Systems talk about chi, intent, fa-jing, or some other “magical” effect, and the desperate seeker (who if he had just picked something, stuck with it, and put in the required hours of focused practice would be a master) runs from one to another, looking for the magic key to power. He never finds it because he never stays long enough to realize that the secret doesn’t really exist. -Campfire Tales From Hell
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Lunchtime BJJ at Bellevue.
Winter training is in one sense worse than summer training.... Carlos comes in in the morning and turns the heater on full blast, and you can feel it roaring and baking on you as you do the "warm-ups", and halfway through the first round of whatever you're drilling, you're ready to sell your soul to anyone who will turn that fucking heater off. I have learned to not grouse about it, though.... if you bitch, Carlos leaves it on even longer.
More side control today.
You are under side control. Place the knee nearest the opponent's feet against hir ribs (You must remember to do this FIRST). Frame, push, stick that knee in there. Bring your other leg over opponent's head and armbar.
Positional sparring from side control. Person on top is supposed to skate around, side to side, N/S. I was feeling very low-energy... in part because I was being cooked to death. I was spectacularly inept on the bottom. Some of the guys are very good at catching arms, and I was getting caught with arms over my head and crossed over my chest- moreso as I got more tired and frustrated. I get sloppy when I get frustrated. I did a little better on top.
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No-gi open mat. I spent a full hour rolling with Lindsey. I very much enjoy rolling with Lindsey. She is also a really valuable person for me to train with leading up to the tourney. She is at 138 right now (although she feels so light!), and is very cool about my doing just a TEENY bit of shoulder pressure and crossfacing, etc. She did catch me in a couple of bad positions twice, although none three times.
Hm. Well, it's not magic, and it's not a shortcut... and it's not exactly a secret. It's physics. But it's a subtle physics, and damn few people have the patience and determination to learn it. And I by learn it, I don't just mean learn the theory, and learn it enough to experience how it works, but learn it enough that they don't just tense up and try to muscle through things in a fight.
ReplyDeleteWhat annoys the crap out of me is when people thing internal practice is all about wishing really hard and believing that you're powerful. It's a physical practice. It takes physical training. And it's a kind of training that a lot of people seem to have a lot of trouble applying in practice.
I can't say for sure what the author's point was, but what *I* took from the quote was definitely not any form of "it's crap and doesn't exist", just that you're not going to find the right teacher who's going to tap you on the head with hir magic wand and suddenly you can pick up garbage trucks. (It takes many years of hard work to be able to pick up garbage trucks!) And I don't think it's owned by one specific MA, either.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I think there's a limit to how much you can explain it to another person- they aren't going to understand it or be able to do it until they find it and experience it for themselves. And it doesn't manifest in the same fashion or by the same means for everyone. MHO.
ReplyDeleteYeah. I think there's a fit between styles and people... and even more of a fit between teachers and students.
ReplyDeleteI'm not disagreeing with the author, exactly, but "there is no secret" isn't quite it, either.
Heh. To put it in pagan terminology - it's not a secret, it's a mystery.
At least your heater works. We leave the heat on overnight and some people still find it necessary to wear socks and hoodies during the warm-up.
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