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It doesn't matter which art you study, Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo or whatever, you must be able to perceive the thought behind any attack. I have written about this subject since my first articles in the martial arts magazines over thirty years ago. I find it weird that nobody else writes about it.
I originally described this idea by analogizing somebody driving down a street. Drive down that street enough time, and you start to know where the kids are playing, where the lights turn, and so on. In the martial arts, do the forms application enough times, and you know what it means when the opponent lifts his shoulder, turns his foot, and otherwise sets himself up.
I was instructing a class once, and this fellow was watching, and he said, "What if they do a punch instead?" I'd dealt with the 'what if' character many times, and I told him to punch me. He half pivoted towards me.
He settled his weight, and I knew how he was going to turn, the angle of his arm, everything. And, I experienced a cartoon overlay of him punching me--I saw it happen before it happened. And then it didn't happen.
He gave up and didn't even try to punch me. Well, of course. I had perceived the thought behind his attack--I had defeated his thought, and that had pulled the plug on any physical manifestation of the idea.
Over the years I read of other people doing this. Foremost among the martial arts anecdotes was the experience of Morihei Ueshiba, who saw a bullet coming out of the barrel of a gun. He saw the thought before the action, and so was able to handle the action.
Why doesn't this sort of thing happen for everybody? The answer is simple, because everybody is not a die hard fanatic about the martial arts. Or, let me get in your face, you are not a fanatic.
Are you willing to forgo school and a good paying job, endure hamburger instead of steak, spend all your time sweating in a small room with other like minded individuals? Are you willing to spend all your time and money on lessons, reading everything ever written on the martial arts, delving into the quirks and weaknesses of your individual personality? Are you willing to endure starting over again in art after martial art--karate, taekwondo, kenpo--then maybe you'll make it; maybe you'll actually gain the ability to see the thought before the action.
I originally described this idea by analogizing somebody driving down a street. Drive down that street enough time, and you start to know where the kids are playing, where the lights turn, and so on. In the martial arts, do the forms application enough times, and you know what it means when the opponent lifts his shoulder, turns his foot, and otherwise sets himself up.
I was instructing a class once, and this fellow was watching, and he said, "What if they do a punch instead?" I'd dealt with the 'what if' character many times, and I told him to punch me. He half pivoted towards me.
He settled his weight, and I knew how he was going to turn, the angle of his arm, everything. And, I experienced a cartoon overlay of him punching me--I saw it happen before it happened. And then it didn't happen.
He gave up and didn't even try to punch me. Well, of course. I had perceived the thought behind his attack--I had defeated his thought, and that had pulled the plug on any physical manifestation of the idea.
Over the years I read of other people doing this. Foremost among the martial arts anecdotes was the experience of Morihei Ueshiba, who saw a bullet coming out of the barrel of a gun. He saw the thought before the action, and so was able to handle the action.
Why doesn't this sort of thing happen for everybody? The answer is simple, because everybody is not a die hard fanatic about the martial arts. Or, let me get in your face, you are not a fanatic.
Are you willing to forgo school and a good paying job, endure hamburger instead of steak, spend all your time sweating in a small room with other like minded individuals? Are you willing to spend all your time and money on lessons, reading everything ever written on the martial arts, delving into the quirks and weaknesses of your individual personality? Are you willing to endure starting over again in art after martial art--karate, taekwondo, kenpo--then maybe you'll make it; maybe you'll actually gain the ability to see the thought before the action.
About the Author:
I should say that learning how to matrix your martial arts will speed up the action. When you Matrix an Art it makes the whole process incredibly logical and simple. Head on over over to Monster Martial Arts to find out about Matrixing.
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