Wow. That wikipedia page......Wow. Fascinating. Nailed me.
The ability to learn programming. Hm.... Well, I would definitely say the mental skill is the same, the physical mastery is a different variable. As are the psychology, instincts, reflexes, etc., that go with fighting. But the ability to understand them, I would agree is the same.
And here was me thinking my computer networking skills didn't apply.
I think my linguistic example (Japanese in my case) example is a better comparison than programming, though. Programming is more systems building, analysis, and exercising logic -- which all do have some place in martial arts. But human language is practiced and applied in a more comparable way to the skills you utilize in Martial Arts. Speaking a language has to be innate. Intuitive. Spontaneous. Through practice, you have to not just learn, but ingrain and habitualize every aspect of the language in order that it comes out when you need it: vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, etc. -- it all need to be there, on the tip of your tongue when you need it, and you don't have time to stop and think. So, you practice technique. You practice form. You drill yourself. And you gradually test it by engaging more and more in conversation, on a broader range of subjects and in increasing depth as your skill permits. Pretty soon, you're thinking in an entirely different language, with an entirely different framework for viewing, expressing, and thinking about the world, and you're able to use it as your own. There's a lot of parallel in the method of practice, growth, and application, even if there's not much physical carry over. I'm sure there's some kind of neurological rewiring that goes on in all of that too, so who knows, there may even be some physical carry over as well
The reflexes! Gotta love the reflexes! Sometimes they crack me up. Ever hold a colinder in front of you and a ladle over your head in response to some sound that ended up being a bird taking off?
I round kicked a guy in the throat in my sleep once. Apparently. Said he thought he was going to die. I must have been dreaming or something. xD
Almost back fist loved ones in the face? xD
It's been a long time since I've almost accidentally hit someone. Now my response is much more wired to get ready and identify the threat and target. Thank goodness.
Wow. Remind me never to sneak up on you
I tend to error on the side of freezing until I'm cognescient of what's going on. But, I do find my training comes out in response to certain stimuli. Occasionally, someone will do something I don't expect in Aikido, for example, and my initial reaction as uke will be a Wing Chun one, and not an Aikido one
That did actually save me from a bit of an overzealous nage once, though.
Gaming? Perhaps. I more so see martial arts helping your gaming than gaming helping your martial arts. But I would be lying if certain things about MA didn't just click after spending a lot of time getting better at a game.
If a game has enough depth, it's awesome to be able to apply a strategy from MA to a game. And quite often, it works pretty well I find.
Yeah, definitely. I hesitated to mention games because I'm sure a lot of people will frown upon my comparing that experience to martial arts in anyway, and for good reason. But, human nature is human nature, and I do think that games serve as a good way to become familiar with how people behave in certain contexts. I'll expand on this a bit in the driving example that I'm about to give, since it's essentially the same thing, just in a different medium.
Reading intent? I wanted to put "behaviorist" as example in my OP, but I don't know what a "behaviorist" actually does or how easily they could employ it in normal life. Reading intent or studying human behavior? Didn't know.
Anyway, I would also agree that being able to read people could make you a better fighter. But reading people's fighting intentions is a different I think. Some of it is on accident. Some on purpose. Some a facade that leads to a trap. And stuff like body language and facial expression is going to be totally different too. Besides things like "oh they're telegraphing a kick" what kinds of things can you intuit?
Personally, I try not to do too much peering into other people's intentions. I mean everyday stuff. Not MA. To an extent, sure. Do I think about it all the time? Sure. I think I'm usually right. Mostly. But to think it for a certainty....sometimes, when you're wrong about a person's thoughts or feelings, or have to heavy feelings about how things should work and that everyone should know, you can think a dynamic exists that doesn't. Positive or negative. People can think you're angry, sad, disrespectful, bored, or flirting even. xD
Hmm... I'm not sure that I defined that well. It's not as if I'm trying to read the other person's mind, but rather, I'm paying close attention to their behavior, and the obvious intent of that behavior? For example, when I'm driving, I look at the cars around me and how they're behaving to stay a step ahead and navigate traffic safely and efficiently. Some drivers are short-sighted reactionists, some are patient or impatient, some are docile and slow to accelerate, slow down, or react to things. Some people are deliberate and predictable, singaling and leaving room for error when easing into a lane, while others are dangerously "jerky" and bolt across several lanes without any warning. It's not hard to stay a step ahead by observing how people drive, and foresee how the situation is about to develop -- whether that's a potential accident, or an opening for you to move over, or someone who's going to cut you off, etc. I try to stay a step ahead in this way, and "flow" with traffic, positioning myself so that I can slip in where I need to and not cause others to have to react to my actions.
In martial arts, and even in my gaming example, this manifests itself in a similar, but slightly different way: I try to respond to behavior, and perceive if a motion is committed, what it's aimed at, or what direction it's committed to, and what actions it's likely to flow into. I kind of employ a "counter" mentality, but all the while intuiting where things are going a step ahead. It's not that I'm anticipating and thinking "he's going to do X next", but rather I'm being aware of his position and timing, and trying to match my own to that. For example, perhaps I've gotten to the outside, and he's got to re-face me. I know that I can likely get to the outside on his opposite side and counter if I step offline to the other side as he begins his motion to face where I am now. I try to match my timing in such a way as to counter simultaneously, so that I'm there right as I need to be, and that requires a bit of intuiting. That kind of thing, basically. This is in contrast to, how I find a lot of people approach driving or martial arts in either a very "reactionary" or "imposing" kind of way, if that makes sense.
