When I trained in Japan, relaxation was a primary concept or principle that was taught.  Many Karate practitioners (and those of other styles) tend to rely too much on muscular tension to get technique to work.  There is nothing wrong with developing strength (in the right way), but relaxation will allow your technique to be both efficient and effective.  This is especially true in joint locks.  In Ryukyu Kempo of Oyata Seiyu’s lineage, we refer to joint locking & grappling techniques as Tuite-jutsu.  In Japanese, techniques of joint locking are often referred to as Kansetsu Waza.  Waza means technique.  Even in striking motions, you will be more efficient and fluid if you are relaxed.  I’ve seen many examples of Tuite-jutsu and one of the most common “errors” is to raise and tense one’s shoulders.  Excessive tension should be in the opponent’s joint, not yourself.  Learn to “dump” your weight into the opponent using relaxation coupled with proper technique.  When you hit, let the energy enter the target and don’t hold onto tension after contact/impact is made.  The natural weight of your limbs and body can deliver a good amount of force through the opponent, if you learn how to relax.  Sometimes it may be difficult to learn to relax, but this was important in my training in Japan.  Also, Oyata Sensei (and some of his students – who have been my teachers) would often tell people to relax.  In Tuite, we are taught to “remove slack” from the opponent.  Doing this in the joints can give the technician a greater handle to the opponent’s whole body.  One of my teachers likened this concept (of connecting to a person’s center of gravity through the limbs) to a chain, where you twist one chain link and eventually the whole chain rolls over.  So, remember to relax in your Tuite-jutsu training; and not only that, but in your striking practice as well.  If you tighten up in training, you’ll be even tighter in a real self-defense situation, so avoid excessive tension in your training.  Relax and enjoy the process!

 Essay: Training as you Age

It’s good to have intensity in your training, but it’s also important to stay injury free.  You want to be able to remain active in the martial arts for your entire lifetime.  If you accumulate too many injuries, your performance will be negatively affected later in your life.  Classical martial arts is not something you retire from.  However, you may need to tone down the intensity in your training as you mature and age.  You may need to train differently in your 50’s than when you were in your 20s, for example.  Train hard, but train smart.  In my own life, I underwent some intensive training as a young man.  And in my 40s, I did some very hard training, but it was not sustainable.  In my 20s and 30s, I could train harder than I could in my 40s.  That’s simply how it was.  It’s important for both the student and teacher to acknowledge or be aware of this.  We are training a martial art.  An artform, yes, but not devoid of the martial aspect.  But if you always leave class with a concussion and damaged ribs, your training is likely not sustainable.  If you literally can’t walk home after class – if you find yourself limping to your car after every session, your body will age quicker and you won’t be able to keep up your training at that level of intensity.  It is good to be exposed to training like that, but it’s desirable to train in a way that doesn’t destroy your body over time.  Train hard, and train smart.