The power of focusing

[Cipher]

Focus, focus my teacher tells me. I get sick of hearing it. But one day it kind of clicked. I think a lot of people neglect the fact of technique and focusing correctly when they fight, me included but I am working on it.

I'm sure like many others hear I have watch several NHB and full contact fights, even just for training perposes it can be usefull to see how people fight. And alot of people seem like they don't put a lot of effort into it when they attack at first. They either go wild or they flip a little love tap out and then get slamed. Or they try to take you down but they hold back and you smash them, for example.

If you look at some of the better fighers through out recent history notice how well they would focus on their attack. Many of you know of course know Bruce Lee did well on this, I don't think I have ever seem anything with him half arsing an attack. He was always sharp and to the point. Another great example is Rocky Marciano, he was a knock out artist. he was not the biggest strongest figher ever but he was one of the hardest hitting players. If you read interviews of people that fought him they would always coment on how every punch he threw was a hard, fast, strong and a full power punch. He had confidence that it would nail them. Every punch will not land but you have to have the confidence in yourself when you attack and not hold back. There are other people that make good examples but I just want to mention these two for now.

It seems like this is a problem with a lot of Martial Artists me included. In other words focus when you attack if you are throwing a knee kick then make sure if it lands that it does its job. The same goes for any kind of attack weather it be striking with the hand or throwing someone.

I have stared to really notice how sharp and focused I am when I train. It is harder than I though it would be, its like you get in a rute and not even realize. Any coments, ideas, or info you guys want to share?

Later,

[Leto]

That's a very good observation, and true..proper focus on techniques is important, for accuracy and power. However, in practicing with sparring partners, you really can't do this. In class, we don't want to really hurt our partners, and most of the time sparring isn't full speed and power. Even with pads, a properly focused, full power blow can be devastating.
It is easy to get in a rut, especially when doing free sparring a lot, or putting emphasis on it. The best way to develop that focus and power is through proper forms practice, supplemented by striking a bag or makiwara or some other kind of target.

[Cipher]

Leto,
Thats a good point that you made. What I mean though is even when free sparing with medium contact even just to make sure that the attacks meet the target in a fast and focused manner rather than fliping a punch out that is 2" away from the target and acting like it knocked them out.

I think sparing hard is good because it makes you think and focus if you train that way. It's stupid though to spar so hard that you constantly het injured or get concussions. I don't mind getting brused and battered but if you get broken bones then you get messed up pretty bad after several years of training.

The main point I'm trying to make is to have focus when sparing or fighting. I like to concentrate when doing forms and drills but to me the main thing is how I use it when sparing or fighting. Thats why when we train usualy half of the time is spent sparing at different levels. Some times soft and slow some times fast and hard.

[apoweyn]

cypher,

i agree with you. in my own thinking, i've been calling it 'intent.' i've noticed how many people just go through the motions without any clear idea of their objective.

i'm not talking about some zen mushin no-mind either. I mean they're just throwing their kicks out there because that's what we do. right? we kick.

there's no real sense of objective.

i try to tell people to visualize an effect now. visualize the other person. not you throwing a good kick. them getting beaned with it. not necessarily hard, mind you. but you want to create some sense of purpose beyond the kick for its own sake.

i usually try and visualize backing my opponent into the corner or something like that.

applied to forms or drills or whatever, though, that idea of intent keeps me constantly reanalyzing what i'm doing to make sure it's actually fulfilling that intent.


stuart b.

[Merryprankster]

Leto--

This is an interesting idea. My boxing partners will hit me to hurt me, if they can. If I get knocked out, oh well.

They won't "move in for the kill," if I'm obviously in trouble, but every punch is thrown to land with bad intentions.

[Leto]

Definately...that's what the forms are for. But as to your comment about developing the proper focus...you can practice it in sparring, to an extent. That's the point...but it won't be developed in sparring. Sparring is like the culmination, I think, of training...putting your basics and forms to work, along with your conditioning and knowledge. But it's not the place to learn those things...to gain conditioning, focus, form or technique. Because we don't want to 'invest in loss', as my instructor puts it, on our partners face and ribs and internal organs. :) Like you said, sparring too hard will get you and your partners injured, and deterr from training, not improve it. So my point is...sparring is a demonstratrion of the focus you have developed, but must be tempered with control, held back. That is important, too...but it will not develop 'atemi', the destructive power that comes with proper focus, snap and power. That comes from the conditioning, and forms always performed with focus and spirit. (not just going through the motions)

[Leto]

Merry :)...well, that's one way to train. But I imagine people must get hurt practicing like that...if you're knocked out, you're not practicing kung fu, are you? And if you're so sore from fighting that you can't train properly...although I guess it gives you the motivation to make sure your techniques really work. It depends on the intent of the training, and philosophy, too. In my style, we spar not for points, and not to 'win', but to practice our technique and control. The emphasis is not on hitting hard (though we do take our lumps sometimes), but on applying our material. Free sparring is only a small part of training for us. Forms are the foundation and focus of shaolin derived arts.

[Merryprankster]

I should be a little more clear--I don't train like that EVERY day. Ring Movement, and jab sparring are part of the beast too.

However, probably 6-8 rounds every 2 weeks, I get beat on and dish some out.

[monkey man]

Originally posted by apoweyn
cypher,

i agree with you. in my own thinking, i've been calling it 'intent.' i've noticed how many people just go through the motions without any clear idea of their objective.

i'm not talking about some zen mushin no-mind either. I mean they're just throwing their kicks out there because that's what we do. right? we kick.

there's no real sense of objective.

i try to tell people to visualize an effect now. visualize the other person. not you throwing a good kick. them getting beaned with it. not necessarily hard, mind you. but you want to create some sense of purpose beyond the kick for its own sake.

i usually try and visualize backing my opponent into the corner or something like that.

applied to forms or drills or whatever, though, that idea of intent keeps me constantly reanalyzing what i'm doing to make sure it's actually fulfilling that intent.


stuart b.

Wooah! This kind of freaked me out a little as the word 'Intent' is exactly what I thought when I begun reading this thread, and is the exact word/concept I've been considering myself for a little while now. One of the things I'm trying to overcome in my own personal development, is the idea of executing moves cleanly and with 'intent' - I find that I naturally undercommit myself and perform in an unconscious half-arsed way (no doubt a reflection of my natural disposition). I would also associate this with the concept of 'spirit', and rather than apply these concepts to just the delivery of an effective single strike, I would also extend it to a flurry, or flow, of continous attacks - with each move having mean and purpose. (The particular context that I am trying to develop this in is chi sao).

Apoweyn - Thanks for the visualisation idea and for helping to crystallize some of my own thoughts on the matter!

[shaolinboxer]

I think focus requires a logical progression, from techniques, to forms ( series of techniques) or drills or randori, to sparring.

Focus under duress is the real trick. Nothing like trying to stay focused when somebody clonks you in the skull or knocks the wind out of you.

I was sparring with someone at my dojo the other day and he kept slapping his front leg. I was still sizing him up because he is much older than I am and has far more experience and was wondering what he was doing... I gave him a cokeyed look and he laughed and said "when you spar with beginners this really distracts them". I smiled and he covered up much more conservatively and we had an excellent match. The point is that this simple example of distraction is multiplied a thousand times by a really good feignt, or a stiff jab in the nose, or a kick to the leg. No amount of solo forms will prepare you for the reality of painful distraction. However, two man forms, with sincere but predictable attacks, can help.

[apoweyn]

monkey man,

no worries, my friend. by the way, monkey is a great story. i'm a fan.

my thinking on the visualization is that we're trained (in some schools anyway) to be so focused on technique that it becomes its own goal in a sense. we wax philosophical (or technical) about the 'perfect' sidekick. and then when we spar, our first mental allegiance is to that perfect sidekick. but is it perfect if it doesn't really have an effect?

i was watching a bunch of my friend's taekwondo students sparring and i started thinking about this phenomenon. (i've noticed the tendency in myself too.)

i think that people spar without a goal in mind. so without a goal, they default back to what they know: technique. the match becomes an opportunity for each combatant to showcase their techniques rather than to have some effect on the opponent.

my thinking is that this results in sparring haltingly. throw a technique or two, stop, think up another, throw it, stop... as was said, it's half arsed. even when it lands, the person tends to stop. i started thinking that it's like the person has a picture in their head of the technique. so they throw the technique. whether it lands or not is sort of happy coincidence. what's being focused on is the execution of the technique. if it hits, then the mental picture is fulfilled and the student stops long enough to come up with another one. and if they miss, then the mental picture is still fulfilled because it's a picture of the technique, not the effect.

so, like i said, i started visualizing the effect. and not just one effect. not just the opponent flinching when i peg him with a leg kick or whatever. but the opponent being overwhelmed, backpedaling, and covering up in the corner. and then i just kept going until that happened.

worked for me, anyway. i hope it proves useful to you too. if you like, gimme a shout and let me know how it goes.


stuart b.

[Cipher]

Yes, Intent and spirit are good ways to describe it. Has a reson and perpose to attack. Don't be afraid of taking a punch as long as you can hit them harder.

It's really easy to get in bad habits. Like when I worked out in TKD many eons ago when we spared once a month:( we would go full speed but 90% of the attack for flip kicks several inches or even feet from the target. I hated this crap so needless to say when I started working out in Kung Fu it was so much better but the habit was hard to brake from my TKD days.

Visualization is important too I think like you guys have mentioned see your oponent while you work out don't just sit there and kick a heavy bag while your thinking about the party tomorrow imagine your braking someone ribs.

Monkey Man
Good point on not just using one attack to focus on. Its good to keep a flow of attacks going out and not just attacking once. This is another reason that I hated the TKD point sparing. Nothing again TKD just the place I worked out in was not that good when it came to sparing.

[monkey man]

Originally posted by apoweyn


...i think that people spar without a goal in mind. so without a goal, they default back to what they know: technique....

my thinking is that this results in sparring haltingly. throw a technique or two, stop, think up another, throw it, stop... as was said, it's half arsed. even when it lands, the person tends to stop. i started thinking that it's like the person has a picture in their head of the technique. so they throw the technique. whether it lands or not is sort of happy coincidence. what's being focused on is the execution of the technique. if it hits, then the mental picture is fulfilled and the student stops long enough to come up with another one. and if they miss, then the mental picture is still fulfilled because it's a picture of the technique, not the effect....


Cheers! Again, this is exactly what I'm talking about and is something I'm trying to overcome in chi sao and sparring. I find, in some ways, it's like an unconscious mental block and I haven't got the right 'intent' before I even begin the move. Because chi sao can be so fast, I don't necessarily think (for me personally) it's just a desire to 'perform' the technique (because there's so little time for consideration), but also a question of mind-set; that I should definately visualise overcoming my opponent with spirit, vigour and intent (in a no-mind kind of way!). Hey, if I can recognise this fault then I can at least attempt to improve on it!

Cheers!



:D

[apoweyn]

monkey man,

absolutey! in fact, i think recognition is the lion's share of fixing the problem. in a lot of cases, it doesn't seem to be a lack of tools, tactics, and techniques. only a disconnect between what you're doing and what you want to be doing. once i consciously realized that they weren't one and the same, finding the tools to fill in the gap wasn't really all that difficult.

(understand i've still got a long way to go. but the point is having the ability to make that way.)


stuart b.