training while blindfolded

[TheHidden]

Hmmm, im planning on doing some training with a blindfold to help me advance my other senses. Anyone got any ideas or experiences with it

[Belasko]

I've used it to help w/ balance and my forms. If you don't see where you are in relation to certain things in the room (door, mirrors, chairs, etc) you have to do the transition from one stance to the next very precisely so that you still end up facing the same way when you finish. It's amazing how far off you can end up from where you think you are.

[TheHidden]

sweet, yeah, i have been wanting to set up some poles, ummm you might not know what i mean, they are used to build balance. they are all a different height and you move from one to the other. Now that would be awesome blindfolded, alittle dangerous thou you might go >>>

[scottnshelly]

All of the forms that I have learned thus far required the practitioner to begin and end in the same spot. After I felt I had accomplished a new form, I would do the form blindfolded to see if I ended up in the right place. It's amazing what you learn about yourself or your form if you can't see where you're going.

This was also a pretty common exercise in one of my previous dojos in form practice. I've never tried sparring blindfolded or anything crazy like that though.

[jarrettmeyer]

We practice forms blindfolded/eyes closed. Put that blindfold on, and even transitions from backstances become rather tricky. The blindfold is used to teach us to rely on our whole bodies for information, not just our eyes. I find it amazing how two rather small organs can so dominate the nervous system.

I should probably go back and do this again. Although the techniques in my kata are far better than a month ago, I feel like my transitions are too rigid.

[ninjanurse]

sweet, yeah, i have been wanting to set up some poles, ummm you might not know what i mean, they are used to build balance. they are all a different height and you move from one to the other. Now that would be awesome blindfolded, alittle dangerous thou you might go >>>

I think they are called Monkey poles. I would like to have some in my yard too.....someday I will!

I don't know about blindfolded though.....could be tricky & painful!

[shotochem]

Blind kata is definately a challenge. You never know how or where you finish.

We have drill where you are blindfolded facing your partner with your arms making contact. Your partner moves to strike you in the stomach

while you block. It is a very interesting drill as you learn you react on feel and sound as opposed to what you can see.

After a few minutes you block just about everything your partner throws at you. Then remove the blindfold and do the same drill. You will find that you are actually faster and react more quickly blindfolded.

Of course this will only work when you are making contact (unless you use the Force or Dark Ninja Magic ).

[Sam]

I think blindfolds work fine for gaining balance, and improving your consistency in your stances... but s far as improving the sensitivity of your other faculties i seriously doubt it in the long term.

The improvement you get from removing a sense compeltely for extended periods of time is only temporary, as once you regain the lost sense for a period, your brain will make judgements based on its input for certain things, adn the other senses will not remained heightened.

[tsdtony]

well i have never done forms blindfolded.But we do blindfolded sparring.Not light contact eather.i found this helps greatly woth much more than just balance.you learn to find your oponet many difrent ways.Its helped me with breathing balince and defince.My defince has greatly improved.I have learnd to concentrae on not just my breathing but my opinest and too be abel to fell were thay are with out touching theam or theam hiting me.

[karatekid1975]

My TSD instructor was known for that (making us do our forms blindfolded/eyes closed) and I hated it. But you get used to it. The hard part is ending up in the same place .... gggrrrrrr LOL