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4TH ELEMENT
Author: Sandra Essary
The two full-contact fighters faced each other. They wore no gloves, footgear or pads. They were armed only with karate—with their empty hands. The rules set few limits on this most brutal type of competition. Crippling shin kicks to the thighs, full-force instep kicks to the head, bone-breaking punches to the ribs and body—all of it tested a man’s technique, speed and power. But even more important, it tested his heart. Without taking their eyes off each other, the fighters bowed. The ref shouted, “Hajime,” commanding them to begin. Punching and kicking, they blasted away at each other. The lights overhead made one fighter’s head throb as soon as he opened his eyes. Looking up, he saw someone standing over him. “What happened?” he asked. “You got knocked out,” the ref replied.
The fighter sat up slowly, holding his head in his hands, trying to remember what had occurred. He frowned and muttered, “How?” “He kicked you in the head.”
The fighter said, “I never saw it coming.” Humbled, he grew quiet while he watched the lightning-fast kicks and punches of his opponent during the rest of the matches that day. Perfectly timed, they went over, around and through the other martial artists’ defenses, toppling one after another.
The man on the knockout streak went on to become the national champion that year. In fact, he retained his title for six years before finally retiring to challenge himself in other ways. Today, he heads a system of 35 martial arts schools that have taught more than 50,000 people.
The man’s name is Tiger Schulmann, and no one knows the importance of timing better than he does. This article gleans the best tips and drills from Schulmann’s ring exploits and training regimen—secrets that took him to the top of the karate world. If you have the right attitude and devotion to training, they can do the same for you.
THREE ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS
There are powerful, aggressive fighters who never seem to win in competition, and there are smaller, less-experienced fighters who always seem to take home the trophies. By the same token, there are big, tough guys on the street who get knocked out every day, and there are smaller guys who can defend themselves against an opponent of any size. It would seem that no matter where the fight takes place—in the ring, on the street or in a crowded barroom— power and strength alone are not enough to guarantee victory. So what’s the missing ingredient? What does one person know that the other does not? When you try a new punch, kick, takedown or submission hold, the learning process involves three elements.
First, you have to concentrate on the proper technique. Sometimes fine-tuning even small things in the execution of your technique can spell the difference between winning and losing. Mere inches can mean a lot. Second, you have to add speed. The faster your techniques are, the harder they will be to block or evade. With proper technique and speed in place, you will already have a certain amount of the third element: power. If you then hit the heavy bag and do push-ups and other strength-building exercises, you can boost your power even more.
That’s where a lot of martial artists stop. But there exists a fourth element that can be added to your training that will give you the mark of an expert. That element is timing.
THE TIME IS RIGHT
Timing boils down to knowing the best moment to throw a technique and being able to launch that technique in a split second with full commitment to hit the target at precisely the right instant.
The best time to throw a technique is when your opponent is off-guard. If he sees your punch or kick coming, he will have time to brace himself for it and absorb most of its power—or block it altogether. Think about professional boxing and kickboxing matches you’ve seen that have ended in a knockout.
Most of those finishing blows were timed so precisely that the opponent never even saw the shot that sent him to the canvas. If the punch or kick lacks good timing, it will be seen by the opponent, who will have plenty of advance notice to effect a block or evasive maneuver.
The ability to launch a technique at precisely the right time depends on two factors. First, you must not hesitate when you see an opening, and second, you must have trained your body to act according to that opening.
Most people have a natural fear of sparring. The reason stems from a fear of the unknown. When you are a beginner, you believe sparring consists of many unknowns: What techniques can your opponent throw? How can you block them? What techniques can you throw back at him? The result is a natural tendency to worry about getting hit and getting hurt.
In a confrontation, such fear can lead to hesitation and indecisiveness.
Hesitation can make you miss that split-second opening for a perfectly timed technique. The best way to work through a fear of sparring and the hesitation that goes with it is to spar on a regular basis, building your skills over time. By sparring regularly, you will gain confidence in your abilities and minimize the fear associated with hand-to-hand combat. You will also witness different techniques, angles of execution, ways to defend yourself and ways to counter. The question marks will be minimized, and so will the fear that accompanies them.
Once you are confident enough to spar in a more relaxed manner, you can work on improving your timing using drills such as the ones described on these pages.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
You may have heard the story about the young fellow in New York City who asked a wise old man, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” The old man replied, “Practice, practice, practice.” Whether you are obsessed with becoming a virtuoso violinist or a champion karateka, the principle for improving your timing is the same: Practice, practice, practice.
Drills help develop muscle memory. henever a muscle learns to do something new—turning the pages of a magazine, for example—the brain has to concentrate on the motion. As the motion is made, electrical impulses fire along a chain of neurons, creating a neurological path. If the motion is successful, the brain knows that this was the correct path.
Repeating the successful motion over and over creates a stronger neurological path. It is similar to what would happen if you drove your car through a field. At first, the tires would knock down the grass and cut a shallow track. But if you were to keep driving down that same path day after day, eventually you would leave deep ruts where your tires traveled.
Muscle memory is created in much the same way. Eventually, the neurological path from neuron to neuron becomes so habitual that your brain no longer has to think about how to do the motion. You just do it. Thus, you turn the pages of the magazine without having to think about which muscles to use, where to put your fingers or how to move a page without ripping it.
That’s the whole reason for repeatedly practicing timing drills. Eventually, you will no longer have to concentrate on exactly when to throw your kick or punch. It will just happen.
You’ll see the opening and simply react.
FROM THEORY TO REALITY
The samurai may not have known much about muscles and neurons, but they did know that repetitive practice produced instant action on the battlefield.
In combat, they had to rely on their endless hours of training to enter a mental state called mushin, or “no mind.” The brain usually thinks before it makes the body act. In a fight, however, such a slow process would mean death. The cure is mushin, which enables the body to react quickly without thinking. Essentially, it lets the body do the thinking.
In the quest for perfect timing, the only way you can acquire this oneness of mind and body is the same one that will take you to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice. You can begin by practicing the drills described in this article. Shown are several common attacks.
For each one, there is Option One: the basic block, which would be followed by a counterattack (not shown). Then there is the more advanced Option Two: a response that relies on one well-timed technique that serves as the block and the counter.
A good way to start is to have your partner execute each attack using only 25 percent of his speed so you can easily easily time your response. As your ability improves, have him increase his speed.
When you feel comfortable at nearly full speed, spar using only the offensive technique and the well-timed response you have been practicing. You will find that having practiced those techniques allows your mind to step aside and your body to respond quickly and without thought. You will be using mushin.
To what degree is it possible for you to improve your timing? You can discover the answer by asking yourself, “How much am I willing to practice these timing drills?” As with most aspects of martial arts training, the secret of success lies in having the determination to improve and the commitment to practice. ...
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