Jo, Ha, Kyu

In his treatise 'The Life Giving Sword' Yagyu Munenori refers to Jo, Ha and Kyu as three states or rhythms of combat. These three terms are also prevalent in Noh theatre and Japanese music in general. I won't go into all of them here but will concentrate on Jo which in theatrical writings is described as the beginning or introduction. Munenori however, describes it as 'the combat before the fight'. This initially sounds counter-intuitive but I've been thinking about it and this is my take on what he meant. Before any combat there is a build up to the moment the opponents clash; this is the time Munenori is referring to. In fencing terms it's the time when you are waiting to get on the piste, the mental imagery you project about the fight, the energy and body language with which you step onto the piste, the moment you make eye contact for the first time with your opponent before the salute, then the salute itself. All this is part of the fight itself and will determine and influence your behaviour over the course of a competition. It's also going to determine whether your mental attitude to the fight is correct and ultimately influence your performance to a greater or lesser degree. This period of time is going to vary depending on you, the circumstances you are in and your own temperament. It might be seconds or minutes (But probably not the whole time; that might be a little forced and mean you don't have many friends...) It is also something that cannot be 'faked' so I'm not advocating you try to impersonate Arnold Schwarzenegger in terminator mode, you have to find your own state of Jo for yourself in order for it to be meaningful.
It's an aspect of any martial art or combat sport that is often not acknowledged by coaches and athletes except at the highest level but it is a vital component to good performance and it's worth considering at any level of participation. If your mind and approach is wrong your fencing or technique will be correspondingly affected. There is an old Japanese expression that goes "Saya no uchi de katsu" which translates as "Victory is in the scabbard". As Musashi says you need to study this well....