a question

[ATENG]

ok guys, any of you out there train chisao with your eyes closed or blindfolded, to improve on relying on your sensitivity instead of sight? when i trained in WT i did this sometimes during our chisao times and found that it did indeed help. HOWEVER, after awhile, i noticed that i actulaly felt MORE comfortable with my eyes closed...and somehow when my eyes are opened, my chisao deteriorated. sometimes seeing the attacks coming at me, i'd flinch, or have the desire to "dodge" the attack instead of using my chisao. this is probably only a problem for beginners like myself, but does/did anyone have this problem? or is it just me...heheh.

[Novox77]

We do blindfolded chisao when people visit the school to see what it's all about. It's definitely cooler to see people training blindfolded, although chisao itself usually gets ooo's and aaah's without the blindfold.

But yeah, I find that not using your eyes makes it easier to feel your partner's intention. I would recommend the blindfold for students who are having a hard time letting go of reacting to visual cues. But for most people, if they are trying to react based upon feeling, then the blindfold is not needed. In fact, you could argue that the blindfold is a long-term detriment, since the goal is to be able to react correctly in the presence of non contact stimuli, like visual fakes or shouting.

You can also practice chisao by not looking at your partner or his arms. Just look around the room casually. This also ensures that your reactions are happening based on feeling and not on any visual stimuli.