Why Am I Not Improving? - - Chief Instructor's Blog June 2018

Do you feel like you are not improving or improving as fast as you would like?  This is not uncommon.  Many of us have experienced a time or times in our training where we felt we were not improving.  There may be several reasons this may be the case.

 

 If you feel you are not improving because you have reached a plateau I have described possible ways to work through that in my March 2015 blog “How To Get Through The Plateaus “.  If you feel you are not improving because of flexibility or strength limitations, I discussed ways to improve through targeting specific muscles in my June 2015 blog “Improving Your Technique Through Targeted Muscles Training."

 

Other reasons you may not be improving may be the frequency of your training, where you are at on the learning curve, and even your inner critic.

Frequency of Training

 

 According to Tony Gummerson in his book, “Teaching Martial Arts” [1]:

• One practice session a week maintains existing skill level.
• Two practice sessions a week bring about a moderate improvement in performance
• Three practice sessions a week have a measurable positive effect on performance

Therefore, to continue to improve you must be able to spend at least two sessions a week (in or out of class) practicing.  This is especially true when you are first learning a new technique, since it can take 3-4 training sessions to reach a 50-60% accuracy in reproducing the techniques [1].

 

Learning Curve

 

According to Tony Gummerson in his book, “Teaching Martial Arts” [1], “The 70-80% level of technical excellence can be achieved relatively quickly; however, to attain the remaining 30% or 20% requires a disproportionate amount of time and effort.”  He goes on to state ”After a given point on the learning curve, the amount of time required to bring about a moderate improvement becomes greater and greater and disproportionate to the increase in skill level.”  A graph in the book shows one can reach a 60% technical effectiveness in 3 training days but take up to 50 days to reach an 80% technical effectiveness.”

 

 So, in some cases, it maybe where you are on the learning curve for a technique or form, and it will just take more training days to refine and reach a higher technical effectiveness. 

Inner Critic

 

While instructors are very influential in the progression of your training, one of the biggest influences is your Inner Critic.  The Inner Critic…we all have it right?  That inner voice that tells us what we are doing wrong, we can never be able to do that technique, certain students will always defeat us in sparring, we will never be able to be good enough to earn a black belt, etc.

 

The Inner Critic can have a place in training if the inner voice is correcting you constructively and encouraging, but it can be your worst enemy if it is judging, discouraging, and /or negative. 

 

So, listen to what your inner critic is telling you and, if it is not being encouraging, you need to learn to ignore it or train your inner critic to provide more positive, encouraging words or just simple words, like “go” and “yes.” 

 

Regards,

Kelly

 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ~ Teddy Roosevelt(1858 – 1919), American statesman, author, explorer, soldier, naturalist 26th President of the United States (1901 to 1909), 25th Vice President of the United States from March to September 1901, 33rd Governor of New York from 1899 to 1900 Excerpt from the speech “Citizenship In A Republic” delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910, 26^th President of the United States, third degree brown belt in Judo.

 

 

References

1.      Teaching Martial Arts by Tony Gummerson

 

 

 

 

How To Mentally Prepare For Being Under Stress - Chief Instructor's Blog May 2018

In my April 2018 blog, I discussed the fact that if you have to use your skills in a real situation, most likely you will experience an increase of stress (higher heart rate, rush of adrenaline, etc.) and you need to physically train in that state, so you can be effective under those conditions.  In this blog I will describe ways you can also train mentally so you are more effective in a stressed situation.

First off, one reason your heart rate will increase quickly and a rush of adrenaline can be magnified is if you were not ready or aware of the attacker and it was a surprise.  Being aware of your surroundings at all times is a critical part of self-defense.  If you see someone coming at you, you have more time to react and prepare a plan and will be more effective, including avoiding the situation altogether.  It may also mean you are aware of when you may be at risk and choose an alternative.  For example, when Brian and I go on travel internationally we do not wear any expensive jewelry which may make us more of a target – we leave that at home and only wear some inexpensive wedding bands.  Another example is when we travel on public transportation, we tend to skip any trains/busses that are extremely crowded if we can avoid it and wait for one that is less crowded and we can find a place to sit or stand against a wall to limit our vulnerability.  For more information on awareness, I recommend reading or revisiting my August 2009 blog “More Awareness; Principle #16” and my March 2014 blog “Awareness Revisited”.

That leads into the second way to prepare mentally – have a plan.  This means imagining various scenarios and how you would respond.  You need to think about how your response might change if there are multiple attackers, you are alone versus with friends or family, it is at night versus the day, in a public place versus secluded area, if you on travel in a foreign county, if the attacker has a weapon, etc.  Depending on the scenario, it may change your response, so you need to spend time going through various scenarios and determine what your initial plan might be.  When Brian and I travel and are carrying a decent amount of cash, we choose one person to carry most of the cash.  The one carrying the cash stays focused on the surroundings while the person not carrying the cash focuses on the person carrying the cash. 

And third, after you have thought of your plan for various scenarios, you need to practice your plan.  This can, at first, be mentally going through your plan and imagining the results.  It also means physically practicing your plan against different attackers and seeing how it plays out, adjusting your methods based on what you learn.

While training physically in a stressed state is very important, training mentally is also important.  We were talking to a Back Belt from another style once, who said they were at a bar and were so surprised someone took a swing at them during a verbal encounter; they just sat there and did not respond with any of the training they had had.  I encourage all of you (if you have not already) to start training mentally for various scenarios and physically so you are effective if you need to use your skills.

Regards,

Kelly

"See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body." ~ Yagyu Munenori (1571 – 1646) Japanese swordsman, founder of the Edo branch of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū

Reference:

1.  http://www.handgunsmag.com/tactics-training/training-stress-6-ways-prepare-defensive-scenarios/, Retrieved 3/11/18

 

 

How To Physically Prepare For Being Under Stress - - Chief Instructor's Blog April 2018

As I noted in my February 2018 blog February “In time of stress, the body will produce large amounts of adrenaline and there may be no time to think, so you will react strictly by body memory.  What this means is how you have practiced and trained is how you will defend yourself if you are ever attacked.  Let me repeat this: how you have practiced and trained is how you will defend yourself if you ever are attacked.”

Continuing to practice consciously and properly, so you understand your habits, and being committed to ensuring correct position/alignment, have coordination, agility, focus, and speed all are critical in preparing to use your techniques in a real situation.  But to test how effective your techniques are when your body is under stress, you need to prepare physically under such conditions.

One way to physically prepare is to train while your heart rate is high.  To increase your heart rate, you can push your physical effort and force so you are winded to a point of being out of breath.  For example, practice a hyung at full speed a few times one right after another and then perform self-defense.  See how well you maintain your control, how effective your techniques are, and how quick your reaction time is.  Pay attention to other ways your physical body may have reacted such as:  did you have problems concentrating?  Did you have problems thinking clearly?  Did time slow?  Did you freeze up? These are all indications that your heart rate is high or you have a large amount of adrenaline in your body.

In addition, you need to train during scenarios where you experience an adrenaline surge into your body.  Some ways to accomplish this is to perform exercises / drills that increase your level of stress:

·         Drills you are very uncomfortable with (e.g., a timed drills with others observing)

·         Drills that are more dynamic (drills where attack types, speed, etc. are random),

·         Drills that try to mimic more realistic scenarios (e.g., a drill that evokes a sense of fear, 2-on-1 training, 3-on-1 training, drills where the attack is a surprise (either the attack itself or the way the attacker attacks), attacking with weapons, drills where there is a lot of loud noises such as a crowds, drills where the light is very dim such as at night on a dark street, etc.) 

For all these drills, it is important to try to maintain a safe environment which will limit the level of stress that can be induced.

Mastering your breathing is also critical.  If you can control your breathing it can help control your heart rate and if you can control your heart rate it will help you maintain control, clearer thoughts, and allow you to last longer in an altercation (among others things).  I discussed breathing and its importance in more detail in my December 2016 blog titled ”Deep Breathing…Could Be A Life Saver”.

Each of us has different scenarios that evoke high heart rates and adrenaline surges.  And each of us has different levels of adrenaline that we can effectively tolerate.  The key is to train to understand those limits so you understand how you may react in a real self-defense situation.  Then you should continue to train to induce those levels and push yourself incrementally to move the needle so you are more and more effective under higher stress scenarios.

There are also ways you can prepare mentally for being under stress which I will describe in a future blog.

Regards,

Kelly

“The more we sweat in training, the less we bleed in battle” ~ Old Chinese Proverb

References:

1.      http://www.handgunsmag.com/tactics-training/training-stress-6-ways-prepare-defensive-scenarios/, Retrieved 3/11/18

2.      http://pacificwavejiujitsu.com/blog/how-to-us-adrenaline-flow-martial-arts-self-defense/, Retrieved 3/11/18

3.      http://www.koseido-dojo.org/downloads/AdrenalineSelfDefenseStrategy.pdf, Retrieved 3/11/18

 

Getting Older and Continuing to Practice - - Chief Instructor's Blog March 2018

You may be thinking or have asked yourself “How long can one practice martial arts.”  I would say it can depend on the art form and style, but in general you can practice for many years.  Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan Karate, established Shotokan with the belief that “It is important that karate can be practiced by the young and old, men and women alike."  One of our founders, Bob Rainie, practiced well into his 80s.  You can find videos on the web of Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba practicing well into his late 70s. So, yes, you can train for many, many years.  What I will say is how you train, your focus, and your techniques will most likely change over time.

I have been studying martial arts now for over 24 years.  And for me, the last several years of practicing this art form is much different than when I started.  Some of the difference is based on my knowledge of the art form and some of it is based on the aging factor.  In some areas my physical skills are definitely better and more effective and in some cases, especially my kicks due to the arthritis in my hips, I have had to adjust them to be effective and I do not perform the same way I did as a blue belt.

The description of the life of the forms from the Hyung Reference page on the Han Moo Kwan Association website is a good representation of how the forms change but has represented for me how my techniques have changed for me as well over the years:

The Han Moo Kwan Association Tae Kwon Do classic forms follow a "life".  The first five (known as the Kibon series) reflect early youth; simply figuring out how to move, walk, and learn about your body. The next set coincides with young adult; quick, flashy, more oriented toward speed and flexibility. As one moves into the upper-level forms, one finds them relating to the wisdom of adult life; they teach force, energy, and intensity.  The last set (known as the Mepojan series) brings students to their elder years, where movements are a bit more conservative, with a lot more focus on energy.

As I have gotten older my techniques (in basics, hyung, sparring and self-defense) have definitely become more conservative, focusing more on the energy aspect. I also look for the more efficient ways to throw the technique; the least amount of motion, the least amount of extra movement so I do not waste energy.  I move more with purpose and not move just for movement’s sake.  My techniques are more refined and precise.  I have also learned to adjust my tactics for what my body can tolerate on any given day.  I am more aware of what techniques I am confidence to use on a given day and ones I would stay away from.

You can still be very effective as you age, but you need to recognize when things change and adjust.  I also believe that since Han Moo Kwan integrates the energy aspects you can practice this art form and be very effective for a very long time (Bob Rainie still hit like a truck in his 70s and early 80s). 

Regards,
Kelly

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” ~ Confucius (551–479 BC) was a Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history

You Will Fight How You Practice - Chief Instructor's Blog February 2018

In martial arts, we study and practice many different aspects so we become proficient, efficient, and stay safe, including but not limited to mechanics, agility, balance, coordination, focus, speed, and force.  All of these are important.  We practice much of the time in a manner that allows us to be in control so we can perfect these aspects. 

In time of stress, the body will produce large amounts of adrenaline and there may be no time to think, so you will react strictly by body memory.  What this means is how you have practiced and trained is how you will defend yourself if you are ever attacked.  Let me repeat this: how you have practiced and trained is how you will defend yourself if you ever are attacked.

This means it is critical how you practice.  One of our members on the Board of Directors, Brian Rainie, met a police officer who was also studying Aikido.  In their drills defending against knives, they were in the habit of taking the knife away and immediately handing it back to their partner to practice again.  In a real situation while on duty he ran across an assailant with a knife.  He was able to take the knife away using his training, and in this highly stressed scenario, he went to body memory: he disarmed the assailant and immediately handed the knife back to him.  He was very lucky the assailant was surprised by this and he was able to disarm him a second time. 

Dave Grossman, a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel states in his book On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and Peace, “If you spend years and years dialing 4-1-1 and never practice 9-1-1, then under stress you are likely to dial 4-1-1.”

Therefore, we all need to pay very close attention to our practice habits (recognize some of our habits may be unconscious, so we must be extra conscious to pick up on them) and practice our skills so they will be effective in a real self-defense situation.  If you consistently adjust your uniform that will be a habit you will perform under stress.  If you always look down or relax during or after a turn in basics or a form, then you will naturally do that in a stressed situation.  If you do not keep your wrist straight all the time while practicing, it will not be there for you in a stressed situation.  If you do not stay focused in class during a one-minute round of sparring maintaining controlled breathing and focus, you will not be able to maintain that focus and breathing in a controlled manner in a real situation where your life may depend on it. 

It is also very important to train pushing the speed and force of your techniques constantly while maintaining good mechanics and control.  If you never push your force or speed, it will not become natural in a stressed situation and if you try to go faster and with force it will be uncontrolled and ineffective. 

I know our intent is never to have to use our techniques in a real situation.  That is our true goal.  But we must train as if we will be forced to fight.

So, I challenge each of you to look at your practice habits and understand which ones need to be adjusted so your techniques will be effective and efficient whenever you need to call upon them.

 

Regards,

Kelly

“There are no lazy veteran lion hunters.” ~ Norm Augustine (1935-present), a U.S. aerospace businessman who served as United States Under Secretary of the Army from 1975 to 1977, from his novel Augustine’s Laws

 

Key Alignment/ Motion Fundamentals - - Chief Instructor's Blog January 2018

In the last couple of blogs, I spoke of the fundamentals and if you get those down it has a positive effect on all your techniques.  I will go through some of those key alignment/ motion fundamentals in this blog.

Flat Wrists

Wrists should always be flat, whether it is a prep or actually throwing the technique itself.  Flat wrists ensure the muscular skeletal structure supports the wrist if/when you strike.  If not flat, your wrist could collapse, making your techniques ineffective and possibly even causing damage to yourself.

In all your closed fist techniques, your wrists should be flat (e.g., punches, hammer fists, medium block, side medium block, X-blocks, etc.)  You may be thinking – I am not hitting with my knuckles so why does my wrist need to be flat in other techniques?  First off, as stated in the previous blog, at some point you will be throwing a technique such that it is effective regardless of the part of the body you strike with. For example, in the beginning we throw a hammer fist with the intention of hitting with the bottom of the hand.  In this case, not having a flat wrist can still be safe and effective.  However, if you do not hit perfectly with the “hammer” part of your hand because your target moved in or you misjudged the distance, and your wrist is not flat, your technique will be ineffective and you may get hurt. 

In another example, in your side medium block prep, if your wrist is not flat and someone moves in to stop your block by trapping that wrist, the technique will become ineffective and you may also endo up injuring your wrist.  Let‘s also look at the backhand from Pyung Ahn 3.  I see in many cases where the wrist is not straight at the onset – so what happens if you do not hit the target at the end and your wrist is not straight?  Again, the technique will be ineffective and you will injure your wrist (which also then gives you one less weapon to use – not a good place to be).   

So, you should always have a flat wrist and not just about the final end position, but throughout the motion of the technique and then it will not matter what part of your hand or arm you use, it will be effective. 

Wrist In Front Of The Elbow

If the wrist is behind the elbow then it can be collapsed with minimal force.  Therefore, in all your techniques your wrist should be slightly in front of your elbow and not just at the end of the technique but while the technique is in motion as well until its final location.  This includes, but is not limited to cat stance, hook punches, high bocks (from prep to final position), medium blocks, side medium blocks.  Even for something that seems minor, like the protection/trapping arm in extended spear hand, the wrist of the arm should be in front of the elbow. 

Elbows Down

Another important fundamental is keeping your elbows down.  In keeping the arm close to the body, you are engaging your pectoral muscles and not just your deltoid muscles making for a stronger technique.  Keeping elbows down throughout the technique also protects the body (e.g., abdomen, ribs, etc.).  If your elbow flares, you usually end up exposing the middle/side portion of your body leaving you vulnerable and open to attack (e.g., high block, medium block, side medium block, knife hand, etc.)

Arm Close To The Body

This could go hand in hand with elbows down in many cases, but keeping the arm close to the body is also a fundamental.  In doing so, you protect the body, but also it ensures you are maximizing the larger muscles in your techniques versus smaller ones.  For example, in knife hand you can have your elbow down but away from your body, so while your ribs may be protected, you are not really using the larger pectoral muscles but relying more on the smaller deltoid muscles for force.  So, you are missing out on strength from your body.  This concept can be applied to punches (e.g., forward, attack, hook, upper, etc.) as well as other techniques such as elbow strikes and palm strikes.

Push Forward Then Rotate Fist

Another key fundamental is pushing the fist forward three-quarters of the way before rotating.  If you rotate too soon, then the fist can be stopped with minimal force and you are not taking advantage of that final twisting motion to cause damage.  This may only appear at first to be applicable to forward/attack punches, but over time you will find this is applicable to other techniques.  I challenge you to start looking at what those techniques may be as you practice and study the art form.

For all the techniques you have learned to date, I suggest you look at each one relative to these five fundamentals and examine if they are applicable.  If they are, ensure you actually apply these fundamentals. 

I guarantee if you get these fundamentals down, all your techniques will be more effective.

Regards,

Kelly

"When you really get technique... there is no strength that will stop you." ~ Caio Terra (1986 – present), Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor and world champion

 

 

How Many Different Techniques are There? - - Chief Instructor's Blog December 2017

Last month I wrote that in the beginning we teach and have students practice one punch, one kick that has a very specific target in a specific stance.  I went on to write that there are actually hundreds if you practice different locations, different stances, different ranges, different directions (angle of attack), and different intentions.   Regardless, though, the fundamentals (proper alignment, grounded, focus, intent) are the same. 

This may start to seem overwhelming if you think of all the techniques and if each has hundreds of variations, how can one ever learn all of them.  I also contend, however, that there are fewer techniques than there may appear at first.  You may think I am speaking out of both sides of my mouth, but let me try to explain in more detail.

At an advanced level we stop thinking of just one spot of the body being used for the attack, but the entire body part is the weapon and whatever actually makes contact transfers the force.  This may still not quite make sense yet.  So let’s look at a couple of techniques in particular.

Let’s look at high block.  In the beginning, we focus on the forearm edge as the contact point, but in reality it could be the elbow, the bottom of the hand (hammer fist) or even the knuckles (an upward punch).  At an advanced level we teach that it could be any of those things because if your entire arm is being a weapon then it does not matter if your opponent moves or is not precisely where you intended him/her to be, you will still be effective.  The key, though, is you must be grounded and have the right alignment (your two knuckles much be aligned, wrist flat, elbows down, etc.) for any of those intentions to be effective.

Let’s look at hook punch.  In the beginning, we teach this as a very close in punch to the side of your opponent’s body.  And it very well can be.  It might also be an elbow strike, forearm strike or a very close in hammer fist.  So now what is the difference between a high block and a hook punch?   I contend the only difference is range, location and angle of attack.  The rest is basically the same.

Let’s compare an outward hammer fist to a low block.  In both of these cases, you could end up striking with the elbow, forearm or the bottom of the fist.  So these two techniques are really one – the difference is range, location, angle of attack. 

Similar concept when you are comparing hammer fists to knife hands – if throwing these techniques in the same direction, the only difference is that one is thrown with an open hand and the other with a closed hand – other than that they are the same technique and the same fundamentals apply.

So, there are not as many “techniques” to learn in the end as one was originally taught or that one may think.  And so, I go back to my point in last month’s blog: what is most important to learn is the fundamentals (alignment, motion, key attributes) and practice until they are second nature– this way, when you throw that technique no matter the location, range or angle of attack, it will be effective. 

Regards,

Kelly

“A student well versed in even one technique will naturally see corresponding points in other techniques. A upper level punch, a lower punch, a front punch and a reverse punch are all essentially the same.  Looking over thirty-odd kata, he should be able to see that they are essentially variations on just a handful.” ~ Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), founder of Shotokan Karate