Exercises Randori — Free practice of techniques — 乱取り Freedom / taking Randori is an exercise in which both partners allow their techniques to unfold freely. In total freedom of movement and displacement, attacks and controls follow one another without codification or rules. It is the privileged place to experience spontaneity in an encounter….
Body Movements Tai / Shintai — The body — 身体 Body / body Shintai designates the body in its entirety. It evokes the total use of the body, organised in a certain way. A body whose limbs and head are at the service of the action of the hara. Ayumi ashi — Movement —…
Space and Orientation Uchi — Inside — 内 Inside At the beginning of practice, the junomichika deploys gestures with little relation to the body. Gradually, awareness of the existence and functioning of the hara emerges. It is then considered that the practitioner enters into uchi, opening themselves to an inner work. Just as there…
Practice, Space and Etiquette Sensei — Teacher — 先生 Before / birth Sensei literally means “the one who was born before”. The expression is to be understood in the sense of practice: it designates the one who came to the discipline before. Each teacher develops an approach rooted in the five principles of junomichi….
Dan Gakusei — Student — 学生 Study / birth Gakusei corresponds to the first level of value. It means “to be born into study”. The gakusei is the one who, having just been roughly shaped by the initial learning of junomichi, turns towards an autonomous search. Relying less and less on the teacher, the…
First Words Junomichi — Gentle way — 柔の道 Softness, suppleness / of / path Borrowing the form of combat, and putting into practice the formula “Maximum efficiency, minimum energy”, junomichi opens a gentle way. To carry out this exploration, whose main materials are the body and sensations, junomichi adopts five principles (mobility, non-opposition, encompass,…
“You can only fight the way you practice.” — Miyamoto Musashi Miyamoto Musashi fought over sixty life-and-death duels and never lost. He wrote about combat, rhythm, and emptiness to understand. His battles were questions asked with steel and answered through awareness. No one would ever say Musashi was playing a sport and, Junomichi follows…
Irimi: Entering with the Whole Being See the Photo album The weekend of Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October marked a significant moment for Junomichi Scotland.Under the guidance of Rudolf Di Stefano, member of the Technical Commission of the Fédération Indépendante et Autonome de Junomichi (FIAJ), thirty-seven practitioners gathered for two days of sincere…
Movements are studied through sensation. This attention to the internal experience of action creates a grounded, present-centred form of learning. “Observe your own situation carefully, observe others and your surroundings attentively. Think thoroughly, act decisively.” — Jigorō Kanō Kanō’s instruction to observe applies inwardly as well as outwardly. In Junomichi, this observation takes the…
Kata & Randori Film and text: Rudolf Di Stefano – Reader: Louise Baker – Translation: Yann Ao’Drenn We, practitioners of Junomichi, refer to the origin of our discipline, namely the work of Jigoro Kano This loyalty is based on an event that now dates back almost a century and a half. Let us reflect…