5-Star BOOK Reviews: Jumbo Tsuruta’s Books, Part XIII (FINAL)

This is the final part of my Jumbo Tsuruta books coverage which will cover remaining parts of Tsuruta’s 1999 book Jumbo Tsuruta’s Natural Power Strengthening Bible. I’ve been going over it piecemeal since the start with direct quotes featuring Tsuruta’s summaries of various wrestlers. I think the book also has lessons on how to execute certain wrestling moves, which I think might be useful. I won’t name each one because if I did we’d be here forever.

You can read part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, part 5 here, part 6 here, and part 7 here, part 8 here, part 9 here, part 10 here, and part 11 here, and part 12 here.

The core subject of this book is “everyday muscles”. Tsuruta never liked the idea that training must be painful , nor did he really like the Rikidozan-inspired concept of hanging in there no matter what. Based on a mountain of data he collected and using his own experiences as a sort of control data, Tsuruta concludes that weight training is useful for records-based sports but not combat sports. Tsuruta believes that a combat athlete must be able to balance active physical strength – strong muscular, nervous, respiratory, and circulatory systems – with defensive physical strength, this being the autonomic nervous and endocrine systems. In simpler terms, active means moving the body and defense means resistance to physical and mental stress and the ability to recover.

For a wrestler the active strength category includes exertive muscle strength, whole-body endurance, balance, agility, dexterity/skillfulness, and flexibility. Defensive strength includes resistance to physiochemical stress (heat cold, high/low blood pressure, and chemicals), resistance to biological stress (i.e. not getting sick), endurance, and strong mental fortitude. Using his own life as an example:

• Running to and from school every day as a child strengthened his muscles and built endurance;
• Doing high jump and playing basketball improved is balance, agility, and flexibility;
• Baseball, rugby, sumo, and other sports added to his coordination and overall endurance;
• Doing hard labor jobs further strengthened his muscles and conditioning;
• Wrestling at the Olympics improved mental toughness and ability to handle pressure;
• The heavy travel schedule touring America and struggling to communicate in a foreign language improved his resistance to mental stress

Tsuruta rebukes the stereotype that bulging muscles make a strong athlete. Instead, Tsuruta states that building “lifestyle muscles” is a better approach (APOD: This coincides with Kobashi’s experiences weight training and hearing from Baba. Baba had once admonished him for focusing too much on building a muscular body citing, among other things, that such muscles aren’t practical. Misawa, in IDEALIST, expands on this, noting that big muscles are prone to tearing and can’t absorb shock and impact all that well. Reading these more practical perspectives really does made for a compelling argument for a wrestler possessing a body that puts function over form…though that might not be a realistic direction in America where image matters more than output). Tsuruta doesn’t fully dismiss bodybuilding as a sport but notes that hyperfixating on aesthetically pleasing muscles leads to a serious lack in defensive strength across the board.

Tsuruta follows this with three iron rules:

1. Participate in multiple sports concurrently
2. Make good use of weight training
3. Pay proper attention to diet and rest

The first rule exists for athletes to avoid injuries, the most notable example being baseball pitchers injuring their elbows. Tsuruta believes athletes should practice different activities to both train and recover various bodies of muscles and in line with different seasons. The second rule pertains to a wrestler’s physique. Weight training, again, leads to a dip in flexibility from stiffening muscles. Your gains disappear after about two weeks if not maintained whereas everyday muscles are flexible and adapt to changes in movement, and take longer to deteriorate. Though he cites various Japanese examples, the most recognizable person who succeeded in this mindset besides Tsuruta himself is Aleksander Karelin, the Russian amateur wrestling machine. Lastly, the third rule concerns a carefully planned diet and proper rest. Consume carbohydrates quickly after exercising to obtain glycogen, usually within 30-45 minutes after a workout. Eating carbs to gain energy is better than consuming protein. As for the sleep component, Tsuruta encourages people to develop the toughness needed to be able to sleep anywhere, anytime. Tsuruta encourages napping on days off so that the body can recover and encourages deep sleep to promote protein formation in muscles.

The next section of BIBLE contains Tsuruta’s wrestler evaluations. I’ve gone through most of the important ones so there’s not much to go over here unless someone wants to hear more about the Four Heavenly Kings, Bruiser Brody, or Abdullah The Butcher.

After that we get Tsuruta’s lessons on how to apply and execute some wrestling moves. This will be a copy/paste job with all of these instructions coming direct from Tsuruta himself.

The Headlock

Wrapping the arm around the opponent’s head and gripping with the other hand near the temple is a basic technique. It is a move that tightly squeezes the cheekbone. In professional wrestling, there were many scenes where opponents were tormented for a long time in a ground headlock. The face lock that Misawa used to make me give up retains the atmosphere of the headlock from that time.

From a standing position, grabbing the opponent’s head and pulling it under your armpit is the preliminary step to the headlock. Strong muscle strength is required to twist down an opponent who tries to escape. In other words, the one who wins the headlock struggle can be said to have more power than the opponent. Specifically, it involves the muscle strength of the forearms and upper arms to grab the opponent, as well as the shoulder and back muscles to pull them under the armpit.

Even ancient Greek pottery depicts wrestlers performing headlocks. It is such a fundamental and essential technique in wrestling, but its usage has decreased recently. In the era of Lou Thesz, there were times when matches continued for several minutes with just headlocks, but if such a match were to happen today, the audience would likely be upset, asking, “What are you doing?”

Regarding the pottery painting, as a wrestler, I can tell at a glance whether a technique is effective. I mean no disrespect to my seniors, but from my perspective, the posture of applying the headlock seems too high. In modern professional wrestling, one could easily be countered with a backdrop if they were circled behind. However, since backdrops already existed at that time, it is possible that such scenes were seen afterward.

Chest muscles
The pectoral muscles are used when grabbing the opponent’s head and cradling it under the armpit.

Forearm muscles
The muscles of the forearm are responsible for gripping tightly with both hands and bending or twisting the elbows.

Back muscles
The latissimus dorsi and teres major are used to grab and pull the opponent’s body before entering a headlock. They are also used when pulling the upper arm inward during the headlock.

Shoulder muscles
The rhomboid muscles pull the shoulder blades inward when squeezing the arms tightly.

Upper arm muscles
The biceps brachii and brachialis are used to bend the elbows and securely hold the opponent’s face. The triceps brachii are used to twist the upper arm inward.

The Sleeper Hold

Shoulder muscles
The trapezius is used to lift the upper arm wrapped around the neck.
The erector spinae group is used when bending the body backward in a standing sleeper hold.
Since the 1950s, the sleeper hold has been employed by wrestlers, with a style that tightly applies the arm around the opponent’s neck and pushes with the left hand to apply pressure.

Muscles of the upper arm
The coracobrachialis is used when twisting the upper arm inward to apply pressure to the neck.

Muscles of the forearm
The forearm flexors are used when bending the wrist and twisting inward to press the forearm against the nape of the neck.

The Chop

Upper Arm Muscles
The biceps brachii and brachialis are used to bend the elbow during the backswing. The triceps brachii are used to extend the elbow during the forward swing.

Shoulder Muscles
The deltoid is used to lift the upper arm during the backswing. The trapezius is used to raise the arms overhead, as in the “Overhead Chop.” The infraspinatus is used to move the arm during both the backswing and forward swing.

Forearm Muscles
The forearm muscles are used to stabilize the wrist and form the knife-hand.

Chest Muscles
The pectoralis major is used during the backswing of the reverse knife-edge chop.

Abdominal Muscles
His powerful reverse knife-edge chop, delivered from his well-developed upper body, overwhelms even the most well-trained opponents.
The internal and external oblique muscles are used to twist the torso during the backswing and return it during the forward swing.

Gluteal Muscles
The gluteus maximus and gluteus medius stabilize the lower body and add power to the chop.

Elbow Smash

Strictly speaking, elbow strikes are technically illegal, but they are currently tolerated. Since the elbow is harder than the fist, the impact is considerable. Depending on where it lands, it can even knock out an opponent in a single blow.

Abdominal muscles
The internal and external obliques are used to twist the upper body forcefully during the backswing and forward swing.

Shoulder muscles
The deltoids are used to raise the upper arm horizontally during the backswing, and the trapezius and rhomboid muscles are used to move the upper arm during the backswing and forward swing.

Chest muscles
The pectoralis major and minor are used to pull the raised upper arm during the backswing.

Back muscles
The latissimus dorsi and teres major are used to pull the upper arm far back during the backswing.

The (Western) Lariat

Shoulder muscles
The deltoid is used to lift and keep the upper arm horizontal before delivering the lariat.

Upper arm muscles
The coracobrachialis is used to lift the upper arm. The biceps and brachialis are used to bend and twist the elbow inward. The triceps, which oppose the biceps, support the impact of the blow together with the brachialis.

The biceps—the so-called “muscle bump”—absorb the impact when hitting the opponent’s neck, but if you bend your arm at the moment of contact, the power escapes.

Thigh muscles
To develop powerful dashing ability, strengthening the quadriceps and hamstrings is necessary.

Back muscles
The latissimus dorsi and teres major are used to pull the upper arm back before delivering the lariat.

Chest muscles
The pectoralis major and minor are used to swing the raised arm horizontally.

The Scoop Slam/Body Slam

Shoulder muscles
Used to lift the opponent’s body by raising the position of the elbows.

Upper arm muscles
The biceps are used to lift the opponent’s body, and the triceps are used to extend the arms and drop the opponent onto the mat.

Back muscles
Used to straighten your back while holding the opponent and to lean forward when slamming them onto the mat—the erector spinae muscle group.

The Vertical Suplex (known in Japan as a Brainbuster)

There are two main styles: the Kox style, which drops the opponent’s head vertically onto the mat, and the Race style, which throws the opponent in a large arc, slamming the back of their head onto the mat. The latter also has a high-speed variation like Dynamite Kid’s.
As the name suggests, it deals significant damage to the brain, which controls human activity, making it a highly effective move. However, an incomplete brain buster can put excessive strain on the neck and may even threaten a wrestler’s life, not just their career.

Arm muscles
The biceps brachii and brachialis are used to lift the opponent’s body.

Shoulder muscles
The trapezius is used to raise the opponent’s body high above the head while holding them.

Back muscles
The latissimus dorsi and teres major are used to pull back the upper arms holding the opponent’s body. The erector spinae muscles are used to maintain balance while supporting the opponent’s weight.

Thigh muscles
The biceps femoris and semitendinosus are used to bend the knees and fall backward.

The German Suplex

You hold your opponent from behind, then slam both of their shoulders onto the mat with a bridging motion to secure a pin. It is considered one of the most beautiful moves in pro wrestling.

Thigh muscles
The quadriceps and hamstrings maintain the beautiful and powerful arch of the bridge.

Upper arm muscles
The biceps and brachialis are used to firmly hold the opponent’s body.

Back muscles
The erector spinae group is used to arch the back while holding the opponent.

Neck muscles
To support both your own and your opponent’s weight in the bridge, strengthening the sternocleidomastoid and splenius capitis is necessary.

The Piledriver

This is a move where you lift your opponent upside down and drop them headfirst onto the mat while sitting down. There are two methods: lifting by grabbing the opponent’s tights like Buddy Austin, or lifting by wrapping your arms around the opponent’s torso like Bob Backlund. Backlund developed his own style to increase the impact, jumping before dropping the opponent after lifting them.

As a variation of this move, instead of sitting down to drop the opponent after lifting them, there is the tombstone pile driver, where you drop to both knees on the canvas. The latter has a faster drop speed, causing more damage than a regular pile driver. Because it puts a great shock on the neck and is a dangerous move, the person executing it must be able to firmly hold the opponent’s body with arm strength, and the recipient must have well-trained neck muscles.

Back muscles
The latissimus dorsi and teres major are used when pulling the upper arm back after lifting the opponent. The erector spinae muscles are used when straightening the upper body.

Upper arm muscles
The biceps brachii and brachialis are used to bend the elbow and tightly squeeze the opponent’s body with your arm.

Neck muscles
The sternocleidomastoid and splenius capitis muscles are used to withstand the shock when dropped onto the mat.

Chest muscles
The pectoralis major is used to squeeze the arm wrapped around the opponent’s body.

Forearm muscles
The various forearm muscles are used to firmly hold the opponent’s body with both hands.

The Powerbomb

Wrap both arms around the opponent’s back, lift them high upside down, and forcefully slam the back of their head onto the mat. This is one of the most powerful moves. Lou Thesz was the originator, but his version was the “release” style. The current style, where you go directly into a pin after slamming them onto the mat, was passed down from Thesz to Terry Gordy.

Abdominal Muscles
The rectus abdominis is used to bend the upper body when taking a bump.

Shoulder Muscles
The deltoids are used to hold your opponent’s body aloft, arms raised horizontally.

Forearm Muscles
The forearm muscles are used to firmly hold the opponent’s body with both hands.

Upper Arm Muscles
The biceps and brachialis are used to bend the elbows and tightly squeeze the opponent’s body.

Back Muscles
The latissimus dorsi and teres major are used to pull the upper arms back when lifting the opponent. The erector spinae group is used to arch the back deeply.

From my experience, the trick when being lifted is to look at your own navel and instantly tense your abs. That way, your upper body bends and you fall on your shoulders, so the damage is lessened.

The “release” style looks more dangerous, but being let go actually makes it easier to take a bump. It’s scarier when you’re held until the end.

The Atomic Drop

You move behind your opponent, grab their waist with both hands, and lift them up. Then you drop their body forward, slamming their tailbone onto your bent knee. The opponent is writhing in agony, and their movement stops in one blow. It’s a highly effective pain move.
How much damage the opponent takes depends on how high you lift them and how quickly you drop them. Naturally, when a larger wrestler uses the Atomic Drop on a smaller one, it becomes higher and faster.
To firmly hold your opponent’s body, you need to strengthen the forearm muscles and upper arm muscles. To lift your opponent from a standing position, shoulder muscle power is required.
When dropping your opponent after lifting them, abdominal strength is key to add acceleration. Of course, strengthening the thigh muscles is also essential to slam your opponent’s tailbone onto your knee.

Thigh Muscles
To maintain the form where you slam your opponent’s tailbone, you need to strengthen the thigh flexors that bend the knee and the thigh extensors that work in opposition.

Shoulder Muscles
The deltoid muscles are used when lifting your opponent’s body to shoulder height. When lifting even higher, the trapezius muscles are used.

Abdominal Muscles
The rectus abdominis is used to bend the body into a “V” shape when dropping the lifted opponent forward.

The Boston Crab

This is a stretching move used since the dawn of pro wrestling, and I often used it myself. If applied perfectly, it’s still a move that can force a submission.

The name comes from wrestlers from the eastern United States who used it. It’s said to be a play on the name of Boston’s famous large shrimp, the “Boston Crab.” In Japanese, it’s called “Gyaku Ebi Gatame” (Reverse Shrimp Hold). If you hold only one leg instead of both, it’s called the “Single Leg Crab.”

To maximize the power of this move, you need upper body strength to hold both legs tightly and lower body stability to pin your opponent down.

Thigh Muscles
The muscles used when stepping over and lowering your hips are the hamstring group, specifically the biceps femoris and semitendinosus.

Shoulder Muscles
The deltoid is used to lift your arm horizontally while holding your opponent’s leg. The brachialis is used to pull your arm in.

Back Muscles
The latissimus dorsi and teres major are used to pull back the arm holding the opponent’s leg. The erector spinae group is used to arch the back.

Upper Arm Muscles
The biceps brachii and brachialis are used to bend the elbow and tightly squeeze the opponent’s body.

The Cobra Twist (Abdominal Stretch)

Stand behind your opponent, hook your left leg onto their left leg. Stick your head under their right armpit, lock their right shoulder with your left arm, and twist backward. This causes intense pain in the opponent’s shoulder and ribs. Furthermore, by gripping both hands, you can also lock the neck.
If your opponent has a strong upper body, they may counter with a hip throw, but if you fall backward yourself after locking in the Cobra and apply it on the ground, it’s harder for the opponent to escape.

Although it was a stretching technique that once took the wrestling world by storm, in recent years it has lost its power as a finishing move and became just one of many pain-inflicting techniques. The so-called “Torture Cobra” that I used on Misawa, Kawada, and Kikuchi was also an attempt to revive the Cobra Twist in modern times. Variations include pushing the opponent’s temple while applying the Cobra, applying a face lock, or an arm breaker. It’s a technique that requires flexible and powerful muscles.

Abdominal muscles
The internal and external oblique muscles are used to twist the upper body.

Shoulder muscles
The deltoid and rotator cuff muscles are used to twist and lock the left arm over the opponent’s right shoulder.

Thigh muscles
The hamstrings and semitendinosus are used to bend the hooked leg. The adductor muscle group is used to pull the leg inward.

Calf muscles
The triceps surae are used to hook your foot onto the opponent’s foot.

The Figure-4 Leg Lock

Hook your right leg around the opponent’s left leg, then rotate to the right to bend their knee. Next, grab your right foot and place it under the L-shaped bent left leg. Hook your right foot onto the opponent’s left ankle to complete the move. All these actions are performed instantly. It is a technique that injures the shin and locks the ankle. The idea that wrestlers with shorter legs are better suited for the figure four is, in my opinion, a myth. What’s important is not the length of the legs, but the strength of the lower body. As a result, legs may look thicker and shorter, but that’s possible.

Once fully locked in, it’s hard to escape. By turning your body over, the pain can be reversed onto the opponent.

Back Muscles
The erector spinae muscles are used to arch the back or twist left and right while holding the opponent’s leg.

Thigh Muscles
The hamstrings, specifically the biceps femoris and semitendinosus, are used to bend the hooked leg’s knee.

Lower Leg Muscles
After hooking the right ankle, the calf muscles are used to extend the ankle.

Chest Muscles
The pectoralis major and minor are used to bring both arms together while holding the opponent’s leg.

The Scorpion Deathlock/Sharpshooter

Shoulder Muscles
The deltoids are used to grab and pull in the opponent’s leg.

Chest Muscles
The pectoralis major is used to grab and pull in the opponent’s leg.

Thigh Muscles
After stepping over, the hamstrings—specifically the biceps femoris and semitendinosus—are used to bend the knee and lower the hips.

Lower Leg Muscles
The calf muscles and anterior tibial muscle create a solid, stable lower body.

The Camel Clutch

You straddle the back of a prone opponent, hook both hands under their chin, and pull their arms back while leaning your body backward. This move targets both the chin and back at the same time. It is said to resemble pulling on the reins while riding a camel, hence the name “Camel Clutch.” Specifically, grip strength and arm strength to grip the chin, and the back and thigh strength used to pull the arms back are the most important areas to strengthen.

The camel clutch, performed with the full power of all the body’s muscles, is highly convincing. The strength of the arms, back, and thighs, which combine both power and endurance, elevate this simple move to a deadly finishing technique.

Forearm Muscles
The forearm muscles are used to firmly grip the opponent’s chin. You need sufficient grip strength to firmly hold onto bare flesh.

Shoulder Muscles
The deltoids are used when pulling the grabbed arm inward.

Back Muscles
The latissimus dorsi and teres major are used to pull the upper arm backward. The erector spinae muscles are used to arch the upper body.

Thigh Muscles
The biceps femoris and semitendinosus, which are part of the thigh muscles, are used to bend the knees when crouching.

Upper Arm Muscles
The biceps brachii are used to bend the elbow and pull the forearm toward the body.

The Dropkick

Calf muscles
Muscle areas to train to become a super fighter

Gluteal muscles
The muscles used when taking off are the triceps surae and tibialis muscles.
After crouching and jumping, the muscles used to pull both legs in midair are mainly the thigh muscles.

Thigh muscles
Bending both knees in midair uses the hamstrings, specifically the biceps femoris and semitendinosus. Afterwards, fully extending the legs to kick the opponent uses the quadriceps and sartorius muscles, which are thigh extensors.

Back muscles
Maintaining body balance in the air uses the erector spinae muscle group.

The height of the dropkick, supported by the spring and leg strength developed through basketball, is more than enough for destructive power. Even in the final stages of a match, his stamina to pull it off is the best among Japanese wrestlers. To inflict great damage on the opponent, the key point is to pull both legs in after jumping and then extend them all at once to kick.

Tsuruta’s Jumping Knee

You whip your opponent into the ropes and dash yourself. As your opponent rebounds, you time your jump and drive your knee into their jaw, neck, or chest. Even if two heavy wrestlers collide head-on at speed, the damage is considerable. Add a jump and hit with the hard part of the knee, and I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end.

As someone who prides himself on being the leading practitioner of this move, I can target the temple, jaw, or chest depending on the situation. This is possible because of my long hang time in the air.

Furthermore, by combining a dash that instantly reaches top speed with thigh and abdominal muscle power that helps swing the leg sharply and focuses all strength into the knee, you create a one-hit-kill destructive force. This is a technique that makes full use of the strength and springiness of the whole body.

Thigh Muscles
The quadriceps are used to swing the thigh up high, and the biceps femoris and semitendinosus are used to bend the knee.

Abdominal Muscles
The rectus abdominis is used to flex the upper body and sharply pull up the thigh, concentrating power into the knee.

Calf Muscles
The gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior are used for quick dashes and powerful jumps.

Gluteal Muscles
The gluteus maximus and gluteus medius make high jumps possible.

The rest of the book goes over specific stretches and practices aimed at improving the wrestler’s body in order to receive attacks. But since this section is already long enough as it is, I think we’ll leave that out. If someone wants me to share some of that, I can bring it up in the future.

Review: Tsuruta’s BIBLE is aptly named because any wrestler looking to actually train their body and prepare for life in this hard business should absolutely get their hands on it. Obviously there’s a language barrier but hopefully I’ve gotten through at least part of that through these translations. I know they’re not perfect; if anything it’s kind of amusing that these machine translation tools can so accurately translate extremely technical and precise language but suffers a digital brain fart when reading numbers. Still, Tsuruta’s BIBLE is an amazing book that looks at pro wrestling as a practice. I don’t know how many of you are actively involved in the business, but if you are hopefully this section has been illuminating.

Final Rating: *****

That concludes my coverage of Jumbo Tsuruta’s books. There was a fourth book listed but it was ultimately inconsequential since its contents were covered in Osano’s ETERNAL book which also provided more detail. This took a while to get through but I hope you enjoyed the ride.

As always, thanks for reading. Next up on the docket, it’s a woman this time: AKIRA HOKUTO!