Did you know there are similarities between martial arts and dentistry? We spoke to Dr Colm Harney about his passion for Aikijujutsu.
Colm first got to Aikijujutsu (a traditional Japanese martial art that uses grips, throws, strangleholds, jointlocks and strikes) when he moved to Perth 15 years ago. “I had done karate for five years at university and still was interested in doing further martial arts training before I got too old,” he recalls. “I wanted to get out of the house, do something physically active and train in a club environment to meet new people.”
“It took eight years to achieve black belt, then once I was up and running two more for second dan and three more for third,” he explains. “In the old days, it was said black belt was attained by training long enough whereby the beginner’s white belt became more worn and battered to eventually turn black. Nowadays, there is a specific syllabus for each level and a test of that knowledge and competency in a pressured environment called a grading.
“There is a very close analogy to Dentistry, where first black belt is like getting the dental degree – a broad understanding of the fundamentals – but it soon dawns there is still a lot to learn and put into practice,” he says. “From there, the other levels are equivalent to doing post-grad studies with fourth dan (which I am just starting to formally study for now, for the next two years) indicating a high level of proficiency, similar to completing a specialisation.”
Colm currently trains three times per week and has the occasional seminar or get together of multiple cubs in Perth or overseas, and says training is a circuit breaker to all of life’s slings and arrows.
“I could have a horror day in practice or dealing with the witching hour of putting kids to bed but once I step on the mats, someone attacks and that all disappears.”
“Martial art clubs, despite how they may seem from the outside, are generally very friendly places so it is a good way to socialise with people outside of work/family circles and talk about things other than Dentistry,” he says.
When asked what he enjoys most about this martial art, he says it is a very exciting and technical martial art. “It is based on having excellent posture, technique and timing – there are no short cuts which can be frustrating but is ultimately the challenge that keeps me going back for more,” he says.
“It is fascinating to have anatomical understanding, which gives a real appreciation on how clever the original exponents were to have worked out weak points of the body, such as how to manipulate joints the ‘wrong way’ or where various nerves run superficially to apply pressure
to them.”
He would recommend other dentists and busy professionals to try it out. “Not for the obvious reason of ‘self-defence’ – that is incidental really,”
he says. “We sit most of the day, often in compromised postures so it is a good way to get moving, develop coordination, exercise mind and body and meet people. The grappling aspects involves lots of physical contact, which is challenging and
fun in equal measures.”
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