Sensitivity on the Ground

4 Ranges,

I am back. I am just trying to catch up on e-mails and other tasks.

How are the new JKD trapping ideas coming along? Are you seeing some
value in this new trapping method?

How's your kettlebell training coming along comrade? Any new
discoveries?

Roy

4 Ranges,

In my opinion, there are several types of awareness:

  1. Awareness of sight (light, movement, color, shape, etc..)
  2. Awareness of sound
  3. Awareness of smell
  4. Awareness of touch
  5. Awareness of taste
  6. Awareness of the mind
  7. Awareness of the spirit

Many people FOCUS their efforts on a few of these, usually the first
two. Event fewer people FOCUS on numbers 3, 4 and 5. And even fewer
can FOCUS numbers 6 and 7.

While grappling, most students focus on what they see. Even fewer
focus on what they hear or touch. With proper training, discipline and
time, any student can develop their awareness to touch, which is what
we call sensitivity, to a high level.

How does one accomplish this? By paying attention to detail from day
one and by asking and answering some simple questions!

For years, I have written about paying attention to details (i.e. the
subtle nuances of how, when, why and what). For example, I have
talked and written about the subtle nuances of the upa and elbow/
knee techniques, yet I still see students around the world who have my
instructionals yet they still have problems performing the most basic of
movements. Why do these students STILL have problems with these
fundamental techniques? Because they contracted a Grappler's disease
I refer to as the "Yeah, I got it" disease.

What is the "Yeah, I got it"? Well, I describe it like this: The student is
shown a simple technique. After a few minutes of contemplation, the
student thinks to themselves, "Yeah, I've got it now." Then, for the next
several years, he or she never digs any deeper into the meaning of the
movements they were taught. Rather, they simply accept what they
have been taught as Gospel truth and never commit any personal
research to the issue. Additionally, they are rarely able to make certain
techniques work unless speed, power and explosiveness are used.
However, that doesn't bother them because they feel, "Hey, I got the
tap (or the sweep)......and that's all that matters." This attitude is the
number one symptom of the "Yeah, I got it" disease.

Here is another example: Over the years, I have given over 100 blue
belt examinations in the past seven years, yet only two or three out of
ten people (when performing the upa technique) actually trap the arm
like I demonstrate on my instructional videos (and like I teach to all of
my instructors). Why is it that so many of these students trap the arm
any way they feel like trapping it (some of which work and others
which work because their training partners allow them to work)? Why
don't they trap it the way I taught them to trap it or the way their
instructor taught them? Simple. Because "They've got it."

What's interesting is when it comes time for them to grapple, very few
of them can rarely perform the upa technique. Yet, when they see me
grapple with my purple belts, and I allow a purple belt to mount on top
of me, and they see me perform a simple upa technique REALLY SLOW,
they wonder how I am able to do that. Heck, I have even had some of
my purple belts ask me how I do it! What they miss is so simple - It is
right before their eyes.........yet many of them still think THEY'VE GOT
IT! However, from my perspective, they don't got it.

So, from my perspective, to raising one's level of awareness (which is
the first key to developing sensitivity), the first mountain that must be
conquered is the Mountain of AWARENESS TO SELF. Once this mountain
is conquered, the practitioner must go through a short (or long) valley
called "a plateau" before beginning their journey up the next mountain,
the Mountain of AWARENESS TO ONE'S TRAINING PARTNER. These two
mountains must be conquered before can even begins to think about
climbing the third, fourth and fifth mountains of awareness.

So, where does the journey begin? The first journey up the first
mountain begins with paying attention to detail right from the start. It
also involves keeping the same level of interest (i.e. intensity)
throughout the journey through the various belt levels. For example,
many beginners make light of the upa and elbow/knee escape
techniques. However, they do not realize the wisdom contained within
these two techniques. They do not realize HOW IMPORTANT these
techniques are to their overall development, even if it is stated to
them. Why? Because of that dreaded "Yeah, I got it" disease.

Here's the wisdom in these two techniques: Upa and elbow/knee
escape lay the foundation for 90+% of what a student will perform in
live grappling sessions from day one until they hang up the wrestling
shoes, head gear and/or gi. Therefore, in my opinion, it will be
imperative that Upa and elbow/knee escape be studied in detail from
white belt to advanced purple belt (or should I say "The first five to
seven years of one's journey.")

NOTE: I know many who would disagree with me on this point, but
that's OK. My goal is not to make the student effective. Anyone can be
effective given enough time, determination and desire. Additionally,
technique is not required for effectiveness! No, my goal as an
instructor is to help my students become efficient over time, as well as
teach them how to play and discover on their own. In short, I am in this
for the long haul (two to four decades).

So, once a student has studied these two techniques with their eyes
open, they'll need to study them with their eyes closed. With their eyes
closed, they need to learn how to FEEL the techniques. How do they
FEEL a technique? Well, here are a few ideas for you to play with:

  1. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your feet? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.
  2. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your shins? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.
  3. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your knees? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.
  4. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your thighs? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.
  5. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your hips? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.
  6. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your stomach? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.
  7. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your chest? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.
  8. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your shoulders? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.
  9. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your neck? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.
  10. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your elbows? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.
  11. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your forearms? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.
  12. What does Upa FEEL LIKE on your hands? Describe and define it in explicit , non-visual terms.

Continued.....

Once a person has taken the time to describe (in print) what Upa FEELS
like, they should take the time to describe the weight shifts they feel at
the beginning of the technique, at the middle of the technique, and at
the end of the technique. Make sure to use non-visual terms that most
people could SEE with their eyes closed!

What do I mean by using non-visual terms? Here are two examples.
You tell me which example uses terms you can see with your mind's
eye:

Example #1 - When you perform the tomato technique, put your hand
here. Next, your knee goes overtop of the leg, like this.

Example #2 - When you perform the tomato technique, place the palm
of your right hand on top of your opponent's left hip. Make sure to
place the heel of your right hand on the front of your opponent's left
hip. Also, make sure that most of your weight rests on the pinky side
of the heel of your right hand.

Next, your left knee is placed on top of your opponent's left upper
thigh, close to his groin area. Make sure to place the tip of your
kneecap on the inside of his thigh. In other words, don't put your
upper shin on this thigh - use only your kneecap.

Now, if you had your eyes closed and someone was speaking to you,
which example would you have preferred to hear? Obviously, you
would have preferred to hear example #2 because it created to clear
image in your mind's eye of what was going on. This is what I mean
when I refer to writing your answers in non-visual terms.

So, in raising your level of awareness to self, it will be important to you
that you fully and clearly communicate your thoughts to yourself!!! If
you don't, how else will you be able to obtain all the information that
could have been obtained?

Once you have thought about your answers and have taken the time to
write them down, you can rest assured that you will never forget them
because they will be firmly planted in your mind's eye, as well as
memorized in your muscles and skin!

Additionally, your new level of awareness to what you feel will change
the way you train!

So, begin your journey like this:

  1. Have your training partner attempt your guard by performing three
    or four guard passes. Make sure he stays within the confines of those
    guard passes. I know that many BJJ practitioners have the tendency to
    become competitive with each other and change the drill to something
    it was not meant to be, but if you want to see a lot of improvement in a
    short period of time, the training must stay focused (that is, it must be
    goal oriented). Notice I wrote FOCUSED, not FUN. While I believe it is
    important to have fun with your training at times, generally, fun and
    focus do not occur at the same time! Rather, they occur independent of
    each other. So, keep your goal oriented training sessions disciplined
    and focused.

  2. Now, once you have a feel for what those guard passes feel like (for
    your legs, hips and upper torso), and you know what you counters
    should be performed against specific techniques, begin to work on the
    timing of your counters. How do you work on the timing of your
    counters? Begin by recognizing (first by sight, then by feel) what
    specific counters work against specific guard passes. Then, work on
    putting that counter in at the most appropriate time. When is that
    time? When the counter technique FEELS like a hot knife cutting
    through warm butter.......when it feel effortless to perform your
    counter. Once you are able to perform this counter at the appropriate
    time, three to four times out of ten in a dynamic, yet controlled
    environment, you can then move on to a different counter and repeat
    the same process.

How long should a person work on timing his counters to three or four
specific guard passes? I say a minimum of twenty hours. I believe it
takes that long to become familiar with one technique as well as the
techniques related to it. I also believe it takes that long to develop the
muscle memory needed to perform it repetitively in a live sparring
session. Why do I feel it takes this long? Because when we grapple, the
windows of opportunity to perform any technique are very short. And
since these windows of opportunity are very short, we do not have time
to think during them. Rather, we must feel and respond. So, in order to
compress our mechanics and become fluid and sensitive, I believe
most of us need a minimum of twenty hours of focused, disciplined
effort to obtain this level of sensitivity.

Does that make sense?

Well bro, I have to go, but I will write more later.

Roy Harris

Hey Roy:

I'm still reading your great posts.

"How are the new JKD trapping ideas coming along? Are you seeing some value in this new trapping method?"

Absolutely love it. So functional I'm surprised at the idiots who just pass it off as "dead."

I actually took the concept of your pressurized hubud and applied it to a recent stand-up combination. It was a savate combo that fell into a clinch.

I showed a new student of mine a "pressurized" detail similar in "feeling" to the hubud you showed me. He was manhandling his trainer after I showed him this.

Here's a question: Sifu Armando taught hubud and chi sao separately, saving chi sao for the advanced students. So there are lots of my old classmates who know hubud, but don't know the first thing about chi sao.

How do you recommend I go about sharing your pressurized hubud with my old classmates who don't have experience with chi sao?

From a personal application standpoint, I'm working on applying this new pressure to my entries, as well as the attributes I'm developing through the TGU's. This new "pressurized" straightblast is a bit scary to train, from the receiving end's perspective. Remember when I asked you about how to create more pressure with my straightblast? The pressurized hubud drill took care of that VERY nicely. :)

"How's your kettlebell training coming along comrade? Any new discoveries?"

Oh yes! :)

First of all, I had to try that nifty combo you were doing at the seminar with the figure 8/clean/catch. That's an AWESOME combo.

Secondly, I'm working pretty diligently on really "feeling" the tight quality in the loaded position and top position for the swing. I'm working less and less with reps and height with the KB, and more with the QUALITY of each rep. I've also found that the loaded position is just as important as the explosiveness at the top position: the loaded position has helped me maintain a strong base while passing the guard.

Thirdly, this is hard to believe and sounds hokey, but ever since I started playing with the DARC swings where you let go of the KB momentarily then catch it in midair...I've caught more flies in midair than ever in my life! LOL!!! Seriously, I feel like Mr. Miyagi sans chopsticks. My wife says "honey, there's a fly in the..." before she's done, I see it, and I catch it in midair.

Fourthly, I recently purchased a 2 pood KB just to play with. I can snatch it for singles, but I can't press it for the life of me. Any suggestions with this?

Lastly, I purchased Steve Cotter's DVD as per your recommendation, and it's a GREAT DVD! I dig Valery Fedorenko's "pinky press!" He's a great teacher, but I sure miss Hollywood Pavel. :(

I'm off to read your posts!

  • Comrade 4 Ranges

Roy:

BEAUTIFUL response. Thank you thank you!

I'm copying and pasting your response in my training journal.

Pure gold.

r----

Two more questions Roy:

  • How did you develop this method of sensitivity training?

  • Is this an approach you'd recommend for the stand-up portion of combat training, particularly for trapping and clinch range sensitivity training?

4 Ranges,

Thanks!

You asked, "How did you develop this method of sensitivity training?"
Simple: By paying attention to detail during the entire process, and by
asking and answering a ton of questions that came up during training.
In other words, I never settled for what was presented to me. I always
asked myself (a) is there a more effective way of doing or training this,
(b) is there a more efficient way of doing or training this, and more
importantly, (c) is there a more efficient way of me presenting this to
my students.

You also asked, "Is this an approach you'd recommend for the stand-
up portion of combat training, particularly for trapping and clinch
range sensitivity training?" My answer would be a simple, yet emphatic,
"YES!"

Roy

What an awesome article..Most of my fellow gym members have the Yeah, I got it" disease. I emailed them all this article. Hopefully i wont hear "YEA I KNOW, F%CK IT LETS ROLL"