Sunday, June 6, 2021

Training with unrealistic attacks.

 



Pretty much the standard ‘attack’ used for much 2 person training is the opponent steps in and strikes with a limb. Of course there is slow speed attack for beginning study, and layers of faster more focused attacks as study or practice advances.

 

Studies using this tool were not the way my Isshinryu studies were taught. But as time passed, training with many others, I found many, many other styles which used this. And not a member of those organizations, I worked to retain what I was shown, not so much as to question the relevance of such attacking patterns.

 

Perhaps after 15 or so years into my art (blending the Isshinryu I studied with valuable other drills (wazza, kata, etc.) from other systems, I had blended in such practices without critical thought. Something occurred giving me pause.

 

Then one Sunday morning when working with some students on a defense against such at attack one of my senior students commented he really did not see the relevance of those attacks for self defense. He made a solid point.

 

Now he trained with many of those who trained that way, he knew it was not my creation to do so. I remember how his comments made me start   to think about that.

 

 

I began to work out for myself why there was a purpose to such studies.

 

1.     Everyone has to start someplace. Using a standard basic attack is useful to learn how a defensive (or other) technique can fit into the space around an attack and use it to down the opponent.

2.     Then progressive study with harder and more focused basic attacks also makes sense learning more than basic understanding.

3.     More important is that the standard attack is just a tool. While many actual attacks do begin with an opponent striking at you, that does not mean they are going to step in and attack. On the other hand the more common attacks in differing areas of the world, are not necessarily a striking attack. Many places the attack may begin with a grab (among other things), I could see there was a problem.

4.     But thing about it a grab often begins with a hand reaching out in a linear fashion. The same trajectory as a strike. That makes the relevance of the standard attack pattern, just allowing the study to be made against a faster attack. Thinking this way made the study more relevant to use.

5.     Many times at clinics such standard attacks are the tool of choice to show how a defensive strategy works. There is never much more time to really do more in the time available.  That does leave an impression that is all there is to it. Now such use made more sense, because the instructor was not doing more than open the door. They were really not teaching you everything they could share with a dedicated student. (Go back to point One.)

6.     My evolution of technique study had reached the point I no longer use the term Bunkai.  Rather I began to think of technique study on a finer level. I began to refer to such study as Application Potential. Seeing how each movement could be used against an almost infinite level of attack. Realizing how the study of a movement would fit

a.     Using the interior line of defense against an attack.

b.     Using the exterior line of defense against an attack.

c.      Using stepping away the interior line of defense against an attack.

d.     Using stepping away the exterior line of defense against an attack.

e.      Using stepping in on an angle the interior line of defense against an attack.

f.       Using stepping in on an angle the exterior line of defense against an attack

g.     And there are many others depending how one understands their use against an attack.

7.     That is just the beginning of the larger study to really understand a technique use. I refer to that larger most important study as Application Potential Realized. Where one’s training has progressed to the level the technique can work against reality attacks. This is a much larger study, of critical importance, to where what you have learned actually works.

8.     Moving from understanding Application Potential to actually having that Application Potential Realized is a much more complete study that many suggest. It has moved very far from the initial step in and punch for the beginner.

 

When you start to see the larger picture of what is involved, you more understand that everyone has to start somewhere with each technique learned.

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