THE MOST DIFFICULT TIME TO PRACTICE

 by Phillip Starr

I am sometimes asked, “When is the most difficult time to practice?” The answer is actually pretty simple; it's when YOU DON'T WANT TO! And at such times, it's really pretty easy to come up with what seem to be really good excuses... You quickly convince yourself that your excuse is reasonable, and you forego practice for the day.

If you do it once, the second time is much easier. After that, the excuses just slide through. Some excuses I've hear were fairly creative; nobody is going to say, “I'm just too lazy today.” Mind you, I'm not saying that you can't take a day off now and then...just don't let it become a habit.

Of course, there will be times when your reason for not training is perfectly valid. We all experience times of ill health, injuries, and so on. But such times are not what I'm talking about in this short article.

There's a saying that states, “If you ignore your gong-fu for one day, your gong-fu will ignore you for two.” And another... “Martial arts is like making tea. You must keep heating it or it will get cold.” Sure, there are days for me – especially at my age now (71 at the time of this writing) when I just don't feel like practicing. But I get off my butt and do it anyway.

The only REAL discipline is self-discipline and practicing every day, even when you don't want to, is one of the main things that builds it. Training when you're enthused about it...anybody can do that. Only a person who is disciplined physically and mentally will do it when he/she is not so gung-ho about doing it....

MAKING IT INTERESTING

 by Phillip Starr

One of the concerns about teaching “traditional” martial arts that I’ve heard from numerous instructors is that it’s…boring (for the students). Understandable. But not an insurmountable problem.

One of the main problems most traditional instructors (and students) encounter is the arduous repetition of basic techniques and forms. Some teachers fear that boredom will cause students to drop out and low enrollment means loss of income. And they’re right. But having students play “games” regularly – although it provides some relief from the boredom – won’t really teach them a given martial art. So, what to do?

Alleviating the problem requires the teacher to do quite a bit of homework; something that, unfortunately, many aren’t willing to do. The instructor should make the training more interesting for the students. This isn’t to say that it makes training and sweating more “fun”, but it does help alleviate the boredom. For a given form or technique, the teacher can:

• Give the students historical points on it…where it originated, why it’s performed the way it is, who developed it (if known), changes made to it over the years, and so on.

• Special information on it (how it can be applied in other ways). Of course, this depends on the student’s level of skill.

• Give interesting examples of how he/she or others have applied it…

  

The idea is to make the training INTERESTING as well as educational. This helps hold the student’s attention and perhaps promote some enthusiasm for the training.

MAKE IT YOUR OWN!

 By Yang Shuangxing

Two high-ranking practitioners of a particular style (and they can even come from the same school) perform a series of basic techniques and/or a given form. You'll notice some small differences in their performances. Nothing major or even easily observable, but they're there. So, is one of them correct and the other is wrong? Have you just seen one of them make a small mistake?

Not necessarily.

They have learned to adapt their techniques to their own unique body styles. This isn't something that's achieved quickly; it requires many, many repetitions over a long period of time. They must adhere to the underlying principles upon which the techniques (and forms) are based. But because their bodies are different, their techniques look a bit different.

Beginning students tend to look pretty much alike. They are doing their best to to imitate the instructor, and that's as it should be. Even lower grade senior students (1^st and even 2^nd grade black belts) tend to do this. By the time they reach the level of 3^rd grade – and definitely by 4^th grade – they have adapted their techniques to their own unique body styles.

As the years pass and their bodies undergo the changes associated with age, they will unconsciously make the necessary adjustments yet again. However, they will always (and I mean ALWAYS) adhere to the proper principles of movement and technique. They don't expend energy unnecessarily, using only what is required for a given movement. It takes some considerable time to learn this.

Psychological changes (including reachinge certain levels of maturity) will also affect their physical performances.

These changes usually occur unconsciously over time. If you continue to strive for perfection, it will happen to you and you'll eventually make the art your own; a part of your “self.” If you TRY to do it, you'll probably foul it up and begin to cut corners and “cheat” when you perform certain techniques or forms. That's not it. The changes will come about of their own accord, without conscious effort. Your instructor will notice it. He's been there.

GOING BEYOND

 by Yang Shuangxing

Most martial arts enthusiasts hold their instructors in very high regard, at least as far as martial skill is concerned. And if they were asked if they thought they could someday exceed their teacher's level of skill, they'd be shocked and answer in the negative without giving it a second thought.

Consider...what enabled your teacher to achieve his or her level of skill? The first thing is passion; being passionate and committed to learning the art. Many practitioners say they want to learn it – even master it – but they lack the passion. Without that, they won't make it too far. Some start with what they believe is passion but boredom often sets in (often due to the constant repetition of fundamentals), or the path becomes too physically/mentally demanding and the flame begins to wither. The real passion is gone.

Being passionate is one thing, but it must be paired with discipline if it's going to be of any use. One may dream of becoming a concert pianist or NFL star, but without both passion AND the discipline required to put the passion into action, the path comes to a sudden stop. To acquire the same level of skill as your teacher requires both. In fact, acquiring any real skill at all requires both.

So, it is possible; it's a question of how much you want it...

THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT MINDSET

 by Phillip Starr

      One very critical element of our chosen martial discipline that is frequently neglected (or unseen altogether) by many students and instructors alike, is what I call the “fight or flight” mindset.  That is,, when we are confronted with a hostile opponent who means to do us harm, what mindset do we have?  Many of you will automatically respond by saying “to fight, if necessary”, but that isn’t necessarily the truth.  Hear me out on this one…

Now, we've all been taught, since day one, that martial arts are to be used only for defense; never to bully others or attack, etc., etc....right? Because of this teaching, many people assume that they must only act DEFENSIVELY and never become the aggressor. And that attitude and thinking is all wrong; it can get you killed.

At some point in the conflict, you must go on the OFFENSE. You can't keep retreating and blocking until the bad guy gets tired, right? Sooner or later (probably sooner), he'll land his attack and it's all downhill from there. The Marines learned this lesson well in VietNam. Intially, they would hunker down and return fire when they were ambushed. They fought from a fixed position and the enemy had time to figure out how to break through. After enough bad experiences, the Marines learned that the most effective response to an ambush was to ATTACK THE ATTACK! And it worked well.

It is the same with one-on-one conflicts; you must have an ATTACK mindset. ATTACK the aggressor as quickly as possible and overwhelm him.

Now, almost all martial forms assume a “defensive” posture, with the majority of the weight on the rear foot, when facing a hostile foe. This may appear in the forms, and it almost always shows up in fighting drills (such as 1-step and 3-step fight), and especially in sparring – when you square off with your practice partner, is your weight mainly on the front or rear foot? How are your hands placed? And most importantly, where is your mind and heart (intention) placed?

If your weight is mostly on your rear foot, you're physically (and mentally) taking a defensive posture. To strike the enemy, you have to shift your weight way forward and he's bound to see that. You're setting yourself up for failure.

Are your hands held in close? Do you keep them near your face? If so, you're in a very defensive position and signaling that you're afraid of getting hit in the face. Your mind (or a good part of it) is withdrawn and fearful. You need to extend your hands towards the enemy a bit. Bring your guns up where you can use them! Like a military situation, don't place all of your troops around the command bunker to defend it; set them out on the perimeter to intercept the enemy's attack!

And most importantly, where is your mind and intention? If your weight is back or your hands are withdrawn, they're clearly withdrawn – concerned with defense. You must extend all of your mind, all of your intention, towards the enemy. You must be willing to ATTACK THE ATTACK! Otherwise, you're just a moving target. Toast.

It is the Japanese martial arts that provide us with the most profound examples of this concept. For instance, you'll never see combatants in kendo playing a defensive game. The same is true of karate as well as numerous other disciplines. This is an important principle that should be applied to all martial arts.

FAST OR SLOW?

 By Yang Shuangxing

Everyone knows that taijiquan, especially that of the Yang style is performed in slow motion. However, few of them want to know why this is. I recall a young fellow who approached me many, many moons ago and offered to “cross hands” with me (that's a polite way of saying that he wanted to fight). Taiji was still pretty new to the U.S. and he informed me that he had a “black belt” in the art. That was a dead giveaway that he knew nothing about it and had likely tried to learn it from one of the few available books on the market.

We squared off and I noticed a fancy kung-fu patch on the left breast of his karate uniform. I decided that would be my primary target. He began moving for position IN SLOW MOTION! I was hesitant at first, wondering if he was trying to goad me into attacking him so that he could ambush me...but I decided to do it and let go a strong reverse punch that thudded into his pectoral muscle.

He flinched but kept moving very slowly, waving his arms as one might do when practicing the form (badly). I couldn't believe my luck! You don't get a free Happy Meal like this every day...so I continued to thump that patch until he could no longer raise his arm. It didn't take long. A front kick to his abdomen finally took the wind out of him and as he was trying to regain his ability to breathe, I asked, “You've never really studied taiji, have you?” Embarassed, he shook his head. I told him that although the form may be done much of the time in slow motion, you sure as heaven don't fight like that!!

Yet, nowadays I hear people laughing at taijiquan stylists because they move slowly and deliberately. “You guys actually fight like that?”, they jeer. Well, of course not. That's a really stupid question. But...most taiji enthusiasts very rarely, if ever, practice the form (or individual postures) at full-tilt boogie. If you're a taijiquan devotee, try it! Run the entire set at combat speed with the proper focus and yi (intention). Rather a different animal than the slow-mo version, huh?

There are several reasons why the form is practiced slowly and deliberately. It develops a very fine sense of balance and coordination between upper and lower body as well as weight shifting and proper breathing. Moreover, if you pay close attention, you'll notice how certain movements affect your body on the inside as well as the outside. These things are usually overlooked if you only practice at a faster pace.

If you're a devout karate or taekwondo practitioner, try doing one of your forms in slow motion. That includes stepping as well as kicking...all in slow motion. Believe me, you'll quickly notice a LOT of things you've never before considered. And your kicks will likely be considerably lower, too. You realize just how much you're relying on momentum instead of surgically-precise movements. To perform a form (any form) entirely in slow motion requires exceptional balance and a great deal of strength! You must have complete control over every part of your body at all times. It's tougher than you'd think but it will go a long way towards improving your form and technique.

DON'T HAVE TIME?

 By Phillip Starr

If I had a nickel for every time I've heard this excuse for not attending class regularly or training at home...(sigh). My usual reply is, “You”ll never 'have time.' You have to MAKE time.” But often as not, I get the usual response, “No, really! I honestly don't have time!” And so on.

It doesn't take much of your free time; maybe 30 minutes a day (although more is better – but no more than 90 minutes at the most, lest you burn out or get careless and injure yourself). You may have to rearrange your daily schedule a bit, get up a little earlier, or make some sacrifices. It's a question of how badly you want it (genuine martial skill).

Still, there are some who persist in saying that they don't have even 30 min. of free time each day. To them, I say:

• You either need a new life, or

• Martial arts just aren't for you.

  

Blunt, but true. People's response to my statement almost always start with “Well; I can't...”. And that says it all; they're determined to justify why they're unable to train properly. There's no need to justify it to me. I don't have that problem. Perhaps they're trying to justify it to themselves.

My statement holds true for any skill that a person allegedly wants to achieve. From broad-jumping to tennis, baseball, playing the piano...to achieve a high level of skill is going to require daily practice and if you can't or won't do that – whatever the reason – you simply cannot achieve it. Ever.