In this research project I was set a number of areas to look at to help me develop my Karate training, knowledge and skills towards attainment of my Black Belt. The key findings and conclusions are summarised below:
The influence of different kinds of soft martial arts and what we can learn and apply from them
I've looked at a number of different martial arts, focusing on various Chinese soft martial arts including Chi Kung, T'ai Chi, Hsing I and Pa Kua. At the heart of all of these styles are the eight principles of Feet, Posture, Mind, Breath (Neigong) and Internal, Power, Wedge and Spiral (Qigong). These principles sit a the core of a martial artists skill base and being mindful of each of these principles in both yourself and an opponent is key.
Different types of pushing hands and how we can use them training in a 'hard style',
I've covered the Eight Gates and Five Steps (also know as the 13 Dynamics of martial arts) which are the main applications within pushing hands and T'ai Chi. These are the next 'skill' layer than sit above the eight principles described above but below what we would normally call techniques in different styles of martial arts (e.g. straight forward kicking, punching, blocking etc). These are important fundamentals to master as they enable the practitioner to fully apply the core 'soft style' principles into hard style techniques and make your martial arts skills much more effective.
The relevance of pushing hands for self defence purposes
Pushing hands is highly relevant for self defense as it not only equips you to deal with attacks through much more subtle blocking and deflection of force, but also keeping in constant contact with an opponent enables you to be able to sense their balance, strength and general body condition in order to then exploit any weaknesses.
Chin Na and its importance and relevance to training
Chin Na methods of locking or disabling an opponent have been covered, which enable you to incapacitate an opponent without major risk of serious injury to both parties. Many are fairly easy to learn and do not require a high level of skill, so are particularly relevant for self defence. The various techniques described can also be combined with many of the pushing hands applications very effectively.
The holistic nature of martial arts, it's heath benefits and how to undertake training to promote these benefits whilst minimising risk
The benefits of practicing martial arts extend across physical, mental and spiritual aspects. Through practicing the core 'soft' fundamentals with discipline and having high levels of self awareness, it is possible to still be a very effective, if not better martial artist whilst being able to minimise risks of injury to yourself and to others.
A Personal Reflection on the Martial Arts Learning Journey
Throughout the course of undertaking the research for this project I've thought a lot about my own personal martial arts journey from when I started to learn Karate around 4-5 years ago. I remembered a model that I came across through my day to day work some time ago which basically defines how both individuals and organisations learn. This is summarised below as a favourite of MBA students the world over - the good old 2x2 matrix!
I think this is particularly relevant for the eight principles and 13 dynamics discussed previously, because they are so fundamental. Many students learn their particular style of martial arts from the 'outside in' learning the traditional techniques specific to each discipline, sometimes without even being aware if these inner fundamentals. How then do you get from this point to having built the eight principles into your training?
1. Unconscious Incompetence - this is a state of 'not knowing what you don't know and low skill'. Here there may be some external stimulus which makes you suddenly aware that there are ways you can develop or learn. More important is to have the right attitude in your training and constantly be open minded to learning new things and setting yourself development targets.
2. Conscious Incompetence - 'knowing what you don't know and low skill'. Where you may now have an understanding of how you need to develop. Thought needs to be invested into how you can progress and action then taken to learn. This may include doing some of your own research and practice, or speaking to your coach about how to build this development into your training (alternatively your coach may have already identified the development area for you and mapped this out in classes). In any case, your skill level at this stage is low and this can be quite a frustrating phase to go through, so determination and focus is key especially when it can seem that many around you have the skill set. It can also be common to feel as if you are on a 'plateau' in this box for long periods of time and not making progress, especially once you have mastered the basics - for me this was around the time I hit brown belt.
3. Conscious Competence - 'high level of knowledge and medium/high skill'. Where you have mastered some or all of the development areas identified but still require a high degree of thought or effort. Here it is also important to spend time to reflect on your training and skill level in order to make changes that may be required - this is more 'fine tuning' than the leaps required in stage 2.
4. Unconscious Competence - 'high level of knowledge and high skill'. This is where the skill becomes a natural part of your martial arts and requires very little or no thought to make it happen (almost instinct). If you have the right attitude to development in your training you should spend relatively little time in this box before ending back up in 1!
This latter point is definitely in line with my own personal experience, where on occasion it seems that upon climbing a mountain to master something you reach what you think is the top only to find another summit to tackle!
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