The Path of Traditional Martial Arts: TSUKI

by Phillip Starr

Tsuki ( 隙), which is prounced almost like “skee” but with a bit of a “ts” sound at the beginning – known as xi in Chinese, refers to a “gap” of some kind. In so far as martial arts are concerned, it is most often heard in the practice of kendo but it is equally applicable to virtually all of the martial ways. It is used to take advantage of an opening in the opponent's defensive posture (physical, mental, or spiritual); a window of opportunity through which you may quickly enter and deliver your counter-attack. The window is often quite small, so your ability to recognize this phenomenon must be finely honed and your timing must be razor-sharp.

1. For instance, if your opponent momentarily loses his balance and stumbles or unknowingly drops his guard (make sure this isn't an ambush), the tsuki is a physical “gap”; a chink in his armor. The pattern of the enemy's breathing also falls into this category. He is most vulnerable when inhaling. If his breath is paused (which happens for a tiny moment between inhalation and exhalation), he is also weak. In both cases, his reaction time is slowed as much as 50% and he is less able to withstand a strong blow. When he is exhaling, he is strongest.

2. If he is momentarily distracted, his attention is directed elsewhere and there is a moment of tsuki. Any time his mind focuses on aything other than the “here and now”, there is a gap.

3. If he should lose the will to fight or become frightened, his spirit is in disarray and a moment of tsuki appears.

Like everything else in the martial arts, detecting tsuki and being able to take advantage of it requires a great deal of practice. You must extend your mind into your opponent so that you can actually feel his mind. You must focus so that you can detect the slightest change in his breathing pattern or where his mind is directed. Then you must also practice to instantly (without the slightest hesitation) attack and slip through the “window.”

There are two methods for handling this; active and passive. Neither is superior to the other. It's a matter of personal preference. In the passive method, you focus and wait for your assailant to err in some way. If he's an experienced fighter, you may have a long wait and during that time, you may reveal a moment of tsuki within yourself...so it's a bit risky. Bear in mind that it appears any time that you move or even breathe! Then it's simply a question of your opponent's timing. Is he sharp enough to slip in through the window? And if you think that “striking the breath” is nearly impossible, remember that during an actual fight your breathing (and his) will be a little less than controlled or calm. Your mind is excited, your hackles are up, and breathing becomes a bit more raggedy than usual.

The moment of xi also occurs whenever you or your opponent physically moves into a new position. A simple step has three parts to it; the beginning of the step when weight is shifted, the mid-point of the step when gravity is momentary suspended, and the end when the step is completed. The most vulnerable moment is at mid-step. The opening is smaller during the initial phase when the weight is being shifted, and once the step is completed, the gap is closed altogether. Now you can see why truly skilled fighters don't bounce around; the gaps are too large! Instead, they make short, shifting movements that are completed very quickly to reduce the time of vulnerability.

The second method is the active method. This means that you CREATE tsuki; you cause it to occur.

You may break the enemy's balance in some fashion (a foot sweep or sudden grab and pull) or subtly cause him to drop his guard. You may entice him to make a large movement, giving you a decent opening.

You may feint various attacks, drawing his attention (his mind) away from the actual attack. You may even glance behind him (as if someone is standing there) to cause his mind to move backwards for a moment.

A powerful shout may momentarily stun or frighten him, weakening his resolve and spirit.

There are, of course, other ideas that can be implemented to create tsuki. Find the ones that best suit you and polish them to perfection!

Whenever the opponent attacks – in any fashion – there is tsuki. This is why I say that all attacks are flawed. For instance:

If the opponent grabs you, where is his mind and yi (intention)? It's on the spot that he's grabbing! Your mind, however, need not be fixed on any particular place (NEVER focus your mind on where you are being grabbed or pushed)...it is free to move and enable you to respond however you wish.

The actual attack (of any kind) originates where? IN THE MIND! Before he physically attacks, the enemy must have the intention of doing so; he must focus on exactly where he intends to attack and how. If you can catch his mind when it gives his body the command to begin the attack, he's helpless; he's in an “attack mode” and cannot easily or quickly switch into a “defense mode.” In that small instant of tsuki, he is defenseless. And there are ways of training yourself to do this...