Understanding fighting (2) | ||
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Past the beginning...
When learning a martial art there
are essentially 3 stages:
Most students
want to do stage 3 but
flounder before they reach stage 1.
They never actually leave the beginners syllabus.
The tai chi lower belts aren't even about physical fitness.
It isn't even stage 1. It is introductory material.
Health material.
1. Physical fitness
In tai chi training, physical fitness involves the typical
concerns found in a martial arts
class: cardiovascular fitness, strength and flexibility.
Internal martial arts
strength training needs to be a little more
comprehensive.
It must include extensive practice of alignment,
balance, root, stance, connection,
peng, 70%... along with
sensitivity training
teaching the individual
how and when
to use their strength.
Hard work
Combat is not easy and there is a risk of injury if the student is unfit.
This is true of any martial art. To reach a high level of skill, the student
needs to take a lesson from sport.
They must become a lot fitter, but not necessarily a martial
athlete.
When you fight in the street, there is only one goal in your head and that's
to escape. It's not your job to punish them, that's the court's job. If a
guy attacks you and you can duck, push him down and run out of the alley or
out of the bar, and get in your car and go, you can escape unharmed. They
might call you names, but that was smart.
(Tim Cartmell)
2. Technical skill
This involves shuai jiao,
chin na and form applications,
martial forms and combat skills.
At this stage, the student is required to explore different fighting
methods.
They learn strategy & tactics, close-range combat, conservation of energy,
optimal use of alignment and structure, how to punch properly,
throws, seizing, joint locks,
accuracy, stickiness, physical
sensitivity,
evasive footwork and grappling whilst standing and on the floor.
But are they a fighter?
No, far from it.
Defending yourself
Technical skills enable a keen tai chi student -
who trains daily at home - to defend themselves against an attacker. But it
still comes down to the individual. To how good they are, how present,
focused and adept.
There are guarantees.
We simply offer the material, and a wide variety of opportunities to explore
it, and pressure test it. Whether or not you can use it is down to
you.
3.
Combat
Combat isn't addressed until the later in the
syllabus.
Before then, the student simply doesn't know enough material to 'fight'
realistically.
Nerve, fear,
emotional content, being hit, impact,
finishing off,
whole-body
strength, whole-body
movement, whole-body
power, improvised weaponry, holding down the pillow
and countering a knife must all be
practiced in depth.
Fighting
Black belt students will learn the
difference between defending yourself, and fighting in a bout. There's a
world of difference. Our emphasis as a school is upon being able to defend
yourself, but we do touch upon sparring, and what more serious fighters need
to learn.
Most tai chi people don't want to be become professional fighters, and we
certainly don't claim to be training professional fighters.
We teach the traditional approach - individual self defence. The
ability to protect yourself and your loved ones from harm.
Unpredictability
Tai chi level combat is not fixed.
The assailant does not use predetermined attacks and is encouraged to be as
awkward and challenging as possible.
Rubber knives are used, along with sticks, chains, baseball bats and
other weaponry.
The aim for the attacker is to provide a realistic combat experience.
Non-cooperative.
Cocky?
Anything goes in combat, so you cannot afford to be
cocky or complacent.
Spend too long with one person and his mate may jump on you from behind or slip
a knife between your ribs.
Your attackers will not cooperate with you or assist you in any way at all.
Their single function and purpose is to defeat you.
Cultivate shen
Shen requires a level of focus and sustained
concentration that most people do not possess.
Self-consciousness must cease and there is only the moment.
It is necessary to be entirely present.
Pragmatism
Your choice of action needs to be appropriate; it must be the correct
response relative to the attack.
If you do something impractical or unrealistic, this might mean
defeat in
the street.
Typically, an uncomplicated response is best.
Take the shortest route.
Allow for failure.
Spontaneous
In
tai chi you do not broadcast
your intentions. You must move without planning and preparation.
Melee (chaos training) trains this
skill.
If you think and plan, then it will show in your body language and could be
your downfall.
The more immediate your behaviour, the less you will advertise your
intention.
Not
sport
It is important to recognise that the roots of Chinese martial arts lie with
the need to defend oneself, not sport.
In real life combat there are no rules.
Train what is possible, not what is allowed.
Put them out of action
Success at any cost is not advocated by our school. The aim of combat is to avoid injury, not sustain it.
'Incapacitation' means to stop the person from
functioning in a normal way.
Finish the assailant quickly and decisively.
Conviction
Conviction combines:
Faith in the art and in yourself
Confidence in your own ability
An exponent with
conviction is a formidable adversary; they possess the
quiet surety of repeated practice, frequent combat
training and an in-depth understanding of the
principles.
Their eyes reveal their faith.
There is an absence of fear.
Instead; a calm, deliberate, patient gaze.
Unflustered, they wait for the right
moment.
They are strong and they are ready.
Your expectations?
Most tai chi people want to be able to
protect themselves from assault.
They aren't really interested in cage fighting or making a name for
themselves as a 'fighter'.
In reality, their intention is simply to evade the attacker. To avoid being
injured and nothing more than this.
If they are required to incapacitate the attacker, this is unfortunate.
Ideally, they seek to avoid causing any damage at all.
What about MMA?
If you want to become skilled at fighting MMA people, then you need
to go and train with them. Don't delude yourself
or waste time talking.
Find out how they fight and why it works.
Tailor your training to address that sort of combat.
A fighter?
Your tai chi will reflect your own personal attitude, agenda and
commitment to practice.
It won't make you superhuman.
Ultimately, the art is made manifest by your actions.
If it is your ambition to be a fighter, then find out what this means. Train
with fighters. Learn from
fighters.
Theory without
experience, proof and skill is worthless. Even
dangerous.
Confronted by limitations of
effectiveness, the martial arts of the West responded with a continuous
crafting of superior equipment. Confronted with similar limitations, the
Asian warrior responded by fashioning a better self. The warrior turned not
to technology in making his sword a better tool for fighting. Influenced by
contemplative aspects of Taoism and Buddhism and by the self-discipline of
Confucianism, he turned inward. He fine-tuned his body and mind in order to
better manipulate his sword.
(Dave Lowry)
Page created
21 May 2002
Last updated
16 June 2023
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