KerwinBenson.com Hidden Gems of Martial Arts

     by Keith Pascal
 

 

Mind Targets: Practice Martial Arts All Day Long Without Lifting a Finger

It's possible to improve your martial arts technique without physically practicing. It's true, and it's not a bunch of
mumbo-jumbo or "hooey." Here's how this technique evolved....

My martial arts class breaks for summer vacation. Then we
start up in the fall. Usually, when we come back in the fall
my students are pretty rusty --their sloppiness from lack of
practice shows.

This particular September day, I started class as usual, but
I immediately noticed that one of my students wasn't as rusty
as all the rest. In fact, some of his techniques were crisp
and clean. I knew that he had taken lessons from someone over
the summer.

When I asked him about it, he said that he hadn't. As I asked
him more and more questions about his noticeable improvement,
it became apparent what had happened. He hadn't physically
practiced, but he had thought about our classes a lot. He
had done all of his practice in his mind. Hmmm.

 

 

Martial Arts, Mind Targets, and Basketball

I went back to my old psychology books from college, and sure
enough, there was a ton of evidence to support this phenomenon.
The most famous study involved three groups of people
practicing free throws from the foul line in basketball.

The first group didn't practice and didn't think about
basketball -- they were the control group. The second group
practiced shooting free throws (making baskets) for twenty
minutes a day. The last group went to the basketball court
without basketballs. They visualized making baskets for
twenty minutes a day. What happened?

You guessed it. The control group didn't improve. And while
the practicing group improved the most, the group that just
thought about making baskets weren't far behind. They improved
a lot too, just not as much as the physical group.

So, I went back to my martial arts students and explained what
I had found. They were eager to try. After about a month, I
noticed that almost all had stopped practicing in their heads,
and those who hadn't weren't improving. What was a teacher to do?

I started giving them instructions (typical teacher). But I
didn't give them all the same advice. They were my guinea pigs.
Each student got a different idea to try out.

I immediately noticed a difference. They were improving. Yippeee.
But was anyone improving more than the others? The answer was
definitely yes.

Of course, over the years, I have tried this technique on several
students and they all seem to improve. So, what's the technique
already?

 

 

Here's the advice that I gave:

Mentally pick targets throughout the day. Do this while you are
talking to a friend or relative, while going through the checkout
line at the store, or even while talking to your boss (actually
hitting your boss is NOT a good thing).

While talking to someone, or better yet, while pretending to
listen, look at your "opponent's" hand and body position. Which
foot is forward? How are the hands postioned? Are there any
openings?

Now go through the process of actually picking your targets:

    1. Could you reach an opening before the body changed
    positions, thus closing the line?

    2. Are you fast enough to get through the opening before
    your opponent blocks or checks? (Careful! Some systems
    don't block.)

    3. If the hand were to move closing off the opening, what
    might you do in response?

    4. How would you react if you were suddenly attacked by
    this person? Would the attack create new openings for
    you to "explore" new targets?

Also, think about multiple attackers. Actually, it's sometimes
better if you are talking in a group. I find it hard to mentally
practice and carry on a conversation at the same time. (I have
been accused of spacing off, while I was actually intensely
practicing...in my mind).

If you practice while you're in a group of people, you can stay
silent a lot longer without anyone noticing. After all, you
don't want to be rude. It's bad enough that you'll be missing
some of the conversation.

Also, don't practice while operating heavy machinery, driving or
performing any sort of task that requires your undivided
attention. I also don't want you to get reprimanded for "spacing"
during an important meeting (or class discussion).