Zuihitsu - Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

JUDO RON 57- Listen to inner voices- Biofeedback as an additional judo training tool In preparation for Judo Shiai, we have made many strides forward since hearing the phrase You must train harder. Every coach and sensei have introduced a new motto that guides us: Work intelligently and produce better output. This line of conduct takes into account the mental and physical harmony that must prevail in our training regimes. In 2008, I wrote a document called Shin Gi Taii in which I addressed in part the need to complement our technical skills with appropriate physical and mental training. Recently, I heard past Olympians or World champions mentioned the need for our Canadian representatives going to the London Olympics of 2012 to stay focus and remain in control of the judo match if they aspire to the podium. As judo contests are conducted between two individuals having the same opposite goal, that objective being: to win over the other, or to impose their superiority. For those who contemplate undergoing serious judo competitions in the future and for those who simply want to train more diligently, it is essential to understand the meaning of these two elements and develop a training program around them. Judo technical skills, physical stamina and mental power are essential attributes that both contestants have to offer. Tactics and strategies may differ with each encounter. The long months or even years of preparation and physical training are quickly exposed within the allotted five minutes of every match. The well-practiced choreography can so easily be sidetracked by a minor fault, a loss of opportunity or by a lack of attention to the task at hand. We cannot launch ourselves directly into the competition circle without due preparation and intelligence. In order to improve, we must know several determinants: what is our departure point (our fitness and preparation level), what we want to achieve (goals setting) and how to get there? (Periodic training schedules). The overall process is called the development of an action. For such a plan to be successful, we need a preliminary evaluation to assess our strength and weaknesses, steps to measures our accomplishments and measures to build upon the progress made at different periods.

Zuihitsu - Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

Listening to bodily signals In 1974, Daniele Bolelli wroteii : Having a perfect body is not nearly as important as learning how to listen to its voices. Our body, when well governed by our mind is the survival vehicle that we must cherish the most. It is a living image of our life. Too often, we forget it needs periodic tuning or re-alignment. Being attentive to bodily signals comes naturally. When one feels the cold or the heat, the skin reacts and the internal system sets up responses to compensate. When the light is too bright or the object too far, the eyes contract and the focus is adjusted. When the sound we hear is too loud or too soft, we move closer or away from the source. When running too fast or undertaking strenuous exercises, the heart and the lungs compensate with extra pulsations and augmented rhythm. We can cite thousands of occurrences where the body respond to automated signals. Those responses are important for our survival, yet, when we try to improve our fitness levels or seek to improve our performance, we need more accurate data that will determine our route from the starting point to the final goals without inflicting injuries to our system. In judo as in life, it is not sufficient to develop the muscular strength, the agility and the physical power, we needs to be able to think clearly and be able to dispense the necessary and speedy instructions to all its parts in order to correct the deficiencies and perform better. As an example: one does not need a measurement instrument to identify a weakness by being unable to perform techniques easily both from the right or the left. Your speed, balance and orientation will confirm your inability. To compensate, you must work to shorten the gap of your right-left displacements by working on your Kumi Kata and entering into position via your weakest side. It is then recommended to make a specific work out making use of your weakest side since your strength between left-right has to be balanced. Seeking competition results or just trying to improve ourselves, one of our primary tasks will be to identify our strengths and weaknesses. With this knowledge readily available, we can then gain the sufficient confidence to make greater use of our potentials. The exploration of our potentials is initiated by the signals we received from our five senses in contact with our environment and from our nervous system that receive and dispatch the necessary reaction signals. Our natural abilities to discover our immediate environment and determine appropriate responses have been complemented in the past years with the arrivals and use of biofeedback instruments that helps us capture our state of accuracy.

Zuihitsu - Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

Biofeedback In past years, in the dojo or in the gymnasium, apart from feeling good about our performance, we were accustomed to receiving oral feedback and counselling from peers and coaches. Some of us had annual medical examinations performed as preventive measure before the Judo season or before a major event. As a general indication of our fitness readiness, we performed preliminary exercises and counted the numbers of repetitions against set times. Periodically, throughout the year, similar tests were performed and data compared. Now, with the advances made in sports sciences and psychology, we are witnessing the arrival of more sophisticated instruments that capture personal data which can be used as part of our training routine. Biofeedback Biofeedback is a word that describes two distinct sports science concepts: the methodology used to obtain data concerning various aspects of our bodily functions before and after a performance of sort. It is also the process of using such data as a mean to alter or influence the training cycles and the coaching method. Coaches and trainers of high performing athletes are now making use of sophisticated and highly accurate tools to capture critical data which can be used to guide the judokas performance. Complex biofeedback. As a methodology at the high end, biofeedback data is obtained through different kinds of equipments used to obtain information about bodily functions and monitor different outputs generally controlled by the nervous system. The gathered data is principally concerned with heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen uptake, respiration cycle, perspiration rate, brain waves, and other quantifiable features of our human performance. Potential for and peak performance levels attainable are thus extrapolated and relayed to the athletes in order to best adjust their output delivery. The use of these sophisticated instruments by the universities, special training centers and high end sports performance research units is to identify and establish the degree of harmony that should exist between the mental directions and the bodily responses needed to achieve peak performance.

Zuihitsu - Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

Seeking excellence More and more judoka make use of biofeedback data in their preparation before a major event. Since the ability to unwind in stressful circumstances is an important component of the overall emotional control required during competition, specialized units have provided necessary data to monitor and or recommend ways to achieve a better relaxation state. After the collection of the data and when required, the development of response strategies is undertaken in concert with the coaches, technicians and the athletes. Comparative analysis is made between projected data for optimal performance and current state of data produced by anterior and repetitive testing. The technologist or coach conducting the testing will then evaluate the results in conjunction with the athletes who will be asked to give their subjective input regarding the various fragments of their last performance. Here, the judoka must determine how he felt, what was his state of mind, how stressful was the activity at particular moments of the competition? How do his subjective moods concerning his outputs compare with the measured heart rate, perspiration rate and other data? By comparing objective biofeedback data with subjective feelings, the judoka can then develop the necessary strategies to overcome areas of stress or nervousness and adjust his behaviour. Data obtained from accurate equipment is also profitable to assess and minimize the moments of nervousness or apprehension. With the data in hand, the judoka can then try a number of relaxation techniques to be employed, including deep breathing techniques and the use of positive mental images. Breathing exercises are intended to relax the judoka before entering the combat zone as it is well known that quick and irregular breathing patterns are evidence of elevated levels of adrenaline, stress and the corresponding solicitation by the body's "flight or fight" response mechanism. Imaging tools Other instruments in vogue consist of imaging tools. The complementary use of positive imagery techniques can assist the judokas concentration and focus by enticing him to enter into his bubble, rendering him more conscientious of his potentials and increase his self-confidence. Calm yet fully alert the judoka can regain his sense of control and maintain his focus on the tasks at hand.

Zuihitsu - Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

Biofeedback data can also be used to assist in the planning of future training sessions. By identifying the judokas maximum heart rate it is possible to establish a target against which individual workout frequency and intensity can be planned. At moderate training levels, the desired heart rate might be 65% of the athlete's maximum rate; in more intense workouts, the athlete might seek to achieve a higher heart rate level. Other forms of data collection There are now over 100 diverse instruments that can capture special data of interest to the judo trainer. In warm weather environments, data obtained from urine and perspiration samples can be tested to determine whether the athlete's diet has sufficient sodium or other electrolytes commonly lost through the body's fluid elimination. This biofeedback data can then be used to develop an appropriate hydration strategy, and nutrition programme thus ensuring that the judoka's fluid and electrolyte intake remains sufficient before, during, and after the competitive sessions. Positive imaging or visualization Visualization is yet another technique that is intended to assist in the reduction of stress, enhance relaxation, and to sustain focus by suggesting and directing the attention of the judoka to a specific section or technique of his performance. Biofeedback data can also assist in developing mental cues that will help eliminate distractions caused by crowd noise. Technicians have and can develop certain kinds of auditory clues (computer simulations and sounds) that can trigger a hearing response mechanism that will prompt the judokas mind to maintain a desired level of comfort. Since not everyone reacts to the same sound, various clues have been adapted to different persons and tailored to particular judoka. Dependency and reliability In the domain of biofeedback, we can be thankful in part to Dr Thomas H. Budzynski, an American psychologist and inventor of one of the first electro-myographic biofeedback training systems in the mid-1960s. His discovery led to subsequent technical innovations and the development of other accurate measuring devices which are currently employed in sports medicine and training centers throughout the world.

Zuihitsu - Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

We must be reminded that the successful use of biofeedback methodology is dependent upon both the quality of the physiological testing instruments, the data gathering and the motivation and response levels of the competitor to make readily use of the data obtained. The gathering of data alone will not provide a remedy to deficiencies in any athletic performance or sports. Judo is no exception. Although electro-myogram (EMG) and alpha biofeedback have been used extensively both in medical and sports circles, their effects on performance improvement are still dependent upon the ways the data is interpreted and by the athletes commitment to make use of it. Historical information has revealed that that the use of Biofeedback has shown performance-enhancing effects in the areas of heart rate (HR) and respiratory performance but problems have been raised with its usage when attempting to evaluate the effect of biofeedback on sports performance: Where do the data fit in with the overall intervention package? What was the base data used? How accurate was the origin? At what frequency is the new data collected and how is it used? These are grey areas still demanding extra research. To be use with care It must be remembered that biofeedback instruments or devices are only informing the participant of his physical state and nothing else. It is only the interpretation and the subsequent program designed around the data that will permit the needed modifications in behaviour, state of relaxation, re-education of key patterns of activities or employed as a therapeutic technique. The information captured from the body scan can easily be obtained by various sophisticated or simple instruments. They normally express: the muscular resistance, the physical temperature, the brain waves, the heart rhythm or the cutaneous conductance and several other functions of interest to the specialized sport enthusiast. Let us keep in mind that without some kind of instrument it is difficult to measure the stress level and intensity emanating under different circumstances. The feedback of the cardiac coherence captured from an instrument of kind can provide precise reading of its real level of stress. As such, all biofeedback data will activate an awareness of the current state of our internal wellbeing. Positive or negative images will be aligned from which reactions are to be anticipated.

Zuihitsu - Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

Basic data compendium or images are normally furnished in a raw state. There are some instruments equipped with accompanying programs that can compare the results with complementary charts, colour and sounds to indicate the relevance of the status with comparative optimal conditions. Other biofeedback programs on the market today can propose various charts, diagrams, games, visual or acoustic animations to signal the progress made towards certain goals. These software programs or applications can cost between $250 to $2000.The biofeedback instrument is a tool to observe and monitor the physiological state at a given time. There are also other psycho-physiological tools on the market which play on auditory signals and noise levels geared to facilitate relaxation or additional awareness. Thanks to the increasing progress made in the fields of technology and science, it is possible to have access to some good measurement material formerly reserved for medical applications. Nowadays, personal kits or packages are advertised on the Internet which include health snapshot, VO2 fitness tests, target heart rate, calories burning count, respiratory fit kit, BMI calculator, biological age status, overall fitness level charts, stress monitor, pulse wave sensors etc.. Mental power We all know that to perform at the highest levels, one must be in excellent physical condition, possess good technical abilities and have the mental attitude of a champion: to be there to win the fight; to go beyond the current state and to achieve what no others have been able to do. Besides benefitting from a good entourage of coaches and important physical resources, the judoka needs to resort to the intelligence he possesses about the opponents characteristics. Most important, he must be reassured that the knowledge of his internal energy sources and potentials are accurate and that these resources can carry him through the difficult moments he is about to encounter. Good Biofeedback data will provide him with that additional security.

Zuihitsu - Random Notes about Judo by Ronald Dsormeaux

Conclusion We are bombarded from many corners about the need to stay fit and seek ways to improve our performance. Artificial tools have surfaced in the past years that are designed to help us to better identify our strengths and weaknesses. They should be used with caution as they are very useful but they are not the panacea of our training arsenals. Natural awareness to our environment is a renewable resource that will not fail us in case of need. We must remain alert and remain flexible. Proper training attitude and past practices have presented the opportunities to be honest with ourselves, to intelligently employ our mental and physical energies at the right moment and for the right purpose. New ventures are on the horizon. Our future actions are not to be wasted. Always remember that our success or failure can be used as platforms for future improvements. Ronald Dsormeaux, Judo Teacher, Hart House Dojo, University of Toronto, June 2012

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Ronald Dsormeaux, Shin Gi Tai, The Discovery of Judos Arsenal. Limited Edition, August 2008 Bolelli Daniele, On the Warriors Path, Frog Edition, Berkeley, California, USA, 1974