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| Fight for your belt | ||
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Old school
In the past when judo used to be taught, it was necessary for
higher graded students to fight with one another in order to pass a belt. This
was useful. It encouraged a more earnest attitude.
Imagine if there are 2 students but only 1 belt...
Both students want the belt but only one person can have
it.
Steel isn't strong, boy.
Flesh is stronger.
What is steel compared to the hand that wields it?
Look at the strength of your body, the desire in your heart.
(Conan the Barbarian)
Fight
The judo attitude of fighting for your belt is very commendable.
Tai chi people have a tendency to be quite
lazy and soft. In martial arts this is a rather foolish,
complacent attitude to adopt.
Laziness
Tai chi training encourages a quite different attitude to the
external martial arts, but the
exponent still needs to fight. Often, laziness is disguised behind a veneer
of relaxation, composure and being 'laid back'.
A veneer/self-image
won't help you in a fight.
Fight the Good Fight...
Fight the Good Fight: From Vicar's Wife to Killing Machine
is a truly embarrassing book. It exemplifies absolutely everything that is
bad about the attitude of some martial arts
exponents.
In a nutshell, the author decides to start
learning judo at the age of 40. This
is rather silly. Judo is tough. It involves being thrown on the ground a
lot, and is best studied when younger, not older.
The lady simply wants to pass a black belt in judo. This is her goal.
Akin to passing a degree or her driving test. She soon has to
fight for her belts and finds this hard work.
Eventually she quits.
The judo instructor manages to find a loophole whereby the author can pass
her black belt without actually fighting
for it. The author leaps at the chance, passes, and then quits once she is
given the belt.
Pale
belts
The first 4 belts are introductory.
Students who are training
white,
yellow
and
orange
do not have to fight for their belt. All that
changes with green belt.
When a student has passed green belt it marks the increase
in martial training and a new level of intensity. To pass their
green belt, the student must fight.
Darker
belts
Having earned their belt from fighting, the tai chi
student feels more 'kung fu'. The belt and the
uniform are theirs by right of combat. This is
quite different to just being handed a belt by the instructor for 'doing
well'.
You've grown stronger here than I ever could have imagined.
The only way to know how strong is to keep testing your limits.
(Man of Steel)
Relay
The way in which the fight challenge works is simple... Exponents
of a higher belt (or the same belt as you) line up,
and one-by-one they attack you.
Your job is to stay calm,
composed, and to use tai chi skills.
If you panic, freak out or
become aggressive, you fail. If you are
macho or hurt someone, you
fail.
A cool head is expected. Restraint is
required from the defender.
Realism
The attackers must provide the most realistic attack that they
can. If they are accommodating, half-assed or weak in their attacks, they
will be rebuked. Patronising another school member is never helpful. Attack
in earnest.
Floundering?
If the defender falters and becomes
ineffective, the attacker must press home their attack. Their
goal is to beat the defender. Don't slack off.
Should the defender find themselves caught-up or taking too long, expect a
second attacker to join in. This isn't
mean. It is accurate and honest. Expect it to happen in real life.
Incapacitation
Cheng Man Ching said: "Tai chi is the art
of defeating the opponent without hurting him".
This is the correct attitude to
adopt during your challenge.
Black belt
Passing your first black belt is a
big deal. The fight challenge is harder. The relay must include as many
students as possible, especially those of a higher belt than you.
To wear a black belt in our school, it is crucial that the student
can beat every other tai chi student of a lesser belt.
By this level of skill, a necessary confidence must be present. Instead of
fearing the fight challenge, the exponent should relish the opportunity to
test their skills.
Discover yourself
A fight challenge is a learning experience. It is all about
self-awareness. Fighting takes guts.
Nerve. If you go to pieces, well, now you know. It
is better to discover this in class rather than in the street.
If it goes badly, then improve. If it goes well, improve.
When a student is good, becoming
better than his fellows, his pride must be destroyed, he must be driven
without mercy so that his spirit
and skill
will not suffer from conceit.
(C W Nicol)
Not using tai chi skills?
One of the biggest problems at first will be the failure to use
tai chi. This is to be
expected. So long as you slowly
improve, this is fine. Ultimately, you are learning tai chi, so your kung
fu must look and feel like tai chi.
Page created
23 February 1998
Last updated
25
August 2011
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