Complacency in Training
Contents: Character Types | Requirements | Maintaining Technique | Forms Training | Instruction
Introduction
A weak mind and complacency? Surely this is not only the marital artists' biggest hindrance to a successful training foray, but any endeavour one takes on? Different types of people take on activities with various character attributes. Some students are more academic than physical, there are also students that are the inverse to this type. Another student type is somebody who has the combined positive aforementioned attributes, that is, mutual brains 'n' brawn yet not the mental intent/determination to apply their natural attributes, things (physically and mentally) come too easy and they coast through life [perhaps the most frustrating of all the student types]. Another training type is the grafter, perhaps not the most aspiring of characters. Nothing comes naturally and everything is earned and quite often push through and gain a thorough knowledge of the arts techniques as they've been corrected in every move and subsequently, totally understand them. Their doggedness is what gets them through and that's a good attribute. Finding a person with all the positive attributes is nigh on impossible. The one common denominator to all these character types and the point of this paragraph is the sooner one gets their head around the fact that they have to balance themselves out or strengthen a certain area, the better. Getting to a default level (L3) really is a task of putting all the elements, attributes and variables together and being aware that there is some synchronicity & networking required between body components and the mind, perhaps the start of the classic, 'at one with oneself?' This is the whole premise of learning technique, constantly reshaping and honing these 'components' until they are working in unison naturally and reflexively and not drawing unnecessarily on ones resources. Obviously, the highest degree one can obtain in martial arts is that of a genuine Master. The definition of a Master amongst other criteria, is having achieved these goals in all aspects, obtaining this accomplishment is extremely rare as all these attributes and elements have to be working together. A relative quote is by former Formula 1 Grand Prix driver Jackie Stewart: 'A lot of drivers are blindingly quick but the greats know why they're quick.' A martial art adds technique to ones arsenal and these techniques are both subtle and powerful, situation dependant and mission critical. Using elbow–snapping power on some of the more technical applications e.g. slaps, spears, has no extra benefit, these techniques are deliberately designed to be bridge moves and require technique for execution, not power, the extra power is superfluous to the technique thus reducing the overall effectiveness of the techniques. Knowing what option to take in a given situation is imperative in a physical conflict. An instructor's job is to expose and bridge these newer levels to the student. This single one dimensional characteristic that certain student types persist with can put years onto the students studies and are officially known as 'the one trick ponies.' Flat out all the time without ever thinking of the other possibilities that are on offer. The converse to this situation is students that gain the basic training level and then can't push into and up to the next level of training and remain in cruise control mode.
Regardless of the character type, [Yin = passive & Yang = aggressive ] this style of Kung Fu will require one to train in an alternative manner in order to test ones will and open their mind. Analogy: If a student is good at math's and particularly addition and not as competent with subtraction, naturally the students will want to practice their stronger discipline as they are most comfortable with this, subsequently, their subtraction (weak link) becomes ones Achilles heel, if tested, problems may arise and eventually one will be tested outside of ones comfort zone. Generally, the more persistent and resistant the mindset, the longer one takes to adapt to this process. This type of training is allowing a student to have an alternative to their character type as a skilled Kung Fu person will pick ones character very quickly and expose weaknesses. This must not be mistaken for changing ones character, rather, being flexible , a key term in any fighting style or capable of changing ones game plan in more contemporary terminology. How is this training level achieved? Through the instructor being honest and letting the student know where their strengths and weaknesses are and building on these attributes. Not, 'sadism thinly disguised as necessary discipline', (Lt. Winters, 1943).
Requirements
A new student will notice that though there are different training levels, each group is treated with the same level of respect, the most advanced group will observe the newest students in an analytical manner. The principal instructor should be strict and ensure the schools principles, discipline, respect and honesty are being practiced. A pandering Instructor in a training environment would be unacceptable and not doing the students any favours. This intense training environment doesn't allow for every little nuance of instruction to be explained in detail during practice, therefore, the instruction is straight to the point. Most genuine honest people enjoy this no nonsense approach. Even at an early stage of a students training, the instructor is trying to promote independence and strength of mind. Whilst the instruction from the principal instructor is mostly rhetoric, retorts from a student are generally not acceptable. Generally, the students should be getting some air in instead of talking and if they can talk, well they should train more! The instructors DO NOT want to hear any excuses, or words like, 'I was just…' Instructors are constantly pushing students for more effort albeit, physically, mentally or tuning them up when a weakness i.e. ego, lack of confidence et cetera is identified. A good student works hard and shuts up, never gives the pleasure of demonstrating their discomfort, (all questions are answered at suitable times) an excuse or inappropriate questioning by a student in this case is a weakness and if they weren't happy with something, try it again, that would be respected, not whinging. If a student is shocked or offended by an instructor saying that the student should put in more effort or lacking something, a student may be even more so in a confrontation outside the school which is unacceptable. Any questions from students can and will be answered at appropriate times given at each session.
Though it may sound like the principal instructor is some form of despot, in truth, the instructor is empowering the student with their own responsibilities and independence. If the principal instructor were to panda to the students, show favourites, and explain in child–like terms every little aspect over and over again, one gets what one gives. Though, a softish approach for a new student is practiced the fact is, a new student will not have much to do with the principal instructor until they have some technique. At a later stage, when a student is confident of the itinerary, they'll be introduced to a more martial style of training. There is method to this militant instruction, when the instructor barks out some body part, it is in fact trying to subliminally install the self warning/self–corrective system within the student and not enjoying the sound of ones voice at full cry. A typical call of, 'elbow!' will mean that there is a problem with that part of a student's technique and the student should be aware and correct it, giving the student the responsibility. If the student whishes to query the correction, ask when the exercise is finished. A musician can't stop if they make a mistake during a song, they have to cover it, the mistake is flash–history, gone. A true artist has the capability to cover one aspect with another. A form will never be perfect, an advance student will recognise a bad technique or mistake has made themselves vulnerable and be capable of covering it through knowledge of other techniques. It would be fair to assume that the more advanced students should have at least 4 insurances/backups (Top, Bottom, Left, Right blocks) to each technique/strike combined with a possible 4 or so strategic moves (chess moves) in defense or offence all reflexively. If one is thinking of these types of moves one is not ready to put them into practice, they should be reflexive and natural.
Other possibilities associated with the one word instructions is that the instructor is sometimes sucking for breath as well and can't spit out a full sentence, an advanced student should have only small errors to their technique that are not damaging to their body and be skilled enough to know their alignments thus only requiring a pointer, or, the error was in a quick moment in time. Therefore, the barked out instruction is in effect a trigger for the student to acknowledge. People who don't discipline themselves, may think, 'This is all a bit…' A student who has dedicated themselves realise that they have given trust to the system and when this is demonstrated, it is usually repaid. They themselves know that they are now a different more confident person that when they started, they have new awareness and capabilities of their body, and they themselves know that this has been achieved through trusting the instruction and hence the trust and capability to go on and push themselves even harder. When a student gets to the mental stage (L3), they will have their standard tested big, when a weakness is identified, albeit, too nice, too greedy, too much confidence et cetera, it will be repaired. If this character weakness can be identified at training, somebody else can too. This styles objective is to create a balanced person who doesn't digress i.e. lose their temper (yang) or show anxiousness (yin). This is the base level objective of a student.
Maintaining Technique
A sign that a student is getting to a more advanced level is the fact that they are starting to correct themselves and not change the techniques basics structure. What defines a successful student? A hard trainer with a non–compromising attitude and capable of maintaining the art independently. A good student realises that maintaining a discipline and having a game plan is paramount to ones success and is also very hard to do. As previously written, students isolated from a school tend to train what they think and not what they require. A good coach or instructor will be working to a plan and coaching an overall plan that exercises the strengths, improves the weaknesses and watches for technicalities. An isolated student improvising or experimenting with technique is asking for trouble, one of those pop acronyms, KISS is apt. An advanced student can afford to test different technical strategies in certain situations, however, they know not to digress too far and where their default technique is and how to get back into the default mode quick.
Knowing and realising ones actual capabilities is a bonus, if a student knows where they are skill wise, then they can improve. A boxing instructor would not instruct his charger that he could fight above his skill level? Some students want too much too soon and are literally fighting above their level. Giving a student a false sense of ability will one day lead to trouble. A good instructor lets the student know where their level is for the fact given above and not because we want to keep people thinking they are weak. An overconfident student is the direct opposite of a non–confident student. It is said that at least the non–confident defensive student has a dampening effect when they're hit with their natural defensive mannerisms, an over confident student tends to walk into attacks. Some students at L3 may be surprised that they may have only touched on approximately ¼ of the style. Training people is a fine line between overconfidence and uncertainty. An advanced student knows there is a middle ground and finds that and then can borrow into either yin or yang perspective. If students are trained correctly by the instructors, students know that their own knowledge is more than likely very limited and if one is doubting of this statement, well it is probably who it is targeted towards. One can say what one wants in life, but the truth is what one really thinks in their own mind and sometimes it is very egotistical and different to what is said which is a weakness and worse, one is kidding ones self. One thing is for certain, this art will expose any of these traits as they are very transparent.
An Instructor should always demonstrate mental strength and ensure that the humility, honesty and humble traits are maintained by leading by example. When a new instructor takes over the style, these principals should be fervently and indelibly ingrained. Though each Master/holder will add their personal touch to training, the wheel doesn't need to be reinvented and the strict standards have to be maintained. As students of the art, everybody should remain humble and always be aware that we as a species are very fragile and be mindful of the single mindedness that the truly great athletes/artists have. What enables a truly elite athlete to achieve something beyond the reach of most people is their technique, creativity, single mindedness and humility that enables them to be open minded and capable of continuously learning. If a student is mentally strong and determined, the physical aspect is of minor concern, mental lapses, dishonesty or weakness are much worse to train or repair as it is directly in control of the student and only the student can control it. 'You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.'
Forms Training
Our arts basics are: accuracy, efficiency and effectiveness whilst remaining in ones body's natural parameters. Through a standard, (Forms), we can practice and benchmark this standard, these basics are exercised over and over and reduce technical problems and increase performance and efficiency with this quantifiable standard, this is what forms training is, repetition training in motion. Any discipline does this, only some do it statically or through some other form of repetitive exercise. If technique wasn't required, it would be a case of the top sprinters, bowlers or athletes just getting to the park and running flat out all the time. The elite do not just hack away, but rather, hone and re–hone their technique in motion continuously –– forms training. A head out of alignment takes considerable muscle holding it out of whack. Punching past–the–square means the punch is starting to slow, it has peaked, or one can throw themselves off balance or leave themselves vulnerable to attack. Punching past the side-on throws the whole body off and a major body structure alignment has to take place to repair it. When a student starts training, they learn the technique statically, once they become confident, they test the conditions of these techniques through various positions and angles in motion continuously reducing errors and increasing efficiency and performance. Each stage or level of the Kung Fu instructs the student in a new level that ultimately leads the student into the next level. Level 1 — Teaches alignments, Level 2 — Puts power into Level 1's technique, Level 3 — Derives power from the technique and so on and so forth.
Instruction
Instruction is based on a 2 cycle phase: this is triggered by winter and summer. The winter cycle is repetitious technique training concentrating on alignments, a slow inductive heat is produced that warms the winter bones, ligaments and tendons and strengthens and protects in these temperate climates the associated injuries. The summer cycle is the opposite, hard fast training with the student getting run into fatigue and the organs getting worked more. The difference to an observer may seem negligible, the difference to an advanced student is substantial. What this model achieves is during the winter the pedantic nature improves the students' technique. As summer approaches, we up the training level, by the end of summer, the students technique has diminished to some extent. E.g. the shoulders that were square–on–punch in the winter are not as square et cetera. What should happen is that over the seasons/cycles, the gap between winter/summer narrows and ultimately, a student is both race trim (fit) and technically correct simultaneously (Yin & Yang). What an Instructor cannot control is the students' mindset. One would suggest students to push harder each week in each phase and not only train during the good times but the bad times, (Yin & Yang), fair–weather trainers are not good if complacency gets in it very hard to get rid of. Generally, a rule of thumb applies, a bad 2 weeks off, can take 3 months to get back, a good 2 weeks off (student thinking of things Kung Fu) can give the student a different perspective and when back on their feet, a rush of tests are tried. A student with a base training level can try different approaches and if they don't work, go back to the default base level; a not so advanced student goes off on a tangent and can't get back and is hard to repair. Watch the fellow students and always push more but one is really in competition with ones own mind. The best competition one will get is their own mind if they train correctly. As one gets to ones physical\mental stage, the student will level out, then and only will the student be capable of moving on and taking in more technique and thus the cycle starts again. A martial arts inherent nature requires a student to be continuously pushing ones self to the limit and then even further (if the student is training correctly). The steps are, achieving the class itinerary, some balance, a quick physical level that seems to plateau out. These levels are achieved relatively quickly and forms the base or default level. When this base level is achieved then the greatest and hardest inroads can be made and is the start of the mental training. For what it is worth, we (YJQ) rate a black belt (6–10 yrs. good training) equivalent to our base level. The physical is achieved relatively quickly, to push the mental aspect is a life time pursuit and that is the art. Always try and think of oneself as at no level, just always train harder and work hard to actually mean it.
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