But Not Dramatic Interpretation

I attended a martial arts seminar a while back. It was fun and informative. I've decided to put into words some of my experiences and resulting thoughts and feelings on things learned there.

One topic that came through loud and clear, though not being taught directly, was the importance of correct training.

Resistance
One presenter had us practice moves against partially resisting, then fully resisting partners. Many people's techniques did not measure up under full resistance.

This has happened in the martial arts for a long time: people experiment with cooperative partners in the dojo, and the move works fine. But they never test it live, so they never refine the move, and they don't really know if the move is even plausible.

Creative or Strict Interpretation
In my son's Taekwondo class, many moves and strategies are taught that are good fundamental basics. However, to be applied to a resisting partner or opponent, the practitioner must get creative for setups and opportunities.

In my jiu-jitsu class, we teach specific setups and applications of certain movements. Strict application of these methods result in a higher probability of success. If a student attempts to "get creative" in application, they wind up failing over 99% of the time.

Summary
So a practitioner must ascertain whether he/she practices a technique with increasing resistance, and whether they need to use creative or strict interpretations for setups.

.