For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been learning to drive standard. Having driven automatic cars for over 16 years, it’s a difficult transition. This learning process is an excellent analogy for learning a martial art.

My first time driving standard was the worst. I was told exactly what to do to get the car in first gear, but ended up over-revving the engine, or worse, under-revving it, causing it either to clunk awkwardly into gear or stall it out. Making the transition between any gear requires a fine touch, letting out the clutch slowly while giving it just the right amount of gas. It took every ounce of my focus and I still screwed it up half the time.

“This seems dangerous! How am I supposed to concentrate on the road when it’s taking all my focus just to shift gears?” I frustratedly asked Chris, who was teaching me.

“That’s why we’re starting in a parking lot,” he smiled. “Once you get comfortable shifting gears, you won’t need to think about it. You’ll even be able to improvise creative shifts in emergencies.”

It was then that I realized how similar the learning process was to that of the martial arts. When you first learn a complex technique from a martial art, you use your conscious mind to walk your body through the motions. It’s awkward and slow. It takes all your focus because your conscious mind can’t think of more than one thing at a time and there are multiple technical points that make it work. People naturally wonder how the technique is effective. At that level, it’s not, of course.

The longer you practice the technique, the more you develop your muscle memory, which is governed by your subconscious mind. When you don’t have to actively think to do a technique, your reaction time is instantaneous and your body even starts to be able to improvise adaptations for different but similar defensive situations. And that’s when it really becomes fun.

Chris told me the same thing about driving standard; that when you can do it without thought, it becomes really fun. It’s hard to imagine how moving a stick around for the sole purpose of changing gears could ever be considered “fun,” but I can at least see a light at the end of the tunnel that is my frustrating learning process.

Tags: subconscious mind

I read an interesting article about peak performance in the NY Times. Part of it discusses the importance of the total number of hours of practice time vs. natural talent in the development of peak performance in a sport or art.

Having taught Jiu-jitsu for 12 years, I’ve seen all types of students and what it takes within them to excel in the long run in a martial art. I agree that hours of practice does correlate with excellence. However it’s not just about mechanical repetition.

My Sensei, Ed Hiscoe, always said: “Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect.” This, of course, does not mean he expects everyone to only practice if they can do it perfectly. It means the student should practice and consciously make corrections as they practice to continually get closer and closer to their goal. If a student only mechanically repeats movements without analyzing them for improvement, they will never fix the problems they may be having with technique.

While practice is a key component in developing as a martial artist, natural talent is also factor. Every so often I get a student who can learn and adapt amazingly fast, even without prior training. If these students put in the hours, the have the capacity to become awesome martial artists. The practice process is the same as it is for other students, except that they take on corrections and adjustments faster, which leads to their faster development as a martial artist overall. That being said, natural ability isn’t enough on its own.

I’ve seen talented individuals come and go from my mats. The reason they don’t necessarily make it as martial artists is that they don’t have the motivation and temperament to continue their practice through the inevitable plateaus that appear, particularly in later stages of development.

On the other hand, I’ve also had students who are of average ability, but because they’re motivated, they maintain their practice through the plateaus to achieve great things. It may take them longer, but by maintaining consistent motivation to train, they get there eventually.

So what should we take away from all this? I can tell you from many years of having observed my students: It doesn’t matter if you have natural talent. If you have the motivation to put in your hours of training, you’ll eventually succeed in your goals, given the right training atmosphere. And if you love what you’re doing, you won’t care if it takes longer to develop because you enjoy training for training’s sake.

Tags: success | training philosophy

The kiai is used on our dojo fairly regularly. We use it during breakfalls, in Jiu-jitsu circles, during tests, etc. Students are often confused about how to do a kiai so hopefully this blog will clarify things a bit.

The concept of the kiai goes back to ancient Japan. Samurai warriors were renowned for their powerful kiai in battle – a startling battle cry that was reputed to paralyze opponents with fear. A warrior who could release a powerful kiai would rarely be viewed as weak or fatigued by his opponents.

The Purpose of Kiai

The purpose of the kiai is three-fold:

1. To focus your mental and physical energy. (More details about this in The Benefits of Kiai for Sharpening Focus & Form for Breakfalls.)
2. To startle your attacker/ opponent
3. To draw attention to your need for help (in a self-defense situation)

When you learn to kiai properly the additional focus that it gives you helps reinforce your technique. You also learn not flinch and freeze at sudden loud noises, making it easier for you to quickly assess the source of the noise, whether it poses a threat and whether any response is required.

Meaning of Kiai

The word kiai is made up of the Kanji characters “ki,” meaning energy or spirit, and “ai,” meaning unification. Many East Asian people believe a force flows through all things, known as “ki” in Japanese and chi (or qi) in Chinese. Kiai is taken to mean “the harmonizing of ki” or “unification of spirit.”

How to Do a Kiai

The sounds martial arts students make when sounding a kiai are varied, including “Hai-ee,” “Huusss” and many variations. The exact sound of the yell varies from person to person. I encourage my students to experiment to find the best sound for them. When I teach women’s self-defense classes, I teach them to vocalize using a word that helps bring attention to their need for help, like “Nooo!” or “Stop!”. Whatever sound you use, it should emanate from your hara (your lower abdominal area), not your throat.

As for timing, the kiai should be sounded:

1. At the moment of impact of a technique, whether it be a block or an attack
2. When you are taking a blow to the abdomen
3. Anytime you want to accentuate an action you are performing

When I’m training, I don’t necessarily limit my use of kiai to the appointed times. Oftentimes, when I get in the zone with techniques I’m very familiar with, I find my kiai just comes out as naturally as breathing.

Tags: kiai