CIRCLES AND LINES
Reflecting on the Significance of Principles in the Martial Arts
"Understanding a handful of principles will unlock the key to understanding a multitude of techniques..."
Reflecting on the Significance of Principles in the Martial Arts
"Understanding a handful of principles will unlock the key to understanding a multitude of techniques..."
When I was younger, my father would sit me down to draw lines and circles on a sheets of paper in hopes of improving my penmanship. I'd draw dozens, even hundreds, of lines and circles to help me develop decent handwriting. I didn't keep up with it as long as he may have wanted, so who knows how much my writing "improved." Either way, the idea was to practice basic strokes in order to better my dexterity and to be able to spell my letters out legibly and with better style.
But why lines and circles? Well, perhaps because most letters in the English language, or any language for that matter, are composed of combinations and variations of lines and circles-straight lines and curved lines. They are in a sense the principal strokes for written English, forming a basis for the entirety of the system, and knowing to do them correctly is important for learning how to write clearly.
And how does this apply to martial arts? Well, I feel that the martial arts are similar in that they too are composed of basic principles. For example, many of the techniques in martial arts are composed of a series of principal motions, many of them coincidentally linear or circular in nature. This notion of linear and circular motion is just one example of the many principles in martial arts. Balance and footwork, range and position, striking and targeting--Principles such as these govern the techniques of the martial arts, and, while all arts are different, their principles often overlap.
When it comes to understanding how and why techniques work, a student can benefit by learning the basic principles that govern that art. Without understanding the principles, a practitioner wouldn't be able to understand how body, mind, and action come together to create technique. Teaching martial arts without principles would be to limit the learning to mere performance and imitation--certainly a good start, but basically just the start. On the other hand, when the study of martial arts is guided by an understanding of techniques and their principles, both teacher and student benefit. Understanding these principles will better lead to a teacher's ability to explain why, how, and when an technique is applicable. Furthermore, it will help the student guide his or her learning and increase an understanding of how and why their own techniques work and how and why new techniques will work. Additionally, I feel that this kind of understanding helps contribute to a growth within the martial arts as they evolve. This kind of understanding can promote progress and development of technique, skill, learning, and application.
A student who understands the principles of his or her own art might become a more adaptable practitioner than a student who can simply perform techniques via rote memorization.
This is not to say that conditioned reflexes are unimportant. A proficient martial artist should have a level of muscle memory that allows his or her techniques to be executed quickly, effectively, and without thought, and this can only come from dedicated practice and experience. Discipline and the practice of skills are necessary to achieve effectiveness in application--one cannot give up physical practice for a "mental" mastery of the theory behind a technique. Still, total mastery is in both making the techniques instinctive, able to be executed perfectly without thought, and in understanding the technique practically and intellectually. This as a whole promotes the building of the arts in both knowledge and practice.
My main thought here is that students who understands the principles of their art may have an advantage over students who has merely learned lessons through rote memorization, and the same goes for teachers. Those who understand the principles of their art may have an edge in improvising if and when they are in an unfamiliar situation. They may also be able to create an unfamiliar situation for an opponent by implementing or adjusting techniques in an innovative way against fighters while maintaining core principles in place. This comprehension of principles may also help said students become better teachers for the future students of their respective arts, allowing them to push the knowledge base of their arts towards new levels, moving their arts away from away from mysticism, as is the case in some arts, away from pure tradition, and to a place of understanding and creativity.
So sometimes it's important to remember that even great artistry comes from an understanding of mere circles and lines. And here again, discipline is fundamental. You won't be able to use them if you don't practice.
And how does this apply to martial arts? Well, I feel that the martial arts are similar in that they too are composed of basic principles. For example, many of the techniques in martial arts are composed of a series of principal motions, many of them coincidentally linear or circular in nature. This notion of linear and circular motion is just one example of the many principles in martial arts. Balance and footwork, range and position, striking and targeting--Principles such as these govern the techniques of the martial arts, and, while all arts are different, their principles often overlap.
When it comes to understanding how and why techniques work, a student can benefit by learning the basic principles that govern that art. Without understanding the principles, a practitioner wouldn't be able to understand how body, mind, and action come together to create technique. Teaching martial arts without principles would be to limit the learning to mere performance and imitation--certainly a good start, but basically just the start. On the other hand, when the study of martial arts is guided by an understanding of techniques and their principles, both teacher and student benefit. Understanding these principles will better lead to a teacher's ability to explain why, how, and when an technique is applicable. Furthermore, it will help the student guide his or her learning and increase an understanding of how and why their own techniques work and how and why new techniques will work. Additionally, I feel that this kind of understanding helps contribute to a growth within the martial arts as they evolve. This kind of understanding can promote progress and development of technique, skill, learning, and application.
A student who understands the principles of his or her own art might become a more adaptable practitioner than a student who can simply perform techniques via rote memorization.
This is not to say that conditioned reflexes are unimportant. A proficient martial artist should have a level of muscle memory that allows his or her techniques to be executed quickly, effectively, and without thought, and this can only come from dedicated practice and experience. Discipline and the practice of skills are necessary to achieve effectiveness in application--one cannot give up physical practice for a "mental" mastery of the theory behind a technique. Still, total mastery is in both making the techniques instinctive, able to be executed perfectly without thought, and in understanding the technique practically and intellectually. This as a whole promotes the building of the arts in both knowledge and practice.
My main thought here is that students who understands the principles of their art may have an advantage over students who has merely learned lessons through rote memorization, and the same goes for teachers. Those who understand the principles of their art may have an edge in improvising if and when they are in an unfamiliar situation. They may also be able to create an unfamiliar situation for an opponent by implementing or adjusting techniques in an innovative way against fighters while maintaining core principles in place. This comprehension of principles may also help said students become better teachers for the future students of their respective arts, allowing them to push the knowledge base of their arts towards new levels, moving their arts away from away from mysticism, as is the case in some arts, away from pure tradition, and to a place of understanding and creativity.
So sometimes it's important to remember that even great artistry comes from an understanding of mere circles and lines. And here again, discipline is fundamental. You won't be able to use them if you don't practice.
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