In 2025, I was asked to write an article about the synergy between martial arts and body work. This article was first published in the 2025 edition of the Peter Morton Academy of Judo Jujitsu Karate annual newsletter. I share it here, because it’s a story that I’m often asked about, so I hope that you find it interesting to read in detail.
David Clayton
4th Dan Black Belt
Peter Morton Academy of Judo, Jujitsu Karate
I commenced my jujitsu training with the Walkerville Branch of the Peter Morton Academy of Judo Jujitsu Karate in South Australia in May 1994, at the age of 14. My fascination with Japanese culture and history had been sparked years earlier by a primary school project, and long before starting jujitsu, I had already dabbled in Ninjutsu and Karate. However, it was jujitsu that truly resonated with me. Not being of a particularly formidable build, I found its principles of yielding and blending to be the perfect fit and I was amazed by how effective I could be when I was not particularly strong. The very essence of ju in jujitsu means to yield, to give way, to blend—a philosophy that has gone on to shape my various careers and profoundly influenced my career in massage and bodywork.
This philosophy of yielding pops up in a film that affected me deeply, The Power of One (1992), where the young protagonist, Peekay, who is particularly small and being bullied, is learning boxing with a mentor whose mantra is: “Little defeats big, first with the head and then with the heart.” He learns to identify weakness, to move, to yield to conserve energy and to use his surrounding environment to his advantage.
This idea of strategy over brute force, intellect over sheer strength, and compassion alongside skill became central to both my martial arts and professional journey.
I graded for Shodan in 2001, and along the way, I discovered a deep curiosity about the human body—how it moves, how it functions, and how it heals. This led me to qualify as a sports trainer which included some massage techniques mostly using force, and making the recipient cry was commonplace (go on and snigger, you know you want to). But I then went on to learn massage properly 2003, initially as a “cheap” way to access training in anatomy to enhance my understanding of movement and to become more precise in jujitsu.
Martial and Healing Arts
Did you know that jujitsu is the hand-to-hand combat system of the samurai? More than just warriors, the samurai were scholars, poets, mathematicians, engineers, and healers. Many practiced herbalism and shiatsu too and were healers in their communities. Founder of Jishukan Jujitsu, Soke Sugita, practiced healing arts closely aligned to his learnings from Hakko Ryu. Soke Peter Morton was also a skilled bodyworker, and he told me stories of incredulous things that Sugita did to relieve suffering in others.
Within your own training, you have learned—or are learning—Atemi Waza, the application of vulnerable points. Beyond striking the groin or eyes, many of these vulnerable points align with ashi points in shiatsu and acupressure. When I undertook my first acupressure course in 2014, I learned that the precise application of ashi points requires ten times (an arbitrary number) less pressure to create a significant effect. Consider the point between the thumb and index finger, the fleshy web that, when pinched, produces pain. This is He Gu (Large Intestine 4), the great eliminator, well known for alleviating headaches, softening contracted sinews and reducing stress. In jujitsu, this same point can be used for control and immobilisation. The same point, with different intentions.
Fascia: The Hidden Web of Strength
For years, I struggled with the Eastern concept of energy meridians – they are truly weird in how they run through the body. It wasn’t until a teacher correlated ashi points with fascial structures, lymphatic structures, junctions and plexi that I began to grasp their significance. Fascia, once thought to be a simple sheath around muscles and discarded by anatomists, is now understood as an interconnected web enveloping every muscle, nerve, and organ in the body. It is now considered the largest sensory organ, responsible for intricate communication and movement. When we apply pressure to fascial structures, whether in a strike or a therapeutic touch, we engage the entire system and can stimulate profound changes in the body’s function.
Yielding in Massage and Combat
When I first learned massage, the prevailing belief was no pain, no gain. The therapist used brute force to correct dysfunction, much like trying to block a strike with sheer strength or attempting to overpower an opponent through raw physicality. However, just as in jujitsu, I learned that meeting force with force is often ineffective. Instead, the true mastery of movement, whether in combat or bodywork, lies in blending and yielding.
As a judoka redirects an opponent’s force, a skilled massage therapist must guide the recipient’s body toward change rather than forcing it. This brings in the principle of Jita-Kyoei—mutual welfare and benefit. In jujitsu, we show care and respect for our training partners, ensuring that even in defeat, the experience is one of learning and humility. Similarly, an effective massage practitioner does not impose change but facilitates it, establishing rapport, reading the client’s body, and leading it toward a place of change.
This connection between practitioner and recipient is profound. When a therapist applies just the right amount of pressure and remains present, the client’s nervous system responds, muscles relax, and even their breathing synchronises with the practitioner’s. This phenomenon, known as synchronicity, represents a deep trust and connection—akin to when you train and are in flow with your favourite training partner.
The Practitioner as Conductor
Over the years, I have learned to appreciate working with precise light pressure, using fascial techniques and trigger points rather than brute force, and delivering touch with a gift of time. Just as a martial artist positions themselves to redirect an opponent’s movement, a skilled massage therapist positions themselves to facilitate transformation. Whether reducing stress, alleviating pain, or restoring mobility, the goal is the same—to set the stage for the recipient’s own internal healing processes to take over. It is not me who is being a healer, but the recipient who heals themself.
This principle is mirrored in medicine. A surgeon precisely removes a tumour, but the body must heal the incision. A doctor prescribes the right medication, but the body must absorb and process it. Likewise, in massage, we facilitate the optimal conditions for change, but ultimately, the healing comes from within.
Applying This to Your Martial Arts Journey
Think about the eight principles of Bushido: Justice, Courage, Benevolence, Politeness, Sincerity, Honour, Loyalty, and Self-Control. When you train, are you being precise, or are you relying on brute force? If you could achieve the same result with ten times less effort, how would that transform your practice? When you “win” do you do so with glee and if so, who does that benefit? What good will come from your efforts?
By approaching jujitsu with precision and mindfulness, you can control an opponent without excessive force. It does not take skill to hurt another person, but it does take skill to control them. Similarly, in massage, forcing a muscle to release only causes resistance, whereas working with the body yields better results. In both disciplines, true mastery comes not from domination but from balancing skill, touch, precision and intention.
The Final Lesson: First with the Head, Then with the Heart
One of the greatest lessons I have learned from both jujitsu and massage is that knowledge alone is not enough—it must be paired with intention and compassion. Whether applying a technique in the dojo or working with a person on the massage table, success comes from blending intellect with empathy. With the head and also with the heart.
For those of you on your own martial arts journey, consider this: Are you overpowering, or are you guiding? Are you imposing force, or are you blending with your opponent? Mastery lies in understanding when to be firm and when to yield.
And if you ever find yourself in need of a reset, whether from training fatigue, injury, or stress—remember that the same principles apply to healing. Just as in combat, sometimes yielding is the most powerful action you can take.