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Kuzushi (balance breaking)

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Kuzushi

It is frequently advantageous to break opponents' balance. This puts them off guard, and allows you to throw them or take them to a prone position.

Breaking balance is a matter of upsetting the body’s innate resistance to falling over. To control someone’s balance totally, you should aim to control their head.

Jitsu has a kata which focuses on the balance-breaking required in throwing. This kata is called kuzushi — the nine points of balance. You and your partner stand facing one another and take a right-handed grip. You then take the balance of your partner by guiding his or her body in particular directions.

You do the guiding by moving the arms and shoulders in the direction of movement and requires the co-operation of your partner to perform properly. You take them to the point at which his or her balance is broken, and then return to the first position of balance (standing straight). The directions are given below.

The arrows indicate the directions in which you guide your partner during kuzushi. After each movement, you return your partner to the central position (*) indicated in the diagram.

  1. N
  2. S
  3. W
  4. E
  5. NW
  6. SE
  7. NE
  8. SW

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Where we train

City Jitsu Club trains twice a week near Angel and the Barbican, London, EC1, at City University, Northampton Square, Islington.

Training times
Monday: 7.30pm–9pm
Friday: 7pm–9pm

Directions

The Club in Action

  • Club member Liam demonstrates techniques in a gauntlet
  • Instructor Gesa Brinkmann demonstrates a throw
  • Training at our 10th anniversary session
  • Instructor Gesa Brinkmann demonstrates a technique
  • Grades demonstrate techniques they've learnt
  • Grades and novices practise techniques while instructors observe
  • Grades and instructors at the 10th anniversary session
  • A scene from our 10th anniversary session
  • An orange belt demonstrating an armlock in a circle
  • Novices being taught a wristlock
  • Novices can train in light clothing until they own their own gi.
  • Members often have to demonstrate what they have learned that session in front of other Jitsuka

Videos of techniques

  • Sensei Mat Phillips demonstrates an ashi-guruma throw followed by a rare immobilisation technique
  • Techniques being demonstrated and taught at the City Jitsu 10th anniversary session
  • Kata-juji-jime, the half-cross strangle
  • An o-goshi (major hip) throw into yoko-shiho-gatame, the side four quarters hold
  • Kata-gatame, the shoulder hold
  • Ude-garami, the forearm entanglement, used in groundwork
  • Ko-tsuri-komi-goshi, the minor lifting drawing hip throw
  • O-tsuri-komi-goshi, the major lifting, drawing hip throw
  • Ko-tomoe-seoi-nage, the small circle shoulder throw
  • Irimi-nage, the entering body throw
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