More complete vision

[bluekey88]

Warning: I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this post. Bear with me

Ok, I got the wonderful opportunity to cross train in BBT with a local study group. It's headed by a 9th dan, with a good mix of advanced, intermediate and beginners. After trying out a class I was invited back and have been training for 5 months.

I immediately noticed the differenc betwene the training in BBT compared to the TKD (or even the Aikido) that I do. My TKD curricuum is set. You work on styuff for a given rank, test it, advancre, learn new stuff. That pretty much what I'm used to for the last 6 years or so. The BBT group is much looser. We work on whatever the instructor wants...sometimes a particualr studebnt has a need, sometime he wants to work on somethign for his training.

In every case, we start out with something and then work variations and build on that...seeing where the class takes us. It's very different for me, but fun. It's similar to my experiences playing classical music (TKD) and playing jazz (BBT).

Anyway, the last class I was at was good. We'd had a couople of weeks off due to holidays and vacations. In the intereim, the instructor gave me a DVD of the 2002 Daikyomosai (not sure on the spelling) with homework..pick a technique to bring back and teach to the class. I did it.

In teaching my technique, it became readily obvious all the littel things I missed watching the video And this led to a discussion of how all the techniques (even though they are never repeated) stress the tactics and these tactics are what need to be internalized. It was also poitned out that I'd done some of this in that now, I often know what I'm doing wrong in a technique AS I do it, as opposed to being stuck and not knowing why.

So, we talked about how one of the things that made Hutsumi Sensei's technique so refined was the way he seems to to just "know
where to be. One of the blackbelts commented that he doesn't seem to knwo exactly where he is going...he just xeems to go where he needs to be. This got me thinking about the incredible amount of vision (for lack of a better word) this takes.

So, my question is, how does a beginner, such as myself, work on his vision? Aside from training every week with the group, how do I work to expand that snse of knowing where the technique(s) are and how to get to them without muscleing or forcing something? I'm not looking for shortcuts, just some guidance. Bt is a very coo art, but devilishly difficult to comprehend at times

Peace,
Erik

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

One word:Taisabaki.

When you have done enough training and practice Taisabaki movement,techniques just flow. It is the same with any master of any art after so many drills,reps,different training partners,knowledge of technique,form and movement you become adaptable to what ever the circumstance arises. Also Hatsumi has magic powers so that may explain it too :lol:

 

[terryl965]

Alot of reputition and the ability to learn and watch everything.

 

[MMcGuirk]

Kihon. Not the Kihon Happo but the kihon within the kihon happo. A lot of this will have to be done on your own time. Your instructor should be able to point these things out to you. It's a continuous work, sort of like maintaining a blade. It has to be kept clean and well oiled.

Sounds like you are having fun and that's also important.

Gambatte!

 

[nitflegal]

Short answer: find a good teacher and drill the basics and their henka until you never want to do them again. Then do them again, and again, and again. . .

Longer answer: I think you have to bring an attitude of, well, play to your training. Years of hearing Hatsumi-soke say that and it never penetrated but it finally has started to. Use each repetition to happily see what worked, what didn't, WHY it did or didn't. Take satisfaction in the most incremental advance in your technique. IMHO, you've got to enjoy what you're doing to allow yourself to focus on internalizing the concepts.

Find a teacher who can teach you the why's of the technique and answer your questions carefully and in detail. I am extremely fortunate to be studying out here in Mass with Ken Savage-sensei. Things are clicking and exercises from a year ago are starting to bear new fruit as they open up new concepts, literally building on each other. The best way that I can put it is that I'm understanding the beginning vocabulary of the fundamentals so that I can start seeing how they apply elsewhere and with other techniques. It's neat to finally be able to take a technique, apply a concept or emotion to it, and see the technique change. I'm fortunate that Ken is able and willing to answer my frequent questions and often use the answer to open up another door in understanding the underlying concept. What's even more valuable is then having another portion of the scroll containing the technique explained so I can see that my guess is actually included in the instructions!

Finally, you gotta practice on your own, a lot. I try to make class 3-4 times a week. That's 3-4 hours of practice a week. Not nearly enough. I've found it's a pretty simple correlation; if I practice every day, even for 15-20 minutes, my mind accepts new concepts much more readily. I'm sure there's an psychologic explaination for this but I have not a clue what. Shoot, just apply walking taijutsu throughout the day if nothing else.

So, find a good teacher, drill the basics eternally, and practice as frequently as possible. Do those and I suspect you'll be golden.

Matt

 

[bluekey88]

I knew as I wrote that message what the answers would be. Ah well.

The good news is that I like my teacher and i enjoy our classes. that's good.

The bad news is it's only once a week. I don't have enough experience in this art to do much extensive solo practice (although I do drill what I can). I guess Iw as hoping for some basic revframing to help wrap my brain around this stuff...or some good recomendations of drills (which i did get). So thanks.

Maybe in a decade or so I'll be able to say I'm not entirely clueless

Peace,
Erik

 

[nitflegal]

Take home the sanshin, practice it, learn it, love it. I was stuck in a location where self-study was my only option and I just drilled the Sanshin and basic striking. In retrospect, I REALLY should have added ukemi practice in because my rolling is definitely lagging to this day. There is so much buried in the sanshin that goes with the elements (sorry, they were earth, fire, water, etc when I started, so sue me!) that you can learn a tremendous amount that starts to click with getting the concepts down so you can start to rif on the techniques. Especially if you do it outside in different locations. One of the most frustrating drills Savage-sensie gave me is Sanshin in the woods. Learning how to make these movements work when there's a bleeping tree in your way really gets the mind working!

Matt

 

[stephen]

Train slowly.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Train slowly.

Plus often with an eye for good technique with lots of repetition! Slowly the skills will develop. There simply are no short cuts.

 

[bluekey88]

I agree...there are no short cuts. I'm really not looking for them. I guess I'm strugglign somewhat with the shift from doing a very structured art to a more improvisational art. It's uncomfortable (which is good). I'll keep drilling the basics and trying to glean from them the underlying principles that will ultimately let me see what it is I need to see. ultimately I'll have to take all taht I know and merge it together into what i do. right now I still feel very "compartmentalized" and I don't feel i'm always moving naturally or easily....I think too much.

Peace,

 

[canit]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned be a good uke. I have learned more from being uke than I have as tori.

As uke you are in a position to observe/feel both efficient and inefficient technique. When something feels good/efficient, take in as many details as possible; general position and distance, foot placement, hand placement, force vectors (if you can feel any), timing, rhythm, etc. Then play with these observations and try to achieve the same results. Try to create the same things you felt in your uke's body.

Ask the instructor to demonstrate on you whenever the opportunity presents itself. If your ukemi is not up to snuff to take repeated beatings, sort that out first. Ukemi is one of the most important and useful aspects of our training.

Someone else mentioned sabaki. I will go a little further and stress 'Shikaku'; the dead angles. These are places which put you close to uke but are not open to direct attacks from uke.

This can be quite bewildering and frustrating for uke because they can see you, and have a sense of being able to hit you, but cannot due to structure and positioning. To attack they have to reset their body which takes time.

Not any easy thing to convey via this medium. Hopefully your instructor can provide some good examples.


Keep working towards answering your questions. There is some great work ahead for you. Gambatte!

 

[Aikicomp]

I will tell you what my teacher told me and what I tell my students:

If you practice fast you will learn slow

If you practice slow you will learn fast

As far as vision...it takes years of doing tecnique over and over and over to even understand and apply the techniques alone correctly......to get the "feel" that Hatsumi sensei has takes much, much longer.

That is just the plain and simple truth.

Just keep training and you will be fine, it's easy to get discouraged when things do not come as fast as we would like them to.

Most importantly DO NOT judge yourself...that is what your teacher is for.

Michael

 

[Bruno@MT]

Or as a kendo master (10th dan) once said: It took me 50 years to really understand the basics. After that...

I find that the more I practise the simple things, the better I understand them. I hope that if I practise long enough, I will really understand and get a feeling for the basic tai-sabaki, kaiten, and ichimonji-no-kamae.

 

[Hudson69]

A problem I had in BBT was the lack of continuing a technique; any whim of the instructor could lead to some really advanced stuff being taught followed by the next lesson being all breakfalls and tumbling and so on. I need structure and BBT is one of those systems where this must be understood and a lot of time invested (not that others do not need a time investment).

The fact that there were set techniques posted for what I had to learn for the next kyu didn't help this as some of us on the same level would have to corner the instructor to show us another technique and ask what proficiency level was needed to "pass" on that technique and I am not one to worry about leveling up as soon as possible.

It is a fun system and very comprehensive but be patient and practice practice practice.