BJJ is Internal!!! - Awareness - Connection, Breathing, Consciousness, Energy

inthespirit · Oct 11, 2011

Thought that would get your attention!

A few interesting reads I plagiarized from another forum addressing skill and its relationship with awareness, specifically in relation to connection, breathing, bonsciousness and energy.

Rickson Gracie Seminar: Making the Invisible Visible
By Andreh Anderson

Rickson Gracie stands at the center of the enormous Gracie Academy mat and begins to share. I choose the word share over teach because one gets the feeling immediately that the information he’s transmitting is the essence of his jiu-jitsu—the art that defines him. He isn’t phoning in a series of random techniques to amaze us, he’s letting us in on the very thing that makes his jiu-jitsu the envy of perhaps every world champion that’s rolled with him—he calls it connection.

I don’t know whose arm is around my neck, but I perform a technique I just saw Rickson demonstrate. I execute the move immediately and turn to find that my attacker is a broadly smiling Rorion Gracie. He pats me on the back and asks me to do it again. He’s noticeably enthusiastic about the material and our exposure to it. He’s pleased and I’m relieved when I repeat the movement correctly. There’s always pressure wearing a black belt and having a Gracie family member—a red belt no less—ask you to perform a technique. I thank him for his help, and when his back turns I scurry over to a group of blue belts that seem to have an odd man out. The technique was a way to lift an attacker who has reached around your neck from behind without committing his weight either forward or backward. Without the benefit of his weight falling into you, lifting is difficult. Rickson shows us to bend at our hips the way we would if we were sitting into a deep chair, and then walk backward to get our hips under our opponent’s center of gravity. In any other seminar, this might simply be a basic self-defense technique, but Rickson uses this to as an introduction to the idea that weight can be easier to move if approached from the correct angle. He’s talking about leverage—a word that is frequently tossed around in jiu-jitsu circles; but as Rickson calls black belt after black belt forward and none are able to lift their opponents the way he can, one begins to realize that the concept might be familiar to most of us, but perhaps not deeply understood.

Rickson whistles through his fingers and everyone stops to watch as he calls forward a black belt and asks him to keep his balance. Rickson then grabs his partner’s gi at the shoulder and tugs and pushes while the black belt falls forward then backward, clearly out of balance. The roles are then reversed and the black belt pushes and pulls, but Rickson’s steps forward and backward are small and balanced, and we begin to see how connection is the a relationship between the attacker’s base and our own. Soon it’s our turn to push and pull each other. We begin with basic judo grips on each other’s lapels, and when my partner pushes, my weight transfers to my front leg, and when he pulls it transfers to my back leg. Fair enough—anyone who’s wrestled or trained in judo will be familiar with the shifting of weight from leg to leg—but Rickson points out that when you’re connected, there is a certain tension in the arms as well as the legs, and that allowing that tension to disappear is to give up the connection you have to your opponent. Keep in mind that the goal here isn’t to teach you how to throw or avoid being thrown—not specifically—it’s to demonstrate the interaction between connected and disconnected. The first time I grab my blue belted partner, he’s easy to move. He reflects a bit on what Rickson said, and his balance becomes better and I have to push or pull harder to get him to step. He pushes me and I feel the sense of balance that Rickson described. I don’t feel it perfectly, but I have a better sense of control over my base, even as my opponent begins to pull and push with more intensity. There isn’t a good way to describe this technically—at no time does Rickson provide you with a set of instructions to follow—because Rickson is trying to convey a feeling rather than a sequence. When we are connected, we shift our weight in a way that doesn’t give our attacker anything to use against us. Rickson spends more time on this exercise than on any other, and with good reason, for it shows how being connected allows your base to remain independent of your opponent’s actions, while his lack of connection allows you to manipulate his weight and posture.

Rickson gathers us around and asks me to grab him around the waist while he pushes into me. I do the best I can, but he adjusts my shoulder so that it becomes the point of connection between my base and his, and suddenly I’m stronger. The difference wasn’t necessarily my posture, but the way the shoulder allowed me to connect to him more powerfully than with the broad surface of my chest. The shoulder represented a narrow point through which I could direct my “base” or my weight—neither word is appropriate, yet they are closest I can think of without using the word “energy”—a term I despise because of its mystical martial arts connotations. Like the pushing and pulling we did when we grabbed lapels, I am shifting my weight into my front leg when I’m resisting his push and transferring it to the back leg when I’m being pulled. Rickson switches directions quickly and tests my response time so that I remember to shift my weight immediately as the need arises. He reminds all of us that this isn’t something we can expect to do perfectly, as it requires a feeling for when the weight must shift, but that we can now practice shifting the weight more consciously.

Similarly, he shows us how sprawling to stop a double leg takedown requires the same type of connection. As Rickson sprawls, he walks backward but drives his weight into his opponent so that the attacker’s base is disrupted while Rickson’s is maintained. His opponent not only bears Rickson’s weight, he must do so from a broken and weak posture. Imagine sprawling, not only with the hips, but also with your chest connected to your opponent’s back so that you can move your hips out further and circle to the back more easily. The technique itself is useful, but it’s more important as another clear example of how Rickson’s idea of being connected is about inhibiting the opponent while improving your own ability to move.

We hit the ground for escapes from side control. Not really, though. Once again, the technique is secondary to the illustration of connection. Once again he asks advanced students, purple belts all the way up to black belts (plus one ambitious white belt), to escape from the modified kesa gatame of another black belt. None of them escape until a female purple belt from his association demonstrates the concept Rickson is looking for. Rickson then shows us how grabbing the lapel and connecting through your arm into the opponent’s neck creates a fulcrum that allows you to easily move your hips away while also preventing the opponent from maintaining control or following. Rickson emphasizes that the arm that blocks the opponent’s neck does not push, it simply connects, and the result is that it becomes a point we can use to move our hips away more easily.

For the next escape, the point of connection is your armpit, as you reach over your opponent’s back, toward his belt, and focus your “energy” (there’s that horrible word again) into your opponent’s shoulder so that you can escape your hips and slide onto your shoulder easily—while also preventing your opponent from flattening you out again. The key here is that the connection point works best against your opponent’s resistance because it not only blocks that resistance, it allows you to move more easily away from it. Picture this: your arm is out of position from the bottom of side control. Your opponent is on your right side, with one knee at your hip and the other leg sprawled back. He controls your head and his other arm is over your body, attempting to block your left hip. With your left arm over his back, you reach toward his belt and direct your weight into that connection between your armpit and his shoulder. Your right arm remains loose and straight. You then escape your hips, without bridging (a key point), and hide your right shoulder under you by simply sliding the right arm back. Do not bridge and do not bend your right arm—hiding the shoulder is a subtle shift of the arm so that it is not stretched along the mat, but instead it is pulled under your body. Hiding the shoulder prevents your right arm from blocking you as you try to turn into him to get to your knees or recover guard.

It is nearing the end of the scheduled time, so Rickson gathers us around to go over a submission. Once again he asks various black belts to try to armlock him from the guard, and each time he manages to show a moment in their attack where they are vulnerable to being stacked. Experienced black belts attempt the armbar in various ways, all performed correctly—according to common understanding—yet each is stacked before they can finish the submission. Rickson then shows how to shoot the hips up quickly, without swinging them in either direction, to bite onto the opponent’s back uncrossed. The bite of the leg into the back is the connection point for this attack, and it allows Rickson’s hips to remain elevated and his core to remain strong and unbendable. The technique appears to be unexploitable. He then bites heavily with one leg so that he can raise his hips further and pivot them so that the other leg can swing tightly over the opponent’s head. The movement is so tight and precise that he is able to demonstrate it without the use of his hands—in such a manner that, even without his hands, his opponent cannot retract his arm or defend by stacking. This is eye opening for everyone in attendance, as evidenced by top black belts, including other Gracie family members, excitedly performing the technique on one another until Rickson whistles for attention for the last time.

We line up in front of Rickson and Rorion. Rickson becomes emotional when thanking Rorion and reflecting on his “coming home” to the Gracie Academy. It’s an important moment in Gracie family history, and one is left to wonder what a force an already great family could become if all sides of the clan were to similarly reunite.

Immediately after the seminar, I receive a call from one of my heroes—Kid Peligro. “So tell me,” he says. “How was it?” His voice is filled an excitement that matches the kind I’m feeling after sharing the mat with someone I had wanted to train with since I first put my name on the five-year waiting list for privates ten years ago. My response:

“Kid, it was amazing. It wasn’t about techniques, it was about every technique. If someone wonders why a particular technique isn’t working for them, this seminar would have helped them find the reason. Rickson tried to put words to a feeling. It was like having Kobe try to explain how to cut to the basket the way he does—except Rickson found the words and the examples to actually describe that type of thing. My expectations were high, yet the experience surpassed them.”

None of what I said might be exactly true, but it’s all honest. We’ve always felt frustrated by the way people who’ve attended a Rickson seminar have responded to questions about it vaguely, but I was able to see why it’s almost unanimously the case. Rickson’s jiu-jitsu is the result of years of practice, a God-given capacity for understanding it, and enough love of the art to want to share it in the way he experiences it—through feeling not a list of easily imitable instructions.

http://jiujitsumania.com/technique/...-gracie-seminar-making-the-invisible-visible/
Click to expand...

This is interesting too:

I talked with Orlando Cani on the phone and made an appointment for the Interview.

From the information I had, Cani was an old man, close to the 70's. So I expected to find an old man, plenty of knowledge but physically weak by age. I was kind of surprised when I meet Cani at his academy. He's 65 next November, 29 but he looks like have 50! Even more surprised when he showed some moves of his technique. He's very agile! I was very pleased to talk with Orlando Cani for about 2 hours. His academy is located in the heart of Copacabana. But it's in a tall building with a good view of the mountains and the Cristo Redentor Statue. It's a quiet place too.

Q: Where were you born?

Orlando: I born in Santa Catarina State, south of Brazil, in 29 of November in
1925.

Q: Please tell us about the exercises, movements, and techniques you
are teaching. What is it all about? And what is it good for? Is it different from Yoga?
Did you develop it by yourself? Or do you have some masters who taught you?

Orlando: I'm graduated in College at "Physical Education" and made a specialization in Yoga. When I was a teenager I began to practice martial arts, Jiu-Jitsu, Judo and Capoeira. At 20 I practiced Jiu-Jitsu with Helio Gracie and Judo with the Japanese judo master Ogino, recently arrived from Japan and he didn't speak Portuguese at that time. Ogino is very known in Brazilian Judo and he must be around 85 years old today. I guess he's 10th Dan in Judo. I also tried Karate for some time. After that I began to practice Olympic Gymnastic and Swimming. I won the Rio's championship of Olympic Gymnastic and Swimming and also I began to give classes of it. I was a military parachutist and with 21 years old I began to practice Military Pentathlon and I won the Pentathlon World Championship twice. I loved to practice sports.

When I was 29 I discovered the Kempo martial art, originated from India with the name Kalarypayat, that means "Battle Camp". It's an very old art, older than 2000 years old, and it's still practiced in two Indian monasteries, one in South and another in North of Indian. I've been visiting these monasteries in India. They also teach a special massage technique and I researched that technique by books and I began to apply it in athletes. It's based in pressures. It's a sort of Shiatsu, it makes pressures over the joints and the muscles of the athletes, liberating the imprisoned energy accumulated during the training sessions. I apply it before and after the training liberating the localized accumulated tensions.

Along with Kempo, I discovered the Tai Chi. It was a "love at first sight" with Kempo and I quit everything else to dedicated myself to Kempo-Kalarypayat. It isn't exactly a martial art that imitates animals, but it attempts to catch and feel the animals instincts. Since Tai Chi has a similar approach, I made a mixture of both styles since I didn't want the pure Kempo nor the pure Tai Chi. I also began to research the motions of Kempo and Tai Chi, plus the Yoga I used to practice since I was 25. I went to India to take a course and returned many times there to take another courses and researches.

I felt very enthusiastic about my new discoveries and I felt very happy to discover that new world. Then I found that Corporal Expression is essential in general life. Everything we do is related with corporal expression, if we smile now, it's a expression. Corporal Expression isn't like people use to say for example, "now you are a tree, now you are a rock...", Corporal Expression is spontaneous and natural movements. The animal is always in Corporal Expression, when you work, you are too. So it comes the Dance in my life. Not searching the Dance in a academy, but I began to study the movements in the Dance and I found that are many similarities between Martial Arts and Dance. Martial Art in essence is a choreography, a dance, a expression of movement. It can be performed to attack or defend, and to give pleasure to the practitioner feel good physically and psychologically.

With the support of Yoga I concluded Extension and Flexibility are two of most important principles in Martial Arts. Every foundation and basis of Extension and Flexibility was originated from Yoga principles.

So then I began do mix flexibility, extension, Yoga, Tai Chi, Kempo, Dance, Corporal Expression, and I began to research the body movement. It's been 33 years ago. From that mixture I develop my system, known by many as Orlando Cani system - Bio Gymnastic, or even Natural Gymnastic, when I prepared a video with a part of my system. So Natural Gymnastic it's only a small part of my system.

With the Bio Gymnastic I am able to support any type of Sport. I used to have a few actors taking classes with me too. I adapt the classes for each type of student. If he's a fighter I will work over his primary need, psychomotor system, developing extension and flexibility with speed and explosiveness. It will give the fighter Concentration and Relax. The basis of my system is the Breathing.

The importance of a good oxygenation is very well known by the medical physiology. The oxygen that we absorb through the breathing is the only food of the nervous cell; the neuron does not admit any other type of energy to carry out its functions. Consequently, a nervous system that is well oxygenated will work in a balanced and correct way. We should not forget the importance and the functions of the nervous system within the man's organism. It is the way that the man has to express his will, to receive the information that his senses send him, decipher it and act accordingly. All what is the voluntary motor is commanded by the nervous system. The autonomic functions of the vegetative nerves, that is to say those that are beyond our will and we are not generally aware of them, as the temperature of the body, the secretions, the heart movements, and so on, are also innervated by the nervous system. Oxygen is also necessary for the muscular activity, especially if the muscles should work very hard.

The lack of oxygen in high competition, for example, causes the formation of lactic acid, which produces an intense muscular pain and the disqualification of the competitor. The oxygen is necessary in our entire organism. It is distributed by the blood stream to each cell of our body, and it allows the combustion of the molecules that are in its protoplasm and that come from the food we eat. This combustion will originate caloric energy and logically it will produce remains (water, anhydride carbonic, urea, etc). The blood removes the carbonic acid of the cell. Then the important phenomenon of hematosis will take place in the alveoli of the lungs: it is the change of the carbonic anhydride for new oxygen, so that the cycle continues being developed. And this cycle is life, and this is what truly contains and means the act of breathing, life, that is energy.

Before the Olympics in 1996 I took two years working with the coach of Brazilian Women's Volleyball Team, Bernardinho, and the Brazilian team. Before the last Olympics in Sidney, I prepared Shelda-Adriana, four times beach volley world champion, and silver medal in Sidney. Para-Guilherme beach volley world champions also trained with me.

　
Q: What kind of exercises you make with martial artists?

Orlando: I used to develop routines using the animal instincts. The Tiger, The Monkey, The Snake, The Hawk, mainly. There's no need to use every animal, but it's specially interesting to use feline animals, since it's use the four paw, like man in the martial art. But we develop the instinct, the sight for instance, and the feeling of the breathing, natural to the animal but not for the men. The animal uses the flexibility in a natural way. I apply the massages before the exercises to release the accumulated energy, so the athlete is able to move in a spontaneous manner. I try to make the athlete develop his animal instinct thru the movements of some animal. When the fighter uses the moves of an animal, not to imitate but to feel like an animal. That way I intend to develop the creativeness of the fighter. When he fights, he must move in a natural way, spontaneous and creative, so he will be able to surprise his opponent. Concentration is a key factor in a fight. Every time the fighter thinks what to do, he loses time and concentration in the fight, and it diminishes the creativeness. But further than that, the thinking process in a fight will make determined contractions. That process can stress the fighter and produce too much adrenaline and loss of energy. I try to balance the emotional of the fighter, breathing correctly to balance his physical and emotional energy, concentrating him only in the fight. I like to explain the athletes the complete process in details, so he can understand what we are doing.

Breathing is the key, the fighter must completely dominate the use of the diaphragm. The fighter usually when attacking, he catches his breath but instead of, that he should expire the air of the lungs. He must expire to get rid of the gas CO2, toxic for his cells, and avoid the contractions and production of lactic acid. So during the fight, the athlete wants to react but he can't since his body is dominated by the acid lactic. In extreme the process is similar with the Tetanus, an infectious disease characterized by tonic spasms and rigidity of muscles, sometimes leading to respiratory paralysis and death. The body stops to feed the brain with oxygen and the fighter forget everything he learnt after years of training. There's a white page in his mind, he forgets everything. I try to teach how to breath, to concentrate, to pace himself in the fight.

Q: Alvaro Romano markets himself as the creator of the "Natural Gymnastic", what do you want to say about it?

Orlando: Alvaro Romano was my student for 13 years. He learned the "Natural Gymnastic" from me. When he arrived here, he didn't know anything. He was about to quit the college course of "Physical Education" and he was in a real bad condition. he began to practice here Yoga and Natural Gymnastic. After 13 years working with me, he suddenly disappeared and avoid further contact with me. I didn't know what was going on, since we didn't discuss or anything. I had no clue until someone told me that saw an article in a magazine, where he said that invented the "Natural Gymnastic" method by himself. I was completely shocked. He was like a son for me. I even recorded 2 video of "Natural Gymnastic" with him.

Later was a big congress and I was scheduled to give a lecture about"Natural Gymnastic". A few hours before it I received an Official of the Justice, prohibiting me to take the lecture using the title "Natural Gymnastic" since the Patent was registered by Alvaro Romano. Wow, what a disgusting notice! From now on, I use "Orlando Cani Gymnastic - Bio Gymnastic". I was very disappointed.

Q: How did you get to know Rickson? And when?

Orlando: Rickson had good information about my work and went to my academy to work with me. It was in 1986 up to the end of 1988. In 1989 he was already living in Los Angeles and invited me and my wife to a dinner. We had a good time there. At this time I didn't charge money to teach classes for athletes and one day Rickson went to USA to give a seminar with Rorion and some Gracies to the famous American actor Chuck Norris. Rickson brought me as a gift two beautiful real samurai swords since I could use it in my Kempo routines. At that time I used to perform Kempo routines using a Chinese wood sword, copy from a real samurai sword. It was a great present. Rickson brought me the swords and said a speech that I felt very emotional, since he said he was very grateful to what he learned from me.

Q: How was Rickson, as a student? How was his attitude? How was his talent in it? How fast and how deep did he learn it? What was he interested in, mainly? How long did he learn it from you?

Orlando: Rickson Gracie was the best student I had. He was the one to assimilate best the process. He's very serious and deeply concentrated. He stare at me hearing, and what I say penetrates him like a glove. He assimilates it deeply. It's very impressive. After two years of training with me, he almost make me cry, I was deeply touched. He told me: "Today you will be seated down and I will perform the class by myself". I felt like he was going to fly away from the window, how perfectly he did, specially smoothing. My work is very intense, standing - on the ground, standing - on the ground, there's no good or bad position, it's movement, for me movement is life, is action, it's energy.

Q: Are the classes in group or personal?

Orlando: It can be either way, but personal classes are much more intense and the assimilation is higher.

Q: How long does it each class take?

Orlando: One hour is the usual, but I still teach 90 minutes classes mostly at the beginning of the work, since I spend extra time to explain what I'm doing. I work the meditation too.

Q: Did you teach any other members of Gracie family?

Orlando: Yes, a few of then, Royler, Carlos Gracie Jr., Rigan Machado, Jean Jacques Machado, Roger Machado, etc.

Q: Did you teach any other fighters?

There are so many that I can't remember the complete list. Marco Ruas, Alexandre Paiva, Murilo Bustamante, Wallid Ismail, Ricardo Liborio, Marcelo Behring, Fabio Gurgel.

Q: Are you teaching any fighters now?

Orlando: Ricardo Liborio was working with me to fight next month in Japan, but he hurt his shoulder.

Q: What kind of techniques do fighters want to learn from you?

Orlando: Specially concentration and correctly breathing during the fight. It's amazing and so subtle that you can defeat your opponent only perceiving his breathing. It's because when you catch your breath it's when you become weaker. At the moment you inspire you are fragile. The animals are always breathing, the man is the only animal that catch his breath, it's an unconscious process. So we must dominate the breathing process not to lack the concentration and the energy.

The Natural Gymnastic is performed mostly on the ground, stimulating the natural process of moving and breathing correctly. But it's just a fraction of my work, where I make a lot of standing routines, using Tai Chi techniques with animal moves and extreme concentration.

Q: It looks like you must have material to write a book.

Orlando: Oh yes, I'm planning to begin to write a book very soon. It's one of my major projects.

Q: The things you have taught Rickson, how does he use it in his fights? In which way he shows it in the fight?

Orlando: Concentration, Breathing and Corporal Conscience. The athlete can improve without Corporal Conscience. He improves to a higher level because his very good performing his game. Rickson is very concentrated in his fights, he demolish his opponent with his sight. Of course he's human and can fail, but even when he fails, he's so concentrated and integrated in the game that he has a immediate capability to recover. That's quite important since you are going to fail. When you fight a great opponent you make mistakes, and you get some damage too. Rickson has a prompt ability to recover when he fails. Because he's always aware from the opponent and mainly with his own corporal conscience.

Rickson is special. I told it to him one time. He's a very special fighter. Everything he learns he has a strong ability to assimilate and develop it. He has a clever way to assimilate and protect anything he likes. He protects my work.

One day Marcos Ruas went to my academy and ask me to work with him. I had no free time and said it to him. He told me "You worked with Rickson and his game improved a lot, he's so fast, explosive...". I said "Rickson a one of the kind, he's special. But I will work with you Ruas, I will teach you at my lunch time. I will help you, ever since you will represent Brazil, that's fine, let's go." Less than 24 hours later I received a few phone calls, asking me if I was going to train Ruas, because there was a possibility with a Rickson vs. Ruas fight in the future. I told them I wasn't training Rickson so far, and I am a professional. Moreover, Rickson is Rickson, he's one of the kind. I worked with Ruas, he was prepared. But he never used what I taught in his fights.

Wallid Ismail went to my academy and ask to work with him. He was going to fight a vale-tudo match in Japan. We began to work and during the process, his fight schedule changed and he was going to fight with Royce Gracie a Jiu-Jitsu match. So I had to exchange the training routine. I prepared him for 3 months. I said to him: "Wallid, fight is the moment. You must take the chances or you opponent take it and defeat you". Wallid took his chance and defeated Royce.

Wallid is a very kind person. His bad boy attitude is only marketing, personally he's very friendly and cool. But Ruas and Wallid aren't Rickson. With Rickson you can go further. The process of Recognition, Experiment and Development, Ruas and Wallid only recognized and experiment the work. Rickson went further, developed and protected it. I met Rickson after Ruas has fought and I comment with him over my impressions. Rickson told me "Orlando, let me tell you something, your work is a very elaborated and long process, people didn't understand it yet and they won't. There are people that will work with you for 10 or 15 years and they will never perceive the essence of your work". It deeply touched me again, and I could only look him and I said "You are right".

I developed a strong interaction with my students and we used to have a very good personal relationship. I also try to develop a good sport attitude, since when you play a game, you may be defeated, it's part of the game. But the fighter can't be worried if he's going to win or lose.

Once Rickson told me "Orlando, when I step in the ring I know I can die. I step in to win, but I know I can lose or even die". The fighter must do what it must be done. Not worry to invent, but be creative, spontaneous and natural like an animal.

Q: Rickson has been last month in Rio. I talked with him and he told me that he was making a preparation to engage a movie project, playing the role of a man with animal instincts. Was he back to work with you again?

Orlando: Yes, Rickson has been working with me again last month, specially regarding his movie project, developing expressions characters in the role of a man with animal attitude, animal instincts, sight, gestures, but he's a man.

Q: You and Rickson has been a few years apart. How do evaluate him after a long time? Do you feel he still keeps what you taught him before?

Orlando: Yes, he kept most of it. That time we could develop more the Sensibility. Motive and mainly Psycho-Motive aspects. That time he was able to deeply develop the aspect Psycho-Motive muscular neural. At the end of each class, he said he was able to have a better understanding of the Corporal Conscience. Since he's a very dedicated athlete in every thing he does, that time was much more easy to work with him, his assimilation was much more intense and fast.

http://www.global-training-report.com/orlando.htm
Click to expand...

I find this all very interesting as for some time I have been thinking about training in terms of automatic vs conscious repetition and the ability to maintain consciousness/awareness in training. I'm beginning to think that the two are quite a way apart and from what I gathered from the above two articles, the same idea is prevalent.

Here is another interesting read on this topic:

Skill is not automatic

Achieving proficiency in a martial art requires certain abilities. However, the abilities themselves do not equate to high level proficiency. To achieve mastery of an art requires developing skill. Skill and ability are related concepts, but are distinct. The difference between the two is subtle, and I have not always had the best explanation to distinguish them when I get into a discussion with others. But after reading through Geoff Colvin's "Talent is Overrated," I see that the difference between the two can be succintly stated: skill is not automatic.

What that means is you are never in auto-pilot with skill. Skill entails mental engagement and full conscious control. An ability on the other hand could be unconscious and reflexive. Just because you can do something does not mean you have any idea what you're doing or that you have conscious control over your action. The example from Colvin's book was Tiger Wood's ability to check his golf swing. Even though Tiger Woods practiced his swing over countless repetitions, the swing never became automatic or reflexive. His greatness came from his being fully conscious of his swing, not from drilled muscle memory. He was so in control of his swing that he could amazingly stop mid-swing if some distraction were to interrupt his flow. An ordinary golfer who is not as mentally aware of his swing would have just swung through and hit a bad shot.

Colvin writes in his book:

"Frequently when we see great performers doing what they do, it strikes us that they've practice for so long, and done it so many times, they can just do it automatically. But, in fact, what they have achieved is the ability to avoid doing it automatically."

"When we learn to do anything new--how to drive, for example--we go through three stages. The first stage demands a lot of attention as we try out the controls, learn the rules of driving, and so on. In the second stage we begin to coordinate our knowledge, linking movements together and more fluidly combining out actions with our knowledge of the car, the situation, and the rules. In the third stage we drive the car with barely a thought. It's automatic. And with that our improvement at driving slows dramatically, eventually stopping completely."

"For most things we do, including driving, that's not a problem. We don't need to be great at such things, just good enough to carry on with our lives... But it does mean that our brains have pretty much checked out when we're doing these things. If your golfing opponent jingles his change at the top of your back-swing, he can probably reach the part of your brain that responds instinctively to sudden noises; since you're on autopilot, you're helpless to stop your now doomed swing."

"By contrast, great performers never allow themselves to reach the automatic, arrested-development stage in their chosen field. That is the effect of continual deliberate practice--avoiding automaticity."

The repeated drilling in practicing is not rote. Mentally checking out only results in muscle memory and a reflexive ability to perform. It does not lead to skill which forms the essence of the art. Being mentally immersed in the practice is what develops the awareness necessary to improve skill. An ability is fine and good for just getting something accomplished, but the essence of the art is not fully expressed until we remove automaticity and manifest skill.

http://iliqchuan.com/content/skill-not-automatic
Click to expand...

Enjoy!

watts · Oct 11, 2011

tl;dr

Smitfire · Oct 11, 2011

qlbwra

(Quite long but worth reading anyway)

inthespirit · Oct 11, 2011

watts said: ↑

tl;dr
Click to expand...

Its not that long man, there is some good info on there..

To sum it up:

- Rickson, talks about skill which is not overtly visible from outside but makes a big difference in terms of effect of technique on opponent

- Orlando Cani, the creator of Gymnastica Natural, and who taught it to Rickson and other fighters, talks about the importance of awareness and breath and to some degree how this relates to fighting

- Last article, is about how skill is developed and how awareness plays in to this

Of course, its much more interesting if you just read it

OwlMAtt · Oct 18, 2011

Loved that first article. I'd like to have some of my aikido instructors read it-- they seem to think they have the market cornered on connection.

leftwingtaoist · Nov 30, 2011

Illustration of the difference between the external and internal martial arts

I was walking on the pier in Dun Laoghaire this morning. The clouds were low and the wind was strong and gusty. I noticed a raven flying overhead. It was flapping its wings madly, trying to counter the blows of the wind, totally unbalanced and looking really vulnerable. Then, just above the struggling raven, I saw a seagull. With its wings spread wide, it was gliding effortlessly on the same wind that was causing so much trouble for poor raven. The seagull looked completely relaxed. It did not fight the wind, it was using it. It did not try to go through the gusts; it glided and slid over them. The raven was like an external martial arts practitioner. It was strong and able to fight against a strong opposing force, but spending huge amount of energy to achieve this, and constantly on a verge of defeat. The seagull was like an internal martial arts practitioner. It didn’t fight the opposing force. It evaded the force, used it, and moved through it, all the time in a perfect balance and calm, using minimum effort to achieve maximum goals.
There are really no external and internal martial arts. there are people who understand internal martial art principals and apply them and those who don't.

leftwingtaoist · Dec 1, 2011

I posted a reply but got a message that it needs to be reviewed by moderator. i don't understand what is the criteria that allows some posts straight through and some not. i would like to ask any moderator if they are present to please explain this to me as i could not find any mention of it on the site. i currently have 3 post reviewed by moderators, and i would like to know what is happening to them if possible. i applologise for sending the message like this. i tried to send this through private post but it seems i am not allowed to do so.

Frodocious · Dec 1, 2011

leftwingtaoist said: ↑

I posted a reply but got a message that it needs to be reviewed by moderator. i don't understand what is the criteria that allows some posts straight through and some not. i would like to ask any moderator if they are present to please explain this to me as i could not find any mention of it on the site. i currently have 3 post reviewed by moderators, and i would like to know what is happening to them if possible. i applologise for sending the message like this. i tried to send this through private post but it seems i am not allowed to do so.
Click to expand...

There is an automated 'spam detector' on the site that obviously picked up on something in your posts. I don't know what it is that it picked up on, I suspect it has certain key words, phrases and posting styles that it's looking for. You should be able to pm now.

leftwingtaoist · Dec 1, 2011

thank you very much

Simon · Dec 1, 2011

leftwingtaoist, you've alreay complained about not being allowed to post on this thread.

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1074554489&postcount=7

You got a prompt reply from me saying I had reviewed your posts and allowed them .

Do not post your message again.

Hannibal · Dec 1, 2011

leftwingtaoist said: ↑

I was walking on the pier in Dun Laoghaire this morning. The clouds were low and the wind was strong and gusty. I noticed a raven flying overhead. It was flapping its wings madly, trying to counter the blows of the wind, totally unbalanced and looking really vulnerable. Then, just above the struggling raven, I saw a seagull. With its wings spread wide, it was gliding effortlessly on the same wind that was causing so much trouble for poor raven. The seagull looked completely relaxed. It did not fight the wind, it was using it. It did not try to go through the gusts; it glided and slid over them. The raven was like an external martial arts practitioner. It was strong and able to fight against a strong opposing force, but spending huge amount of energy to achieve this, and constantly on a verge of defeat. The seagull was like an internal martial arts practitioner. It didn’t fight the opposing force. It evaded the force, used it, and moved through it, all the time in a perfect balance and calm, using minimum effort to achieve maximum goals.
There are really no external and internal martial arts. there are people who understand internal martial art principals and apply them and those who don't.
Click to expand...

Disregarding the flawed bird analogy, I do not thinks what you described is internal approach vs external so much as it is correct vs incorrect application of mechanics.

You cannot say there is no external or internal and then say people "get" internal or they don't in the next breath as it makes no sense. There is a time to yield, a time to stand firm and a time to smash. These are not universal to any style. When executed properly good technique is just that, regardless of origin or arbitrary classification

leftwingtaoist · Dec 1, 2011

What I meant when I said that there are no internal or external martial arts, was that every martial art has its external and internal aspects. The external aspects are visible as techniques. The internal aspects are the abstract principles like full body power, connectedness, awareness, sensitivity, responsiveness… the external aspects are just manifestation of internal aspects. The more you understand the internal aspects of martial arts, the easier it is to use the external aspects. When I used to practice taeqwando, everyone was bouncing up and down, in a proper taeqwando fighting stands during the sparing fights. Everyone was jumping during sparing except for my teacher. He used to just stand there calmly, and watch us. He would wait until you had both feet in the air, and would suddenly leap forward and push you off balance. He wouldn’t even have to kick you or punch you. He would use his hands. How was he able to do it? He attacked us through the gaps in our consciousness. We were all too busy thinking about what we were doing, and did not pay attention what he was doing. Especially when we attacked, we all gapped and completely lost the connection with what was going on around us. We committed not only our bodies but our minds as well. This is very common. Good boxers for instance use this gap punching all the time. They wait until the opponent commits to a punch and his consciousness gaps, and then attack themselves through this gap. This is a use of internal martial arts principles in what are commonly considered to be external martial arts.

Hannibal · Dec 1, 2011

Thanks for the clarification - that makes more sense. Whilst I intensely dislike terms such as internal/external I can see why people use them to highlight certain points.

ShangChi · Dec 1, 2011

Now that I am an expert in BJJ, with like 5 hours training under my belt or something, I'd like to add my tuppence, in true internet stylee. I've discovered that the soft/internal 'listening', 'adhering' and 'rooting' skills I've developed in TCC might, at some point, actually come in pretty useful when rolling.

I'll get back to you in a coupla years.

Sketco · Dec 1, 2011

ShangChi said: ↑

Now that I am an expert in BJJ, with like 5 hours training under my belt or something, I'd like to add my tuppence, in true internet stylee. I've discovered that the soft/internal 'listening', 'adhering' and 'rooting' skills I've developed in TCC might, at some point, actually come in pretty useful when rolling.

I'll get back to you in a coupla years.
Click to expand...

I found the same going to jujitsu from aikido. Even in ground grappling you can feel where they're going and change with it. Sweeps from the guard was a place where it came in particularly useful because at first I kept ending up on my back.

NaturalBoxer · Jun 16, 2012

inthespirit said: ↑

Its not that long man, there is some good info on there..

To sum it up:

- Rickson, talks about skill which is not overtly visible from outside but makes a big difference in terms of effect of technique on opponent

- Orlando Cani, the creator of Gymnastica Natural, and who taught it to Rickson and other fighters, talks about the importance of awareness and breath and to some degree how this relates to fighting

- Last article, is about how skill is developed and how awareness plays in to this

Of course, its much more interesting if you just read it
Click to expand...

I did a seminar with Orlando Cani a few years back and we did this partnered pushing drill where you used your root to push your partner across the room with palm connected to whole time. Felt very similar to some partnered isometric training I've experienced in the Yang style. Cani mentioned that Victor Belfort trained that drill and attributed much of his success in MMA to it, interestingly.

inthespirit · Jun 19, 2012

Sorry for the slow reply, missed your post somehow..

Thats quite interesting, I have a vid of a Russian Olympic boxing coach training some lads in something very simmilar. I'll post the vid up when I get off work, though its all in Russian.

EDIT: Managed to get it off my phone, its in here, though not sure if it will make much sense with the language barrier. It's around the 5 minute mark:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_KpWHSJEh4&sns=em"]2012.ÐœÐ¾ÑÐºÐ²Ð°.Ð‘Ð¾ÐºÑ.Ð¢Ñ€ÐµÐ½ÐµÑ€ - ÐœÐ¡ Ð¡Ð¡Ð¡Ð* Ð¿Ð¾ Ð±Ð¾ÐºÑÑƒ Ð‘Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸ÑÐ¾Ð² Ð¡. Ð’. - YouTube[/ame]

Log in or Sign up

BJJ is Internal!!! - Awareness - Connection, Breathing, Consciousness, Energy

inthespirit ignant

watts Valued Member

Smitfire Cactus Schlong

inthespirit ignant

OwlMAtt Armed and Scrupulous

leftwingtaoist Valued Member

leftwingtaoist Valued Member

Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

leftwingtaoist Valued Member

Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

leftwingtaoist Valued Member

Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

ShangChi KRAV MAGA!

Sketco Banned Banned

NaturalBoxer New Member

inthespirit ignant

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

BJJ is Internal!!! - Awareness - Connection, Breathing, Consciousness, Energy

inthespirit ignant

watts Valued Member

Smitfire Cactus Schlong

inthespirit ignant

OwlMAtt Armed and Scrupulous

leftwingtaoist Valued Member

leftwingtaoist Valued Member

Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

leftwingtaoist Valued Member

Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

leftwingtaoist Valued Member

Hannibal Cry HAVOC and let slip the Dogs of War!!! Supporter

ShangChi KRAV MAGA!

Sketco Banned Banned

NaturalBoxer New Member

inthespirit ignant

Share This Page

Useful Searches