In some of the previous posts I was discussing the
importance of having a good progression in place when teaching/training in any
combative activity. Of course, from the perspective of efficient learning
experience and skill acquisition it is easy to grasp. Here, my goal is to
expound a little bit on our understanding of any particular stage on the
progression line.
It seems to be common understanding that one’s aim
is to get across and get to the end destination (whatever that may be) as
quickly as possible, right? You know, get to that black belt, certificate of
completion, instructorship… Well, I beg to differ! I mean, if the said piece of
memorabilia is what brought you to training into first place and the actual
thing that that will bring you some sense of fulfillment, then yeah. By the
way, if so, this blog may not have too much to offer in that case.
On the other hand, if your thing is to gain some
considerable level of skill/expertise, i.e. the true ability to perform in the real
time in their chosen field, you might want to take it slow. You see, another
common attitude is to admire the people with great breadth in their knowledge.
Sure, every once in a while you’ll notice that in some areas that knowledge is
somewhat think or shallow, but hey, they know so much! In the modern day and
age, with the wealth of information available at your fingertips, there is just
no more real appreciation for depth in
any domain of human experience.
The way I see it, the right question is not “how do
I finish this level as quickly as possible?”, but rather “how do I stay at this
level as long as possible and get something useful out of it?” Again, if this
sounds counter intuitive, the key words in the previous paragraph are ability to perform in the real time!
So, let’s take a look at it this way… If you were
asked to name one combative activity, be it sport of not, where you
consistently see the practitioners able to put their skill on the line and test
it against the resisting opponent, which one would it be? I guess many of my
readers would be inclined to point to MMA or similar activities, maybe krav
maga and similar “reality based” methods (although those are disputable in this
regard, but it’s another subject for another time). However, if we simply look
for the longest continual output, we basically come down to two such approaches
– boxing and wrestling. Both have been around for hundred(s) of years in the
format that requires the participants to incessantly perform in the real time
in the given field.
And what is the common denominator for both of
those? To start with, they do not boast the breadth of the technical base as
the foundation of their effectiveness. And consequently, their practitioners
spend all the effort on going into minute details of the techniques they have
on disposal. Thus, every single exponent usually demonstrates much deeper
understanding and better command over the tools they work with.
 |
| ...or a punch, for that matter |
With all of the above in mind, it should not be
strange that these two disciplines form integral part of the modern MMA, along
with a couple other methods that pretty much follow the same guidelines of
depth over breadth – BJJ and Thai boxing.
To wrap up, regardless of the martial art or system
you are involved with, don’t be in a hurry to get to the next thing/belt/rank
or to amass new techniques for the sake of “knowing” more of them. Instead,
focus on getting the best possible grip of the material you are working on
right now, because it will give you the upper hand later, whether you’re going
to learn new techniques of not.
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