Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill

Often times when I teach new students they come into the training with pre-conceived notions of what the martial arts training of any kind "must" be like. The frustrating factor in this, is that before the student can actually learn what I have to teach them, I have to break down the "barriers" they have created in their mind 1st; a feat that depending on the ego of the student, can be very difficult to do.

One of my favorite "teachers" would always make his student do something (an "everyday movement") that didn't look like a martial art technique, only to later show the practicality of that everyday movement in it's ability to be used in a self-defense context as the student would inadvertently demonstrate how to block by simply...waxing a car. ;-)

I personally think that the success of learning what I teach is to see it's connections to everyday life. It's why my style of teaching uses a LOT of analogies or metaphors with understanding, but also with movement training. But what's more important is not just seeing the connections, but also FEELING the same degree of effort, & energy being shared between the technique and it's "normal movement" counterpart. Let's take moving non-telegraphically for example....




Many times you'll hear instructors (even in my art) tell students in order to move non-telegraphically, you must move faster, and/or move a particular body part before another. There might be some truth to that, but those coaching cues are still two different cues. In other words, it's more than one thing to focus on; often times viewed as separate entities.

Ever since elementary school, when it came to reading, my teachers always conveyed the message that in order to better help understand something you have to put it into your own words. Simplify it, summarize it in a way that makes sense to you. By doing so, you start to make it part of your own understanding...part of you.

I personally find that in order to move non-telegraphically I cannot actively (meaning during the action) think about, or try to feel two things at once. I have to keep it simple and just focus on one thing. This is helpful in a real life situation because if I have to feel/think about myself, the less of that thinking/feeling towards myself that I do equates to the more I can focus on the person in front of me. A better ratio...because the more anyone is focused on themselves than the things around them, the more they're bound to miss out on the opportunities, the beauty, & danger around them.

So what do I do? When I move non-telegraphically I make sure I move in the same manner as if I was just standing there extending my arm to hand someone a drink, realizing that they're just outside of reach, causing me to (with arm still extended) step towards them to make sure that drink gets in their hand. Now I know what I just wrote there sounded like a lot, but think about it for a second...
The act of handing someone a drink in that sequence, or that manner, is actually simple if you just think about how you can hand someone a drink, and see the act as literally just handing a drink.

I will say, though, it's not so easy IF you make a mountain out of a mole hill...if you keep holding on to this movement as a fighting movement. Why? Because when you still hold on to this "fighting" idea, you start to tense up. You start to puff up. You start to on some level mentally preparing your body for combat because you think, "It can't be as easy as handing someone a drink. It has to be harder. It has to take at least a little bit more zest than that!" But really does it? Thanks to Steve Smith, I've seen Drunken style work. But what I see making it work is not extra zest to his movement. It's moving simply in a manner that you would when you are drunk. The hardest part is the same thing as what makes or breaks any relationship between two people...the right timing.

So, really, what do I do? I stay focused on the person in front of me, aware of when is a good time to "get in my two cents", and then simply hand that person a drink. If the end result is that the person runs into my knuckles, or my finger tip...then "oh well"...it just happens. No extra tension. No puffing up. No zest. Just simple. No excessive tension.

Start looking at your techniques; at your movements. Connect them to a normal/natural movement. What happens if you really practice for a long while trying to make that technique feel the same as it's "normal" counterpart's movement???

Explore...