"Tom
swung his leg backward, and in an improbable, ungainly arc. It was a downright ugly maneuver. Graceless.
Something that would have had him laughed out of his dojo in Stanton
Oklahoma. But it worked. Father Thomas’s
boot crashed into the shade’s stomach."
Seventh
Son: Descent, by By J.C. Hutchins
Some of
my favorite moments in the martial arts have been learning what a
huge difference the exact right technique can make. More times than I can remember, I've
struggled to apply a wrist-lock, escape a grab, throw a person, finding myself
straining my muscles against a larger and heavier opponent, only to find that a
small correction in my technique makes all the difference in the world. Getting just a little lower makes my opponent
hurl easily to the ground. Sliding my
wrist just a bit inwards lets me easily escape a crushing hold. Knocking my assailant just an inch off balance
makes them unable to resist my attack.
This is
reflected in the way I teach. I hassle
the details, make my students practice the same thing over and over until they
get it just right. I have to make
allowances for the different lengths of people's attention spans, but left to
my own devices, we'd work just two or three techniques over the course of a
full class. On a few occasions I've done
this with a particularly dedicated student, and they've always been pleased
with the results.
This
becomes even more critical when dealing with somebody who has limited
flexibility, or limited strength, or an injury that prevents their full range
motion. Sometimes a certain technique
will simply be infeasible for a given person, but sometimes I find it will
still work, and work well, but only if they master the detail with far greater
precision than the average student. Most
people can make a sloppy technique work if they muscle it. When that isn't an option, it has to be
perfect, or nothing.
So I'm
definitely a fan of getting the details of a technique exactly right, and I
spend a lot of time and attention on that point.
And
yet...
The world
is a strange and complex place.
Sometimes things go awry in the oddest ways. People move the way you'd least expect them
to, or you fall to the ground despite your best efforts to stay stable. A solid punch bounces off your assailant
harmlessly, or an insubstantial tap knocks them off their feet.
The
important thing is to not stand their like an idiot, wondering "What just
happened?" Keep moving. If it was bad, recover. If it was good, keep going. If you're finished, don't stop, scan your
environment, be ready for the next attacker, or somebody on the ground who
maybe isn't quite ready to stop moving.
Expect
the unexpected.
I love
great technique. But the perfect
technique? It's whatever works.
