” fig: “off-balance,” or if you stretch it just a bit, it can include the concept of suki (weakness or gap or opening)
“Kuzushi is any time uke has to make an un-intended move.” per Nick via Moose Pollard
Basically, kuzushi is a timed, directed force applied to uke that causes him to stumble or crumble. per Pat

Happo no kuzushi
Lit: “8 ways of kuzushi” fig: “kuzushi in all-directions”
Kano et al. attempt at codifying and demonstrating kuzushi
HNK is somewhat primitive and non-functional b/c uke never really holds still for you and HNK doesn't deal with timing requirements of kuzushi – just postural. It also creates un-realistic ideas about how to get offbalances for some throws (like seoinage and osotogari).
But some judoka become very good using this model, and it's part of the development of the kuzushi idea, so it probably deserves demonstration.
Think of this as a demonstration of the “whats” of kuzushi without any mention of the “whens” or “hows”

Greg Ables' Paired Walking
Based on Tomiki's footwork exercises - “walking”
This adds the “hows” to happo no kuzushi – shows how to move your own body to induce kuzushi in uke's
stretching into extension – easiest to demonstrate on diagonals
diverging and converging – easiest to demonstrate on sidesteps
stopping short and reversing – tricky, but very unsettling to uke
hands come in last and light on all of these, almost as if just feeling to verify his body did what you think it did.

The line and the hole
A.K.A. Footfall kuzushi - A condensation of HNK and of Ables' down to 2 directions. Very practical and functional.
This adds the “whens” to Happo and to Ables' and makes it so simplistic (only 2 directions) that it is easier to work in real time (i.e. randori).
1 time to apply a kuzushi to uke – on a footfall
2 possible directions – parallel to uke's feet (on the line) or perpendicular to uke's feet (in the hole)
The feel of the application of the kuzushi (the “how”) should be that of a bump – on/off – like ringing a tuning fork. If you push too long or hard then you give uke support and if you hold on too tightly you damp out the vibrations.

Making kuzushi automatic
Pat Parker attempt at integrating these ideas into something useful...
tori's forearms 90 degrees to each other
tori moving with uke (as in Ables') trying to match/mirror his steps
any time uke makes a surprising or untoward motion, bump him inline with either of your forearms (which will tend to be very close to his parallel or perpendicular) or bump uke with one forearm then the other.
This constant whole-body vibration can be tiring for uke's low back and knees, so be nice.

if you bend both elbows to between 45 and 90 degrees and point one hand at the other forearm then your forearms will be close to 90 degrees wrt each other.

then you close with uke until your hands close onto something while your arms stay near those angles.

then you get in step with uke and notice that it is pretty hard for him to step anywhere that your forearms aren't pretty close to lined up with his 2 weak lines.

so, anytime uke makes a threatening step (anything out of synch with you) you can jostle him with either hand and that force will tend to be pretty close to one of his weak lines.

this tends to spoil attackers' kuzushi and after 2 or 3 bumps they are usually primed for your own tsukuri.