Keeping up with change
Although I am more focused on Chinese martial arts at the moment it is no secret that I have a very special place for Aikido in my heart.
Long before some Youtubers went out showing how its basic techniques DO NOT work in an actual fight I have found that its principle of "blending" could actually find application in my Karate- especially in managing what we call ma ai or the distance between two fighters.
As long as you match the movement of your opponent step by step with your retreat the gap will be open. Miss a step and the gap gets closed and you can get hit.
A similar feeling comes from the "sticking hands" or chi sao exercise of Wing Chun Quan.
Meet your partner's every move as it happens and your defense will remain unbroken. Get out of sync and you get hit.
We know, however, that life outside the dojo also never stands still. Even if you prefer to "go with the flow" you still have to "go" when it is called for.
Success at work and personal life is not so much a matter of finding something good and then fighting to keep it unchanged. By now you ought to have lived long enough in this realm to know that change is inevitable.
Being ready for change and adapting to it in time is a much better strategy.
Now- what do the martial arts teach us about dealing with change? How do martial artists manage to respond in time to changes in a match or a fight?
Well- here are some guidelines:
1. Consider all possible contingencies and plan for them all-
One of the biggest favours I have done for myself is spending all that time fighting imaginary opponents. When the time came for me to spar with actual people I have found that the mental preparation from imagining all the possible attacks that my opponents could use against me helped me to meet the actual attacks with a lot more confidence than before.
If you are the person who says that he/ she only deals with things as and when they happen you have set yourself up to get overwhelmed and surprised a lot in life.
You may enjoy the adrenaline rush of crisis management. Well- I can't afford to.
At work I often take stock of the cases I have and of the other tasks that come up from time to time. In my planning I make provision for those inconvenient surprises of which I have become aware through experience and make sure that I know what to do if they do occur.
2. Don't expect any particular chain of events
A harsh reality in our law is that if you have been driving the same quiet road from your home to the highway without incident for years and have become too comfortable to pay attention to your surroundings and suddenly get involved in a collision because someone decided to hastily exit his driveway on that particular day- unlike all others before- you are still guilty of driving negligently and liable for damages!
Still- we understand that it is natural for our minds to take shortcuts. We see the same thing happening over and over again and get prepared to see the same thing happening yet again.
You know about "motor-setting" as taught by Bruce Lee, right?
Well- in life we assume a lot. We assume that our retirement funds will continue to earn interest. We assume that the company we work for will still be there tomorrow. You assume that the ones closest to you will always be there.
Still- we know the risks, right? A lot of these things we take for granted will have us panicking ourselves out of our minds if they stop being where they are supposed to be or stop doing what they are supposed to do. If it is important to you- keep an eye on it. Things can change at any time.
3. Keep Calm
Seriously- can you what a nervous, jittery Aikido player looks like?
Aikido instructors will all tell you that getting yourself worked up before a sparring session leads to the body stiffening up and not responding to movements in time.
You can even get injured if you don't relax.
For you to be able to respond correctly and on time you need to be able to perceive circumstances clearly and for you to do that your mind has to be quiet. You need to be calm.
I still don't get how some people think that people perform best when they are in constant fear and under the constant impression that all hell has broken loose. The only thing that kind of approach does to me is piss me off.
Also- being calm in the face of things going sideways is not always a sign of indifference. I know a couple of bosses who only feel at ease if they see their workers pale faced with eyes wide and brows sweaty. It may make you feel better, but it is not really helping.
What helps is getting the job done right. If you really want to fix things calm yourself the fuck down first then become a fucking leader and guide everyone towards the best solution instead of just yelling like an impotent jerk.
Well... with all that said I just hope it sinks in that remaining calm in the face of a crisis helps a lot more that doing the whole headless chicken thing.
4. Forget your own preferences
Sure. We all like certain things and dislike others. Still- if a fight demands that it is time to block then it is time to block- even if you actually wanted to start your one-two combination at that specific moment.
Likewise if your financial situation says it is time to cut down on luxuries then it is time to do just that. It sucks, but what sucks more is being flat broke the next month.
Here with me it sometimes means pitching in with office work on a Saturday or two even though I'd rather chill on my weekends. Still- it feels much better knowing that things got dealt with afterward.
5. Awareness and Mindfulness
These two elements go hand in hand. It may be very obvious that dealing with change requires being aware of it, but the wrong response often comes from being preoccupied with either how you feel about something in the past or worrying about what calamity the future may hold.
It is all good to have done your planning and projecting before you got into the fight, but when you are in the game your mind has to be on the here and now.
Now I am going to predict that there are a lot of changes waiting to happen in your lives. I don't know this because I am a psychic, but because that is how the Universe works.
Have a great week ahead and train hard!
Long before some Youtubers went out showing how its basic techniques DO NOT work in an actual fight I have found that its principle of "blending" could actually find application in my Karate- especially in managing what we call ma ai or the distance between two fighters.
As long as you match the movement of your opponent step by step with your retreat the gap will be open. Miss a step and the gap gets closed and you can get hit.
A similar feeling comes from the "sticking hands" or chi sao exercise of Wing Chun Quan.
Meet your partner's every move as it happens and your defense will remain unbroken. Get out of sync and you get hit.
We know, however, that life outside the dojo also never stands still. Even if you prefer to "go with the flow" you still have to "go" when it is called for.
Success at work and personal life is not so much a matter of finding something good and then fighting to keep it unchanged. By now you ought to have lived long enough in this realm to know that change is inevitable.
Being ready for change and adapting to it in time is a much better strategy.
Now- what do the martial arts teach us about dealing with change? How do martial artists manage to respond in time to changes in a match or a fight?
Well- here are some guidelines:
1. Consider all possible contingencies and plan for them all-
One of the biggest favours I have done for myself is spending all that time fighting imaginary opponents. When the time came for me to spar with actual people I have found that the mental preparation from imagining all the possible attacks that my opponents could use against me helped me to meet the actual attacks with a lot more confidence than before.
If you are the person who says that he/ she only deals with things as and when they happen you have set yourself up to get overwhelmed and surprised a lot in life.
You may enjoy the adrenaline rush of crisis management. Well- I can't afford to.
At work I often take stock of the cases I have and of the other tasks that come up from time to time. In my planning I make provision for those inconvenient surprises of which I have become aware through experience and make sure that I know what to do if they do occur.
2. Don't expect any particular chain of events
A harsh reality in our law is that if you have been driving the same quiet road from your home to the highway without incident for years and have become too comfortable to pay attention to your surroundings and suddenly get involved in a collision because someone decided to hastily exit his driveway on that particular day- unlike all others before- you are still guilty of driving negligently and liable for damages!
Still- we understand that it is natural for our minds to take shortcuts. We see the same thing happening over and over again and get prepared to see the same thing happening yet again.
You know about "motor-setting" as taught by Bruce Lee, right?
Well- in life we assume a lot. We assume that our retirement funds will continue to earn interest. We assume that the company we work for will still be there tomorrow. You assume that the ones closest to you will always be there.
Still- we know the risks, right? A lot of these things we take for granted will have us panicking ourselves out of our minds if they stop being where they are supposed to be or stop doing what they are supposed to do. If it is important to you- keep an eye on it. Things can change at any time.
3. Keep Calm
Seriously- can you what a nervous, jittery Aikido player looks like?
Aikido instructors will all tell you that getting yourself worked up before a sparring session leads to the body stiffening up and not responding to movements in time.
You can even get injured if you don't relax.
For you to be able to respond correctly and on time you need to be able to perceive circumstances clearly and for you to do that your mind has to be quiet. You need to be calm.
I still don't get how some people think that people perform best when they are in constant fear and under the constant impression that all hell has broken loose. The only thing that kind of approach does to me is piss me off.
Also- being calm in the face of things going sideways is not always a sign of indifference. I know a couple of bosses who only feel at ease if they see their workers pale faced with eyes wide and brows sweaty. It may make you feel better, but it is not really helping.
What helps is getting the job done right. If you really want to fix things calm yourself the fuck down first then become a fucking leader and guide everyone towards the best solution instead of just yelling like an impotent jerk.
Well... with all that said I just hope it sinks in that remaining calm in the face of a crisis helps a lot more that doing the whole headless chicken thing.
4. Forget your own preferences
Sure. We all like certain things and dislike others. Still- if a fight demands that it is time to block then it is time to block- even if you actually wanted to start your one-two combination at that specific moment.
Likewise if your financial situation says it is time to cut down on luxuries then it is time to do just that. It sucks, but what sucks more is being flat broke the next month.
Here with me it sometimes means pitching in with office work on a Saturday or two even though I'd rather chill on my weekends. Still- it feels much better knowing that things got dealt with afterward.
5. Awareness and Mindfulness
These two elements go hand in hand. It may be very obvious that dealing with change requires being aware of it, but the wrong response often comes from being preoccupied with either how you feel about something in the past or worrying about what calamity the future may hold.
It is all good to have done your planning and projecting before you got into the fight, but when you are in the game your mind has to be on the here and now.
Now I am going to predict that there are a lot of changes waiting to happen in your lives. I don't know this because I am a psychic, but because that is how the Universe works.
Have a great week ahead and train hard!
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