Jiu jitsu is largely bound up with the skill of creating some form of preliminary advantage before launching an attack. one of the most important forms of advantage is balance breaking, or kuzushi. Kano showed his genius by making this the centerpiece of his Judo program in standing throws- but the concept is just as valuable in ground grappling. At the higher levels of the sport, the ability to break through tough defenses is essential to success- generating kuzushi is one of the best preambles to attacks – without it there is little chance of an attack succeeding and a high risk of a strong counter. Here I test the balance of Eddie Cummings as a prelude to a more serious attack.
