Nishimoto Style

In a well-shaded home on a quiet Cambridge-street, two soft spoken men direct the class work of the Nishimoto Style School of Judo. Each Wednesday night, amid a flurry of rising feet and falling bodies, they smile proudly at their more advanced students. There is some difficulty in distinguishing teacher from student. Generally, however, the student is larger and lands with a louder thud.

By far the most noise emanates from a barrel-shaped pupil named Leo. This is not because Leo is an inferior student, but simply because he was once a professional wrestler. When anyone else wishes a hold broken, he simply taps his partner or the mat. But not Leo. He writhes, moans, gushes his teeth, and pounds his head until an instructor directs the partner to break.

Although force is Leo's forte, the Nishimoto style emphasizes the importance of balance, leverage, and pressure points. The Thursday night students know twenty throws from the hip and many others over the shoulder. The flips look deceptively easy. When one prospective student claimed the victims were helping, he was invited to remove his shoes and resist. In two seconds the instructor had the skeptic head down, feet up; the boy's wallet, comb, and socks were scattered over the ground. When he returned to earth he reassembled himself, mumbled, "It works," and left.

Even the advanced students were surprised by the case with which the holds work. For example, one instructor demonstrated a combination press and neck hold. "Don't use much pressure. Just take your time. All you have to do is shut off the brain's blood supply." He grinned and began. The victim was on his back smiling for twenty seconds before his eyes glazed and face blanched. Later, while the instructor massaged his neck, he noted, "All of a sudden, whom!"

Everyone gives and takes in good spirit. Even Leo, after his partner stumbled and plummeted into his mid-section, gasped, "If they don't get you one way, it's another." Another victim crawled across the floor soothing his back after an unsuccessful flip, when his partner asked, "Did I hurt you?" Once of the younger pupils was unserved by a misplaced heel. "He got my middle toe!" he cried, while the instructor explained that although Nishimoto style is not so gentlemanly as jujitsu, neither is it "rough like judo."

After a good natured warning about a wrist hold ("Don't get carried away now; but if you ever have to use it, give a good jerk and pop, it breaks."), an instructor demonstrated the evening's final highlight, the Boston Crab. The heels eventually join the head with obvious consequences. Everyone smiled appreciatively.

On the way out, the instructor advised, "This was nothing. Come tomorrow night and watch the Harvard class."