Uechi-Ryu.com

The fact is they are listening to a distant voice — the one that thinks this is a social interaction, a fight… and everyone knows you square off to fight.

The only problem is it’s completely artificial and has the sad consequence of forcing you to try to stick to the script (“I get up, we face off, and then go,”) while he’s ad libbing – tackling you from behind, kicking you while you’re down, starting in before you’re ready, etc.

The belief is that it won’t matter — you’ll figure it out on the fly, highly motivated by the knowledge that this is really ‘it.’ That squaring off in practice won’t matter.

But we all know you’ll perform as you practice, and if you only start once you get up and square off on the mats you’ll struggle to do so while he beats you back down on the concrete.

.....how to get to work from wherever you find yourself.

Sometimes it’s with you flat on your back, with him standing over you. Sometimes he’s the one who’s down and you get to work him over while he tries to get up. Or taking him down when his back is turned.

When it comes to injury, every position is a good starting position as long as you get straight to it.

If you have a preferred start position that you train, whether consciously or not, you will waste time trying to get ready before you attack. And you won’t feel ready until you see the profile you train.