THE ART OF SELF DEFENSE

The idea of "Self Defense" has always been subject to a great deal of interpretation.  Some people prescribe to the idea that "A good offence is the best defense" and feel that deterrence is the best way to discourage confrontation.

This is seen often in the animal kingdom where an animal "puffs itself up" to appear larger than it really is to discourage predators.

Now as normal people, we would rather not have to puff yourself up to prevent or resolve confrontations...

Because it doesn't always work.

So, conversely, there's the approach of "Emptiness" also known as "mu" in Zen Buddhism.  The various interpretations of true "Mu" are many, but I seek simplicity in its "nothingness" or "emptiness" translation.  For the purpose of this discussion, it shall be interpreted as the absence of reaction to a given stimulus.

This act of "fighting without fighting" often serves to stem the momentum of an escalating situation by denying complementary energy. Be clear: IT IS NOT THE ACT OF BACKING DOWN, but rather a silent opposition.  This is often an effective tact, but in some occasions it does incite and aggressive party to instigate action.  The caveat to taking "mu" as a tactic is that you must be FULLY PREPARED AND CAPABLE to react to the escalation of the confrontation with the knowledge that you've conceded the initiative and offensive position to your opponent.  The discussion of initiative leads into the next facet of self defense: Aggressive or Defensive posture in confrontation.

AGGRESSIVE: Strike before struck.  Jeet Kun Do is translated as "The Way of the Intercepting Fist" a concept taken from Wing Chun Kung Fu. In theory, striking denies your opponent the same opportunity (though this isn't always the case) and seizes the initiative in a conflict.  This is the attitude and doctrine of the US Special Forces and it works pretty well for them IMO.  This tact also implies the ability to strike effectively, so there's that.

DEFENSIVE:
This is the posture that most martial artists "believe" that they assume in a confrontation (more on that later).  One waits to receive the attack from the opponent and reacts to neutralize said advance.  This position concedes the initiative as mentioned earlier, so an appropriate response is key to neutralizing the incoming assault.

Now of course there are many variations on these stances depending on the situation and the individuals involved.  It must also be noted that not all of the martial disciplines are intended solely for self defense.  Krav Maga, Taekwondo, and Muay Thai to name a few, were martial arts in the purest sense as they were developed for warfare.  Shaolin Wu Shu, Aikido, and Capoeira had roots in a more "defense-minded" environment.  Today these arts are taught and practiced in largely self defense or competitive capacities, although some are still used in combat.  At the end of the day though, the practice of the art is up to the practitioner.

This leads me to my final point:

And it kinda intersects my previous post to a degree...

There is a space along the path of many a martial artists' path where he/she has learned enough to feel comfortable enough in a conflict that the fear of it is greatly diminished.  This is a great point in one's training journey, but it is often marked by the unrelenting need to PROVE ONE'S SELF.  Now when the arts are taught with an element of Buddhism or pacifism, this is LESS likely to occur, but once again, the outcome is based on the temperament of the practitioner. This is often manifested in the attitude of "looking for a fight".  The artist actually welcomes conflict as a means to release the built up energy from hours of pain and toil perfecting their art.

As the debate over gun control rages, there are some who believe that confrontation while armed is more likely due to a sense of protection that the firearm bestows.  A trained martial artist can be likened to a person who is armed at all times.  So many times, the artist will walk TOWARDS a conflict as opposed to AWAY from one.  The question this presents is whether the confrontation was abated or exacerbated by the presence of this "armed" individual.  Oftentimes the "put up or shut up" option quickly becomes the ONLY possible resolution.  This flies in the face of the intent of many martial arts.  Are you defending yourself if you walk across the street to attack a potential assailant?  What if you stop running and turn to face them?  This can and will be argued in both directions until the end of time.

Is a vengeful ass whuppin' a justifiable one?  For some, that becomes a spiritual or religious issue.  What about a pre-emptive strike?

At the end of the day, the ultimate form is formlessness.  And the "Art of Fighting Without Fighting"  may be the ultimate expression of that form.

-Lonewolf.

YOU'RE AS GOOD AS YOUR TRAINING.

Hopefully your training doesn't suck.

Last week, I was directed to a story on cagepotato.com about a high-level ranking test posted on Youtube.com that was...laughable.  The backlash was so great that the video was taken down by the posers... I mean, posters at the World Martial Arts Association. 

Now the fact that there was no contact in the sparring is acceptable, considering at 5th Degree Black Belt Level one would assume that the high caliber of technique would be devastating if delivered, and simulated hits scored would be recognized by both Tori and Uke. But this was sparring with NO INTENT.

Obligatory Bruce Lee reference.

The endless chain of side kicks to nowhere had no intention of hitting their target, prompted no technical response, and exhibited no mastery of execution. AT 5TH DEGREE BLACK BELT LEVEL. I've seen more inspired novice level rank certification. Clearly this school is what is commonly referred to as a "McDojo".

So enough ragging on those guys, let me get to the lesson in all of this.

There's a famous legend about Japanese sword master Miyamoto Musashi wherein he defeats the whole Yoshioka sword school.  The students hoped to ambush Musashi who had killed one of their Masters and they feared that if word spread of the defeat, that their school would be ruined. 

So he killed them all and their school was ruined anyway.

There's a short story that I stumbled upon just before all this happened that is pretty apropos. Kwoon by Charles Johnson similarly tells a story of a school whose teacher is embarrassingly defeated by a student and the repercussions on the school. It's a great read.

People seemed to like the "Ninja Ambush" analogy that I used for training in an earlier post. (Be on special lookout for "Andre"...) That was mainly a metaphor for the level, intensity, and intent of one's training regimen.  There are many ways to train in the martial arts, and many different goals that people hope to achieve through their training. Focused, serious, intensive training, no matter the goals, will produce the best results.  Musashi had no formal training, but the intensity and thought that he put into his discipline enabled him to take down a school of "formally trained" swordsmen. 

There is an implied mastery of fighting when someone mentions martial arts belt status. Of course, since the arts are martial.  But there are people who study the arts for a healthy activity, for forms and demonstration, as well as for TV and film performance.  That is perfectly acceptable and has become a natural evolution of the arts.

  Shaolin Kung Fu was derived from exercises that monks practiced to keep them alert during hours of meditation.  Fighting arts evolved from these techniques.  All that being said, if you aren't studying the arts to master fighting, DO NOT SPAR OR PRESENT YOURSELF AS A FIGHTER. I don't remember ever seeing a fighter present himself as a world-class forms demonstrator (Although I am SURE that it happens), so for people who don't fully examine fighting to feel as if studying the martial arts intrinsically instills one with fighting prowess, it is self delusion.

So here's the positive spin to put on all of this. The following is in reference to fighting-centered training, but it can apply across the board in some cases.

1) QUESTION YOUR TRAINING: Seek the purpose of your techniques and movements.

"What is this punch for?"

"Why do I throw the kick from this position?"

"Is this useful for a larger opponent?"

These kinds of questions are necessary for full digestion of knowledge.  A teacher who is comfortable in their art will have no problem answering these kinds of questions.

2) TRAIN IN THE CONTEXT OF YOUR GOALS: Why are you training?  If it's for fitness, is it working?  If it's for demonstration, how does it look? If it's for fighting, is it defense or competition?  Be honest with your intentions and you can achieve the goals in your training.

3) TRAIN OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE: This is, in my opinion, the most common shortcoming of martial arts training.  It's like when your cooking skills are limited to instant ramen noodles.  It's probably the first thing that you learned to cook, and if you got that down and figured that your cooking abilities were sufficient for life, I hope you stay in college forever.   

This is where cross-training comes in.  Bruce Lee was an early proponent of mixing the martial arts and getting rid of the "classical mess" of traditional training. The UFC was born from the Gracies' desire to show the shortcomings of other styles by competing against them.  Brazilian Jiujutsu dominated for two reasons: A) Most martial artists of the time RARELY bothered to train outside of their chosen discipline, and B) No one had really heard of BJJ.  So when you put the inflexibility of the mind and technique of a fighter against a new, unfamiliar situation, you get a whuppin.  The Gracies' built their style challenging other styles in open combat.  They constantly pushed the limits of their style and changed and evolved to deal with the new information.  Fighters entered the Octagon afraid of the small, unimposing Royce Gracie because they had no idea of what he could do.  Royce was calm because he had a pretty good idea of what opponents brought to the table.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em"

So if you only train in a style that only trains within itself, what good is your training against the rest of the unpredictable world?  How do you beat Brazilian Jiujutsu? You learn Brazilian Jiujutsu. Train with fighters from other schools and styles.  Learn the techniques AND the philosophies behind them.  Welcome defeat, so you can taste it's bitterness in practice, and not fear it in contest.

戦場で道場の笑いに泣く

Senjō de dōjō no warai ni naku

"cry in the dojo laugh on the battlefield"

Sure it's nice to be a 5th Dan Black Belt in a school where everybody kisses your ass.  You know what's not nice? Catching a whuppin on that same ass in front of that same school.  Either in person, or online.

-Lone Wolf

UNDERSTANDING WEAKNESS

"If you think a weakness can be turned into a strength, I hate to tell you this, but that's another weakness."

-Jack Handey

I posted this to facebook a couple of weeks ago and it spurred an interesting amount of debate.

Firstly, let me clarify the original statement. Basically it is saying that the inability to recognize a weakness is basically a weakness in and of itself.

Possibly the greatest weakness of all. Just as the ability to recognize weakness is an inherent strength.

But what is a weakness exactly?

Merriam-Webster says:

Definition of WEAKNESS

1: the quality or state of being weak; also : an instance or period of being weak <backed down in a moment ofweakness>

2: fault, defect

It's the second definition that I intend to focus upon. 

If you are strong in many things and "weak" in one area, that is only a relative weakness.  You may be average in that area as opposed to your other strengths, which is technically NOT a fault or defect.  However, if you truly do have a weakness, that area is BELOW the average or standard.

OVERCOMING WEAKNESS:
Now this is the part that stirs debate.  When one has a weakness, they strive to eliminate, mitigate, or compensate for it.

A WEAKNESS WILL NEVER BE A STRENGTH AS LONG AS THE CONDITIONS WORKING AGAINST SAID WEAKNESS REMAIN CONSTANT.

If being a large reptile was a strength a billion years ago, the only things that changed that were the conditions surrounding being a large reptile.  If those conditions returned, guess what?

Jean-Jacques Machado is a World Famous Brazilian jiujutsu practitioner who has only one fully-formed hand.  He's not "good for a guy with one hand", he's damn good period. You can argue that the lack of a hand is a weakness turned strength. I would say that he would rather have both hands and be awesome.  He may have never achieved his level of proficiency if not for his handicap, but I would counter that he could have stopped at being average with his situation and everyone would STILL consider him great because of his disadvantage. The achievement of greatness IN SPITE OF his weakness is a compensation for the weakness.  The weakness didn't make him strong.  He was already strong and the handicap allowed him to realize it.  Same with the "Blade Runner" Pistorius. It sucks that he doesn't have his own legs. Period.  His prosthetics may be a strength, but being legless has disadvantages that he still had to mitigate to achieve victory. (I would argue that his true weakness is being a homicidal asshole)

Having a weakness that one works to their advantage is still not a reversal of that weakness.  It is just an attempt to mitigate the negative impact of that weakness.  One could argue that Zatoichi's blindness works to his advantage as his opponents underestimate him and thus present opportunities that they wouldn't give a sighted swordsman.  This is true.  But imagine how incredible Zatoichi would be with sight.  Or how he would enjoy seeing a Sunset, cherry blossom, or beautiful face.

One could argue that the defining characteristic of humanity is the limited scope of our ability.  Limitations and weakness are neither synonymous nor mutually inclusive.  Humanity proves that by continually expanding our limits and overcoming our weaknesses.

                               

One could argue that as the defining human trait.


Recognizing one's weakness is a strength.  Seek to eliminate your weaknesses and inadequacies as opposed to trying to twist them to your advantage if possible.  This is making the assumption that one has the choice.  If not, accept the shortfall and understand it's impact on your world. marginalize it to the point where others question whether or not it is truly a weakness.  Once that has been achieved, those conditions that place you at a disadvantage may indeed change. ;)

MASTER YOUR EMOTIONS.

It can be argued that we, as humans, are slaves to our emotional states.  Emotion tempers our reason, gives weight to experience, and color to memories.  The downside to emotion is its uncontrollable nature.  Anxiety before a meeting. Anger during a confrontation.  Emotion takes the blacks and whites of life and muddles them into a million shades of gray.

So as we strive to better ourselves and prepare for the unexpected, how do we account for the chaotic nature of our emotional state?

Wikipedia lists the psychological definition of "Sublimation" as:

         " a mature type of defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses or idealizations

           are consciously transformed into socially acceptable actions or behavior, possibly resulting

 in a long-term conversion of the initial impulse."

Nietzsche wrote:

"there is, strictly speaking, neither unselfish conduct, nor a wholly disinterested point of view. Both are simply sublimations in which the basic element seems almost evaporated and betrays its presence only to the keenest observation."

Simply put, humans cannot act outside the influence of some kind of personal interest. For the sake of this post, I will argue that interest is a projection of emotional status. Therefore emotional state MUST be taken in consideration when preparing for any event where personal performance at optimum levels is required. What if the ninjas attack when you're depressed? Angry? Stupid in love?
The ninjas WILL NOT CARE. (LMAO! I'm sorry, that shit is kinda funny)

So we must strive to sublimate our emotional state into something useful in a confrontation (or casual meeting, business meeting, date, etc.). I will try to address the strongest and most basic emotions that play on us everyday.

HAPPY:

This is the state that most of us plan to operate from, although it is the most fleeting and easily disrupted one.  We tend to hope that adversity comes to us on our best days, where we feel most capable to cope.  This is rarely the case. Therefore, I won't linger here. Most of you have your sunny day plans (Probably labeled "rainy day") well prepared.

Good luck with that.

SAD:

We tend to look at this as our most vulnerable state. I believe that's reserved for another emotion. Sadness and depression robs us of motivation and energy. We feel at our most vulnerable. When sadness becomes despair it makes any proactive movement nigh impossible. It is these times where we should be at our most efficient. Make the moves count. Shield the tender spots. Maybe favor defense to offense, but don't give too much ground. The parts of us that are still intact during sadness are precious. Do not compromise them. When people speak of resolve, it is most often during times of sadness. Resolve is a cool word that just means the ability to act in spite of the crippling pain of despair.

ANGRY:

"Anger clouds judgement", said every sifu, sensei, master ever. Anger usually leads to gross inefficiency in an attempt to maximize destructive potential. A lot of energy is wasted in meaningless directions. When most people think of the martial arts, they probably think of taking anger and rage and focusing it into a laser-focus of lethality. I believe that the discipline endowed by the arts serves to blunt the impact of rage on the rational mind, and helps to illustrate the emptiness of angry action. Training to identify, contain, and control the effects of rage on the mentality is a necessity; as most violent situations have a strong emotional component. The ensuing violence is often the result of an emotional outburst.

                                      

AFRAID:
Yoda says it best:

"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. 

Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. 

Hate leads to suffering."

Fear is an incredibly strong emotion. It is unpredictable, and therefore very difficult to simulate. We would like to think that we either have no fear, or can control it's pangs.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Fighters often try to predict their responses to critical situations but I feel that we often fail to give the fear factor its proper weight. Special Forces training includes an extensive "fear mitigation" component, and for good reason. Fear leads to hesitation, hesitation kills speed, and the absence of speed cripples combat effectiveness. Fear must be controlled like anger; and one of the only effective ways of preparing for the effects of fear is to place one's self in its presence. Facing fear is the only way to overcome it, and the very act is much easier said than done. The act of facing fear however, builds confidence; and confidence is an invaluable weapon in any situation. As practice, try exercises that mitigate the effects of fear or panic; breathing regulation, mental cues, and self-assessment are some examples.

There are other emotions that complicate stressful situations that must be accounted for:

HUNGRY: Fight hungry, but don't LOOK hungry.  Hunger is a passion that drives our latent hunter/killer instinct.

STRESSED: Regroup, fight another day if possible.

HORNY: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANYONE ENTER A CONFRONTATION IN HEAT. NOTHING WORKS RIGHT. MOST OF ALL, YOUR BRAIN.

Of these last few, I would suggest that one avoid conflict/confrontation in these mindstates.  Their effects are debilitating to an extent to place one at a severe disadvantage in most situations.

So confront the presence of your emotions.  Give them their due attention.  Learn to balance them with your rational mind. Because THE NINJAS DON'T CARE.

A FAIR FIGHT... NO SUCH THING.

Here's Merriam-Webster's definition of fair:

¹fair

 adjective \ˈfer\

6 a : marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism <a very fair person to do business with>

b (1) : conforming with the established rules : allowed (2) :consonant with merit or importance : due <a fair share>

Here's my definition:
A construct taught to young children to help overcome their tendency to favor their "id" over all else.

In other words, FAIRNESS IS TOTALLY ARTIFICIAL.

You've heard it before:

LIFE isn't fair.

ALL'S fair in LOVE and WAR.

Seems like fair doesn't apply to these relatively major phenomena.

The concept of fair is not a naturally occurring phenomenon.  It works for games of chance and sporting events to minimize the effect of natural advantage and dishonesty.  It keeps betting friendly.  It teaches children to share.  These are good things.

Unfortunately it doesn't occur in Nature.  Ever.  Nature instead works on the concept of dynamic equilibrium.  That is basically an ever shifting state of balance.  Things happen one way, then they eventually happen in a complementary way.  We exist in nature, but we create these constructs to facilitate the existence of "peaceful" society.  It's worked for thousands of years, and probably will continue for thousands more.  The problem is, the idea of fair is rendered null and void when one party simply chooses to ignore it.

CHEAP SHOT.

LOADED DIE.

FUNNY DECK.

STEROIDS.

Suddenly the concept of "fair" is thrown into question.  Because outside of a carefully officiated game, the party that throws "fair" to the wind normally gains an upper hand over the "FAIR PLAY" guy.  This often results in the whole affair devolving into something rather nasty and dishonorable.  Or it results in the "cheater" coming out on top.

But every now and again, the cheater is defeated by someone who understands the abstract nature of fairness.

"Now are you saying to fight fire with fire? To meet a cheater where he lives?"

HELLS NO.

I am saying to be prepared for the true nature of things, and not expect that someone is going to compete with you on equal footing.

Sports attempt to equalize competition with weight classes, drug testing, event location, qualification, etc.  Life does no such thing.  When the Spartans met the Persians at Thermopylae there was no fairness involved.  When the ninja of Iga were wiped out, Nobunaga was not looking for a fair fight.  When a larger, stronger, more experienced Sonny Liston tried to blind young Cassius Clay, he sure as hell had no intentions of being square.  The idea is to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.  That way, if everything is on the level, you can excel.  But if life throws you an asshole (ahem, CURVE) then you can be prepared to meet the challenge.

"I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.

A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough

without ever having felt sorry for itself"

-D.H. Lawrence

If something doesn't go your way due to an actual or perceived inequality, it does you no good to pout about the absence of "fairness". Instead, look to shift the balance back in your favor. (AM I SUGGESTING THAT YOU CHEAT? ONCE AGAIN, NO.) Whatever resources you have, redistribute and fortify them. You're more fortunate than many if you even have the opportunity to regroup and counterattack.

My philosophy is that there are 3 WAYS TO TRAIN:

1. Train to protect yourself on the street.  This is the most basic form of training.  It is to protect yourself from one or more untrained assailants in a real world situation.  When one trains this way they assume that they are more skilled than their opponent and that the element of surprise, speed, and technique are advantages.  Many martial artists train this way, and a large number of them overestimate their abilities.

2. Train to face other Martial Artists.  This is a higher level of training, but often of less use than the first.  This level of training often focuses on competition and sport, both of which have rules and fouls.  Sport fighters often develop blind spots to "illegal" techniques and thusly have no defense for these techniques.  Wanna beat your average boxer?  Kick him in the legs.  Or just tell him that you're gonna kick him in the legs then punch him in the face.

3. Train to protect yourself from the perpetual threat of ninja ambush. IMHO, this is the ultimate goal of training.  A ninja ambush implies a confrontation where one is at TOTAL DISADVANTAGE.  Outnumbered, over-matched, and caught off guard, this is the most one-sided confrontation in which one can imagine being involved. When one trains in this manner, they all but accept that their last moments may be in the absence of anything remotely resembling fair.

This concept also extends to all parts of life.  I do not expect to be treated fairly.  When I am, I am grateful.  All the rest of the time, I work to stack the deck in my favor to offset any treachery that I may encounter.

I seek victory, not fairness.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I got that last line from Splinter, the master of the Ninja Turtles.  I don't care where it comes from, wisdom is wisdom.

-LW.

CONTRIBUTIONS!

Here is some content that some of my readers have recently brought to my attention:

Zenpencils:

http://zenpencils.com/comic/3-unknown-always-be-prepared/

A cool little webcomic with some interesting inspirational quotes.  And while I'm on the webcomic kick, check this one out:

http://friedchickenandsushi.com/

Shameless plug for a good friend ;)

Here is a blog that was referred to me, and this post is very similar in tone to my 'Sword musings...

http://www.earlytorise.com/a-lesson-from-abraham-lincoln-on-persuasion/

The writer makes some valid points and interesting parallels.

If anyone reading this has some content they would like to contribute or AN IDEA FOR AN UPCOMING POST, please feel free to contact me.

-Lonewolf 

KEEP YOUR HANDS UP.

The "guard". The hallmark of every fighting style on the planet.  To the savant, an immediate indicator of a fighter's school.  But it serves other purposes as well.  To an untrained attacker, one's guard may serve as a deterrent. "Uh-oh, this guy knows some shit", is the most common reaction.  Many use it to bluff their way out of a confrontation (Hell, I did it when I was a kid, to great effect), while others use it to initiate conflict.

Skip to 1:08, or just watch the whole thing ;)

So formalities aside, the main reason to keep your hands up is to avoid this:

Getting knocked the F*CK out. 

A good guard protects one from an opponent's attacks while simultaneously keeping you ready to mount an attack.  Any guard that favors offense at the expense of defense leaves it's user "unguarded".  Conversely, an overprotective guard hinders the ability to seize an opportunity to strike.  An effective guard dynamically balances offense and defense.

Now we often hear of someone being "guarded" or "having their guard up" in day to day interaction.  This would be an example of an overprotective guard.  If you walk around from day to day and people can see that your hands are up, it puts them in a confrontational posture.  However, just to protect your well being and personal space, (I believe) it is necessary to be on guard without looking like you're on guard.  Especially in negotiations.  Be prepared to protect your interests and command respect from the opposite party, and be prepared to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself.  The key to this "relaxed guard" is knowing yourself.  You must be aware of how comfortable you are in the situation, and that will determine how much you will take, and how much you can give. (I sense that this will be it's own blog entry)

I'm not going to go into how to hold your guard, because there are hundreds of variations on the basic guard, and they all serve the same purpose.

Now the "relaxed guard" is actually a higher level of guard because it requires more confidence by the user because it actually "invites" an attack by creating the illusion of an opening in the defense.

Ali was famous for fighting with his hands down, and as you see, it invites attacks which leave the opponent open for a counter.

Bruce's version further illustrates the point.  These guys were confident in their speed, reaction, reach and timing so they could violate this cardinal rule of fighting.  They were also confident in their assessment of their OPPONENT'S ABILITY. (Yet another blog to come)  The end of this clip leads into the final level of "KEEP YOUR HANDS UP"...

It's called "PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN".

The ultimate form is formlessness, to paraphrase Bruce, Musashi, and many other enlightened artists through history.  I learned this through Ninjutsu's SHIZEN NO KAMAE (natural stance)

It's literally standing with your arms at your side.  Depending on the situation and the opponent, it is either the ultimate taunt/invitation to attack, or the ultimate deterrent.  Once you have mastered the guard, you can basically forget the guard.  This is one of the great ironies of life that I love running into repeatedly.

Now do not forget: SHIZEN IS THE REPRESENTATION OF ONE'S TOTAL CONFIDENCE IN THIER CONTROL OF A SITUATION. It should never be used as a bluff. Ever.

So once again, the application of the "KEEP YOUR HANDS UP" concept is left up to the user.  Whether physical or metaphorical, you want to protect your self and your space, while remaining able to strike out and seize the day.

BE IN THE MOMENT.

Try to remember the FIRST time that you did something that you enjoy.  Going to the movies, your favorite birthday, seeing Mickey Mouse at Disney, whatever.  Close your eyes and go back there...

It's probably a very vivid memory.  You can remember the color of the light, the smells, the sounds, everything.

Now try to remember waking up this morning.  Chances are you draw a blank.

We tend to take a lot of the information around us for granted and fill in the blanks.

undrstnd?

Filled in the missing vowels without skipping a beat.  This can be useful for moving quickly through tasks and the tedium of the day, since we take what we learn to streamline our everyday experiences.  Because it would be difficult to deal with every experience as a new experience every time.

But on the flip side, every experience is slightly new every time.  Every morning is different.  Every time you meet a friend, they're slightly different.  If we gloss over the total experience by not using all of our senses, we handicap ourselves.

When it rains, feel the raindrops.

Now you don't need to go frolicking around in a thunderstorm to do this.  Just be mindful of your experiences.  In martial terms this would be considered "heightened awareness".  Feel your body, your breath, heartbeat, balance, air temperature, perspiration.  The weight of your limbs, the space around you, the terrain.

Now feel the opponent.  Their breath, smell, stance, vibration, proximity, intensity.  It is necessary for one to take in all this information to maximize combat efficiency. It's akin to a lawyer collecting all available evidence from as many witnesses and sources before presenting a case.  There is so much information about a situation available to our senses that we overlook. Outside of conflict, an averted eye, a pause in speech, a shift in seat, raised elbows.  All these things are non-verbal cues that build one's "case" in daily interaction.  

Once you process the physical elements of the moment, go deeper.  How do you feel? (see previous post) Are you anxious, excited? Sad? Angry? Jealous? Happy? All these states of mind guide your actions, accept them so you can (later) evaluate their effect on your performance.  So in short, if you're happy, be happy.

Once you have all this info, you can make an informed decision on course of action.

“The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or in defeat. Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment..”

                                                                                                              - Bruce Lee

Do not try to predict the actions of your opponent, you'll probably be wrong.  Rather, use all the information at your disposal to act and react with minimal delay.  A weight shift, sharp inhale, eyelash flutter, all these "tells" give you moment-by-moment information on your opponents intentions.  So when you can read intentions (thanks Yusuf) it will bestow upon you a seeming precognitive ability.

So in conclusion, each moment in time is a discreet unit of information.  Utilize these to their fullest.  You will find the world around you to be saturated with experiences available only to the mindful.  Hopefully all situations, both confrontational and cordial, will leave you all the richer.

-Lonewolf