Suppleness and flow

A supple mind in a supple body

Often when beginners spar, they are stiff and overly defensive. This is partly because they lack technique, but also because they need to mature in neuromuscular coordination and confidence. Excess tension prematurely tires the body while impeding the flow of technique.

A tense body reflects a tense mind. It takes time for students to learn how to optimize a technique, from its range of motion, reaction speed, strength, and execution speed.

Because the state of body reflects state of mind, suppleness is a state of both body and mind. The definition of suppleness is a mind and body free of unnecessary tension. It is correlated with proper alignment and breathing.

Flow like an ocean, flow is camouflage

If suppleness is a state, flow is suppleness in motion. Flow is continuous movement and transitions from one technique to another with no unnecessary stops. A technical flow is where techniques are chosen based on adapting to the opponent’s movements. It does not oppose, but rather complements the opponent’s movement, which conserves energy.

The ocean is always in motion with currents that never stop. The attacks in judo/ jiu jitsu should be like the flow of the ocean waves. The opponent should not see how they form or where they come from. The more movement the ocean has, the more deceiving its waves are.