I was minding my own business from the sideline, monitoring the adults who were doing randori. One of my players had scrambled off the mat to get away from a disadvantageous ne waza situation. His training partner, a former Navy SEAL and jiujitsu black belt, mocking his manhood screamed “Coward!”
There’s a lot of talk about how this or that combative system is a sport, while others are martial arts. The reality is that most modern combatives are a blend of both for safety reasons in training and competition. Let’s take the above example, which I’ll call “fleeing the scene” to see the fine line that exists within the two categories.
From a strict training point of view, fleeing the scene makes no sense. Staying on the mat would have surely ended with my player getting submitted, but he may have learned something positive from the experience. As a coach, I would have wanted him to take it like a man since the action was within a normal training session. Instead, he did what the rules allow him to do in tournaments. He changed location to save himself from a dangerous position. So, this was a bad training choice, but a good martial decision.
From a martial arts point of view, and I’m talking real life and death situations, fleeing the scene to survive or to preserve yourself for the next battle makes sense. There’s a reason why the first option typically mentioned in self-defense is running away. Nobody says you have Pokies to stand your ground and get clobbered by the enemy. Bushido might frown upon this action, but guerilla warfare, which is all about fleeing the scene at the appropriate moment to fight another day, would approve.
Finally, we are left with a scenario that is a blend of the two previous ones- modern competition. Fighters are supposed to stay within their combat area. It’s good sportsmanship to do so, and the rules do require it, but it may be a poor martial decision. When it comes to Judo, however, something weird happens. We penalize the player who may have inadvertently stepped out of bounds, but we say nothing when a player purposefully flees the scene in ne waza by crawling on hands and knees, as Monteiro did against Matsumoto in the 57kg finals at the 2010 World Championships.
I’m not a fan of penalties, but crawling out of bounds on your fours should be penalized. And while we are at it, maybe we need to revisit fleeing from the scene when pinned. Back in the old days, players were pulled back into the competition area by the referees so that osae komi could continue. That rule was discontinued, if memory serves me right, because it made the referees and the sport look bad.
Regardless of whether fleeing the scene is a cowardly act or just a good martial decision, I have a hard time understanding why it’s OK in ne waza, but not OK in tachi waza. What do you think?
I completely agree and I think there could be a middle ground. I am ok with breaking a hold or submission if the player manages to pull themselves out of bounds. However, I think it is an embarrassment to Judo when players purposefully “run” from engaging in ne-waza. Purposefully fleeing the mat to avoid the completion should be a penalty in competition. Why do the rules change based on whether the person is fleeing on their hands and knees or fleeing on their feet?. Self defense is another story.
Once again confusing rules raise their head. The last I was told, as a regional ref, was to penalize anyone who crawled out of bounds during ne waza.
Confusing rules- now where have I heard that before? At the 2010 Worlds, the three referees and the jury had at least four or five shots at penalizing Monteiro. They didn’t. This means the rule to penalize crawling out of bounds doesn’t currently exist or that it was changed after you were told to penalize. My guess is the former.
A pin be should be like starting a throw if if started in bounds to should continue until pin or escape. I agree with you in your blog.
I agree with rob, confusing rules
As a martial artist, I have agreed to live my life by a set of principals and standards set by the tradition I practice. As such, there will come times when my martial tradition must be represented more faithfully than my own personal desires. Martial artists must live by a higher, more redeeming set of standards which set them apart from the ordinary citizenry because they represent something greater than themselves. They represent the tradition and lineage that has gone before them. And as such exponents of a martial tradition, they must represent the noble aspects of that tradition by their own personal behavior and actions. They represent their school as well as their tradition. This was a sport match. All he would have faced was a loss on the floor. There’s no shame in losing! Who says he has to win? There is a winner and a loser. You learn from your losses! And there is such thing as the loser winning higher admiration that the actual victor! Remember a certain Jiu Jitsu exponent who chose to lose than surrender and submit? Nobel losses are storied and fabled throughout the martial world! He should have taken the loss like a man! “Live and fight with honor; Lose and die the same!” Whoever this guy was that crawled off the mat; he did so like a dog with his tail tucked between his legs. He turned his backside to his opponent and crawled away like a lower life form. We all know what this man would have been called in a prison. And if he had done this in Japan a couple hundred years ago he would have had to commit seppuku! He should be stripped of his belt and rank, to be given to his opponent and banished from the dojo until he meets his opponent in a rematch to earn his belt back! This is a lesson to us all who practice the martial traditions! Sometimes, you have to take the loss! It’s just as important how you lose as it’s how you win!
My son is wrestling right now and the same thing happens. Guys crawl out of bounds, or hop out when their almost getting taken down. Did you come to fight? Or win a match any way you can?. I’d rather we teach them to fight then score. Of course do both, but don’t look for the wussy win.