In contest or combat,
the fight can begin and/or end in an instant. However, in that instant many
things are happening such as off balancing, fitting in to position, angles,
momentum, structure, leverage, acceleration, deceleration, deflection, accurate
impact…the list goes on and on. All of these things develop through practice…correctly
detailed practice.
The Japanese term “MUSHIN”
(no mind) is referring to the principle of using muscle memory rather than
having to think about the technique before performing it. The more you practice
a technique, the better the neural pathways will perform. This enables you to
do the technique under stress as more of a reflex action rather than having to
waste precious moments thinking it through. That moment you spend thinking about
it could be the moment your opponent defeats you.
Advanced techniques
are awesome to watch. They are also very fun to practice and can be much more
challenging to learn than the basics. However, we must always keep in mind that
the advanced techniques will not work without including the use of basic fundamentals.
Even for instructors
it is more fun to teach advanced techniques rather than basic positions and
repetitions of basic technique. We sometimes feed off of the “wow factor"a bit too much. Some
instructors are even a little selfish in that they want to work advanced
techniques to get in their own practice time. This is unfair to the beginner that is not yet
ready to apply and/or defend advanced techniques.
On the other hand,
when teaching/reviewing the basics, we instructors enjoy watching the light
bulbs flash on over the students’ heads when they suddenly understand the
technique or a part of it they were missing. This is the most rewarding part of
being an instructor.
Martial arts is a
scientific application of body mechanics. We must constantly remind ourselves
that when learning a combative system, it must be approached as a system that
is progressive in nature. A student must learn proper use of angles, structure,
leverage, posture, and distance before learning how to do a flying triangle
choke. We must develop the neural pathways to operate efficiently on the basics
first.
At our dojo, we do
certain things at every practice session. We do ukemi and uchi-komi. We run
through the basic ground control positions. We do it so much that it has now
become part of our regular warm-ups. We
also do many drills, drills, drills. It’s easy to get bored with repetition. In
that boredom, it can also become easy to get sloppy with technique.
Make sure this
doesn’t happen to you. If you feel bored with a technique, remind yourself that
with each proper repetition, you are building stronger neural pathways. Take a scientific
approach by searching for more details to help make the technique work better
for you and under different levels of stress. That challenge of overcoming the
boredom or repetition is the “perseverance” part of becoming a high quality
martial artist. No one becomes a black belt or champion without perseverance.
