Dynamic range

[gmattson]

Great post Bill. I get lots of candidates asking me "what will the test board be looking for?"

Now I can just refer them to this post!

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GEM

[Bill Glasheen]

It isn't often that a stranger gives you a few hints before demanding excellence in a performance.

With any luck, we'll have a fresh group of eager test candidates showing up in Gary Khoury's dojo in a few weeks. If things work out, I'll be there and part of it. And as sure as the sun comes up in the east, we'll all see a mixture of what is good and what is wrong in karate practice throughout the world.

Last spring I had the good fortune of judging at the Uechi tournament with kata champion Mike Murphy on my right, and the incomparable Al Wharton on my left. For the most part, people put on a good show. For the most part, it wasn't difficult to separate the candidates. We did occasionally get into situations where it was a flip of a coin. Often we were left thinking if only that person could have worked on....

Last spring, Mike used the term "dynamics" to describe something he was looking for. As an engineer and an audiophile, I like the phrase "dynamic range."

Have you ever wondered what makes a piece of music so compelling to listen to, and other stuff worthy of the trash bin? If you take time to dissect it, some of the concepts apply to fighting as well.

Let's start with the rhythm and timing. That singing fellow in the college dorm that you wanted to treat the way John Belushi abused the singer in Animal House didn't appreciate variation in rhythm. In stead of da, da, da, da, da, a good piece says da da, bump, da da da, bump, da da, bump, DA! The really good music even messes with your mind a bit, the way the rhythm in Yes's Changes goes.

WARNING!! Politically incorrect dialogue!!!

Have you ever seen a slow white boy leave a speed freak standing in his shoes like he's in concrete? It ain't the speed, it's the rhythm. Don't get me wrong - I'll take it if I've got it and work on it to the extent that I can. But it only goes so far. One of my favorite movie scenes is from Bull Durham. The crusty catcher played by Kevin Costner is having problems keeping his young, know-it-all pitcher from shaking off his calls. It seems Mister New Kid wants to impress everyone with his fastball. Fine! The exasperated catcher finally turns to the batter and says "Next one's going to be heat!" The batter give him a Thanks, man! smile, and sends the ball out of the park. Great timing can beat blazing speed. Vary the speed and you throw your opponent's timing off.

This works great in sparring.

This works great in kata.

And let's talk about the volume of that music. Beethoven's passionate music start's with a <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>DA DA DA DAAAAAAA!!!
DA DA DA DAAAAAAA!!!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> The next thing you know, the violins are taking over, and demanding that you listen to their whispering melodies. You bring your head forward, you hear the detail. You are intimate with the piece, and then...
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>DA... DA... DA!
DA DA DA DAAAAAAA!!!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You know that piece in seisan bunkai where you pick someone up and move them around, using their body as shield against a bad guy? Have you ever seen someone do that movement like they are picking up a piece of paper and whipping it around? What the heck are they thinking? (Hint... they aren't!)

There are some places where you are relaxed, fast, and focused. There are other places where you are tense, slow, and deliberate. Form and function go hand in hand. And guess what - doing one in the yin extreme makes the yang all the more compelling! A kata and a fight are a study of contrasts. Different things happen from second to second. We adjust and go with it... or we perish. In a fight we may break a hold, or break their jaw. We may thrust or we may grab and pull. We may be on our feet or we may be like a boa constrictor while on our back. Each venue has its demands for optimal performance.

The kata should look that way.

The fight should look that way.

And where does it start? In sanchin. Ever seen someone start the kata like they can't wait to get to the thrusts? Ever see someone speed through the double strikes and grabs like they are pulling on air? What's that all about? You may finish your sanchin before mine in group exercise, but being first and the fastest isn't always the best place to be in life.

What's going on in the opening? I don't care if you do it the way I do it - just do it like you know what you are doing. It is different than the body of the kata, so MAKE IT THAT WAY! And then don't be surprised if you see an application of these basic movements in a more advanced form or in a fight.

What's going on in the double thrusts? Talk about yin and yang... This is an EXCELLENT study of contrasts. Remember, the more extreme the yin looks...

Dare I talk about breathing?

AAAaaahhhhh!!! Honey, hide the kids!!!!

Look, I'm not going to tell you how you should breathe at any one point, and I'm certainly not going to try to "convert" anyone that has it all figured out. But I will tell you that breathing is important. I will also tell you that we breathe different ways when performing different tasks in life. I will also tell you that in life, we sometimes breathe with our movement and we sometimes breathe independent of the movement. We sometimes are quiet, and then there are times when we SHOUT!!!!

What are you doing at any one point in a form? Are you throwing a flurry? Are you lifting a body or squeezing a stiff object? Are you attempting to break a sternum? Well ask yourself this - does the breathing method I chose here make sense?

Better yet - if you huff and puff, can I see your energy in the fist? Or are you basically a sheep in wolf's clothing? Are you the product of a bad chop shop, with one part ill fitted to the next? What's it going to take to put it all together?

Whatever you choose to do, SUPRISE ME by choosing NOT to breathe the SAME WAY from beginning to end in your form. And do it in a way that makes FUNCTIONAL sense to you.

And speaking of breathing, DO IT! Take a pulse check (literally or figuratively) before you perform. Feel like you're going to wet that new undergarment? Remember that deep breathing exercise in junbi undo? Well... it WORKS! Forget a movement in a kata and have to repeat it? Don't just mentally spiral out of control; you obviously already are heading there. Take the time to pull in a few deep breaths. You'll be surprised at the results you get. Then, make a mental check of what got you in that nasty mental place, and go have a talk with Van.

Oh and one last thing - go out and have a blast. Put some emotional energy into your work. Put your signature on that thrust. Impress us. You (hopefully) only have one opportunity to cement your effort in the annals of time.

Good luck!

- Bill

[David Kahn]

Bill:

you wrote (I don't know how to "quote" within a reply):
*****************************************
You know that piece in seisan bunkai where you pick someone up and move them around, using their body as shield against a bad guy? Have you ever seen someone do that movement like they are picking up a piece of paper and whipping it around? What the heck are they thinking? (Hint... they aren't!)
******************************************

I'm not sure what you are referring to, exactly. I understand which technique you are discussing, but could you better explain the "do's and don'ts" of the application. The "whipping of the piece of paper" reference is vague to me.

Thanks,
David Kahn

P.S. Did you receive my email this week?

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Study the technique, until the technique studies you.
email: <A HREF="mailto:chgouechi1@aol.com">chgouechi1@aol.com</A>
website: http://members.aol.com/chgouechi1

[This message has been edited by David Kahn (edited October 17, 2002).]

[Shaolin]

Just my $0.2 here since much of what the judges are looking for doesn't seem apply to WC forms but...let me take a gander just for fun.

I think part of what Bill means is that the movement should be performed with the proper physical intent and use of structure that matches up with the suggested application(s).

If one performs movements only with the hands/arms and this energy release does not start from the base, one may see a flip-floppy (whipping paper) hand/arm movement(s) that clearly do not have the rooted power needed to actually do the job. The resulting display tends to look weak and pointless in execution.

So the movements can't be done with only the arms or hands - they must be done with the whole body. The horse, I would guess, should play a major role in this, as would the waist, hips, shoulders and arms. If the movement(s) are done by generating energy first at the base (the feet/horse/stance) and one builds the energy up through the body's power centers to the arms - the resulting aligned energy expression will reflect this 'use of structure' which is what the kata is teaching. (You should feel the power - it's real) The kind of power displayed via your structure will also let the real 'beauty' and flavor of the form come out - and keep the judges awake too.


Bill does this relate?


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Moy Yat Ving Tsun
Rest in peace dear teacher: Moy Yat Sifu

[This message has been edited by Shaolin (edited October 18, 2002).]

[LeeDarrow]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by David Kahn:
Bill:

you wrote (I don't know how to "quote" within a reply):
*****************************************
You know that piece in seisan bunkai where you pick someone up and move them around, using their body as shield against a bad guy? Have you ever seen someone do that movement like they are picking up a piece of paper and whipping it around? What the heck are they thinking? (Hint... they aren't!)
******************************************

I'm not sure what you are referring to, exactly. I understand which technique you are discussing, but could you better explain the "do's and don'ts" of the application. The "whipping of the piece of paper" reference is vague to me.

Thanks,
David Kahn

P.S. Did you receive my email this week?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

David-sama,

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received in doing kata is that one should behave AS IF the opponent were REALLY THERE.

This means that, if one is lifting someone in kata, then one should BELIEVE that one is lifting someone, FEEL that they are lifting someone and ACTUALLY lift someone, even if they are not there.

In acting, this is called, appropriately enough, the "AS IF Principle." Internalizing the belief that something is really there makes one's actions more believable and more powerful.

In psychology, we call this congruent behavior.

The best kata I have ever seen, at least IMHO, have been from people who understand and apply this mindset.

Hope this helps and best of luck to all the examinees!

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.

[Bill Glasheen]

This is right on, Lee.

Thanks, Jim. You're on the right track.

In physiology, the speed of contraction of a muscle is INDIRECTLY proportional to the weight the muscle is moving. In kata, we do all our movements in air. So we need to work to apply the "as if" principle mentioned above if the actual movement isn't moving through air.

The bad way to do the thrust, lift, and turn movement would be to do it AS IF you didn't have anything in your hands. Thus it is done with unrealistic speed. Can you imagine Marcel Merceau pretending he is rowing a boat, and moving the imaginary oars with lightning speed through the imaginary water? It wouldn't look believable, would it? Have you seen him do his routines where he is pretending to run forwards against high wind that occasionally sends him back (the moon walk)? You can learn a lot by watching a mime.

One way I tell my people to do that specific movement is to create internal resistance (dynamic tension) to match the external resistance (the mass of the body; the stiffness of the grabbed tissue) that the movement would typically see.

If you are thrusting, striking, or kicking someone, the first 95% of the movement is through air in real life. Only at the last 5% where you penetrate the surface does the movement look different in real life than it would in kata. You can simulate that with a bit of an isometric contraction at the end of a thrust.

But if you are throwing, manipulating, squeezing (shoken grab), moving, or uprooting someone or something, there is resistance to the motion. Putting dynamic tension in your kata movement creates a more realistic look, and gives the muscles attempting to do the job some exercise and a more realistic feel. Moving slower also accomplishes the same "look" without bringing in any artificial tension that you'd need to shed in real life.

- Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Glasheen (edited October 18, 2002).]

[Topos]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bill Glasheen:
This is right on, Lee.

Thanks, Jim. You're on the right track.

In physiology, the speed of contraction of a muscle is INDIRECTLY proportional to the weight the muscle is moving. In kata, we do all our movements in air. So we need to work to apply the "as if" principle mentioned above if the actual movement isn't moving through air.

The bad way to do the thrust, lift, and turn movement would be to do it AS IF you didn't have anything in your hands. Thus it is done with unrealistic speed. Can you imagine Marcel Merceau pretending he is rowing a boat, and moving the imaginary oars with lightning speed through the imaginary water? It wouldn't look believable, would it? Have you seen him do his routines where he is pretending to run forwards against high wind that occasionally sends him back (the moon walk)? You can learn a lot by watching a mime.

One way I tell my people to do that specific movement is to create internal resistance (dynamic tension) to match the external resistance (the mass of the body; the stiffness of the grabbed tissue) that the movement would typically see.

If you are thrusting, striking, or kicking someone, the first 95% of the movement is through air in real life. Only at the last 5% where you penetrate the surface does the movement look different in real life than it would in kata. You can simulate that with a bit of an isometric contraction at the end of a thrust.

But if you are throwing, manipulating, squeezing (shoken grab), moving, or uprooting someone or something, there is resistance to the motion. Putting dynamic tension in your kata movement creates a more realistic look, and gives the muscles attempting to do the job some exercise and a more realistic feel. Moving slower also accomplishes the same "look" without bringing in any artificial tension that you'd need to shed in real life.

- Bill

Bill, my compliments for your usual succinct articulation of concepts that conveys economically the essence of your dynamic explanation. As parables are a more efficent transport of principles for recall and internalization, so are your expressions of what are for most students fleeting insights that have no mental hooks for recall.

Having placed Master Toyama's demonstration of Sanseiru from the Allan Dollar Tape on DVD, and playing it at 1/8th speed, all what you say are reenforced. You see that he moves at the 'symphonic' rates', his articulation of legs, hips, to arms, etc. And, applying your visualization directive, 'see' his opponent and do not relish being that person in that piece of the visualization.

All are lucky to have you and your board.

[Van Canna]

Bill,

That was a great way of putting it.

It sure beats "dead fish" kata under the guise of "smoothness"!

Actually some Dan tests are good at discovering future professional "window washers"

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Van Canna

[This message has been edited by Van Canna (edited October 19, 2002).]