It doesn't matter which art you study, Karate, taekwondo, Kenpo or whatever, you simply must see the thought behind any attack. I have written about this subject since my first articles in the martial arts magazines back in 1981. I find it odd that nobody else writes about it.
I originally conceptualized this notion 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 potholes are, and so on. In the martial arts, do the technique enough times, and you know what it means when the opponent lifts the shoulder, turns the foot, and otherwise sets himself up.
I was teaching a class once, and this visitor was watching, and he said, "What if they do a punch instead?" I'd dealt with the 'what if' personality many times, and I told him to punch me. He half turned 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 just gave up and didn't even bother trying to strike me. Well, of course. I had seen the idea behind his attack--I had defeated his idea, and that had pulled the plug on any physical manifestation of that thought.
Over the years I read tales of other people doing this. Foremost among the martial arts stories was the experience of Morihei Ueshiba, who perceived a bullet coming out of the barrel of a gun. He saw the thought before the attack, and so was able to handle that thought.
Now, why doesn't it happen for everybody? The answer is simple, because everybody is not a fanatic. Or, let me get personal, you are not a fanatic.
Are you willing to give up school and a good paying career, endure hamburger instead of steak, spend all your time sweating in a dojo with other like minded individuals? Are you willing to spend all your time and money training, reading everything ever written on the martial arts, delving into the quirks and weaknesses of your own individual personality? Are you willing to endure starting over again in art after martial art--Karate Kung Fu, kenpo--then maybe you'll make it; maybe you'll actually gain the ability to perceive the thought before the action.
I originally conceptualized this notion 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 potholes are, and so on. In the martial arts, do the technique enough times, and you know what it means when the opponent lifts the shoulder, turns the foot, and otherwise sets himself up.
I was teaching a class once, and this visitor was watching, and he said, "What if they do a punch instead?" I'd dealt with the 'what if' personality many times, and I told him to punch me. He half turned 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 just gave up and didn't even bother trying to strike me. Well, of course. I had seen the idea behind his attack--I had defeated his idea, and that had pulled the plug on any physical manifestation of that thought.
Over the years I read tales of other people doing this. Foremost among the martial arts stories was the experience of Morihei Ueshiba, who perceived a bullet coming out of the barrel of a gun. He saw the thought before the attack, and so was able to handle that thought.
Now, why doesn't it happen for everybody? The answer is simple, because everybody is not a fanatic. Or, let me get personal, you are not a fanatic.
Are you willing to give up school and a good paying career, endure hamburger instead of steak, spend all your time sweating in a dojo with other like minded individuals? Are you willing to spend all your time and money training, reading everything ever written on the martial arts, delving into the quirks and weaknesses of your own individual personality? Are you willing to endure starting over again in art after martial art--Karate Kung Fu, kenpo--then maybe you'll make it; maybe you'll actually gain the ability to perceive 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 over to Monster Martial Arts to find out about Matrixing.
