Excuses

[OneKickWonder]

I realise now I've been missing out on valuable training opportunities, through my own fault.

Some examples.

I've opted out of sparring opportunities on many occasions, because I want to focus on some technical points.

On the technical points, I've modified the curriculum version of a technique to 'make it work', when I'm fact if I'd stuck to the curriculum version until I could get that to work, then any further improvisation would only serve to broaden the adaptability of an already solid technique.

So what's made me realise this? Today I nearly opted out of sparring once again. Again I wanted to focus on technical stuff. But then I asked myself, what's the real reason? To my horror, I realised it was because I was a bit scared. Not of getting hurt. We knock each other around a bit but we don't really hurt each other. No, I was a bit scared of the pure exhaustion. The uncomfortable heat and sweat. The slight nausea.

So I opted in and had a few good rounds. As happens every time I spar, I naturally became very fatigued very quickly, and while I held my own, I was dominated by my opponents.

But here's what I realised. Yes, the technical details are important. Very much so. But they are worthless if you cant apply them effectively in a full speed high energy mock combat scenario.

I used to think sparring (nowadays) is utterly pointless because over the last couple of decades or so, so many rules gave crept in that it's nothing even remotely like a real fight. I still think there's an element of truth to that. I can physically grab my opponent and throw him to the floor for example. Head butts and elbows and groin strikes are all banned in our style. But it's still fast and slightly chaotic and difficult, in the sense that your opponent is going to make life as difficult as possible for you, and vice versa.

I think this last point is lost on many newbies these days. And not just newbies. I think in martial arts, folks often develop a false sense of security. Especially the youngsters. I think more students would do well to realise that fighting is extremely hard work. Even against a smaller, weaker, less experienced opponent, determination counts for a great deal.

That's my random musing for the day

Anyone else been making excuses?

[sensei8]

Excuses are like the stars, they are endless; to many to count.

Guess what else about excuses??

They (excuses) are live and well in the MA, and at every level of knowledge and experience; quite normal in every imagined endeavor, including the MA.

The good news for you, OneKickWonder, is that you've realized the importance of Kumite (sparring) across the board. Perfecting what one's learned, and/or is learning, and/or will learn is critical, however, that's not enough. Without Kumite, many aspects are lost, and so is the practitioner.

The fatigue you're experiencing, shortness of breath, if no medical issue is causing it, while engaging in Kumite, it's more than likely due because you're holding your breath...and/or...you're just not use to the physicality of Kumite, but I dare to lean more towards you are holding your breath in Kumite.

Proper breathing is everything in the MA, not just with Kumite.

If you're not fatigued at any other time while training EXCEPT at Kumite, I stress once again, you're holding your breath. One holding ones breath for any duration outside the normalcy of when one should hold ones breath for only in micro moments, happens quite a lot with beginners and somewhat with intermediate students.

I believe that beginning and intermediate students hold their breath quite a lot during Kumite is triggered by the brain to protect the body in the best way it understands.

Fear might be the initiating factor during Kumite why beginning and intermediate students hold ones breath. Again, the mind is trying to protect the body from any imagined injury. In that, Future Event Appearing Real...FEAR!!

Beginners and intermediate students will also hold their breath while executing Kata. Next time you go to a tournament, watch the Kata division with beginners and intermediates...you'll see them, not all of them, trying vainly to control their huffing and puffing at the end of their Kata. Oh, they'll still Kiai at the appropriate times, but before and after, they're holding their breath. That's why you hear a lot of audible sharp exhales of ones breath at each and every technique executed in said Kata; it's to control ones breathing and to handcuff the urge to hold their breath for the entire Kata.

Like anything, it takes time and patience to overcome ones limitations, and holding ones breath improperly is a limitation that must be erased for ones MA betterment. Hold your breath, but only at the appropriate time, which that time is a micro short sharp exhale just before one's about to be struck; hence, Kiai time.

[OneKickWonder]

Yes, I do have a terrible habit of not so much holding my breath, but breathing badly. Too shallow and with my abs permanently tense.

The tense abs is legacy from when I trained years and years ago. We used to practice using our tensed abs as a last line of defence, should we fail to block or evade an incoming.

But that alone isn't enough to burn me out.

I realised recently that in sparring, I tend to go hell for leather all the time. I don't believe you learn much that way. It's not a fight. If it was it would be over in seconds because rules wouldn't get in the way. So if it's not a fight, then why go full on all the time? By that I don't mean full contact, I mean full speed with constant action.

The trouble with this approach is your don't get to use your full range of techniques, because unless you can pull them off with a decent success rate, they tend to get abandoned in favour of techniques you can pull off. So then you end up with a range of techniques you can do against thin air or a bag or pad, but not in action.

An example of this might be the spinning back kick. I don't think it's ever a good idea to choose to turn your back on an opponent. But if the opponent gets to the side of you or behind you, a well timed spinning back kick can restore the equilibrium.

So in my last sparring session, I made a point of relaxing more, keeping the explosive bursts to a shorter burst, and focusing on practice of techniques against resistance rather than just playing high speed tag.

Now my spinning back kicks usually work well if I save them for the right situation. But against one particular opponent, as soon as I started it, they were straight in with a volley of punches to the gut (light contact remember). This was great. So I did it again, and got pummelled again. And again, and again.

So why did I keep repeating the same technique if it kept resulting in me getting pummelled?

Simple. This opponent had an effective defence and counter against a strategy that works (for me) against most other opponents. I wanted to try to observe what they were doing, how I could use it, and how I could modify my own strategy to render their counter strategy less effective.

It's all good fun.

[bushido_man96]

I have days when sparring rolls around that I dread it. Although I'm higher ranked, the guys I typically spar with are younger, faster, and much more athletic than me. I tend to hold my own fairly well against them, as I try not to play their overly athletic game, and do my best to hold my ground, block and counter, and then get inside where they don't like to be. But, its always such hard work to get there, and there's the sense I get that these kids will eventually start to overcome with their superior athletic ability.

That's what I tend to dread.