Interestingly, BJJ is such a young art (here in the US, anyway, but young in general) that we are sort of experimenting with different ways of creating something that has some of the benefits from kata.
I think I told you, Tim, but I railed against the idea of learning judo kata for the longest time. I knew it was a necessary step to get to black belt, but I didn't appreciate it for what it was until after I sat down and learned it. Either my mind was desperate enough to find a silver lining (not super likely), or my mind was just open enough to start to wonder WHY the moves were so rigid, so mechanical and artificial seeming. Why did kata look like kata?
It took going through it, coupled with mental maturity, to see how valuable and important these fundamental lessons were.
It was those particular 5 kata from judo that created an ideal example to support my theory. To an outsider they look absolutely crazy, but an explanation of what is going on really takes the lid off them. They help to supply Principles that I suppose are the bedrock of judo (I don't know, I observe judo from the outside).
I suppose BJJ have no kata, but has 'Principles'. I am guessing that these are drilled into you guys, a bit like the old judo principles of 'kuzushi' (destabilising), 'tsukuri' (advantageous position) and 'kake' (execution of technique). The origin of those predate judo.
Yeah, BJJ borrows from judo (closest existing art, very close cousin) and of course from old ju jitsu techniques, but also from American wrestling (techniques more so than style).
I like flow drills a lot with students, moving from position to position. It's not kata, exactly, but it's also not sparring or rolling in any sense. It's a bit of a cooperative, coordinated dance designed to teach lessons.
I would say for uchikomi: yes and no. It's deliberate practice for sure, but it's designed to maximize a repetition so that your body can be trained to do the move correctly. Of course, a lot of that is also exploring what that "right way" is!
I would say that flow drills tend to be more back-and-forth choreographed, much like judo's two-person nage no kata, but sometimes scripted and sometimes unscripted, so there can be notable differences as well.
Interestingly, BJJ is such a young art (here in the US, anyway, but young in general) that we are sort of experimenting with different ways of creating something that has some of the benefits from kata.
I think I told you, Tim, but I railed against the idea of learning judo kata for the longest time. I knew it was a necessary step to get to black belt, but I didn't appreciate it for what it was until after I sat down and learned it. Either my mind was desperate enough to find a silver lining (not super likely), or my mind was just open enough to start to wonder WHY the moves were so rigid, so mechanical and artificial seeming. Why did kata look like kata?
It took going through it, coupled with mental maturity, to see how valuable and important these fundamental lessons were.
Thanks for your input.
It was those particular 5 kata from judo that created an ideal example to support my theory. To an outsider they look absolutely crazy, but an explanation of what is going on really takes the lid off them. They help to supply Principles that I suppose are the bedrock of judo (I don't know, I observe judo from the outside).
I suppose BJJ have no kata, but has 'Principles'. I am guessing that these are drilled into you guys, a bit like the old judo principles of 'kuzushi' (destabilising), 'tsukuri' (advantageous position) and 'kake' (execution of technique). The origin of those predate judo.
Yeah, BJJ borrows from judo (closest existing art, very close cousin) and of course from old ju jitsu techniques, but also from American wrestling (techniques more so than style).
I like flow drills a lot with students, moving from position to position. It's not kata, exactly, but it's also not sparring or rolling in any sense. It's a bit of a cooperative, coordinated dance designed to teach lessons.
Flow drills I suppose can be another form of paired kata. And then there's 'uchikomi' in judo, probably a similar thing.
I would say for uchikomi: yes and no. It's deliberate practice for sure, but it's designed to maximize a repetition so that your body can be trained to do the move correctly. Of course, a lot of that is also exploring what that "right way" is!
I would say that flow drills tend to be more back-and-forth choreographed, much like judo's two-person nage no kata, but sometimes scripted and sometimes unscripted, so there can be notable differences as well.
Fun talk, Tim!