Basic Principles of Throwing

Many Jiu Jitsu techniques involve throwing an opponent to the ground in some manner or other. But why bother? Why not just hit your opponent? Surely it's got to be easier than picking him up and slamming him down like they do in the pro-wrestling on TV?

Well lets start with the reason for throwing and see where we can go from there...

Why Bother With A Throw?

Jiu Jitsu is the unarmed fighting domain of the Samurai. The Samurai were the warriors of old Japan, and spent most of their time in combat wearing armour. Trying to punch and kick someone wearing full body armour is not the best idea unless the attacker is particularly gifted with power and accuracy of attack - oh and lots of luck would probably help too! Instead techniques of immobilisation and unbalancing were found to be much more effective.

Throwing an armour clad opponent probably wouldn't seriously injure him if thrown, but the disorientation and subsequent locking, breaking, and disarming techniques would at the least give you the upper hand.

"But I don't often fight armour-clad Samurai" I hear you cry. However the same principles can hold true of opponents who are not armoured - imagine someone bigger than you is attacking you. Whilst strikes are effective against most people, there are some where a brawl just isn't something you want to have to do against them.

There are three reasons why a throw is typically a more effective technique than a strike.

Harder

Most people don't know how to fall and, to put it simply, the planet is bigger than you and so hits harder than you. Therefore the impact from a throw on an attacker tends to be greater than a strike.

Yielding

Jiu Jitsu can be translated to mean the art of yielding. This central premise is the one upon which almost all throws are based. As someone attacks, you have 4 options.

Don't fight back - Let the attacker hit you and pay the consequences.
Fight back directly - Apply an equal or greater amount of force to directly counter the attack.
Fight back indirectly - Use some force to direct the attack elsewhere.
Use the attack - Use the force of the attack itself to attack the attacker.

Obviously the fourth option sounds the best. This is exactly what a well executed throw in Jiu Jitsu seeks to accomplish.

Positioning

After being thrown the attacker ends up in some sort of prone position on the ground. With the exception of sacrifice throws where the thrower purposefully gives away their balance, the person throwing will remain in a standing position. This position is much more advantageous in terms of fighting, and many of the techniques of Jiu Jitsu take full advantage of this positioning.

Finally you don't have to be seven feet tall and half a ton in weight to throw people around. All it takes is a bit of practice and someone to throw. But there are some basic principles of physics and biology that make throwing easier than dead-lifting.

Centre of Gravity

The most important part of throwing (other than making sure you're not going to be hit) is recognising the part the body's centre of gravity plays. In the realm of physics, to simplify things, objects are often reduced to a single point. This point is the point at which the object would balance perfectly if it were suspended, a point at which gravity can be said to act upon the centre of the object - the centre of gravity.

It is this point that acts as a pivot or balance point for throwing. If you move a person's centre of gravity, you can move the person - it is the beginning of balance breaking.

For most jitsuka the centre of gravity (COG) will be roughly around the point at which they tie their belt - somewhere near the navel. The diagrams below show two position's where person B is attempting to throw person A to the right. The circle roughly in the middle of each person is that person's COG, and can be taken to be about hip height.

Centre of Gravity Diagram In position 1, person B's COG is higher than person A's, so as the throw is attempted the movement of A's COG will be impeded by B's own body (below the COG) as B must actually lift A high enough that A's COG can pass over B's COG.
Alternatively, in position 2, B bends his knees thus lowering his COG to allow A's COG to pass over the top.

As with many throws B had to bend his knees to throw A without lifting A up.

Distraction

One of the biggest aids in throwing an opponent is distracting the opponent from what you are actually trying to do - just like a magician and his audience. There are a number of ways in which this can be done.

Atemi

An atemi is basically some form of strike directed at the opponent. Not any sort of strike will do - make sure that the strike is appropriate for the throw. For example if you wish to throw someone backwards, don't strike them in the solar-plexus or stomach and make them double-up forwards - unless you're willing to wait for them to get their breath back and then stand up again.

Reaction

A common principle in Judo where throwing is prolific is to actually get a reaction out of someone by providing an opposite action (there's that physics stuff again). For example if you want to throw someone forwards, first push them backwards. They will probably want to resist, and push back towards you. So now to get them to move forwards, simply stop pushing.

Audible Attack

A simple yet often forgotten technique of distraction is to distract an opponent from what you are doing with your voice or some other action. Anything that takes the opponent's mind off what you are trying to do will help you throw them. For example:

Just shout really loud at your opponent.
Tell your opponent that you're going to hit them.
The old classic "look..." works far too often to be ignored (as does "Don't think of an elephant...").
Shouting "STOP" with the right tone stops most people dead - just choose the throw carefully for this one.
The sound of dropping coins will distract almost everyone.
Talking in-tounges or to an imaginary friend will also distract many opponents.
etc. ... try being inventive!

Balance Breaking

The human body's sense of balance is the only thing that keeps us upright. The key to this balance is the head. If you control the head you control a person's balance, and if you control their balance, you control their body. Balance is a function of the brain and it uses the body's senses to allow it to balance. Whilst smell and taste don't really allow the brain to keep the body balanced, touch and visual cues do allow some basic balancing to be achieved. The real key to the sense of balance is in the ears. Whilst sounds can to some extent directly affect a person's sense of balance, it's the inner ear that keeps people standing up ( - get ready for some quick biology).

Semi-Lunar Canals The three tubes that form the semi-lunar canals each lie in a different plane (height, width, depth), and are filled with liquid. The liquid remains level (thanks to gravity - physics again) as the body moves, and tiny sensitive hairs in the canals allow the brain to work out where the head is in relation to the surface of the earth. The body's attached to the head and so the brain should be able to work out where that is too. Thus the brain works out which muscles to move to keep the body in a stable position.

So if you can get the head a little mixed up before you begin the throw, or as part of the throw; then you can break the balance much more easily.

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