"God is in the details" - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
In a top-down world everything starts with a thought; an idea; a concept. A cloud of thought slowly materializing into a structure and form. Later, bit by bit, the gaps and holes are filled in until the idea is fleshed-out. With effort applied, it can be willed into existence and become real. For this to happen, it must go beyond the raw concept and be refined with details.
In the martial arts world, techniques are the same. Born of concepts and ideas, they comprise not just strategy but ways of using and moving the body in response to external stimuli. While it is true there are only so many ways the human body can move, the only limit to technique is our creativity. Like an enormous chessboard, the combinations of movements in sequence is truly limitless.
When I am fleshing-out ideas for techniques and combinations, this is what I do:
Define a problem or scenario - try to describe the situation, conditions and objective.
Add parameters (if any) - identify any limits that guide how/where I can move or operate.
Decide the footwork - clarify the footwork needed to attain the desired position relative to the others.
Create the entry - decide how I will establish contact . Largo/Medio/Corto distances. High/medium/low lines and inside/outside planes.
Atemi - the nature of the initial hit. Strike or kick. Which tool versus which target. Can be striking, kicking or body to body.
Kuzushi - the way in which I will disrupt balance using head/neck/spine control. This includes the contact points and hip engagement.
Follow-up(s) - how to continuously maintain control and disrupt the structure until the finish. Including striking, kicking, locking, throwing and weapons.
Finish - how to know when the situation is resolved.
As I think through the items, more and more detail emerges. By the end, I have something I am ready to test out. Sometimes in the end, the technique or combination does not stand up to scrutiny, or needs to be adapted or adjusted. Sometimes it becomes specific to me, my body and way of moving, and is not valid for anyone else. Certain preferences and pattern evolve, which become our individual flows.
Decades of training have tuned my eyes to see the details when I observe others' techniques. Usually in only 1-2 times I can see the key elements and details to understand if I like something or not, and if it might work for me or not.
My goal as an instructor is to develop the same way of looking at techniques in my students, so that they can see, capture details and understand what they discover in the wide world of martial arts, and decide what their own flow should be.
Working through the details is challenging and requires a lot of time and effort. However, I think that real mastery comes to those who spend enough time with the details.
