Randori
by Ted Fehlhaber
[Randori]
[Chaos]
[Judo]
[Ji]
[Kinds]
The exercise known as
randori
is one of the methods used to train students for mohojiai.
Mohojiai is the free form application of Dan Zan Ryu Jujitsu techniques.
Randori is a
limited or rule bound form of mohojiai.
The limits are imposed for safety and to
achieve certain training objectives.
The intent of this article is to give the students and
teachers ideas for training and practice.
Randori is well suited for nage and shime training because
in helps the student safely
learn applications of the kata moving in real time and to focus
their training efforts. The
principle of Ju becomes paramount in the exercise of randori.
Ju being the qualities of
flexibility and adaptability to changing circumstances.
Ju is not becoming fixated upon
winning or doing a technique, but finding the opening uke offers and fitting in
effortlessly. The only way to understand and learn this is to practice.
The spirit of the exercise, randori,
can be found in the translation of the Japanese
characters that make up its name according to Professor Jenkins.
Literally,
Ran means
chaos or random and
dori means hold.
Thus, we have chaotic holds, random holds, or
the commonly English transliteration of free play.
This is in contrast to katas or sets
where the two participants have specific movements they must execute with
each other at the proper time.
In modern Judo training,
randori often means stand up throwing practice with both
partners trying to throw each other.
It is limited to Judo rules: no strikes, joint locks
other than the elbow, nerve techniques and only certain throwing techniques.
Ideally it should be a training and learning exercise,
but often escalates into shiai or competition
when both people are "going for blood".
This takes the play and the learning element
out of the exercise and prevents students from trying
new techniques which have a high probability of failure.
Clear understanding of the principle
is necessary for proper
training and allows partners of widely varying skill levels,
size, and rank to work and learn together.
The principle of "minimum strength, maximum efficiency"
needs be applied here. The person of greater skill,
strength or rank needs to turn down the juice to almost equal
that of their partner and switch their focus from getting the
throw to how effortless and perfect the throw was for proper
randori training to occur in both people.
For example, the black belt working with a blue belt needs to
go from a 10 in intensity to a 2.5 when the blue belt is working at 2.0.
This encourages the blue belt to work up at a higher level
and experience being thrown by excellent technique and trains
the black belt by working on the finer details of Jujitsu by using
timing, openings and kuzushi to achieve a throw rather than speed,
strength, and trickery.
In this type of exercise, both people should be throwing and
being thrown and both working on difficult though different material.
The black belt is refining his technique and working on small
and subtle details while the blue belt is struggling to figure
where to put his feet.
Both learn and help train each other.
Mohojiai and randori are the research and development (R&D) phases of jujitsu
training.
In R&D, one makes lots of mistakes and has many failure before learning and
knowing what the ideal solution is to a particular problem.
Often, the flash of insight
into a simple and elegant solution comes only after much toil and sweat.
Jujitsu no different.
Use randori to make mistakes, learn and find the elegant solutions.
Sometimes for proper training to occur,
the sensei can impose limits on the randori.
Randori, being limited by definition,
can be used to help emphasize certain techniques
or principles the sensei feels are lacking in the student.
It is also a convenient way to
keep escalation form occurring,
as it almost always does when limits are not imposed.
Here are a few of my favorites.
Standing / Throwing Randori
Start with both people facing each other. Bow and approach.
Getting a hold on your partner is part of the exercise.
- Technique Limited
- Allow only certain techniques,
like foot sweeps, to help focus
training or with new students whose sutemi is not very good yet.
- Intensity / Juice Limited
- Set limits on speed and power say 25% or 50% with
newer students. Set it lower than you want because it tends to creep up.
Learning happens for very few at the 100% level. Try it with the more
advance students and see what happens.
- Side Limited
- All left sided techniques will show who is working both sides of
the body. Great training for left-sided sutemi. Start slow with this one.
- Role Limited
- Choose one person to do the throws, uke-tori. Have both people
allowed to throw all the time, tori-tori. Or both people giving openings,
uke-uke.
- Trading
- Each person get one attempts or throw then the other person gets one.
Also known as uke-tori. A great way to warm up.
- Old Judo
- Permit only perfect throws, ippon (one point) throws. Go until one
person gets a perfect throw. You need a judge to watch and score. Great
way for new students to see what perfect is.
- Combination
- Combine any of the limits above. For example: foot sweeps only,
tori-tori, at 50% intensity.
Shime or Ne Waza
Randori on the ground.
For all of these, start with both people on the ground and go
until a pin or tap is achieved.
- Technique Limited
- Allow only certain techniques, like chokes or arm bars, to
help focus training.
- Intensity / Juice Limited
- Set limits on speed and power say 25% or 50% with
newer students. Use in combination with longer rounds to promote
conservation of energy and use of the Ju principle.
- Starting Position
- One person starts on their back, in the turtle,
in a pin or the
straddle mount and both work techniques and escapes from a specific
position.
- Time
- Limit the time.
Short practice periods of say one minute train action and
offense. Long practice periods of ten minutes train conservation of energy
and defense. Use rounds of unknown length to shake things up a little, 30
seconds to 5 minutes.
- Ending Position
- Pin or joint lock a specified part of the body on the mat.
For example: chest, shoulders, arm, elbow bar or wrist lock.
Now it's time to practice.
Go out, do a little research and development on the mat and
see what secrets you can find hidden in the katas.
[Randori]
[Chaos]
[Judo]
[Ji]
[Kinds]
