Training
There is an oddity in the nature of our physical learning versus that of our discovery of knowledge. Most of our schooling systems take very small steps at the onset to see how quickly the student can learn. In the case of math it starts with understanding the numbers, what they actually mean, and then building on that with basic addition, then subtraction, and so on. History, science, Language, are all built on piece by piece until a clear picture of the underlying principles are visible to the student, versus simply plying the brain with an overwhelming strata of data.
Physical learning tries sometimes to include this sort of approach. A newcomer to baseball is taught the locations on the field, the idea of catching, the nature of batting, etc. But the most important parts of the physical learning are scarcely acknowledged. For example, in baseball, one is taught to hold the bat, where to stand, and what to swing at, but the subtle nuisances of direction of the hands, angle of the bat, the location of the feet, and all that other stuff are simply glossed over. A very primitive ideal is usually in place by physical type teachers, that is: only some knowledge can be taught, the rest is inherit. They tend to believe that you either have it or you do not and there is no amount of training that will every help you hit the ball more often, further, or accurately. They believe it is natural talent.
There is a certain truth to this, but it is not complete nor is it a law of a nature, instead it is more like a loose rule. The truth is that we human beings are wired in a particular manner. Some of us can step up to the plate and swing the bat ‘naturally’ because we hardwired our brains to understand the subtle physics of the sport, while others, whom have not wired themselves that way, need some programming to come to the same place. And yes, we are responsible for the wiring itself, nature makes the paths, some easier and more plentiful, but the actual learning is related to sensory input from birth.
It is possible, with proper teaching to be just as good as any other person at any given talent, related to age and physical circumstances of course.
I propose that the problem is in the way things are taught. Since I am mostly writing about martial arts, I will try to keep my analogies on the dojo floor and off the baseball field.
I believe that in most training halls the order in which the student acquires his skills are out of step with the nature of the brain and the subsequent mind/body complex. Most training halls do not indicate the order of learning a particular technique or skill, but instead leave this up to the student. This is a mistake. The student should not be allowed to dictate his own learning path.
If a student is working on his punching and he, by his mental wiring, believes that speed is the key, he will put that long before learning to punch straight, or if he believes that power is the only real importance than speed will be an irrelevancy.
The old saying, “Practice Makes Perfect” is completely wrong and should read, “Practice makes Permanent.”
The proper order of learning
Accuracy
I believe, that accuracy should be absolutely first and that everything should be practiced as at such a slow speed that it could barely be distinguishable as technique. If a student had the ability to simulate slow motion in fluid single thought, and do so only on the idea of hitting an exact spot every single time, this would greatly increase the students accuracy. Training, should include long meditations on the techniques, done very slowly in the minds eye. All training should move as slow and fluid as possible, finding the exact locations of pressure, the exact points of strikes, the exact ‘mental’ state of the moment and more importantly the exact purpose of the technique, the struggle, and what the individual warrior ship means. There is a flood behind every strike.
Speed
Once accuracy has been improved then the inclusion of speed begins. It should start slowly, and progress, but not to full speed. The point of the process is to wire the brain to understand the timing involved in the situation, to develop a better spatial relationship, and to understand the dynamics of their own motor skills and reflex times.
Power
And once some understanding of speed is incorporated into the study, then power should be included. This means understanding the dynamics of the muscle and the body position, the nature of gravity, mass, etc.
I go back to the sword often, because although it is a dangerous weapon, it can be easily ruined in the hands of someone that takes no time to learn the necessary approach to wielding it. If for example, I handed the sword to some one that held it like a mallet at the fair, wanting to hit the bell with the striker, He would most likely bend the blade in the target or strike something other than the target because he hadn’t the faintest idea of controlling the tip of the blade let alone the angle of the cutting edge. If I handed it someone that played a lot of video games he would have incredibly quick reflexes but he may not understand the nature of ‘strength’ when powering the blade into a target that caused him to stick the blade and bend it. One action is not enough, focus on one idea is never enough. Martial arts, like all truly esoteric approaches to the universe are multiple, a kind of many headed deity, not unlike those found in India. True knowledge is not known by the the hammer that strikes the bell but by those ears, miles away that hear it fully.
Imagine (yep, sports reference) if you could slow the process of a pitch down, yet keep it’s correct arc from the pitcher to home plate, only just slow it down, so that you could swing the bat slowly, accurately, right down on to the ball, instead of having to practice at full speed every time. Luckily we martial artist can slow the pitch down by controlling every action of ourselves, and through visualization of the process.
