the importance of being impractical

[Adam]

  Realistic training as a means towards functional ability in fighting is obviously important. However , the need  to balance it by purposely being impractical is seldom propose especially in our current MMA and RBSD North Amercian Martial Arts culture. Actually theres nothing new under the sun regarding  our new pop martial culture , they all came fr ancient arts. And one can easily see if research that almost all ancient systems realizes the importance of balancing practicality with  impracticality, investing in lost , and the idea of play in practice as a means of exploration of possibilities. Without this periodic and crucial element, one is stuck in the known ( proven methods) and the unknown , the new will not be touch upon. 
   Here's a few brief  examples :
  Tai Chi's version of push hands is about 60-80 grappling , if one choose to go that way, ( there's many forms of push hands : southern mantis, yi quan , ba kua, gojo ryu etc) then one is really "playing" with the first quarter moment of a grappling /throwing move. If one is always being "practical" and going /completing the throw, there will be no chance to isolate time and work on the first moment of touch in engagement. Things like sticking, sensing direction , finding the other guys spine, compressing into the ground etc will never be discover and learn without this "impractical"  playing phase.
    The same goes for wing chun's chi sau which is  different  then tai chi push hands cause it about striking with more linear lines , although they both fuse together later on..... Most people that learn chi sau are very " practical " at first , trying to kill each other. I wonder what would happen to the student who was not practical at first but instead just focus on proper pressure  and rolling ,developing good structure first before allowing himself/herself to commence "practical " striking  ??. Which student do you think will win after a year? the practical one that never had a chance to develope  structure or the one that took his time and went from non practical basic drills to  real application? If you have ever touch hands with someone truely great, you would realize that you are dead the very first moment you touch .... struture very important....
   Some martial arts makes the concept of this "play " very obvious in their training methods like escrima/kali arts , you can see them doing flow drills with a "music" to it , where there is a flow , a exchange back and forth, going  quarter to half speed - this give the practitoner a chance to explore proper cutting angles, combination, counters, timing, inserting different broken beats etc . Allows them to try and play with things that is too dangerous to try with full force etc .
   Another art that I can see  has a  idea of play is Aikido , obivous no real attacker would attack like the way you find in most demos  but by amplify energy and motion of an attack , it gives one a chance to see/feel it more clearly  and  also allow one to play with different feeling, angles , types of force .. therefore when they compress it later ......
   
   practical , impractical , balance is the key:) So next time you see something "impractical " , research carefully to see its progression ...... it will help your development tremendously.

[Steve Smith]

Huge!!!!!! Bravo.

There is really no practical reason to practice the scales when learning to play the piano no one really likes to hear them.  You will never play one in a concert,,,,   but... musicians seam to be insistent on practicing them long after practical people have moved on to just playing music.

Jesse commented that one of the things that made David Harris so good was that he did not chase the practical but always searched for the possible.  He would try do do things with less and less rather than with more and more.  He would have us push hands endlessly then go to applications then back and exploration endless and facinating.  He said martial arts are like Disney Land where anything is possible do not hold your self down  to what you can do or what is practical that just leads to practical and not what could be.  Of course for a pragmatic person there must be a balance but from time to time put effectiveness on hold and explore.

Thanks Adam Great Article.

[Adam]

Steve,
   
  Yeah ideally , I would like to do  4 sessions a week on keeping the stuff and maybe 2 or 3  sessions just playing with things. Usually i do chi gung ,  bridging , chasing , closing , scenarios, padwork etc etc  but when i am " playing ", I usually find myself ending up doing weapons and circling  ( especially after meeting u thanks steve ) - such a good "lab" . They bounce of each other nicely, has help alot .....

   

[Adam]

Here's a short list of very basic  UNREALISITIC THINGS that I think the public can understand

large motion punching - "this is  too slow and telegraphic to be use in fighting , small motion is much better" . True. But how do you hit with short power that will drop a big guy if you can't even develop power with large motion? And if you were open minded enough to pratice large motion , " unrealistic " attacks , is it really all that difficult to compress it afterwards???

high kicks - too fancy ,  travels too much  distance,  leaves the groin , supporting leg open to an attack , too telegraphic, compromises recovery and slows down follow ups  etc . OK so lets keep it real right? Let' keep them straight and  low ,ok . But who will kick low with more power and speed : the realistic one who pratices low kicks or the unrealistic one who can kick high in any angle, which one will kick low faster with more body control?

non contact sensing  -  this jedi shit is  horse shit and unrealistic. Too co operative , ok. You SEE something PHYSICAL , it sends signals to your braIN and then you start moving - thats what most people do . Whats if thr UNREALISTIC drills you have attain the ability to feel something move before his body twitches , then what?

trapping in all its variation- trapping sequences are horse shit because no one  feeds passive precise energies and blocks like that. True. If you develop flow with these UNREALISTIC drills , how hard is it to remove real life flinches and covers which is alot slower than a pre set ( thereofre unrealistic) touch-response in a drill . Same as training for running , in training , you run with weights which is unrealistic since in a REAL race obviously , you will not be running with weights but wouldn't the unrealistic habit of runnings w weights help you with the realistic event of running without weights?  

 It seem the public is now smart enough to call out unrealistic application but they are not smart enough to tell the difference between attribute-drills vs application. Very few people train hard but everyones a critic. Thats understandable I guess since we now live in a spectators generation and a not participant's . Plus in the age of the internet , a man no longer have to take responsiblity for his words ; I miss the traditional martial era - back then , if you open your mouth to insult someone, you have to cross hands . I think Instead of judging people and things so easily , I think learning to use your perception and creativeness will allow anyone to grow much faster with a higher level of performance .

  While it is a free choice and it's ok to spend ones life not contributing to anyone but rather just criticizing those who are , I hope people can stop because as I have stated many times it makes good teacher bitter and therefore it will ruin  learning opportunities for guys like me  The general public's opinion is that if it works prove it ; they have a hard time understanding that some of these guys who have been at this for decades have no interest in proving anything. I know its hard for those who is still struggling with their ego, self image, fears , anger to imagine an attitude of confidence and joy of not having the need to prove things . BUt these guys do exist and I was lucky enough to meet a few.  

   Actually , a martial artist that have help me see this is Steve Smith who's on here sometimes. The last  time  I saw Steve was a  couple of months ago and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Steve for showing a few " unrealistic " things that once again have open a door to an area of research, this time , specifically on leg stuff - I did not have the required attributes to execute those loops but instead I modify a bit for low leg breaks combos. Thanks Steve for reminding me the importance of seeing beyond the surface of things again:) , wish I had more time with this great teacher . In the past , I''ve heard ppl say negative things about yeung chuan - thats their choice . However , my opinion of there comment is  this : BULLSHIT! Steve , is very good at " quick kills" ( literally) when he choose to, lets just say your spine and neck , legs are gone within seconds and he can move very fast when he feels like to move. Out of all the martial artist that I have met, his stuff is definitely among the most lethal. The thing is he doesn't like to show off that part. I dont blame him since there's so much disrepect out there .

Adam    

[Lonna Leno]

Tonight I have learned a GREAT deal.  Reading this strain of posts has re-opened my mind to some things, and has solidified other things.  

When I play the sonatas...every second of scales I work through is beyond worth the time and energy.  When I compose from my soul...every moment of chord-progression study becomes of essential value and a source of inherent joy.

Unrealistic?  If there wasn't such a thing, what would we strive for?  And what would we base "reality" on?  And how could we ever be prepared to face that "reality"?  It's all relative.  And at the same time IT is all essential.

Thank you for this!

[Adam]

Thank you ,    you just remind me  of Myamoto Musashi's saying " to understand the sword , study all other arts " .