It is well known that physics can be applied to everyday life. No doubt this includes the theory of relativity. For instance, while sitting in the Rathskellar, one might say we are not moving. WRONG. In fact, we are moving at astronomical speeds: the rotation and revolution of the Earth, the movement of our galaxy, the movement of the universe. Einstein recognized that the apparent movement of an object is in the eye of the beholder when he deduced his special theory of relativity. For example, when you jump up, are you moving from the Earth or is the Earth moving away from you?
At this point your are problaby wondering, how does this relate to the martial arts? Consider, if you open a door, is it the door or the wall that is rotating around the hinge? Such an apparent dilemma is also seen in nage waza. For instance, when uke has ogoshi performed by tori, uke feels that (s)he rotates over tori's hip; tori feels that uke goes over his/her hip and a third observer in the room sees uke rise over tori's hip. Is that right? Couldn't it just as likely an explanation that tori has rotated under uke's hip? After all, we assume the stable point of reference is the floor (mat) and as pointed out earlier, that floor is traveling at immense speeds. Similar dilemmas are presented by atemi styles and aiki styles. Is it the fist breaking the nose or the nose smashing the fist?
The central contribution from special relativity that Einstein gives martial artists is the formula E=MC2. One prediction of this is that as an object approaches the speed of light, its mass increases enormously. Imagine the impact this has on us in everyday life. We recklessly speed down highways, apparently unthinking, as to the effects this has on our body metabolism. As we go faster and faster, our weight grows ponderously until . . . Zap . . . the old heart cannot keep up with load. This has its corollary in the realm of nage waza. For instance, in that ogoshi mentioned earlier, as tori throws uke, uke accelerates. As uke's speed increases, their mass increases in proportion making the throw harder to complete. It's amazing that anyone gets thrown! Imagine the increases in mass that occur with faster throws such as tai otoshi. In karate another effect is seen: the accelerating fist is gaining in mass too! No wonder those quickly moving fists and feet feel like lead weights when they hit someone.
A corollary of this increase in mass is the time dilation that occurs when objects approach the speed of light. The example I remember from my physics text is the example of two identical brothers (sisters didn't travel in space then, right?). One brother spends a year on a space ship traveling at the speed of light, the other spends the same apparent time on Earth. When the space traveling brother returns, his Earth-bound brother has actually aged many years!! So here we are throwing people around. I bet one could calculate the years that are saved by speeding through the air this way. A Karateka's feet and hands also probably age slower than the rest of their body because of this.
I hope the above discussion has been relatively illuminating; well at
least entertaining.