You have probably already seen bullfights, you have seen the bullfighters. The encompass they perform is something extraordinary. When the bull passes, they remain facing it. They do not turn away to let it pass. The first thing they do is an encompass. Only afterwards do they turn towards the bull. It is the same in judo. If one wants to throw one’s partner, one must encompass. Because throwing them in the direct line of one’s own body is impossible, one collides with them. One never initiates a movement when the partner is directly in front, one only does so when they are slightly to the side. When the partner comes towards me, I accept that they come, but I pass alongside.

How?

I will take a precise example. We work on ko-soto-gake, ko-uchi-gari, and tai-otoshi. For each of these movements, by remaining exactly facing the partner, one can do nothing. Whereas by slightly orienting the body in a certain way one can do ko-uchi-gari, by orienting it in another way one can do ko-soto-gake, and in yet another way tai-otoshi. It does not even change with a glance. It is not a rotation of the head or of the body, it is simply a different orientation, here, here, or here. The basis of encompassing is mastery of your orientation.

Is the encompass before the attack?

It is before the first movement. It has to be like that. When you decide to come and throw me, I am already in the encompass. If the encompass were not beforehand, we would oppose each other.

Is it about being ready in advance?

It is something different from that. If you come to step on my foot, I see you coming so I pull my foot back. But you still have the possibility of running after my foot to catch it. Whereas if, at the moment when you are about to step on my foot, I advance mine towards you, I gain time and I step alongside.

Is that the idea of encompass?

One gains time by coming forward, one loses time by stepping back. If I were content simply to step back to avoid you, you would still come and find me. So one must do the opposite, go to meet and let pass.

To go to meet the partner?

Yes, if someone rushes towards me, I go to meet them, but I orient myself in such a way that I already know them to be behind me. This is something that can neither really be said nor written, it is something that must be experienced. By stepping back you delay the moment, whereas by stepping forward you go beyond the moment.

Is it no longer encompass, but anticipation?

It is the bullfighter’s encompass. The bullfighter does not step back. Their encompass is to anticipate within the action through orientation.