Weird Word of the Week: Kuzushi

Kuzushi is a Japanese word for unbalancing an opponent in martial arts. Although kuzushi is most commonly associated with judo, it is also used in judo, aikido, and jujitsu. It makes sense, doesn't it, that you would want to unbalance your opponent to make it easier to throw him/her.

Here's a Web site with a couple of nice line drawings showing the principle of kuzushi.

And here's a good demonstration of kuzushi in aikido: