Quote:
Marc Abrams wrote:
Mike:
Pure separation sounds great.... Do you see a value in seeing if the internal skills can remain functional in a more realistic fighting scenario (eg. kumite, push-hands...)?
If you do see a value, how do you integrate that potential stage when you train your students?
I struggle with trying to find a balance between finding and developing internal skills with the ability to be able to utilize them effectively in more realistic scenarios. Have you also faced such a dilemna? If so, how have you addressed them?
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Marc, I'm over six feet tall and I weigh 230 pounds. I have a history of damaging people in a number of situations and I've been damaged in some encounters, too. I recognize the "fightin'" BS for exactly what it is.... nothing more, nothing less. When you have guys trying to put someone down by talking about "martial" when the topic is internal strength, there's obvious reasons for it. I.s. skills are a bona fide separate topic.
Should someone with I.S. skills be able to fight? If they want to fight or do a martial-art with I.S. a traditionally basic skill they should be able to fight eventually. But there are also a lot of people who don't want to be able to fight per se and who are interested in the skills, the attendant health aspects, and so on, so I tend to avoid making fightin' and wrasslin' prerequisites to having good I.S. skills. I'll leave that for the "Look at Me!" crowd.
My general interest is more the "how" of doing these skills and that tends to be what I discuss with people; they can use the skills as they see fit (although, to be accurate, I have to say that I also teach a few things that are applicable to martial-arts, but it's not my main focus).
I did an interesting thing last year where I showed some students of a teacher who has definite I.S. skills but difficulty explaining them, how to do what he was doing and the logic of the training/approach. I enjoyed the role. Hopefully it will help in their study of their martial art, but I can offer no help with the particular martial-art they do.... that's what their teacher is doing.
Your teacher Ushiro once reportedly said "no kokyu, no Aikido". I agree with that. Of course I'm safe in agreeing with that because it's also a very famous commentary about the Asian martial-arts, in regard to the idea that if you don't have I.S. skills, all you have is the shell of the art. Most people only practice the shell of the Asian martial arts and that's been long recognized (and yes, I know that most people assure you that they're "already doing that").
The point I'm getting to is that I.S. skills, when done correctly (there are a LOT of half-assed approaches to I.S. skills out there) leads to a basic skill set that actually helps a lot in "real-life" situations. I personally think that as someone begins to get real skills and some sort of idea of intra-personal encounter (say, via real push-hands using real I.S. skills), then they can benefit from I.S. training in realistic situations. Of course, if you want to learn to fight, you have to train fighting... it doesn't work by osmosis, I.S. or not.
FWIW
Mike Sigman