Preparing To Fail?

Hi My Friend
Preparing To Fail?

This is an all too often spectacle that I see in various training methods.

Unfortunately, it is also one that the participants are totally unaware of.

They have no idea that their training methodology is preparing them for failure rather than success.

That does not mean, of course, that they will always fail... it means that they are making the job of success much harder than it should be.

Let's look at a simple example..... a move that is done in practically every single TMA Class, every time.

Gedan Barai / Low section Block - or whatever you want to call it.

I have yet to visit a Club / Association / Group that has everyone practicing this move for success and I will explain why.

Everywhere I go they start from a ready position, Instructor calls out the move and go, the students then move to the desired position.

Some are quicker and more powerful than others... but the object of the exercise seems to be to get to the ''correct looking'' position as quickly as possible.

No thought is actually given to the dynamics, mechanics and reason for the move.

Most places still say this is to BLOCK a front kick.... but the ACTUAL movement is woefully inadequate for that task - in other words, they are preparing to fail.

Any full contact club / sport would not use this move, especially in the way practiced, to block a front kick.

So, why would TMA still keep going on about it?

Simply because that is what they have been told... so that is what they do.... even when they NEVER use it in sparring.

Rarely do I see any ''connection'' between the feet, legs, hips, torso, shoulders and head when people execute this move.

Yes.. all these parts are moving... but they are INDEPENDANT of each other. They are merely placed in the correct position.

So, if we imagine a video clip of 30 frames per second... and the move takes one second... then only frame 1 and 30 actually look correct.

And that is what people are happy with.

Frames 2 to 29 are the critical ones, they are THE MOST IMPORTANT frames of that whole movement.

Everything needs to come together in one EXPLOSIVE and DYNAMIC movement with the intention and mindset of complete destruction.

If you are using that movement as an arm bar / break... then that is what you must be imagining when you make the move.

It is essentially ''shadow boxing'' that movement and that technique.

These Kihons or basics are still VERY important movements and will help you to understand whole body movement (hint: the waveform) and how to apply it to your Art.

This whole body movement and mindset should be applied on each and every basic movement in practice.

It should be applied when you start to understand Kata... a couple of moves at a time... not doing the whole sequence... but that's another story for another time.

So, my friend... do not prepare to fail..... make sure that you understand why and how a move should be made... and apply all the above and all the Players you know into each and every move... EVERY SINGLE time you practice.

That way you will prepare to succeed.

Till next time

Your Pressure Point Coach
Russell Stutely