Hi guys really need some help.

[Wong Fei Hong]

Hi guys, havent posted for a long time my name used to be Wongsifu, i remember some of you from ages ago , sifu abel seven star ironfist ralek rolls and many others :o etc.

Well anyhow enough reminiscing, i need some help, recently i feel like ive turned into a bit of a martial arts cripple, my timing is very off very badly off, its been like this for a while but getting worse.
After 14 years of training its not possible is it ???? Im only 26.

To explain what the problem is basically is i cant seem to fit reaction to the opponents action, you know the punch comes and the reaction is block or is move out of the way or step in and counter etc.

Now my brain doesnt seem to understand this concept. :D It sounds almost funny

I see the punch coming and my brain is trying to dig up what to do .


The times i am ok is when I might be doing drills predefined sequence whatever , and i can do it perfectly,Im told step block step punch, fine


When it all goes wrong

I tried to play bowling and it wasnt even funny i was looking at the pins i send the ball down the isle and 7 times out of ten i hit them all at exactly the same place to the left or should i say i miss them all and hit that big ditch i tell my brain moer to the right and it doesnt listen.

When im sparring i see a punch and cant do what i want to do.

Its like my eyes get a stimulus and my brains answer to what my eyes see is a bit off.

The only time i react ok is when driving , i see somethign in the road i can avoid it swerve brake etc.

I thought it could be because i was concussed quite badly about 8 months ago and i might have damaged part of my brain, but i had scans and its fine, no blood clots even besides if that were the case boxers wouldnt fight after 1 concussion.

The other thing i thought is because recently i have been trying to change my style and it tries to distinguish between old and new but again doubtful because after so many years i have changed styles more than once and wasnt a problem.

Any ideas? Tests i can perform training i can do to realign my brain reactions and eyes ? Anything ??????? PLZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Ben Gash]

I can't really suggest any specific training, all I can say is you seem to be trying too hard. You need to relax> The most striking thing about what you say is that you seem to be very hung up on technique, in an A counters B kind of way. You should concentrate more on relaxing and reacting naturally. Think more in terms of angles, vectors and gates than set blocking techniques. If you've trained for that long then when you move to cover you should form a blocking technique anyway. Trying to think of a specific technique will slow your reaction time significantly and will lead to stiffness and misalignment. . Relaxation, sensitivity and reacting naturally are the things I would say you need to work on. Sticky hands is probably the best way to achieve this, but I'm sure there are others.

[Golden Tiger]

I am not a neurologist but if I may, you seemed to have answered your own question.


i have been trying to change my style and it tries to distinguish between old and new

If you are trying to think (change styles) while doing your sparring/forms/whatever, then you are trying to do two things at once which is really hard. Then when you start getting aggrevated, you add another distraction to the equation. Each time you add a variable, the equation changes and gets harder. Ben had it right by saying that you are trying too hard. Kinda like quicksand, the harder you struggle, the worse off you are (taken from " The Replacements" I just love that girl in that movie).

Something that helped me with hand/eye coordination was to use a tennis ball on a floor to ceiling bungee cord. Like those strike balls only a lot smaller and much faster. Stretch it back and let it go, then try to catch it. Little sucker flies all over the place but after a while, your eyes and brain are able to perceive it much slower than it is any voila' , you can grab it everytime.

[Wong Fei Hong]

Golden tiger im thinking that may be it,but i just cant be sure because my general co ordination seems out of whack, maybe its just that and i need time to adjust !

[Mel]

The thing is that this isn't just affecting your MA. It seems to be affecting your whole life (i.e., the bowling example). I know you've already been to a doctor, but that was for a concussion. I think you need to go back, and explain things exactly the way you did here.

[Mortal1]

You might need glasses.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i think you should take a break.

1 - 2 months.

just sit and be lazy ... meditate alot if thats your thing. drink if its not. or both.

[Willow Palm]

I've had days like that two and I'm sure it won't be the last. It sounds like you're pretty stressed. I'd take Gundownatrocity's advice and just sit still for a while.

Warren

[oogabooga]

I think all the advice given above was really good. You should definately go see a doctor or something. But if there's nothing wrong with you then have you ever considered muscle memory training? that might help

cheers
Joe

[Wong Fei Hong]

Hey guys thanks for the replyes i like GDAs post :D i wear contact lenses sometimes as they are really weak, but i dont really notice the difference when i do or i dont,



oogabooga , what is muscle memory training ? you see i am a firm believer in the fact that the body learns and it shouldnt have to go through the brain or be memorised, hence ages of repetition etc, even going to the gym, when you stop going for a few months you go back and lift as much as you could cause the muscles remember.
I actually thought my brain was going soft because i didnt use it enough lol. But is there away to like flush your muscle memory and remap it and then see whats up. ?

Man that bowling still freaked me out its like when you go numb and you tell your limb to move but it doesnt , and i was telling my brain man to the right wtf and my arm was like ok and i was like telling my eyes look there see tell brain to go right.
And i was like i got this **** sorted out, so the throw the ball and it follows the same route . I was like **** man

[KC Elbows]

The bowling thing sounds like psyching yourself out more than anything.

[oogabooga]

They sometimes use muscle memory training in the military. Where they would have this targets and everytime they pop up, the soldier would fire. The soldiers would be so conditioned in this type of training that everytime something pops up, they would shoot it. They apply this for hand to hand combat training too. They would have one guy to throw a punch and the other guy would block it. As you do this more and more, in time you'll get conditioned in this type of training.
Anyhow, I really don't know what your problem is, but i think the others gave a pretty good advice and thats to go see a doctor or something.

anyway hope everything works out for you
cheers