Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

Remember that the main dojo is closed tomorrow for Veterans Day. Hope
everyone has a great 3-day weekend.

Lesson of the Week
Kuzushi – Defeating the Enemy by Destroying his Balance

The kanji for kuzushi actually translates as "to demolish" but in
martial arts terms it takes on the ideal of first breaking the
opponents balance, and then finishing him off. Warriors learned early
on to never attack a superior force head on, but found ways to
distract their opponents or even attack from another direction all
together. They also recognized that one of the best times to attack
was after an opponent had lost their balance due to unknown
circumstances, which included being out of position. Another way to
look at balance in combat is the ability to be aware of everything
going on around you, or zanshin. This concept allows us to understand
that you can break an opponent's balance physically, mentally or even
spiritually.
Most classical martial arts systems have a variety of techniques they
use to break an opponents balance. These range from pushing or
pulling, using the opponents momentum against them or even how to
strike at just the right angle to cause kuzushi. Mentally we train to
not let a sudden crisis destroy our demeanor, by constantly
developing healthy reactions to a multitude of attacks and
situations. We constantly study the actions of other successful
people and learn to modify those actions to fit our own needs. We
also learn that by developing a strong spirit, that we can endure
those that try to intimidate or bully us and stay focused on our own
specific objectives.
In an effort to understand the weakness of being off-balance; we
spend hours developing good balance in our postures and movements to
ensure our ability to respond from a solid position. In combat a good
general understands this concept well, and designs strategies and
tactics designed to keep the enemy off balance through a variety of
posturing and flanking maneuvers. Even in our personal lives this
concept of striving to always maintain our balance, while at the same
time trying to destabilize any opposition we may encounter, is one of
those little keys of success.
In modern time we have learned to try and maintain balance in several
key areas including business and career, family and personal life,
money and investments, health and fitness, personal growth and
development, social and community activities, spiritual development
and inner peace. Each of us learns one way or another, to maintain
the right amount of energy in each area, or this imbalance will cause
a string of other problems. Like the general in his war room creating
battle plans, the modern warrior breaks out the day planner and
coordinates activities to ensure a balanced progression towards their
specific goals. A couple of key concepts would include asking what
one thing should I do at this moment to help me reach my goals and
still maintain my balance? Also, when faced with a problem ask, how
can I reposition the problem or myself, in order to minimize or even
completely neutralize the negative consequences of this problem? The
modern warrior understands and constantly works on maintaining
balance in a rapidly changing world. Understanding kuzushi is one of
those little secrets of black belt excellence.

Respectfully,
Terry Bryan