H. Irving Hancock

“ Yet, while the Japanese have adapted from Western civilisation everything that they consider to be necessary to their national development, they have retained jiu-jitsu and all its underlying principles as the means by which the nation is to work for its physical well-being. They have done more, for, whereas jiu-jitsu was taught at one time to the aristocratic classes only, it is taught now to all of the people of Dai Nippon who wish to acquire it. The value of jiu-jitsu is proven by the fact that the Japanese, while a diminutive race, possess the greatest endurance of any people on earth. ”

“ Moderation in exercise, with all the other forms of right living indicated by the Japanese system, will make a reasonably strong man of one who has become something of a physical and nervous wreck. But absolute good nature is the only tonic of value that can be found at Nature's drug-store. Twenty-five hundred years of training in jiu-jitsu, with the constant application of its cardinal principles of good nature, has made the Japanese people the calmest, coolest, happiest, bravest, and strongest people in the world. ”

“ HOW AN ATTACK MAY BE WARDED OFF BY A CLINCH OVER THE SHOULDERS.
the blow by the man on the defence can be delivered. No one who will practise sufficiently the feat to be described now need be afraid to attempt the disarming of one who is trying to use a weapon upon another. The illustration shows a man who has drawn a revolver upon another man. The third man, who wishes to prevent a murder, leaps forward either at the side or from the rear. With his right hand he seizes the wrist of the would-be murderer's pistol hand, giving in the same instant the most vicious wrist-pinch he can employ. ”

“ This is the diet of the Japanese—the kind of food that kept the samurai in the best of health, in phenomenal strength, and with muscles that defied strains that would be appalling to the average Caucasian. If any hearty eater among the white races believes such a diet would prove weakening, let him try it for a few weeks, and he will discover that his strength is on the increase. Such stomach troubles as indigestion will have disappeared. The man who goes to Japan with a dyspepsia cure, unless he can find trade enough among the foreign residents, is sure to fail. ”

“ This is done with hands outstretched, as if the student were engaged in the effort to grapple with a real opponent. Sometimes the student lands from his bound erect, or at other times sinks to a crouching attitude. Then he is taught to leap sideways, as if he were trying to secure a side grip on his imaginary opponent. Too much stress cannot be laid on the value of this leaping work. It counts for everything in the suddenness and success of attack when, at the beginning of combat, the adversary is more than arm's length away. ”

“ A HEALTHY STOMACH THE BASIS OF ALL STRENGTH—WHAT THE JAPANESE EAT IN SUMMER AND IN WINTER
In the opinion of the samurai of old Japan the first step to the upbuilding of the physical body lay in the direction of choosing a sound, sensible diet. This did not mean a diet in which meats and condiments figured largely. Unlike the Chinese, the Japanese seldom cared for meat, even when they could well afford it. In fact, meat has but little vogue among the natives of Japan to-day. ”

“ The counter for the victim to employ, if he is versed in jiu-jitsu, is the throw-off for the throat-hold already described.
Every possible hold on the neck and at the throat should be studied out with great care. The more two students practise together all the possible holds the stronger the neck will become and the less pregnable to assault. A Japanese master of jiu-jitsu will grinningly submit to all manner of attack at his neck and throat, for the reason that his constant work has made these parts so strong and hard that the average American athlete could produce no impression of pain. ”

“ Such instant obedience sprang from the calmness that was induced by the good nature instilled into samurai students by jiu-jitsu instructors. The bravery that is, in most men, inseparable from the conscious possession of strength aided in this heroic suicide that saved an army from disgrace. ”

“ One globe-trotting wag of a naturalist has declared that in the Japanese waters there are forty thousand varieties of fish, all but three kinds of which are edible. He added that there are something more than forty thousand ways of preparing these fish. There are nowhere in the world such prolific fishing-grounds as are to be found around the shores of Japan. The fish are caught in such numbers, and with so little difficulty, that naturally they form an important item in the Japanese diet and apparently with the best of results. ”

“ The man who loses hold of the pole may seize his opponent by any hold he can secure, and the combat goes on until one or the other admits defeat. This acknowledgment of defeat is given by slapping one hand on the thigh; if on the floor the vanquished one slaps the floor. The combat ceases the instant that the signal is given, and the opponents take a moment's rest before attempting the next feat. The blows with the pole are attempted in various forms of attack, and the more ways that are devised of attacking and countering, the better it is for the student when he engages in actual combat. ”

“ The Japanese are such believers in moderation that when a lessening of diet is advised the immediate beginning of a fast is not recommended. The amount of food consumed daily is very gradually diminished, and the seeker after reduction of weight is allowed to use his own discretion as to the amount of food to be used each day—always provided that the amount of edibles consumed is decreased every day, or else every two or three days. It is not believed that entire abstinence from food is desirable. The stomach requires exercise just as much as does any other portion of the human system. ”

“ The man who is thrown by his adversary's trick and suddenness is not necessarily beaten. The man thrown often turns seeming defeat into victory through his ability to wriggle out of the hostile clutch and leap nimbly to his feet, instantly prepared for another trial of skill.
First of all, the student, when practising alone, lies flat on his back, with arms and legs outspread. ”

“ He who is rising may often save himself from a successful new attack by wriggling or dodging to one side or the other—and this must be to the opposite side from which the opponent seems likely to attack. It is not to be expected by the one who is rising that his adversary will wait for him to regain his feet before attacking. The Japanese take the sensible view that, in combat, there are no such things as "fouls." Any hold or blow is permissible while the intended victim is down or is attempting to rise to his feet. ”

“ In this country of ours it is not necessary for women—even those who attempt physical culture—to follow identically the same lines of training that are developed by men. In Japan the same tactics employed by the men are used by the women. There is no difference whatever between the physical training of one sex or of the other. A Japanese woman, well versed in jiu-jitsu, is able to encounter a burglar in a dark room, and to hold him powerless until help comes. ”

“ He who is too lean shows only too plainly that he has not attained the full physical development that he needs. For any man or woman who seeks the exact condition of perfect health there is a weight to be attained that is to be gauged by age and height. Tables showing these figures may be obtained at any well-conducted gymnasium, or may be had through the agent of any life insurance company. It is not worth while to offer these statistics here.
A study of Japanese anatomy, among both sexes, has convinced the author that these people are prone neither to leanness nor to obesity. ”

“ Agility is further obtained by falling face downward upon the floor and then turning over on the back like a flash. Arms, hands, and legs are employed with as much celerity and accuracy as if an actual combatant were at hand. A welcome variation is found in running at full tilt toward an object that is swinging, suspended from the ceiling. Without slackening his speed, the student grasps the object, or tries to do so, stopping only when he finds the prize within his hand. Success in this feat is at first almost impossible; by degrees it becomes more and more easy of accomplishment. ”

“ For the Japanese who wishes to reduce his weight not more than five or six hours of sleep are advised. It is claimed that when one is over-stout the fact is a sign that he is sleeping too much. It requires as much will power to reduce the amount of sleep as it does to cut down the quantity of food consumed—but these are sacrifices that must be made by the man or woman who wishes to lose weight. When the body of the samurai is over-stout he lessens both the amount of his food and of his sleep. ”

“ Once the student has acquired this trick, he is encouraged to find out in what other ways a grip on an adversary's hair, whether at either side or from the rear, may be made painful, and just how the hand not employed in seizing the hair may be utilised in attacking some other vulnerable point. The assailant must always bear in mind, however, that the attacked opponent has two hands and, possibly, a knee that he can use. It will be interesting for the student to study out all possible forms of attack in the hair-pulling tricks, and to plan counters to each of these forms of assault. ”

“ The grain comes to the table—which, in Japan, is usually the floor—soft, steaming, and a palatable food that requires no condiments to make it highly acceptable to the stomach. When the rice is boiled it is never stirred. When the rice is steamed it of course requires no stirring. Of late years an attempt has been made to introduce white wheat flour into Japan. While a few of the natives have added this to their diet wheat flour is still unpopular. The Japanese find rice more palatable, more healthful, and productive of greater strength and energy. ”

“ Some years ago a Japanese visited the United States and vanquished all comers among our champions. He was supposed to be a first-class Japanese wrestler. As a matter of fact, he was no more than valet to a Japanese wrestler of the second class. Had his employer come over in his servant's stead, our American wrestlers would have been much more surprised. Yet in Japan it is now admitted that a master of jiu-jitsu is the physical superior of a first-class wrestler who has many more inches of height and a great deal more of weight. ”

“ A Japanese who seizes his adversary does not employ all the strength that he has acquired. What he does is to take hold of his adversary at the weakest point presented. Then he holds on firmly, and allows the adversary to use his own strength to the point that brings pain or exhaustion. For instance, the man on the defensive who secures the wrist-pinch that has been described already has nothing to do but to hold on until his assailant's strength has been exhausted to a point that renders the latter unable to keep up the contest. ”

“ When practicable, barley and beans are issued in small quantities, though this is done only for the sake of adding variety to the diet. A small handful of rice thrown into boiling water over the camp-fire furnishes a meal that gives ideal nourishment—that is, the sustenance that brings endurance without reaction.
A traveller approaching the Japanese coast will see so many junks that he cannot be blamed for concluding that every family in the Empire must own at least one of these odd, serviceable craft. There is not a point along the inhabited coast where a fleet of junks is not to be seen. ”

“ If the victor can disengage his hands he is then able to employ the arm-pinch, the throat-hold, or any of the other tricks used in subduing the under man. In any case the man on top uses the knee-jab in the solar plexus.
Another excellent exercise for the making of agility is for the young man to throw himself forward upon his knees without allowing his hands to touch the floor. As soon as he has fallen he instantly rises to his feet, and stands with his hands before him as if awaiting the attack of an adversary. ”

“ There is another important way in which fresh air is utilised as a vitaliser. The native Japanese costume makes it possible for one to have a free circulation of night air that is impossible to a Caucasian who conforms to his own ideas of dress. The Japanese clothing is loose and flowing. There is no restriction of the air currents that should pass up and down the body in all kinds of weather. Even the Japanese who wear European clothing—and these nearly all are descended from the ancient samurai—take advantage, when possible, of such air-baths as may be had, both in the daytime and at night. ”

“ It is rarely necessary for the Japanese fast to last longer than twentyfour or thirty-six hours. By that time the stomach is in condition for resumption of its normal work. A seven days'—or a forty days'—fast would be looked upon in Japan as merely a dietetic feat, and not as anything that could be expected to promote health.
Exercise, in all the forms that are taught in jiu-jitsu, plays naturally an important part in the reduction of obesity. Yet, as has been discovered by seekers after reduction in weight in this country, exercise alone will not bring the desired result. ”

“ When the reader passes on to descriptions of arm grips, leg tackles, throttlings, and holds in which a grip at the small of the back is employed, he should remember, when practising, to be at all times careful not to use these tactics with more force than is necessary for strengthening the muscles of both antagonists and for acquiring the victory.
When first starting in with the work it is always well for the opponents to arrange in advance who is to secure the victory. Then the one who is on the defensive employs only sufficient strength to prevent too easy a conquest. ”

“ While the development of the portion of the body from the waist to the shoulders, and including, of course, the rigorous training of the arms, is considered by Japanese trainers as being of prime importance, only a few days are spent in the jiu-jitsu school before the student is taught how to strengthen his legs.
In the leg exercises, as in the arm work, the resistant principle is the one employed. In all feats the man who is "attacked" yields gradually to the pressure of his "assailant." It matters not which of the contestants is the stronger ”