Practice For Mastery ---- Chief Instructor Blog December 201

I am sure almost all of you have heard the phrase “Practice makes perfect”.    I have also heard people say “Practice does not make perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect.”

 

Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary (Reference 1) definition of perfection is as follows:

 

1: the quality or state of being perfect: such as

a: freedom from fault or defect: flawlessness

b: maturity

c: the quality or state of being saintly

2 a: an exemplification of supreme excellence

b: an unsurpassable degree of accuracy or excellence

3: the act or process of perfecting  

 

If you notice, in my blogs and in class, I do not use this phrase (or try not to, but since I am not perfect, I may have slipped once or twice). 

 

Why would I say this?  And if we are not training or studying for perfection, what are we doing it for?  Why, do I not think someone can perfect martial arts?

 

I believe it is daunting and overwhelming to try for perfection in any physical skill and the end result is simply frustration and stopping.  Who could possibly perfect a side kick and perform it perfectly every single kick, every day, every time it was tried?  And if you feel like you threw one that was perfect and you could not repeat it, what does that mean?  Does it mean you reached perfection or were perfect once and may or may not be perfect again?  How can one possibly be flawless every time? Can one truly reach a state where one can no longer improve because it is perfect?

 

What we really are trying to obtain in practicing and studying martial arts is mastery.

 

Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary (Reference 2) definition of mastery is as follows:

1a : the authority of a master : dominion

b : the upper hand in a contest or competition : superiority, ascendancy

2a : possession or display of great skill or technique

b : skill or knowledge that makes one master of a subject : command

 

Mastery is a process, not a state.  I really like how George Leonard from his book Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment (Reference 3), describes mastery as “the mysterious process during which what is at first difficult becomes progressively easier and more pleasurable through practice.”

 

If we are focused on perfection, we are focused on a state that may or may not be sustainable.   If we are focused on the state, we are not focused on the process, and it is in the process that we learn, improve, and grow.  When we are learning and improving, we are moving towards becoming an authority and possessing a higher degree of knowledge and skills compared to others.  Practicing and studying is how we learn and improve, therefore, practice is that process to obtain mastery.   As George Leonard writes in his book, “The master of any game is generally a master of practice.”

 

So, if you want to achieve mastery in marital arts, practice.  Just practice and focus on the process.

 

Regards,

Kelly

“The black belt is not a mark or symbol of the end of the journey to one’s mastery of the arts; rather it is the mark that one is done packing for their journey and may now take the first step in their true journey. This a journey which cannot ever be complete, only traveled...” ~Unknown

References:

1.  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perfection, retrieved 12/2/18

2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mastery, retrieved 12/2/18

3. Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard

Go Slow to Go Fast ---- Chief Instructor Blog November 2018

In learning a new physical activity such as a martial art that requires coordination and balance, one of the best ways to improve and ensure your body is doing exactly what is should is to go slow.

But you might say I’ll never defend myself well if I go slow.  And I would not disagree with that – however, if you try to go fast without the skills necessary to go fast, then your fast skill is not going to be effective.

But you might say, well, I can go fast and eventually I will learn good techniques.  I would say maybe so, but having watched students as an instructor for the last 20 years, I believe there are more benefits going slow and precise in the beginning.

So, your next question might be, what are those benefits?  So, below are the five (5) key benefits I believe are gained by practicing slowly.

1.        Body Awareness

When you go slow, you actually have time to be aware of what your body is actually doing.  You have the time to see and feel for things like: is my leg locked in attack stance, is my leg extended and locked in front kick, is my elbow tight against my side in my punches, etc.  If you are going fast, you probably do not have time to process if you are actually performing the techniques this way.

2.       Balance

When you go slow, balancing is much harder.  For people that are struggling with balance, they may sometimes go fast to be “balanced”.  However, the truth is you are not really in balance by just going fast.  Balance comes from proper alignment, grounding and focus.  If you are not in alignment when you throw a side kick, then going fast will not improve that.  If you are not breathing, going fast will not improve that.  If you are not grounded, going fast will not improve that. If you want to ensure you are balanced or improve your balance, go as slow as possible.

3.       Breathing

Similar to body awareness, when you go slow you can focus on good deep breathing and be aware when you are no longer breathing effectively.  If you continue to practice faster than your body can breathe, your breathing becomes chaotic and shallow.  Once that happens, you start to lose focus and get tired. Once this happens, you are truly ineffective in your techniques. 

4.       Reduces Potential of Injury

For any physical activity, if you are injured you cannot practice and if you cannot practice you cannot improve.  By going slow and learning good form (alignment, posture, etc.) and good breathing you will reduce the risk of injury. For example. if you are throwing with a lot of speed and power in a turnaway kick without locking your leg, you will damage your knee.  You may not feel it at first but over time (might be weeks, months, or years) you will start to feel an ache or worse you feel sharp pain due to the damage that requires significant physical therapy or even worse, surgery to correct.

5.       Speed

And finally, the benefit if going slow and really ensure you are balanced, aligned, and breathing well is you can go fast effectively sooner.  What I have observed over the years if going fast and not balanced, aligned or breathing well, you are spending more energy countering that instead of all the energy and focus going in being fast.  If I am using speed because I am not balanced then some of my focus (if not all) is trying to just be balanced and really not focused on speed.  So, if you can go very slowly correctly, then going fast will not only be easier, but more effective from the start.

I encourage all of you to practice slowly to ensure you are balanced, aligned, grounded, and breathing.  And if those attributes are not within your technique, practice slowly until they are before adding speed

Regards,

Kelly

"Everything too fast is not good but everything too slow is also not good. You need balance. That's why I like martial arts: it always tells you how to control your body, your mind, your heart. Balance. Balance can keep the world's peace. I think that's a very good thing." ~ Li Lianjie (born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, martial artist, and retired Wushu champion.

Studying Hyung (Stage 3 and 4) - - Chief Instructor's Blog October 2018

In last month’s blog, I discussed four stages on practicing hyung as defined by Iain Abernethy, 7th Dan with the British Combat Association and British Combat Karate Association (Reference 1).  The four stages are listed below as a reminder:

1. Solo practice

2. Study the functional application of the movements of the kata (bunkai).

3.  Begin to include variations of those techniques in your training.

4. Practice applying the techniques, variations and principles of the kata in live practice

In the September blog, I focused on stage 2 – study the functional application of the movements. In this month’s blog, I will discuss ways to move into and practice stages 3 and 4.

Stage 3: Begin to include variations of those techniques in your training

In stage 2, you established various applications for a single technique. So, to begin to include then in your training, take a variation one at a time and incorporate it into your basics and hyung during solo practice (i.e., against air, bags, etc.). 

For example, you may have discovered that low block can actually be used as a strike from a cross hand grab to damage the grab.  So, for the next several weeks while you practice low blocks (during basics, hyung against bags, etc.), you imagine that exact scenario.  You should continue to practice this variation until it becomes second nature to imagine that scenario.  Once that occurs, move onto another variation that you discovered in Stage 2 related to low block, and continue the process stated above until you have exhausted all the variations.

If you were to do this for every technique/transition in basics and hyung, you can imagine why Gichin Funakoshi, Founder or Shotokan Karate said, “In the past, it was expected that about three years were required to learn a single kata, and usually even an expert of considerable skill would only know three, or at most five, kata.”

Stage 4: Practice applying the techniques, variations and principles of the kata in live practice

In our club, live practice takes the form of self-defense and sparring.  I would start with self-defense to incorporate a variation of each technique at a time into your repertoire until it becomes automatic.  As in Stage 3, incorporating each variation in your self-defense practice can take months.

Once you have practiced a variation in self-defense and it becomes a natural reaction, you will want to incorporate that variation in sparring.  To do this, you may first want to start with a partner and pre-stage a situation or two where that particular technique would be used.  Practice that situation over and over again until it becomes a natural response. Afterwards, go into free form sparring.  Notice when that situation comes up and consciously incorporate the variation.  If you do not, just let that moment go and stay focused on the match.  After the match take notice if you executed that variation or not.  If you did not because the scenario did not present itself, then wait until the next partner or practice and focus again on that variation.  If you realize you had several opportunities and you chose another technique or variation, then more time is probably needed in self-defense or the sparring “pre-stage” step. 

Gichin Funakoshi has been quoted as saying “It must be emphasized that sparring does not exist apart from kata, but for the practice of kata.”  The meaning of this is sparring is a means to understand what the techniques within the hyung are for and in what situation they can be effective.

Over time, if you follow these four stages, you should find not only does your hyung improve but because you now have a larger repertoire of techniques, your self-defense/ sparring is more effective.

 

Regards,

Kelly

“Generations of experience have shown that it usually requires 3 years to learn the basics and 7 years to acquire a fundamental proficiency of kata.” ~ Shoshin Nagamine (1907-1997), Founder of Okinawan Matsubayashi-Ryu Karate

References:

1.      http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/article/four-stages-kata-practise, retrieved 9/1/2018

Studying Hyung - - Chief Instructor's Blog September 2018

Practicing hyung has many benefits both physically (coordination, balance, power, endurance) and mentally (discipline, body awareness, etc.).  For some, learning hyung is their favorite part of practicing the art form.  For others, it may be their least favorite part and they do not spend much time practicing.  

For me, practicing and studying (yes, studying) the hyung provides the most insights and understanding of the principles and tactics of the art form.  Hyung provide lessons and a level of understanding (if you study them) that you may or may not learn by just practicing them mechanically.

This analysis of the forms to undercover its principles and applications are called bunkai in Japanese.   Iain Abernethy is a 7th Dan with the British Combat Association and British Combat Karate Association and is considered one of UK’s leading experts of karate bunkai.  He describes practicing hyung (kata in Japanese) in four stages (Reference 1):

1. Solo practice
2. Study the functional application of the movements of the kata (bunkai).
3. Begin to include variations of those techniques in your training.
4. Practice applying the techniques, variations and principles of the kata in live practice

For many students, stage 1 is what they spend their time on.  Students go through the mechanical techniques and practice the movements over and over.  And this is important in perfecting the mechanics.  However, I think for some students, it is only until they move to stage 2 do they really learn to like practicing a hyung.  For me, this is the heart of the hyung and students should spend a large majority of time on this once they are comfortable with the mechanics.  This is where I discover not only applications and tactics but in learning the principles of what makes techniques work and the relationships of various techniques to one another.  It also gives me an intention and purpose in my techniques which is the critical step in becoming more effective during sparring and self-defense.

So, you may ask, how does one go about studying a hyung (stage 2).  There are actually a variety of ways of and I have used them all. 

To get started, I recommend taking one hyung at a time and one technique / movement. transition at a time.  Everything within the hyung has a meaning or application (even though some of them may not be very obvious), even turns and transition, so these too should be studied in detail.  After examining one at a time, you may move on to link several movements/techniques to see what applications/principles you can uncover.  So, once you pick your technique/ movement/ transition, then the following are different ways to uncover the tactics and principles:

1. Use your imagination.   The various applications that a technique/ movement/ transition could be are limited only by one’s imagination.  Spend time to visualize how a technique could be used against various attacks.
2. Explore with a partner.  Practice with a partner to understand and explore their potential applications. When practicing with a partner, in order to determine the effectiveness of techniques, it is important that partners respond to the techniques with realistic and predictable responses.  
3. While working with a partner, verbally share new ideas, and many times other interpretations of the application(s) may also be uncovered through the collaboration.
4. Review concepts in books.  There are several good books out there that explore bunkai.  References 2 and 3 below are just two of them.
5. Watch videos of instructors exploring bunkai.   There are several instructors who post videos exploring bunkai.  I suggest reviewing Okinawan Shorin-Ryu, Japanese Shotokan Karate, and/or Tang Soo Do instructors that are demonstrating bunkai from, as these styles as they are closest to our forms.
6. Watch other students during self-defense or sparring and notice the various hyung techniques in their movements (consciously or unconsciously)

While studying hyung, it is also important to try to understand why applications works.  In doing so, it may unlock other principles or applications for those particular techniques or similar techniques.

In a future blog(s), I will describe ways to move into and practice stages 3 and 4.

Regards,

Kelly

“Karate has more than twenty kata.  Like textbooks to a student or tactical exercises to a solider, kata are the most important element of karate.” ~ Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), founder of Shotokan Karate

 

References:

1.      http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/article/four-stages-kata-practise, retrieved 9/1/2018

2.      Bunkai-Jutsu by Iain Abernethy

3.      The Way of Kata: A Comprehensive Guide for Deciphering Martial Applications by Lawrence Kane

More Tips On Improving - - Chief Instructor's Blog August 2018

In several blogs, and as recent as June of this year, I discussed different aspects of improving. In my March 2015 blog I covered “How To Get Through The Plateaus”, in my June 2015 blog I wrote about “Improving Your Technique Through Targeted Muscles Training”, and in my June 2018 blog, “Why Am I Not Improving “, I discuss other reasons you may not be improving (frequency of your training, where you are at on the learning curve, and even your inner critic). In this blog, I will discuss more tips on improving.

Be Determined But Be Flexible

It is important to be determined and to have goals - whether it is achieving a certain rank or mastering a technique or hyung.  Goals are good.  However, you should be flexible in how you achieve these goals.  I tell people I mentor at work all the time that there are 15 paths up to the top of Mount Everest.  15!  While some paths are better than others depending on the time of year, there are still l5 paths, so be open to how you achieve you goals.

Never Stop Trying

With that said, never stop trying.  Learning a martial art is not simple or quick.  There are so many aspects of it physically, mentally, etc. and to master all aspects takes time.  And for most of us there is always a technique or concept that seems elusive and you think you may never master, but you should always keep trying.  You may need to change your course or try a different path, but never stop trying.  Always keep in mind the Japanese proverb "Fall seven times, stand up eight."

Always Have a Beginner’s Attitude

First off, always have a beginner’s attitude.  Remember when you were a beginner and you were just being taught the basics and you were open to all ideas.  You asked questions for clarity, but did not second guess what the instructor was trying to do and discount the training as not being useful?  There are many times you may not understand why an instructor is asking you to do something, but you should always keep an open mind that what they are asking you to do is to benefit you, even if you do not understand it at first.  In fact, it might take years before something an instructor says clicks for you, but that does not mean you should second guess or doubt there is value in the exercise or the information being provided.

And another aspect of a beginner’s attitude is thinking you have a lot to learn.  There is always something to learn.  I have been training for almost 25 years and have been instructing for almost 20 and I learn something in every class.  I may learn something about the art form, something about how I perform the art form, something about how to teach the art form, or something about how to manage a class better, but I always learn something.  There is always something to learn as long as you are open to the possibility of learning. 

Be Curious

Another way to have that beginner’s attitude is to always be curious.  Be curious about the physical nuances of the technique or hyung – the very fine details of each step, each inch of what your body should be doing at all times.  Be curious about why we do things the way we do and the benefits from performing techniques one way versus another. 

You may have noticed that all the above tips on improving have very little to do with training the body but all with your attitude and your state of mind to train.  Having and keeping the right state of mind to your training will definitely help you to improve as much, if not more, than the physical training itself.

Regards,

Kelly

“Nothing is impossible in this world. Firm determination, it is said, can move heaven and earth. Things appear far beyond one's power, because one cannot set his heart on any arduous project due to want of strong will.” ~ Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659 –1719), a samurai of the Saga Domain and author of Hagakure, a practical and spiritual guide for a warrior.

Stances Start With the Feet - - Chief Instructor's Blog July 2018

Stances are a foundation to all our techniques.  Without strong stances the technique does not have the foundation to be as effective as possible.

I discussed the importance of stances and the fact you should evolve to always be in a stance in my June 2009 blog “The Importance of Stances” (http://hanmookwan-svl-chiefinstructor.blogspot.com/2009/06/). 

I also discussed the importance of alignment and various aspects of alignment in previous blogs, so I will not reiterate those points here as it pertains to stances, but if you missed those blogs, you can find them here:

• April 2012 blog: “The Importance of Alignment and Breathing” (http://hanmookwan-svl-chiefinstructor.blogspot.com/2012/04/)
• January 2017 blog: “Alignment: Critical to Protecting the Muscular Skeletal Body” (http://hanmookwan-svl-chiefinstructor.blogspot.com/2017/01/)

In this blog, I plan to discuss how to improve your stances from a muscular perspective.

From a muscular perspective, stances start with the feet (yes, your feet have muscles).  Your feet start the foundation so physically they must be an active part of the stance.  You should be consciously using your feet such that at a minimum, four points on the feet are in contact with the ground (two at the edges toward the front of the foot and two at the edges of the heel).  Eventually you want to use all edges of your feet.  Mr. Kim actively used his feet so much even in everyday walking that he used to wear out the edges of his shoes in a matter of months. 

The muscles in the arches should be active.  If you are wondering of you are using your feet as actively as possible, lift the toes and pull up your arches.  If this feels very different, then most likely you are not using your feet actively in your stances. 

Next your leg muscles should be engaged and not just the large muscles.  Have you noticed your quadriceps tire quickly if holding stances?  If you are not being conscious, then it could be you are just dumping your weight and allowing the quadriceps to take on the load of the stance without consciously engaging other muscles, especially the smaller muscles.  This is true statically as well as when you are moving dynamically.

It is slightly different from stance to stance, but in general your calves, hamstrings, adductors, and groin muscles should all be active in our stances.  In addition to your leg muscles, the gluteus maximus and abdominals are also very important muscles to engage, both statically and dynamically in creating a strong, stable stance.   

So, I highly suggest you spend time both statically and dynamically analyzing how well you are using all your muscles in each of your stances.  Determine how well you are using your feet, legs, glutes and abs and if not engaging all, or over using others, work to balance it out.  This will result in stronger, more stable stances.

Regards,

Kelly

“All kata use the so-called postures (kamae). In fact, there are many kinds of postures and many kinds of kata. While learning these postures should not be totally ignored, we must be careful not to overlook that they are just forms or templates of sort; it is the function of their application which needs to be mastered.” ~ Choki Motobu (1871–1944), Founder of Okinawan Tomari-te Karate

References

1.      The Anatomy of Martial Arts by Dr. Norman Link and Lily Chou

 

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