Great to see all of you there at another of our free Wisewarrior Workshops. This one was on the art of Body positioning. It is this concept that underpins all martial arts and makes them different to just ‘scrapping’!
The session, run by Tim San and Richard San, was attended by a good cross section of our students, from beginner to 1st Dan, so it was important for the Sens to cover the basics, yet crack on with tempo and reach some fascinating conclusions.
Tim San started with some niffity footwork drills, that explained how to get there and why. Also it got everyones Sleepy Sunday mind into gear! He continued on to partner work as he expanded on the theme o; needing to make a choice about where you stand in relation to the attacker. This will of course depend on what they do – and what we, as defenders, need to achieve. Always the same point was reinforced; ‘move your bl**dy feet more!’
It’s amazing how often a lower grade struggles with being in the right place at the right time – and being in the right place and able to do something when they are there!
The last half of the workshop moved up a gear as Richard San introduced 2 against 1 training. Now where you stood in relationship to the other two attackers was vital. This advanced footwork exercise increased in complexity as the other two partners took turns in attacking the student in the middle. Then both would attack after each other! Making the defender not only be in the right place to avoid the first attack, but also be in the correct place to sort the second attack out!
Of course the black belts got the hang of this quite quickly, (very much like their Black belt nights!) But it was a lot to take on for the lower grades, it was more than enough to process defence against two people, let alone be in charge of where they placed their feet!
We ended by each student having not just to avoid the attacks, but carry out a specific technique. This had the effect of focusing the mind on an outcome and not just a foot movement, and for many this last piece in the puzzle brought the whole lesson being taught together.
The conclusion being of course that where you stand does matter, for the outcome you wish to achieve. So the more confident you are in the desired outcome, then the better your feet will move.
The rest as always; is up to practice and training.
Wisewarrior Spotlight 