| Getting a good Jujitsu Foundation | | | | have to filter out the things I've learned |
| | | | from other styles, and focus on the basics. |
| Judo was the first martial art I ever | | | | Jujitsu grew out of Japan, as opposed to the |
| learned. I was a scrawny kid, with braces. | | | | Chinese Kung Fu styles I learned later, and |
| Not quite a book worm, but rapidly on my way | | | | focuses on a stable stance, grapples, and |
| to being a teenaged couch potato. My Dad | | | | throws. It doesn't focus so much on punches, |
| would tell me to run out and play, and I'd | | | | because it was meant to be practiced by a man |
| stay inside playing on my video game console. | | | | wearing armor, and punches against another |
| | | | person wearing armor are pretty futile, while |
| One day I came home from school, and found | | | | putting him on his back makes him |
| that my Dad had replaced the video game | | | | considerably more vulnerable. |
| console with a box, saying "Take a shower, | | | | |
| and meet me in the garage at 4." The box had | | | | It should be noted that I teach jujitsu, |
| a martial arts suit (I later learned it was | | | | rather than its sporting form, 'judo', |
| called a "gi") and my Dad took me to a | | | | because I want to teach the full on martial |
| martial arts class that afternoon, where we | | | | art, and give someone a basis for learning |
| both went through the basics of learning | | | | more martial arts in the future, rather than |
| judo. It was amazingly cool to do something | | | | a "recipe book" of throws, grapples, and such |
| like that with my Dad. I can still remember | | | | designed to win points in a tournament. I |
| the first time I threw him on the mat - he | | | | think jujitsu has a lot of practical use as a |
| still outweighed me by a good 40 pounds then! | | | | self defense martial art, mostly because it |
| He looked so surprised to be laying on his | | | | focuses on joint locks rather than throws. A |
| back, then just grinned at me. | | | | joint lock is a very practical method of |
| | | | disarming someone; in its most basic sense, |
| Fast forward more years than I like to admit, | | | | it's a means of applying force to a joint in |
| and I'm thankful that my Dad dragged my sorry | | | | the way that, mechanically, it's not meant to |
| butt off the couch. I went from judo to | | | | know. Anyone who's had their thumb turned |
| jujitsu, to a bunch of kung fu styles, and | | | | 'round in a Hawaiian handcuff has had a joint |
| now work as a freelance journalist covering | | | | lock done on them. The nice thing about joint |
| martial arts, as well as teaching those | | | | locks is that they even out strength |
| classes at the local dojo. Dad still does | | | | differentials quite well - originally, they |
| martial arts, but has moved on to softer | | | | were used to make an armed and armored foe |
| styles like Wing Chun, because his joints | | | | drop a weapon, making him more vulnerable on |
| aren't as limber as they used to be, and he | | | | a battle field, but they're quite useful for |
| doesn't think it's as fun to be thrown on the | | | | dealing with muggers, or bullies in a school |
| mat now that I outweigh him by 40 pounds! | | | | yard. |
| | | | |
| And, well, as all the philosophy stuff says, | | | | Anyway, it's kind of neat, going back to my |
| things come full circle. I'm now teaching the | | | | foundations, my first "real" martial art. I'm |
| introductory jujitsu classes at the school. | | | | wondering if I'll see any father/son pairings |
| In some ways, it's kind of challenging, I | | | | at the school I teach at. |