THE TELEGRAPH

 by Phillip Starr

The student was quickly taken down onto his back before his partner applied a bent-wrist hold, which bends the wrist backward with pressure and then twists it around in a screwing action. Admittedly, the pain is intense and the uke made that clear as he gave a shrill squawk, stamped his feet on the floor, and tapped out with the speed of a machine gun with his free hand.

“No!”, the instructor grimaced. “Don't do that!” Both the students stopped immediately and the receiver replied, “It was an involuntary response.” The teacher nodded his head and said, “Maybe...but you are telegraphing!”

We're all familiar with the act of “tapping out”, which is sometimes referred to as “mibune” in Japanese. It means, “to make a sign or gesture.”

For instance, a karateka may slightly dip his shoulder just before he's going to punch. A kendoka may lightly tap the tip of his weapon against that of his opponent's just before he launches an attack. A judoka might blink just before he moves in with a foot sweep. I once had a student who would makes a tiny, tiny step with his front foot just before he attacked. These “telegraphs” are a real handicap, especially since most of us aren't even aware that we're sending them. But a sharp opponent might and if he does, it gives him a tremendous advantage over you. This is one reason why I disdain the rhythmic “bouncing” that is seen at tournaments everywhere nowadays...it sets up a rhythm, which can be suddenly disrupted by a skilled opponent. But it is a real danger when done in a real conflict because telegraphing is its natural by-product.

So, why was the student (mentioned at the beginning of this article) berated for telegraphing? The reason is that a skilled fighter doesn't give away ANY clues or telegraphs to his opponent, regardless of his situation. For instance, let's imagine that in an actual fight, your enemy breaks your arm (and in the case of an actual life and death conflict, a broken arm would be the least of the injuries you could expect). Prior to the battle, you must be willing (psychologically) to accept the probability of injury and you must conceal it from your opponent. You may be hurt but you don't want him to know it. He might feel certain that he broke your arm but you're not clutching it and crying; you show no emotion at all as you continue to fight. Frankly, I'd be a bit worried if I was the aggressor...I KNOW I broke that arm – I heard it snap and felt it give – but you show no real concern.

I realize the training with a partner isn't the same as an actual fight, nor should it be. To continue training with a broken arm is just plain stupid. It should be treated as quickly as possible but turning it into some kind of drama is unnecessary and can infer to students that melodramatic reactions are okay. They're not. In an actual fight, such reactions signal the enemy that you are seriously wounded and you don't want him to know that. In practice, when a joint technique is applied, it is done so in degrees until the pain is sufficient to let you know that injury is imminent...and then you tap out.

I've had partners (some we well-ranked instructors) who were more than ready to tap out when such techniques were applied. In fact, I recall one fellow who, at the instant I touched him to begin the technique, would start tapping out and even grimace! Tapping out at the appropriate time is necessary for the sake of safety but the stamping of feet or squeals of pain are not and the serious practitioner should learn to avoid doing these kinds of things, lest they become unconscious habits. After all, we're not playing games in training; we're preparing for actual combat. Certainly control must be emphasized and measures should be taken to ensure safety but in the end, we're training for a real fight and our lives may well depend on it.