Andrew Yiannakis, Ph.D.
Research Professor, University of New Mexico
Chair, Traditional Jujutsu Committee of the USJJF
Director, HESS Institute of Traditional Martial Arts at UNM
Ryuso (Founder) and Soke of Wa Shin Ryu Jujutsu
8th Dan, Jujutsu (USJJF)
6th Dan, Judo (USA-TKJ)
Copyright (c) 2016 by Andrew Yiannakis
Brief Summary
It is posited in this paper that a specialized form of jujutsu training (known
as the JBSR1 Method) helps enhance psychomotor efficiency by stimulating
and retraining the brain, and by contributing to a superior quality of
movement (among other outcomes).
1Jujutsu Brain Stimulation and Reprogramming Method (JBSR)
This approach to training the brain:
(i) Stimulates the growth and enhancement of more Neural Pathways
connecting the various Neural Centers in the brain, and:
(ii) Stimulates and revives Neural Centers (for our purposes
you may view these as processors) which are responsible for
controlling/influencing cognition, motor activity and decision making.
Together, Neural Pathways and Neural Centers make up the brain’s Neural
Network System. Efficient and more vibrant Neural Network Systems
help improve the ability to perceive and process information quickly and
efficiently, enhance various cognitive abilities and improve the quality and
efficiency of psychomotor activity, a key factor in the martial arts.
The sum total of the effects that are achieved with such a specialized form of
jujutsu training may be summarized thus:
Students experience enhanced cognitive and psychomotor abilities that
are characterized by an increased quality of movement; experience an
increased ability to quickly perceive activity in combat situations and
respond effectively with superior timing, fluency, control and reaction
time.
The JBSR Method employs training regimens that challenge students to
develop superior forms of movement quality. That is, Coordination,
Timing, Reaction Time Fluency and Control, among others. This is
accomplished by stimulating the brain and the body to work together more
efficiently in terms of psychomotor coordination, timing and response. This
training process targets, stimulates, and challenges three key processors (or
“chips”), in the brain.
These are:
1. The Cognition Processor (thinking and perceiving processor)
2. The Motor Processor (control of physical movements), and,
3. The Command Processor (executive processor responsible for
decision-making and action).
The JBSR Method contributes to neurogenesis, the stimulation and growth
of neural pathways in the brain, including the three processors referred to
above. While many activities (e.g., dance, chess, tennis, etc.) contribute to
brain neurogenesis, the demands and challenges of the JBSR Method help
enhance psychomotor efficiency by stimulating growth in all three key
“processors” and their connecting neural pathways. That is, the
Cognition Processor, the Motor Processor and the Command Processor.
Key Principles of the JBSR Method of Training
The JBSR method of training challenges participants to think and
simultaneously problem solve by engaging, on the fly, all three processors
referred to above. Other activities such as chess, for example, challenge and help develop the Cognition and Command Processors, only. Further, Working out on a stationary bike engages the Motor Processor (and the body), and very little of anything else.
The point is that the “best” activities that contribute to the growth and
development of all three processors involve the simultaneous engagement of
all three WITH the body.
While many activities stimulate simultaneous growth in all three processors,
their benefits tend to be random, or haphazard, unless the instructor or coach
employs theoretically-driven training regimens. Some examples of activities
that have the potential to stimulate growth in all three processors include:
1. Tennis
2. Basketball
3. Soccer
4. Rugby
5. Most martial arts
6. Martial Sports (e.g., wrestling, judo, BJJ)
7. Table Tennis, etc.
What these have in common is the simultaneous engagement of the body
with all three processors in the brain. That is, they demand that a
participant move and think (problem solve) at the same time, on the fly. The
more a participant is challenged to engage all three processors and the body,
the greater the benefits.
A major strength of the JBSR Method of training in Wa Shin Ryu Jujutsu
(unlike most other physical activities) is the fact that we employ
theoretically-guided training regimens, in a systematic and deliberate
way, in order to challenge and develop the brain and the body to work
together simultaneously.
This method of training employs activities and training regimens that
include:
1. Tasks that stimulate psychomotor integration in which both the brain and
the body are challenged to work together in solving complex psychomotor
tasks (problem solving on the fly).
2. Innovation and discovery on the move (we ask students to begin with a
particular technique and then transition, on the move, to several other
techniques of their choosing). In this process, we encourage them to
innovate, experiment and discover. This process of training challenges both
the brain and the body to function in complex ways, on the move.
3. Tasks that demand fluency, continuity and smooth transitioning from
one technique to another (e.g., standing finger and wrist locking sequences)
that continue across different contexts of fighting (e.g., Distance, Close
Quarter and Ground).
4. Tasks that require, and help bring together, superior forms of
coordination, timing and control (e.g., moving from Shiho Nage or Irimi
Nage to a ground sequence of techniques). These change the context of
training and encourage students to think in non-linear ways.
5. Bi-Lateral Forms of Training: Tasks that challenge and integrate both
hemispheres of the brain (these involve training regimens that require
the use of both sides of the body in various complex ways. These
open up more neural pathways and stimulate the formation of new
and more vibrant Neural Systems. Bi-lateral forms of training include:
(i) Bilateral-Symmetrical involves the use of both sides of body in a
coordinated fashion. This method involves the use of both arms or legs
doing the same pattern while moving in the same direction. A double frontal
strike with both fists is an example of bi-lateral symmetrical training.
(ii) Cross-Lateral: Bi-lateral alternating movement patterns where the
limbs on each side of the body perform a coordinated movement
together, as in walking, in which the left arm and the right leg move at the
same time (and of course the same action is repeated on the other side).
One example of this type of exercise involves getting down on all fours and
simultaneously extending the right arm forward and the left leg back. An
example of this in jujutsu involves alternating left and right hand punches.
(iii) Contra-Lateral: This type of movement involves crossing the midline
of the body with the arms or legs, as in touching your right knee with your
left elbow or your left knee with your right elbow (or hand). “Tiger Walks
the Elephant”, an exercise we practice in Wa Shin Ryu Jujutsu, is
particularly effective in improving contra-lateral movement.
Contra- lateral movements are extremely important because they challenge
both hemispheres of the brain (more so than bilateral symmetrical and cross-lateral)
to work together in a coordinated fashion.
(iv) Bi-Lateral Independent: Movement involves, for example, patting
your head with one hand and rubbing your stomach with the other. In
jujutsu a parry with one arm and a punch with the other is an example of bilateral
independent form of training.
(v) Pattern Deviation: Establishing a pattern and then unexpectedly
changing it (a type of improvisation on the fly). For example one attack
combination that I teach involves faking a punch to the face and then
following up with a kick to the groin. Improvisation is when we deviate
from the established learned pattern and switch from a kick to the groin (the
already learned pattern) to, for example, a strike to the stomach with the
other fist, on the fly. This happens when the jujutsuka is presented with a
better opportunity and is able to quickly deviate from the established
learned pattern of striking high and then kicking low.
6. Tasks that help develop fast reactions to complex attack situations,
on the move. (e.g., Tori attacks Uke on both the left and the
right side with Jodan, Chudan and Gedan techniques). In the martial
arts, to be able to respond quickly is essential, especially in life
threatening situations. For this to occur all three processors must be
able to work together, very quickly, in a harmonious and integrated
fashion.
7. Tasks that require the application of multiple principles in different
Contexts of Fighting (e.g., sequences of techniques that link
Distance, Close Quarter and Ground forms of fighting.
8. Challenging tasks that are intrinsically motivating (such activities tend
to grab a student’s attention to the full and their successful resolution
is intrinsically satisfying). This helps students avoid boredom and
encourages them to persevere.
9. Rich training environments are more motivating, challenging and
productive in terms of stimulating and reprogramming the brain
(and in achieving superior neurogenesis), than poor ones. Such
environments incorporate many, if not most of the principles
alluded to in items 1-8, above.
In summary, what the reader should take away from this paper is, that
for maximum benefit, the training regimen one employs must be deliberate,
systematic, focused, challenging and theoretically grounded (knowledge
based). Most sports and other martial arts that challenge all three processors
(e.g., judo, tennis, basketball, etc.) do so in a mostly unsystematic fashion,
unless the instructor understands the theory behind the process of brain
stimulation and builds it into his/her students’ training. In Wa Shin Ryu we
have a system that guides how we train, that is based on sound theoretical
principles. This is called the JBSR Method.
Some Benefits/Impacts of the JBSR Method
When a training program is structured based on the principles of the JBSR
Method, the results that we can achieve are not random or haphazard, but
planned for. We know what our training regimens are doing, and how they
affect the brain and the body. Thus, training using the JBSR Method
contributes to:
1. The development of superior levels of coordination, timing, fluency
and control, result in a superior quality of movement, an
essential component in the martial arts.
2. The JBSR Method helps enhance levels of decision-making and
response times, especially under pressure.
3. The JBSR Method contributes to neurogenesis, the stimulation and
building of neural pathways in the brain among the Command
Processor, the Cognition Processor and the Motor Processor. And, this
form of training enhances how the brain communicates with the
body.
4. JBSR training is a more effective method of arresting, or slowing down
the aging process by enhancing key brain functions and neural
connections within the body. It is well known that aging is primarily a
function of cell regeneration (external factors also contribute to aging
such as drugs, poor diet, smoking and stress, among others). And, as
we get older the process of cell renewal begins to slow down,
resulting in what we call aging (genetic factors not withstanding).
However, it is suggested that the process of cell degeneration may
be arrested, or slowed down, by stimulating and enhancing the
brain’s Neural Network System (those centers in the brain, and
neural connections and delivery systems), so that it continues to
function more efficiently well into our advanced years. That is, by
having a healthier and more efficient brain it may be possible to
enhance the cell renewal process and keep us looking, and feeling
younger, considerably longer than what is considered “normal”.
5. By enriching neural pathways in the brain, and enhancing synaptic
activity, the process mitigates against memory loss as one gets older.
6. An enriched and efficiently functioning brain keeps one sharp and helps
enhance the learning process, both cognitively and physically, an
essential factor for the martial arts.
7. The bilateral forms of training incorporated in the JBSR System stimulate
neurogenesis and connectivity between both hemispheres of the
brain, and help the individual to use more of his/her brain
capacity. This process helps make the brain a more efficient and
powerful tool which may be used in more areas of life, not just in the
martial arts.
8. A more efficient psychomotor system, coupled with jujutsu combat skills,
contributes to superior forms of empowerment and confidence.
9. By arresting, or significantly slowing down the aging process, the
JBSR Method enables jujutsuka to continue to remain active in their preferred martial well into their later years, and enjoy more of the benefits of a healthy
lifestyle.
10. In addition to developing increased levels of coordination, timing,
reaction time, fluency and control, the JBSR Method contributes
to cardiovascular efficiency, strength and flexibility, all of which
are essential components of good health, and a major requirement in
the martial arts.
11. By stimulating the brain to function more efficiently, and at a higher
level, the JBSR Method also helps alleviate moderate and mild forms
of depression and anxiety, helps lower blood pressure and contributes
to more efficient blood circulation.
12. A superior quality of movement is a function of efficient and powerful
brain activity; one in which the body, and the three processors
alluded to earlier, are challenged to work together simultaneously in
order to solve complex decision-making problems and overcome
obstacles. In the martial arts, as is the case with most strategy-demanding
sports (e.g., tennis, basketball, soccer, etc.), solving
problems on the fly (e.g., faking a move to the left and then moving to
the right to get past an opponent) require that the brain and the body
work together quickly and efficiently; that is, the martial artist must think
fast on the fly. And it is this method of stimulating the brain and the
body to work together that contributes to neurogenesis and mind-body
harmony. And mind-body harmony is an essential precondition for
developing superior quality of movement in the martial arts.
Finally, it should be noted that physical activities that fail to promote
problem-solving on the fly (for example, training on a stationary bike, and
other activities of a mostly mindless, repetitive nature), fail to stimulate
brain activity, and neurogenesis, and do not contribute to a superior quality
of movement. That is, their benefits are purely of a cardio-vascular nature.
Conversely, activities that only challenge the brain (e.g., chess), while they
contribute to neurogenesis and superior cognitive activity, fail to engage the
motor processor and the body, and thus do not contribute to mind-body
integration and superior quality of movement. Thus, to achieve superior quality of movement and the total range of benefits I’ve discussed in this paper, our training must engage both the brain and the body simultaneously, in problem-solving training
environments (e.g., sparring with a partner or engaging in bi-lateral
forms of training, among others).
Some Applications for Martial Arts Instructors
The JBSR Method helps explain why we train the way we do. It helps us
better understand that desirable specific outcomes in the dojo must be
planned for in ways that tie together methods of training with desired
outcomes. If the principles outlined in this paper are ignored when
developing lesson plans, then the outcomes of training may well be random
and haphazard. Using such a haphazard approach makes it difficult for an
instructor to accurately determine and evaluate the impacts of what is taught
in class.
By employing the principles of the JBSR Method, and using them to help
instructors develop their lesson plans, we are better able to determine (and
predict) how our training regimens impact our students. This approach also
helps us establish clearer connections between what we teach, and the areas
our students respond to the most. That is, we develop deeper understandings
between the principles we employ in our teaching and their impacts on our
students.
Acknowledgment
I wish to acknowledge the contributions of Linda Yiannakis, MS, CCC-SLP, on the topic of bilateral forms of training.
CAUTIONARY NOTE
Excessive emphasis on skills and techniques that stimulate the brain to function at peak levels for prolonged periods can “super-energize”, and hype up students. Such high levels of excitation may last for several hours after a workout is over and may interfere with sleep, and other functions. Instructors should, therefore, employ cooling off exercises at the end of class in order to bring students back down to a more normal functioning level.
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