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Old 04-23-2010, 05:08 AM   #3
Mark Jakabcsin
Dojo: Charlotte Systema, Charlotte, NC
Location: Carolina
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 207
United_States
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Re: Control in the martial arts.

Don,
Interesting topic. Two quick thoughts before I run out the door.

With regard to striking: There is additional types of control found in Systema. The ability to strike and cause specific results takes a large degree of control, especially in motion. Examples: strikes that cause uke to gain energy, strikes that make uke focus deep inside himself, strikes that make uke feel his own organs, strikes that break uke's form, directional striking (this is were you strike lands but the sensation goes in a specific direction inside uke's body like spiral up/down), or one of the most impressive is a very light touch that causes a very deep reaction that makes uke shut down. The other side of this coin is the control needed to receive these strikes and recover quickly.

With regard to emotional control: Control in technique is one thing but the ability to remain constant in the face of chaos is a vital form of control. Aggression tends to bread aggression, not just in fighting but in everyday life. Someone snaps off a harsh unwarranted word at another and frequently it causes a like response. This is a lack of control/awareness of the self by the second person. The first person controlled the second person's emotional state. Weakness. Training gives us the opportunity to study ourselves, our weakness and our ego. Play/spar with someone of lesser ability, go half speed and study the changes in self, especially when the lesser is winning. Did you speed up or at least feel the desire to speed up? How does it feel to be dominated by someone of lesser ability? What are the physical affects on the body (tension patterns)? What are the emotional affects? An honest reflection is frequently telling and difficult.

Take care,

Mark J.
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