A word you may end up hearing in the course of training is kuzushi [崩し]. I’ve heard it translated as “breaking balance” in the majority of dojo and budo discussions I’ve had on the topic, but I find this definition to be less than satisfying. Besides, the phrase in Japanese for “break balance” is バランスを崩す or to kuzushi the balance. If kuzushi is unbalancing, why do you have to unbalance the balance?
So what does kuzushi mean?
Kuzushi means to destabilize a structure so that it collapses onto itself under gravity. Note that this structure could still technically be “on balance,” but now is in a state of structural instability. In a human being, this means that tissues (e.g., muscles and tendons) that shouldn’t normally be doing work must now work overtime to overcome this instability and maintain a semblance of an upright, functional posture. If one is skilled enough at “listening” to uke, tori can learn to take advantage of these tissues firing, causing uke to further destabilize or even throw him or herself.
One way to learn this skill in kuzushi, along with sensitivity and the ability to “listen” to uke, is by practicing Happo no Kuzushi [八方の崩し] or 8-direction kuzushi. Once you have a certain degree of ownership of proper posture and movement, your teachers will begin to introduce you to this practice in a gradual, graded method. As Clark sensei has often said, it’s truly one of the Crown Jewels of our system.
