Today I am going to talk about the great new training app...not. This is, actually, about non applications.
See, so many times you hear students/practitioners in martial art schools ask the instructors how certain things they are working on are applied. Well, on the level of individual techniques and/or combos it is pretty obvious. When it comes to forms of various types, things are a little different, but I won't be dealing with those here.
It is the application of training drills I am concerned with. Yeah, they come in all kinds of shapes and forms, as do the unfortunate attemps of many misguided instructors to explain it, but there is an almost universal answer to the question of how to apply them - you don't! The point of drills is to better instill particular skill(s) and/or attributes, and to gain better understanding of those. But ultimately, you will be applying those skills and putting to use those attributes, NOT the drills as such.
In that regard, training drills are not unlike the conditioning aspect of one's training... And you don't ask how to apply pushups or rope skipping in fighting, do you? Instead, strive to gain deeper understanding of why certain tools (drills, exercises, procedures) are done in training. It might help you use your training time more effectively, go broader or deeper into the material, depending on your needs.
And then you will understand the application aspect, too.
See, so many times you hear students/practitioners in martial art schools ask the instructors how certain things they are working on are applied. Well, on the level of individual techniques and/or combos it is pretty obvious. When it comes to forms of various types, things are a little different, but I won't be dealing with those here.
It is the application of training drills I am concerned with. Yeah, they come in all kinds of shapes and forms, as do the unfortunate attemps of many misguided instructors to explain it, but there is an almost universal answer to the question of how to apply them - you don't! The point of drills is to better instill particular skill(s) and/or attributes, and to gain better understanding of those. But ultimately, you will be applying those skills and putting to use those attributes, NOT the drills as such.
In that regard, training drills are not unlike the conditioning aspect of one's training... And you don't ask how to apply pushups or rope skipping in fighting, do you? Instead, strive to gain deeper understanding of why certain tools (drills, exercises, procedures) are done in training. It might help you use your training time more effectively, go broader or deeper into the material, depending on your needs.
And then you will understand the application aspect, too.
