I don't think you can truly understand physical stuff through reading words .... too fuzzy, and you can't really appreciate what you have not felt to be 'true' ... unless you have the had the physical feedback to make it so. (Hah! Even describing this piece of the whole is difficult ...)
Anyway ... Good discussion with Jay, another of Sonny's students, yesterday at a seminar I was invited to teach at. During a break we were discussing where what we do fits in, how to frame it if you like. Who it might appeal to, if we should make instructional videos, and how to put it out there as a 'thing' worth spending time with.
We both feel that it is an 'experience' and that it is not really possible to learn it without doing it ... where 'doing it' means not playing by yourself in isolation, but learning how to see your gaps with someone that can point them out to you ....
That's the whole point - Doing what you do, unselfconsciously, and see where it falls down. And .... in addition, working out solutions that can be found within the context of uncertainty.
I suspect you can already see the problem with this - Many people are hugely resistant to even thinking they have gaps. or problems that need solving. That would mean that they are not as secure as they thought they were. Add to this the issue that the 'open mind' post brought up, that 'acquiring' knowledge is more important to some people than thinking that there is more for them to learn .. and selling this experience is not the easiest of things to do.
That's OK, but the pressure to put out videos of Sonny's material has again brought this issue up for discussion.
What ARE we teaching? What does someone that 'gets it' look like? How can others 'get it'?
The discussion yesterday ended with this idea of Random Flow as central to the learning - both using it as a tool to troubleshoot gaps in those that want to know .. and as a skill to teach others to take away and use for the same purpose.
It is this part, this skill of the 'physical dialogue' if you like, that Sonny gave us, and that we feel is the most important part to pass on. Not the warm up exercises, accuracy drills, or the technical information ... People already have so much of the 'what' ... It's the 'when' and 'how' and 'why' that needs to get added .....
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Teach the Open Mind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICILzbB1Obg
What I found fascinating about this video is not the fact that some students are open minded and some are not ... but that for some this open mindedness is not even in their imagination as a possibility.
I am intrigued that you can teach it pretty much by pointing it out and adding some skills on how to do it. I think it's something that good teachers do anyway, but perhaps 'How to learn' should be a bigger part of the curriculum than it is ....?
What I found fascinating about this video is not the fact that some students are open minded and some are not ... but that for some this open mindedness is not even in their imagination as a possibility.
I am intrigued that you can teach it pretty much by pointing it out and adding some skills on how to do it. I think it's something that good teachers do anyway, but perhaps 'How to learn' should be a bigger part of the curriculum than it is ....?
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
No Substitute
“To use wooden Rappiere (remember, Rappier in
18th- to 19th-century Germany means a practice weapon) to practice cut
fencing—which usually are made of stout hazel sticks on which are
affixed, instead of a guard (Stichblatt), two crossed wooden rods braided with willow, as well as a willow-braided knuckle guard—is not advisable for several reasons.
“Because of the complete protection of the fist, the fencer
habituates himself to sloppy parries against cuts against the hand; he
does not acquire the arm strength necessary required by the direction of
the cut, and never learns to cut sharp. This is the reason why fencers
used to wooden weapons usually hit flat with the proper Hieber, and open
themselves up to dangerous time cuts of the opponent who notices this.”
(Venturini, 152.)
(Thanks http://fencingclassics.wordpress.com for the quote.)
If you are not used to knowing where the edge of the blade is because you only train with sticks, you can get into real trouble once a sword is put in your hand in it's stead.
Stick fighting is a thing unto itself, and cannot be used to fully understand the sword.
The two are related ... but not the same.
Training only sword, and then fighting with a stick in your hand will get you into trouble also, different trouble than the other way around, but trouble all the same.
Conceptual ideas may stay constant through a variety of weapons - but what you can get away with against a stick is not the same as what you need to do against a sword.
Tip impact hits may work for both edged and impact weapons, but slicing with a round stick or the flat of a sword blade will definitely not have the same effect as slicing with a sharp edge, and you better understand that before stepping into range and delivering a tummy rub instead of the coup de grace :-)
(Thanks http://fencingclassics.wordpress.com for the quote.)
If you are not used to knowing where the edge of the blade is because you only train with sticks, you can get into real trouble once a sword is put in your hand in it's stead.
Stick fighting is a thing unto itself, and cannot be used to fully understand the sword.
The two are related ... but not the same.
Training only sword, and then fighting with a stick in your hand will get you into trouble also, different trouble than the other way around, but trouble all the same.
Conceptual ideas may stay constant through a variety of weapons - but what you can get away with against a stick is not the same as what you need to do against a sword.
Tip impact hits may work for both edged and impact weapons, but slicing with a round stick or the flat of a sword blade will definitely not have the same effect as slicing with a sharp edge, and you better understand that before stepping into range and delivering a tummy rub instead of the coup de grace :-)
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Context and Design
Sword design and fighting style* are absolutely connected to the environment that spawned them.
Environment, as in, landscape, terrain, waterways, shoreline and seascape, natural resources, geographic placement, weather etc .... all play into the style of an art.
Environment dictates:
- What kinds of weapons are available - Locally made (with naturally occurring metal ores and techniques), or only imported, and whether they are common or rare.
- What type of protective gear is worn - Climate dependent (hot/cold) and on materials availability.
- Where fighting happens, and thus what weapons are appropriate - Open terrain/jungle/rice paddies/forest/city streets.
The enemy also plays it's part
- Who are they and why do they fight?
Is it about
- Resources? (Piracy/Bandits)
- Cultural Differences/Status/Politics?
- Are the enemy locals? Outsiders? Foreigners?
- Physically bigger/smaller/stronger? Technologically more advanced?
- How many have come in relation to you?
Cultural aspects ...
- Is this a blade carrying culture?
- Is there a strong tradition of Honor? Personal/Family/Tribe?
- Are there class restrictions about who is allowed to own and carry certain weapons?
- Taboos and rituals associated with fighting?
Tactical knowledge
- Previous enemies?
- Recurring threat?
- Separate fighting elite, or everyone pitching in.
- Group fighting strategies, or individuals for themselves?
- Guerrilla style/Raid/Battlefield
Everything plays a part, down to whether or not people had horses or wore sandals.
Of course not having actually been part of a culture, or alive in history, means that extrapolating from a sword design or way of moving to understand an art, is always guessing ... and obviously nothing is ever truly certain. But remembering that pragmatic folks with real problems to solve, and crises to overcome, designed the tools, and lived in the societies and the environments that they fought in, means you can make some good guesses about the parameters of reasonableness within a style, and gives you some great insights in why things are as they are, and thus how one style looks in relation to another.
There is usually a rational chain of thought that can be traced back through knowledge .... and this rationality is the clue how things ended up as they did. Conversely, losing the rationality for something, leads to the greater and greater potential for errors.
In the end it is no big surprise that there are commonalities between sword fighting systems from around the world (Human brain, 2 arms 2 legs, squishy bits and bony bits etc), but it is also no surprise how each is different from the others, and has a particular flavor because of the context, the environment, that it grew up in.
Understand the context, and all becomes much simpler to unravel .....
(* - Note: we are talking style and design here .... not the method of passing knowledge forward.)
Environment, as in, landscape, terrain, waterways, shoreline and seascape, natural resources, geographic placement, weather etc .... all play into the style of an art.
Environment dictates:
- What kinds of weapons are available - Locally made (with naturally occurring metal ores and techniques), or only imported, and whether they are common or rare.
- What type of protective gear is worn - Climate dependent (hot/cold) and on materials availability.
- Where fighting happens, and thus what weapons are appropriate - Open terrain/jungle/rice paddies/forest/city streets.
The enemy also plays it's part
- Who are they and why do they fight?
Is it about
- Resources? (Piracy/Bandits)
- Cultural Differences/Status/Politics?
- Are the enemy locals? Outsiders? Foreigners?
- Physically bigger/smaller/stronger? Technologically more advanced?
- How many have come in relation to you?
Cultural aspects ...
- Is this a blade carrying culture?
- Is there a strong tradition of Honor? Personal/Family/Tribe?
- Are there class restrictions about who is allowed to own and carry certain weapons?
- Taboos and rituals associated with fighting?
Tactical knowledge
- Previous enemies?
- Recurring threat?
- Separate fighting elite, or everyone pitching in.
- Group fighting strategies, or individuals for themselves?
- Guerrilla style/Raid/Battlefield
Everything plays a part, down to whether or not people had horses or wore sandals.
Of course not having actually been part of a culture, or alive in history, means that extrapolating from a sword design or way of moving to understand an art, is always guessing ... and obviously nothing is ever truly certain. But remembering that pragmatic folks with real problems to solve, and crises to overcome, designed the tools, and lived in the societies and the environments that they fought in, means you can make some good guesses about the parameters of reasonableness within a style, and gives you some great insights in why things are as they are, and thus how one style looks in relation to another.
There is usually a rational chain of thought that can be traced back through knowledge .... and this rationality is the clue how things ended up as they did. Conversely, losing the rationality for something, leads to the greater and greater potential for errors.
In the end it is no big surprise that there are commonalities between sword fighting systems from around the world (Human brain, 2 arms 2 legs, squishy bits and bony bits etc), but it is also no surprise how each is different from the others, and has a particular flavor because of the context, the environment, that it grew up in.
Understand the context, and all becomes much simpler to unravel .....
(* - Note: we are talking style and design here .... not the method of passing knowledge forward.)
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Throwing Questions
I have never had the power, size, or ferocity to rely on it to overpower or overcome a much larger adversary .... I mean I know the ways to increase my power efficiency, and I'm not really saying that the ferocity or tenacity to defeat a larger opponent are not possible to manifest given the right motivation, but in training, in dueling, playing martial arts, it has always felt as though I start from a disadvantage.
Part of this is an unwillingness to take damage - I know I can probably take more damage than I think I can .. but I also know that it is wise to avoid getting hit by someone much more powerful, as they can much easier wreck you, than you them.
With this in mind, I'm sure I was drawn to learning from Sonny because I probably outweighed him by about 40lbs ... I think he was slightly taller than me ... though it's actually hard to tell. He looks like he is in the videos of us flowing, and he certainly did from my point of view standing in front of him, but I have also seen him out of his environment, in strange surroundings, and I swear he could shrink up to 4 or 5 inches ... Anyway ... he was not a big man, let's leave it at that, and I reckoned, whatever works for him, should work for me.
So how did he win despite his size?
Was it because he was just better, and faster? Well, partly .... His speed and power were exponentially increased because of how set up his opponent, his accuracy at targeting certainly helped, but his ability to create OPPORTUNITIES was what really upped his odds. He put his opponent exactly where he wanted them, making it safer for him, and easy for him to hit them.
Many martial arts talk about this, of 'using your opponent's movement', momentum and angle, to your own advantage, but many lack a way of practicing HOW to set this up.
The grappling arts seem pretty good at it, as are a few striking arts, at least at the higher levels, but how about weapons?
Often these set ups are taught as a step by step program - Do this, then when they do that, change, and hit them. But this method is hard to find in real time sparring because your opponent is often uncooperative, and the fleeting moments when the technique is possible, pass before you can take advantage of it. So most folks end up relying on power, speed and technique, because they can't make their set ups work ... and to some extent end up leaving it all to luck.
The piece that is missing, at least in my opinion, is that individuals fight differently. Each has a personality and a way of fighting that requires a particular approach. Which approach will work, is often only found by trial and error, by testing and prodding at their personality and at their movement. This is hard to notice in a real time adversarial duel, but you can train it when you are flowing/playing until you can do it full speed.
There is a method, a way to look, and reactions and 'tells' that will give you insight into who is in front of you. But to practice you have to make brain space for paying attention to these things and learn how to throw out temping hooks and false threats. In a way you have to be a good actor, throwing out lines for your partner to improv, and seeing what they say, but not be attached to any particular outcome. This means there is danger and you must have good defenses and an ability to 'surf' the action, and also a way to understand why things might not work so you make smart decisions.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Student Handbook?
I remember hearing a story on the radio about how they have started teaching children at low performing schools how to behave in class, what is expected of them, what is appropriate, how to ask questions, when to talk, explaining about what school is, and making them pledge to abide by the rules.
I don't remember ever having been told any of this stuff back when I was at school, it was just assumed that you knew. But I know that certain stuff that seems absolutely obvious might not be if you have never had to contemplate it.
A while back, a teacher friend of mine taught 10/11 year olds in an under-funded school (they did not have enough paper or chairs to go around) in a low income neighborhood. There were many kids in her class that had no idea about punctuality, and though she originally dismissing it as just disrespectful, she came to realize that the kids that were perennially late lived on streets and in families where pretty much everyone was unemployed. She realized that none of these kids understood about 'being on time', why it would be important, or even necessary, because they'd rarely, if ever, seen anyone else have to do so.
It seems that there has been various discussions going on recently regarding the teacher's role in martial arts, alongside what is expected of a student.
Training environments have evolved, at least in certain areas ... moving away from the 'teacher as supreme being' model, a.k.a 'do as I say and shut up', to taking more responsibility for oneself, asking questions and class becoming more interactive.
This is a great step I feel, but one not without it's own difficulties.
I personally thrived most when given independence, and this started with my Eskrima teacher, who's style was to give every student as much rope as they needed to hang themselves if they decided to! He had a small eraser board leaned on a shelf that outlined the behavior he was looking for if anyone cared to look, so really there was no excuse to 'fail'.
Even if a student screwed up, he was patient to an extent, but if the behavior carried on, he asked them to train elsewhere for a while. Interestingly enough, the student asked to leave would often have no idea as to what they had done, and it would take other students to explain later what had gone on.
(I have heard that other South East Asian arts have a similar concept, one that does not explain explicitly about manners and behavior, and this is used as a filter to screen out unsuitable students - those that behave themselves appropriately get to stay, those that screw up get asked to leave.)
This overtly free approach makes sense to me, and though it tends to be a great way to find out about the character of a student, it can be hard from the teaching side. The attrition rate is high ... which may be as it should be when connected to play with edged weapons .... and it can be quite irritating ..... but could that be improved?
It got me thinking .... If I was to write a handbook for those not given the tools as kids to 'play well with others' and how to not piss off the teacher, alongside a few signs about when it's time to exit stage left .... what would I put in it ...?
A few thoughts to start things off -
Chapter one would be on general manners:
- When you go to an Eskrimador's house, DO NOT TOUCH THE WEAPONS. In fact, don't even ask to, not for a few visits at least. Admire, but keep your hands to yourself.
- If a sheathed weapon gets handed to you to touch, ASK if it's OK before drawing it. Don't touch the blade, and if you do, wipe it off.
- If you get permission to draw a live weapon in company, don't wave it around in a hazardous manner. Do not cut yourself with it.
- Don't ask your teacher if he has killed anybody.
- Be on time, in fact, be early.
- Pay attention. Listen.
- Don't talk when your teacher is talking.
- Do what you are told. If you don't understand, attempt to do what you think is correct and ask if it is.
- Do not expect to be fed information without showing what you can do.
- Don't argue with your teacher. Ask questions and be curious, but be respectful.
- Don't believe everything that you hear, but keep an open mind and reserve judgement until you know enough to make an educated evaluation. (Note: 'Educated evaluation' can mean 'Gut Feeling' also. Trust your gut)
- Don't just stand there waiting for something to happen.
- Do not assume your teacher is your friend. They are your teacher, it is not the same thing.
- Do not fawn or flatter to gain favor, words are cheap. It is easy to tell authentic behavior from that which has no substance.
- Think. Engage in your training. Try.
- If you do not know how to behave, or are unsure as to the etiquette of a situation, watch those that seem to be doing well, and are familiar with the environment. Copy them.
---------------------------------------------
Then there would be another chapter about partner practice with some particular advice for women:
- Work with everybody in the class at least once.
- Have the attitude that you can learn something from everyone, and that your partner is there to help you to learn, not to look good. Note - people have a tendency to pick partners that will make them look good in front of the teacher. This is especially true with guys. As a woman, please note, that they may not want to work with you because there is a deep unconscious understanding that there is no status to be gained from it. Also note that this is often not a gender based issue - big guys look for big guys and ignore small guys just like they ignore you. It is your job to corner them into working with you. It is good for both parties.
- There is no need to impress your partner - who the hell cares if they think you have skills. Don't cheat or sucker punch your partner. Don't lose your temper and hurt someone just to prove a point. If you are a woman, you don't need to prove yourself by hitting harder than your partner.
- Know that some people are just too difficult to learn from, but do not discount those that are tricky, big, or unorthodox. However, do not work with people that have no control or when your safety is at risk.
- If your partner is a dick, ask the teacher how to handle a situation where what you are doing is not working. If your teacher is good .... they will have a solution for you. If your teacher is not good, they may not. (This is a good moment to assess your teacher and their relevance to your training.)
- Communicate with your partner. Part of martial arts is psychology, and partner practice is your place to start practicing making your partner work with you in a way that is constructive. This may involve asking if the level you are working at is cool. This may also involve you flattering them, making them feel comfortable, putting them in their place, asserting authority, or whatever you need to do. Some stuff you do and say may work, some stuff will not, but it is all useful feedback.
- Understand that it is a common human failing to escalate. This can apply to speed and force. It is especially true if egos become involved and one partner feels as though they are 'losing'. You can control this using words, taking a break or slowing things down. But again ... if your partner has no control, or your safety is at risk, stop.
- Try to do what your teacher is telling you to do as well as you can. If it's boring, add accuracy, timing, speed, power, movement or whatever, so you can explore, but ask your partner first if it's OK with them. Do not surprise them, unless that's part of the game, otherwise, you are a dick.
- It's OK to suck. If you could already do everything you would not need to be learning it.
- It's OK to fail.
- No one cares what you look like, only you. Get over it.
-----------------------------------------------
Lastly, probably something about the teacher student relationship:
- When you start something new, you have no reference from which to judge whether a teacher is good or not, so it is worth setting a period of time to finding out. You can be respectful and keep your skepticism at the same time, be polite, yet watchful.
- Notice the group dynamic and the injuries present when you join a new school. I would personally avoid a school full of injured students.
- Notice who gets attention, and what kind of attention. Especially notice how skilled the senior students are. Also notice their attitudes, how they treat the teacher, each other, and how they treat you. If they are obnoxious and treat you like an idiot, especially if they hurt you. Leave.
- Above all else, think of your teacher as an honorable enemy. Enemies can be highly skilled and as their student, you are in the enviable position of being able to steal their skills. However, do not mistake them for your friend, or that you will gain any skills by being 'liked'. You will also get no skills by having your picture taken, or by standing next to, skilled people.
- If the information you are getting seems small in comparison to the time spent watching the teacher look good, or other wasted time, leave.
------------------------------------------
Anyone else want to add ...?
I don't remember ever having been told any of this stuff back when I was at school, it was just assumed that you knew. But I know that certain stuff that seems absolutely obvious might not be if you have never had to contemplate it.
A while back, a teacher friend of mine taught 10/11 year olds in an under-funded school (they did not have enough paper or chairs to go around) in a low income neighborhood. There were many kids in her class that had no idea about punctuality, and though she originally dismissing it as just disrespectful, she came to realize that the kids that were perennially late lived on streets and in families where pretty much everyone was unemployed. She realized that none of these kids understood about 'being on time', why it would be important, or even necessary, because they'd rarely, if ever, seen anyone else have to do so.
It seems that there has been various discussions going on recently regarding the teacher's role in martial arts, alongside what is expected of a student.
Training environments have evolved, at least in certain areas ... moving away from the 'teacher as supreme being' model, a.k.a 'do as I say and shut up', to taking more responsibility for oneself, asking questions and class becoming more interactive.
This is a great step I feel, but one not without it's own difficulties.
I personally thrived most when given independence, and this started with my Eskrima teacher, who's style was to give every student as much rope as they needed to hang themselves if they decided to! He had a small eraser board leaned on a shelf that outlined the behavior he was looking for if anyone cared to look, so really there was no excuse to 'fail'.
Even if a student screwed up, he was patient to an extent, but if the behavior carried on, he asked them to train elsewhere for a while. Interestingly enough, the student asked to leave would often have no idea as to what they had done, and it would take other students to explain later what had gone on.
(I have heard that other South East Asian arts have a similar concept, one that does not explain explicitly about manners and behavior, and this is used as a filter to screen out unsuitable students - those that behave themselves appropriately get to stay, those that screw up get asked to leave.)
This overtly free approach makes sense to me, and though it tends to be a great way to find out about the character of a student, it can be hard from the teaching side. The attrition rate is high ... which may be as it should be when connected to play with edged weapons .... and it can be quite irritating ..... but could that be improved?
It got me thinking .... If I was to write a handbook for those not given the tools as kids to 'play well with others' and how to not piss off the teacher, alongside a few signs about when it's time to exit stage left .... what would I put in it ...?
A few thoughts to start things off -
Chapter one would be on general manners:
- When you go to an Eskrimador's house, DO NOT TOUCH THE WEAPONS. In fact, don't even ask to, not for a few visits at least. Admire, but keep your hands to yourself.
- If a sheathed weapon gets handed to you to touch, ASK if it's OK before drawing it. Don't touch the blade, and if you do, wipe it off.
- If you get permission to draw a live weapon in company, don't wave it around in a hazardous manner. Do not cut yourself with it.
- Don't ask your teacher if he has killed anybody.
- Be on time, in fact, be early.
- Pay attention. Listen.
- Don't talk when your teacher is talking.
- Do what you are told. If you don't understand, attempt to do what you think is correct and ask if it is.
- Do not expect to be fed information without showing what you can do.
- Don't argue with your teacher. Ask questions and be curious, but be respectful.
- Don't believe everything that you hear, but keep an open mind and reserve judgement until you know enough to make an educated evaluation. (Note: 'Educated evaluation' can mean 'Gut Feeling' also. Trust your gut)
- Don't just stand there waiting for something to happen.
- Do not assume your teacher is your friend. They are your teacher, it is not the same thing.
- Do not fawn or flatter to gain favor, words are cheap. It is easy to tell authentic behavior from that which has no substance.
- Think. Engage in your training. Try.
- If you do not know how to behave, or are unsure as to the etiquette of a situation, watch those that seem to be doing well, and are familiar with the environment. Copy them.
---------------------------------------------
Then there would be another chapter about partner practice with some particular advice for women:
- Work with everybody in the class at least once.
- Have the attitude that you can learn something from everyone, and that your partner is there to help you to learn, not to look good. Note - people have a tendency to pick partners that will make them look good in front of the teacher. This is especially true with guys. As a woman, please note, that they may not want to work with you because there is a deep unconscious understanding that there is no status to be gained from it. Also note that this is often not a gender based issue - big guys look for big guys and ignore small guys just like they ignore you. It is your job to corner them into working with you. It is good for both parties.
- There is no need to impress your partner - who the hell cares if they think you have skills. Don't cheat or sucker punch your partner. Don't lose your temper and hurt someone just to prove a point. If you are a woman, you don't need to prove yourself by hitting harder than your partner.
- Know that some people are just too difficult to learn from, but do not discount those that are tricky, big, or unorthodox. However, do not work with people that have no control or when your safety is at risk.
- If your partner is a dick, ask the teacher how to handle a situation where what you are doing is not working. If your teacher is good .... they will have a solution for you. If your teacher is not good, they may not. (This is a good moment to assess your teacher and their relevance to your training.)
- Communicate with your partner. Part of martial arts is psychology, and partner practice is your place to start practicing making your partner work with you in a way that is constructive. This may involve asking if the level you are working at is cool. This may also involve you flattering them, making them feel comfortable, putting them in their place, asserting authority, or whatever you need to do. Some stuff you do and say may work, some stuff will not, but it is all useful feedback.
- Understand that it is a common human failing to escalate. This can apply to speed and force. It is especially true if egos become involved and one partner feels as though they are 'losing'. You can control this using words, taking a break or slowing things down. But again ... if your partner has no control, or your safety is at risk, stop.
- Try to do what your teacher is telling you to do as well as you can. If it's boring, add accuracy, timing, speed, power, movement or whatever, so you can explore, but ask your partner first if it's OK with them. Do not surprise them, unless that's part of the game, otherwise, you are a dick.
- It's OK to suck. If you could already do everything you would not need to be learning it.
- It's OK to fail.
- No one cares what you look like, only you. Get over it.
-----------------------------------------------
Lastly, probably something about the teacher student relationship:
- When you start something new, you have no reference from which to judge whether a teacher is good or not, so it is worth setting a period of time to finding out. You can be respectful and keep your skepticism at the same time, be polite, yet watchful.
- Notice the group dynamic and the injuries present when you join a new school. I would personally avoid a school full of injured students.
- Notice who gets attention, and what kind of attention. Especially notice how skilled the senior students are. Also notice their attitudes, how they treat the teacher, each other, and how they treat you. If they are obnoxious and treat you like an idiot, especially if they hurt you. Leave.
- Above all else, think of your teacher as an honorable enemy. Enemies can be highly skilled and as their student, you are in the enviable position of being able to steal their skills. However, do not mistake them for your friend, or that you will gain any skills by being 'liked'. You will also get no skills by having your picture taken, or by standing next to, skilled people.
- If the information you are getting seems small in comparison to the time spent watching the teacher look good, or other wasted time, leave.
------------------------------------------
Anyone else want to add ...?
Monday, January 21, 2013
Flow vs Random Flow
Discussing with folks recently about 'Flow Training'.
Many people have stuff they call flow training in their system, and I guess the general understanding of it is - any partner practice drill that moves smoothly between the players.
When I talk about flow training, however, I am thinking of something different, and it is all to do with the implication that the word 'Random' adds to the game.
Random implies that I do not know what is going to happen next, in fact neither party should be sure of what is going to happen next, even if a certain reaction is expected.
That is what makes it valuable, and not the same thing as merely moving in concert with another human being.
And this is also where the subtlety lies .... you are moving with them, because everything you do should be because of who is in front of you, how they move and what you are working on. It can be about accuracy, timing, range, openings, blade manipulation, whatever you like, but the part that makes it important, is that you are there to notice what people will do next ..... not know what people will do next.
Random flow does not need to be totally random like free sparring, or even broadly random, it can be limited with the addition of whatever parameters you choose, but even if the ONLY randomness is not knowing if the next strike will come left or right, if your opponent will react to your fake, or when the cut will come .... it is enough to change the experience, and what you learn from it.
It's uncertainty which is key, this is where the learning is. You can only learn how to 'see' if you learn to watch ... and there's no need to pay attention if it's everything is already known.
Many people have stuff they call flow training in their system, and I guess the general understanding of it is - any partner practice drill that moves smoothly between the players.
When I talk about flow training, however, I am thinking of something different, and it is all to do with the implication that the word 'Random' adds to the game.
Random implies that I do not know what is going to happen next, in fact neither party should be sure of what is going to happen next, even if a certain reaction is expected.
That is what makes it valuable, and not the same thing as merely moving in concert with another human being.
And this is also where the subtlety lies .... you are moving with them, because everything you do should be because of who is in front of you, how they move and what you are working on. It can be about accuracy, timing, range, openings, blade manipulation, whatever you like, but the part that makes it important, is that you are there to notice what people will do next ..... not know what people will do next.
Random flow does not need to be totally random like free sparring, or even broadly random, it can be limited with the addition of whatever parameters you choose, but even if the ONLY randomness is not knowing if the next strike will come left or right, if your opponent will react to your fake, or when the cut will come .... it is enough to change the experience, and what you learn from it.
It's uncertainty which is key, this is where the learning is. You can only learn how to 'see' if you learn to watch ... and there's no need to pay attention if it's everything is already known.
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