How do YOU train to reduce your reaction time?

[Sensei Kunz]

Train during sparring on interception until it becomes neuromuscular in reaction. This is when a hit, hits all by itself!

[curtis]

Hello gentleman
I enjoy reading everybody's ideas, although I have some doubt if those ideas will work for me?
I have been working on cutting down my reaction time for many years, and I have learned a few exercisers that may help. (At least they did for me.)
Reaction time/leg time (the time it takes for you to see something happen, until the time it takes for you to react.) Basically you have three things happening at one time, the eyes perceive, the brain reasons, and body reacts. In order to cut down your leg time you must disconnect the reasoning element of the leg time. (Remove the brain!) Or in better words, making your techniques a neural response. (In this way the brain does not need to think, which takes time.)
"OK" (I'm sure no one here, wants to read an entire book on topic, so a cut to the chase.)
Exercisers.
Radio shack has a few toys that are really good for training reaction time. They sell a light (it looks like a traffic light) you plug it in and the lights blink on and off randomly. (You ask, how do you use it?) By removing one, or two lights will give you a random off time, (in which it makes you wait.)
When the light comes on, you can perform any technique you choose. (Example a block and strike, a kick, or a closing the gap technique.)
Sense you are using light, as a trigger to respond to, you can't get much faster that. The goal should be to fire any technique you choose loosely, relaxed and recoil, ready for the next triggering. (Which is a random timing.) As you get better you can an ad at another light to increase the speed of the random blinking.
I have many more ideas. Although the stated earlier," no one wants to read a book." So I will stop with this idea.
I hope it helps?
Sincerely yours C.A.G.

[Sensei Kunz]

To tell you the truth, I like that idea, it's innovative! However, once you have mastered or improved on your reaction timing, proceed to use its effectiveness during sparring by having your opponent do do some drills with you.

[curtis]

Good evening
Guohuen
everyone must find their own path, mine is a more modern approach. Although I'm always willing to here more on other peoples ideas. (I would like to hear more!)

Sinsei Kunz
my response to you, is similar. The end results are the same. Although I do believe sparring in the early stages of learning can be a huge mistake. Someone wishing to learn how to cut down their reaction time, must start at the beginning. If there is any fear or the emotional context involved to early in their training, I believe will be caused more harm than good.
And truthfully I dislike sparring. I prefer a concept called lin sil di dar (multiple attack theories). In this concept there are many principles that need to be adhered to. The area I'm looking at this time states, There is a primary and a secondary, the purpose for lin sil di dar is to learn. The primary is just that (the one who was learning) the secondary can be anyone or anything he chooses ,as long as he/she remembers he is a learning/ teaching aid.
In sparring it is me against you. Egos get involved. In lin sil di dar the secondary is not truly trying to better his primary, (he will challenge observed and correct if necessary.). But there is No ego involvement, so everyone learns.
Perhaps it's just semantics, but I find it even more challenging facing a boxer, a judo player, a street fighter, a TKD player, or even a drunken monkey fighter. That seems to be far more challenging they just one-man doing the same thing over and over trying to better his opponent.
Anyhow that's how I see it. I am looking forward the hearing your side.
Have a good evening!
Sincerely C.A.G.

[C. Martin]

Shooter and Curtis.....It's great to hear from other enlightened persons on this Forum! Thank you!

Meditation : While endless hours of meditation are both impractical and potentially redundant, "mental blueprinting" is an essential training tool. If you haven't even thought of what action you'll take in a given scenario, much less physically practiced it, you'll lock down, or take too long to respond. If there isn't a blueprint, there's a void. Voids are bad, brain ****s to use a cliche'. Military Operators and Law Enforcement use are encouraged to use mental blueprinting all the time. I can not practice really shooting someone until they are no longer a threat, but I can visualize it and mentally practice. I'm not talking about shooting paper targerts, I'm talking about putting rounds into another human being until he hits the pavement. This is not simulated emotionally in range exercises (unless simunitions are used.) Now I have some sort of plan if the poo hits the proverbial fan. We refer to it as the "What if?" game. Try it if you aren't already doing it.

While practicing against lights may allow you to react very quickly to random lights, it's much like doing forms to improve fighting skills. True progression will only occur when you actually respond to attacks and threats. Another cliche' if you'll indulge me, "Train like you fight, fight like you train."

Check this out, it's a great acronymn for reaction time:
P.E.D.A.
Perceive,
Evaluate,
Decide,
Act
Bob Magnuson S.T.O.P.S. Police Tactical Manual.

All of this occurs in a micro second. Without rehersal, under pressure, expect no real reductions in reaction time. The comments about having a "good" bad guy are right on the money. Take the egos out and let the bad guys be the coach.

One last thing.......another Blauer Quote, "Don't practice missing."

Best of luck in your training.

[Shooter]

I posted this on another thread. I hope it doesn't take the discussion too far off topic...just wanted to show how the idea of sparring can be structured for different intents and purposes than ego-gratification:

Sparring is a relationship which evolves naturally as the people involved develop a more sophisticated dynamic. The evolution of peoples' sparring has an intangible element that's based on intent more than method. Tactical intent begins to supercede technical application as the dynamic becomes more intimate. Push-hands, chi-sau, rolling, randori, armoured, street-clothed, are just variations of defining the relationship. Some are cooperative and some not.

If I spar with a long-time training partner, the relationship is different than if I spar with someone who I've never met before....and the intent will be very different regardless of the format. Ergo, the format reflects the familiarity and mutual understanding of what is being accomplished in the exercise. eg...The format is a street-fight scenario where we agree to "duel" rather than a format reflecting a random violent attack..if I throw a punch at my partner's thigh, the unfamiliar guy will be like "WTF???" but with long-time partner, it might be understood that I just pulled a kife and attempted a cut. If I make contact, the unfamiliar guy will have a pause that allows me to control his flow-state as well as the direction that the sparring takes, but with the familiar guy, I can expect him to take the intiative with a sense of urgency toward controlling the hand I just hit him with,...or he can run like the wind away from the danger. The difference is that one sparring session has a cooperative quality which is absent in the other.

Sparring reflects the intelligence of the participants and the IDEAS they've embraced mutually as a means to practicing particular skill-sets contained within the format. Skill-sets and etiquette dictate the format, but the corner-stone is the relationship.

[Sensei Kunz]

I am a basic open minded person, and any suggests or thoughts of any kind from anyone is a blessing. Eventhough you dislike sparring due to egos, it is apparent that you need to find some sparring partners who would rather learn than prove something to someone due to their insecurities. You must find good sparring partners that you can experiment and trust to develop fighting skills. there is nothing like full contact sparring if you give it a chance. Yes, you should start at the beginning and have some knowledge of the arts. However, I do believe that sparring should start within a short period of time. My students start light sparring after two months of training. I want them to experience contact as soon as possible. Especially the kids between the ages of 5 to 12 yrs of age. they will immediately realize that the size of an opponent means nothing and their self-confidence level has already begun to develop along with their fear of contact. this is my belief and I have been teaching for 30 yrs. It is amazing to see students showing fear just walking into a dojo for the first time and then within nine months become animals in control during full contact sparring.

I didn/t mean to ramble on again, however, I am a stron believer in contact - contat-and some more contact. LOL!

the neuromuscular deveopment at this time is well on its way, "when a hit, hits all by iteself."

[curtis]

Gentleman I am truly starting to enjoy this conversation.
C Martin
I to use visualization as a training tool. As well as direct meditation (other than indirect meditation, like most people who practice meditation use.) and both tools work well for me.
Siensi Kunz
your point is well taken, I to agree about putting technique into application. (Perhaps we're doing the same thing although using different names?) There are many concepts that sound alike but are very different (example, blocking vs. clearing the perimeter) in truth they do the same thing, only differently.
Cutting down leg time can also be seen as pre-seaving the motion before it actually starts. If you wait for the hand or foot to start in motion you have very little time to react, although if you see the persons set up for motion you can move before (or when) the opponent moves (after is to late!).
Distance control is also important, if the opponent is to close to you , it will be very difficult to see the movement in order to stop it. Although if you're too far away, then you can see the motion happen, but cannot react to it because you're too far away.
OK Siensi Kunz! I can hear you say (((SPAIRING!!!)))
YES BUT lets play with more toys first! (Lets go back to radio shack, or your local hardware store.) Let's make another light toy.

You'll need four light switches, (I like spring loaded switches, they go on when I push the button and go off when I release them.) And four low voltage light bulbs, some wire, and some pegboard (in truth anything will work as long as they hold the lights.) the purpose for this toy is to simulate different responses. You put the lights in four corners (they can simulate kicks, or punches or both)
you as the instructor can turn on and off the lights, and the students must respond with the proper technique when the light comes on. COME ON ITS a fun game! If you line up the students many people can use this exercise at the same time. Have the students strike when the light comes on, not after. (Trying to beat the speed of light, will definitely shorten your leg time )
I have to go.
Have a good day. C.A.G.

[Sensei Kunz]

Yes, we are probably talking about the same things. Too many people jump to conclusions when they do not understand YOUR terminology.

I would not use the "toys" during sparring though. It might be a good idea to train at home and then see how your reaction time improves during sparring training.

[Crow1981]

Hey!

Interesting thread. I think the ROSS system might have something about reducing reaction time. My only experiences with ROSS resources are limited to the IOUF and recently GTB(1st volume) videos so far. And they're not even mine, but my friend's who I borrowed them from because I couldn't afford them myself. And to be honest, I've only seen them once because of limited time. But they're GREAT.

Perhaps some forum members more experienced with ROSS than me, can respond to this thread. I'm sure it'll be educational for us.

Me and three of my friends have decided to split the costs 4 ways to purchase SHOCK-Ability and Fisticuffs, hopefully having enough by the end of this month . I think these might have methods dealing with reducing reaction time. I'm pretty sure I won't be disappointed with these though.

[curtis]

crow1981
I am sorry, I know nothiing about this ROSS System. please tell me more,WHAT IT IS ? Who dose it? and whare did it come from?


Reaction time is critical. But how do you train it? I like to train more than just reaction time, my goal is to try to preceive any motion before the starts. (Something like radar.) There are precursors to every motion, if I can see these precursors start I can predict what will come. Most of the time, I can stop the persons strike before the starts. (Sort of like a stop hit. But somewhat different too) the goal should be to strike through a perimeter, (clearing it.) And not worrying about ,the act of striking, in this way the strike itself becomes a block. (Your strike may or may not actually make contact with the opponents arms, that isn't important what is important is that you shut down your opponent's ability to striking you.)

As I understand it is like the animal spirit, to make things natural is, so the brain doesn't have a chance to mess things up.
Anything you do that is natural , like throwing ball there will be no thought involved.
Here it is a neat trick, to play on someone that is clearly beating you in any sport. Complement them there greatness. And Then asked them how do they do it? Do you breathe in or out when you move? By questioning the breathing element (which something they do without thinking.) makes them think about how they do it. (And as long as they are thinking about it, it is no longer natural for them to do)
have a good day. C.A.G. by

[Crow1981]

curtis, the ROSS website is www.amerross.com