by Yang Xuangxing
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When I was a fledgling karateka, we would practice this old training routine regularly (for some reason, gong-fu styles never really made much use of it). In fact, we did it so much that I came to seriously dislike it. I just couldn't see the sense in doing it once one had progressed beyond the most fundamental stages of training. After all, I was practicing one-step, so why continue with this really boring, pointless routine?
My teachers told me that it was useful in teaching the practical applications of fundamental techniques and that it also developed a fine sense of distance. Okay, fine...but after that, why keep doing it? Even their teachers didn't have much to offer in regards to that query; you just kept your mouth shut and did as you were told. And they did. So did I.
Many martial arts practitioners who had been made to practice this seemingly pointless exercise became teachers and because they just couldn't see the sense in doing it beyond a certain basic level of training, they discontinued using it. Their pupils would never know the dubious joy of repeatedly engaging in this drill.
Eventually, I was taught the real “why” of sanbon kumite. Once the basic routine has been mastered, it's used as an advanced drill that fosters a very fine sense of timing and rhythm as well as distance! Most instructors (including many in Japan) are unaware of this feature. It suddenly becomes more than a little difficult to do... This is shown in my third book, “Martial Maneuvers.”
It just goes to show you... there's more to all of this than meets the eye.
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