Help with Tiger

[Angel05GT]

My sensei sais that I have gotten my Dragon down... but i need to bring out my tiger... any ideas on how i can help myself become more... "mean " so to speak, more aggressive? i need to let it out.. and i havnt quite figured it out yet. so any ideas would be very helpful

[Killer Miller]

Getting more "Mean," so-to-speak, is NOT the thing to do. However, to visualize a true fighting or self defense when you train is "the thing to do..." The rest comes with practise.

When you "think" mean or aggressive, it naturally tightens up your shoulders and upper body muscles. This constricts the blood flow to your brain and does not let you think clearly or if at all - as well as not allowing you to relax in the first place. This also prevents you from utilizing your sub-concous memmory responses for a given action in return. It all has to be a natural reaction from hours/weeks/years of training that writes your responses into muscle memmory - the need to visualize your actions...

Fuel for thought!

- Killer -

[cathal]

Mean definitely isn't the word, I agree. You can be agressive, that's OK when defending yourself. We learn this by practicing bunkai, and visualising opponents as we perform our techniques. You should picture an opponent every time you punch, or block, and picture that opponent attacking you etc. If you just put your arm out and call that a punch, it's not going to work.

[Kempohands]

Mean definitely isn't the word, I agree. You can be agressive, that's OK when defending yourself. We learn this by practicing bunkai, and visualising opponents as we perform our techniques. You should picture an opponent every time you punch, or block, and picture that opponent attacking you etc. If you just put your arm out and call that a punch, it's not going to work.

Agreed, imagine that every movement you are making is in a real self defense situation. Force yourself to belive that if you hold back, you won't be able to regret it. It's a mental game that you have to play with yourself.

[Shui Tora]

Hmmm... When I think of what a Tiger is, they are usually;cunning, quick, and have loud...

So; when trying to be a tiger, be the same (not exactly) like; be cunning (think!), quick, sharp moves and have nice loud Kiai's...

[Red J]

Think of taking on the situation, head on. The tiger's first step is usually forward or to the inside, never retreating. Think of taking ground on your defensive combos as opposed to being a crane and giving up ground. Tigers generally think of all comers as lunch.

I hope this helps.

[bushido_man96]

Try to focus more. When you perform a technique, think about where it is going, how fast it is going, and what kind of result it will have when it gets there. Try to visualize someone in front of you going down after the execution of each technique. Or visualize combinations, your opponent reeling, and then moving in for the finishing strike.

Tigers are not raging beasts. As Red J stated, they calculate, they stalk, then they finish. Nothing wasted. They are machines. Hope this helps!

[parkerlineage]

Deindividualize whomever you are working on your technique with (wow, I can't phrase that sentence right no matter how hard I try). The tiger does not think about that conversation he had with his prey, or about the prey's looks or family, the tiger sees only prey. You don't have to be mean - you have to be apathetic, in terms of seeing your partner as an individual.

If you're working on a body, that is.

[Jiffy]

I honestly think that the only way you can improve this is to spar. Make sure you spar hard. Aggressiveness is like anything else, it needs to be practised often to make it good.

I too lack the agression I would like to have.

[Zorbasan]

for me agression comes when i am underperforming.

if im doing crap and know i can do better, i get really annoyed at myself, and take it out on whatever is closest.