Using Tools
October 22, 2018
“All warfare is based on deception.” So said Sun Tzu In The Art of War. This is particularly important in our martial art. It is often, also, a matter of confusion for students.
As a teacher I try to explain what we are doing in terms of application of principle, but, as I explain the student may be trying to look at what a technique looks like. So, I need to either exaggerate a movement, or slow down the movement and block it off into pieces that are easier to work with. This means that the technique as shown will seldom be precisely what one would do in practice. So it becomes necessary to set certain parameters of what one needs to be looking for in terms of their own movement. Making good contact without contesting. Finding the place where you have established a cumulative lock of the opponents skeletal structure. Noting the balance of both yourself and the opponent, or practice partner. Seeing the void that is created where we may lead the opponent for the takedown, or throw.
If you are using any muscular strength, that is wrong. So too would be needing leverage or pain to make a technique work. These are shortcuts that many systems have come to rely upon, but they should be unnecessary.
When we use the void rather than leverage or muscle power we are able to force of gravity which is a constant and far more powerful than the muscles of our bodies. This power is invisible, however, and therefore not obvious to the eyes of the practitioner, or the onlooker. This is why true martial arts are very difficult to cultivate without a good teacher. You can look at video of sports and emulate what you see, however; how do you emulate what cannot be seen?
If you would like to look into this, please come out to River of Life and try a class. We’d love to work with you!
