A Martial Artist's analysis of the All Blacks






Rugby is definitely close enough to a fighting sport as it is. It is a tough contact sport that requires physical strength as well as psychological toughness.

The most successful team in this sport is undoubtedly the All Blacks. No doubt that the warrior spirit displayed by the Haka plays a crucial part in their success. Their passion and skill are world renowned and they are known as a force to be reckoned with throughout the rugby community.

I have stated in an earlier post that the martial arts are comprised of 3 elements- power, technique and tactics. This post briefly evaluates the All Blacks in these 3 respects.


1. Power:

Whether it is the front row taking and dishing out punishment in the scrums and the rucks or Dagg that can kick a ball hard enough to drop a sturdy built front row player to his knees- the All Blacks have shown us that their players have all the physical strength they need.

Being elbowed in the face, stepped on and knocked really hard during tackles serve to reveal another strength, though. This team is psychologically tough. Often involved in the most physical matches the sport has to offer they have shown that no amount of punishment can deter them from reaching their goal.


2. Technique:

This is one area that sets the All Blacks apart from most teams. These players don't just play the game, but seek to perfect it in every kick, every pass and every maneuver they carry out. Having displayed the ability to accurately kick a ball into bins placed a distance away, to kick a ball through a basketball hoop or passing with enough accuracy over long distances to knock selected water bottles from a table (sometimes without even looking in the direction of the throw!) the All Blacks serve to demonstrate time and time again how valuable these techniques are and why they should be developed and perfected.


3. Tactics

When these guys have their backs against the wall, seeming just about to buckle under the pressure of the opposing team's onslaught they suddenly conjure up the most amazing plays to be found in rugby. This, however, is not just luck and it is definitely not magic. What it is, however, is the ability to not only devise the most surprising of strategies, but also to execute them with seemingly the greatest of ease.


CONCLUSION

I'm not certain whether it is correct to say that the warrior ways of the Maori have found its way onto the rugby field, but just as mastery of any or all of the above elements have delivered martial artists who keep us in awe with their apparent superhuman abilities, these guys show us these principles in action whenever they are on the field.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blindfold training

Image
Now here's something I have not yet written about. :D I have been interested in the Zen side of Japanese martial arts since the age of 16. It was about at this age when I began with Qigong as well. As a young karateka back then I did not have the confidence, strength or aggression of my classmates and looking back- I think it was a good thing. Because of that classes scared me. Now- had it not been to exposure to the mental training techniques provided to me by Zen- I would not have seen this hostile dojo environment as the ideal testing grounds for the things I have read. This is one major factor to which I attribute my development as a martial artist. One very important training tool that has always served me well and that continues to do so to this dat is Zen Meditation. This, in itself, has provided me with a number of benefits about which I can write in detail. One of those- was the development of intuition and sensory acuity. It is actually wonderfu...
Read more

Tai Chi Movement #3- Wave Hands like Clouds

Image
I have just started searching for examples of this movement on the internet and realised that among all the people doing Tai Chi out there I might just be the only one who would apply Cloud Hands the way I do. I have found different variations of the movement itself as well. This makes my writing about my version and its application a bit unfair as you will be missing out on some really elaborate applications. Now- how I always did this movement is starting from a posture like the Lute Playing posture like the picture below- or the Spread Wings posture like this: From either one of these ready postures I then rotate my front foot and let my body follow while my leading hand makes contact with an imaginary thrust and I then complete the rotation by passing the attack while I guide its force past me with minimal effort and my free hand follows the blocking hand to wind up for an outward strike. When the rotation and step is complete I shift weight ...
Read more

Learning a Martial Art- some basic guidelines

Image
I think we have by now come across a couple of people who are studying some martial art or the other on their own. Back when I tried doing it at the age of 10 I used a book and later more books followed. Well- even after I did join an actual dojo more books followed even then... People are quick to say that you can't learn a martial art from a book. That is understandable. I for one know that you can't work as a lawyer if you have only gotten your law degree. In fact- few people feel as incompetent as a bright graduate starting out as a candidate at a law firm. The main reason why martial arts can't be learnt by reading alone is that experience plays a large part in developing the skills that any martial art has to offer. Knowledge is not enough. Nonetheless- self study is possible. We may argue about to which extent, but the history of Chinese and Japanese martial arts feature instances where people studied a scroll or a f...
Read more