How Deeply Do You Study Your Art?

[Throwdown0850]

I believe there should be some type of contact rather it be light or hard.. It can be a bag or focus pads..

[Sokusen]

JusticeZero Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 9:46 am Post subject:

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That seems to be a different concern; are you then annoyed with people practicing only hitting air, then? Because I don't believe even the local Taijiquan studio advocates that, and it's not clear that they are exceptionally martial in their focus.

I think "annoyed" would be too strong of a word. I agree with many of the comments already made that people study MA for several different reasons. I'd say I'm more currious in why people put so much time into only studying part of their art form. Why spend so much time in learning things that they could never use?

bushido_man

I agree it's not the level of body conditioning that determines the depth of your study. But the ability to use the tools you are leaning does. You mention a grappler has no need to hit a Makiwara, and your right. But If that Grappler doesn't condition their cardio and gas within the first 30 sec of the fight then it dosn't matter what submissions he or she knows because they can't use them.

[Kuma]

Why spend so much time in learning things that they could never use?

I think part of the reason is because by going outside your comfort zone (i.e. the techniques you are already very familiar with), you can see how the principles of your art apply to other techniques which in turn may teach you something about the ones you prefer.

Yes I train moreso in the techniques I listed before, but a good portion of my art (Kyokushin) is devoted to jissen kumite, knockdown fighting. So while realistically a high kick (jodan mawashi geri) would be the last thing I would use in my job, in our kumite it's one of the top knockout strikes. There are also the flashier kicks which, though fun to use, I would never consider using wearing a pair of boots, uniform, duty belt, and vest (i.e. axe kick and spinning hook kick). Why do I practice them? Because they take me out of that comfort zone and can possibly teach me stuff about my other base techniques. Oh yeah, and they can be kind of fun at times. And really, that's what it's all about.

[sperki]

For many of us the question of "why learn something we'll never use" is a bit hypocritical. The only thing I've ever struck in anger has been a heavy bag to blow off steam. Nobody's ever jumped me at a bar, I don't spend much time in the seedy part of town, I work at a botanical garden. So I learned how to throw an effective punch or kick not because I ever seriously thought I would need to use them, but because it's another form of training, it expands my world view, and makes me happy. And if it ever comes down to it, those tools are available to me.

[tallgeese]

It the worst case hypothetical that one has to get into their head to train for. 99.9 percent of people who train will probibly never employ their training beyond the floor or ring.

Don't get me wrong, that's a good thing.

However, mentally, one has to prepare and expect that it will indeed happen to you. Gavin DeBecker in his book The Gift of Fear (highly recommended by the way) talks about how denial is really the killer in physical confrintation. Grossman in On Combat (again, highly recommended reading) takes it a step further. He states, and I agree, that by getting comfortable in the fact "it won't happen to me" will keep you training with the deadly seriousness (a term lifted from Forrest Morgan- Living the Martial Way) that you need to be. It will also be detrimental in any post conflict psycological resolution due to the brains inability to cope with what it has, up tilll the conflict, seen as imporbible.

They are good points, I agree, it's probibly unlikely for alot of people. However, I always caution people to get too comfortable with the notion.

[bushido_man96]

JusticeZero Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 9:46 am Post subject:

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That seems to be a different concern; are you then annoyed with people practicing only hitting air, then? Because I don't believe even the local Taijiquan studio advocates that, and it's not clear that they are exceptionally martial in their focus.

I think "annoyed" would be too strong of a word. I agree with many of the comments already made that people study MA for several different reasons. I'd say I'm more currious in why people put so much time into only studying part of their art form. Why spend so much time in learning things that they could never use?

bushido_man

I agree it's not the level of body conditioning that determines the depth of your study. But the ability to use the tools you are leaning does. You mention a grappler has no need to hit a Makiwara, and your right. But If that Grappler doesn't condition their cardio and gas within the first 30 sec of the fight then it dosn't matter what submissions he or she knows because they can't use them.

I don't think that all techniques are meant for every target. So, I am not going to worry about conditioning my hand to spear into the head, when it might be appropriate to attack the throat thus. Its not that I don't think those techniques can't be used; I feel that their uses are limited.