As the shelter in place or social distancing continues to extend through May (at least in the Bay Area), many of you may be getting discouraged about not having classes to go to and believe your skill may be degrading.
First, I want to encourage you all the continue to practice the physical aspects of martial arts by practicing solo. As I noted in an email a couple weeks ago, practicing at home can add some unique value to your practice. While we practice standards for basics and hyung, when it comes to moving for self-defense purposes, you cannot choose how big the space is…and in many cases it might be in very confined places. So, you need to be able to adjust the length and width of your stances to fit your space and circumstance when defending yourself.
I want to extend on that thinking, because it is not just about confined spaces. Maybe the surface you have to work on is not smooth or flat. To be able to adjust to these conditions is critical if you need to use these skills against an assailant. So, I actually want to encourage you to go out and find a place to practice that is not flat, not smooth. Maybe it even has some obstacles in the way or you create obstacles so you have to adjust the length of your movements. You might also practice in the dark or with very low light. Practice when it is cold, practice when it is hot. Practice in the full sun, when the light may blind you from time to time. Practice with shoes on, in your jeans, in sweatshirts, in your business clothes.
Continue to keep in mind that practicing basics and hyung is not the goal at all. These are tools, but learning a new technique or hyung is not the goal. The basics and hyung provide methods to practice balance, grounding, alignment, breathing, work on flexibility, coordination, power, speed, etc.
The goal is to learn skills you can use to defend yourself if that is your only option. And you will be able to do so more effectively if you spend time practicing in non-ideal spaces, non-ideal conditions. If you can effectively move, stay grounded, balanced with powerful techniques in the various conditions above, I guarantee you will be better equipped if you ever had to use your skills to defend yourself on the street.
Stay safe, stay heathy and look forward to the time we get to practice together again.
Regards,
Kelly
"Tomorrow's battle is won during today's practice." ~ Samurai Maxim
