Stance: the positioning of the body for combat.
Steps are transitions between stances; stances are where you end up after steps. Confusing, huh? In Bando, we have two categories of stances, formal and combat. Formal stances are rather strictly defined postures used to learn and categorize weight shifts, directions, and body alignment. They provide the structure to support techniques. Dr. Gyi would say "You cannot fire a cannon off a bamboo platform." In Bando, we have three main formal stances, each with three variants.
Combat stances are less formal and more fluid. Again, there are two main types of combative stances. The first is your personal fighting stance. This is your "ready position" for fighting. I often describe it to students as an "idling car at a red light." The engine is running, the car will go -- just as soon as the light changes. I teach my students certain key elements that must be present in the fighting stance principles of hand position, which hand leads, and so on. The second form of combative stance is the functional application of the formal stances. They're not quite as technically perfect as the formal stances, but they should be recognizably related to them.
Ian Abernathy wrote a very good article about the principles and development of stances in training. I encourage you to read it. Ian Abernathy: My Stance on Stances One of the key ideas in it is to understand the role of stance and stance training, and how it relates to functional fighting.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
What happens when two AREN'T tangoing...
There's no one sort of violent attack; violence occurs a spectrum. However, it's important to distinguish violence from what Rory Miller calls a "monkey dance." A monkey dance is about status, not really hurting someone. There are unwritten rules in a monkey dance, and you violate those rules at the risk of social sanction. The college jock who beats the stereotypical nerd senseless doesn't gain status; he's laughed at. Here are two examples of monkey dances getting stopped short... There may be inappropriate language in either; view at your own risk or turn your speakers off.
In both cases -- you see the Monkey Dance building, and then one of the people stops playing. I'm not justifying or defending the actions of anyone involved; I don't know enough of the circumstances. But in both, you see one person escalating, putting on a show. Then the other person has enough -- and stops the whole dance.
If you remain calm, and recognize when a Monkey Dance is starting, you have opportunities to stop it. You can escalate to more force, quicker, and end the dance that way. It's sometimes the right thing to do. But... you're not limited to pulling out the big guns, either. You may be able to disengage or defuse the situation without force, too. And it's important to at least make the effort -- when it is safe to do so.
In both cases -- you see the Monkey Dance building, and then one of the people stops playing. I'm not justifying or defending the actions of anyone involved; I don't know enough of the circumstances. But in both, you see one person escalating, putting on a show. Then the other person has enough -- and stops the whole dance.
If you remain calm, and recognize when a Monkey Dance is starting, you have opportunities to stop it. You can escalate to more force, quicker, and end the dance that way. It's sometimes the right thing to do. But... you're not limited to pulling out the big guns, either. You may be able to disengage or defuse the situation without force, too. And it's important to at least make the effort -- when it is safe to do so.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Presence
"Simply by your presence, you can effect change."
Some years back, my teacher, Joe Manley, brought this motto to our class, and it's been on my mind lately, what with a seminar coming up and a few comments folks have made in my presence.
For many years, I avoided missing class for a simple reason: I was absolutely sure that the one class I missed would be the class that had the lesson I absolutely needed.
We'd often repeat material over the years, and sometimes it would get frustrating. After all, how many times can you work on the front kick? Well... I don't know. I'm still working on it, and working on getting it right. So I guess the answer is "at least one more time!" Working with Joe would break out a new piece or new element or just tweak something, and my kick would get better. Joe would address this issue with a story from his own training... He would go to train with Dr. Gyi, and they'd work on something... and it'd be the same thing they worked on last time. It finally dawned on Joe that if they were still working on it, it must mean that they don't have it right yet... and he began to focus his training on getting it right -- and Dr. Gyi could finally move on!
Let's look at that motto again... "Simply by your presence, you can effect change." Presence. What's that mean? Being there. Effect. The dictionary definition is interesting. It can mean the result... or it can mean that you've altered the result. Change. Change can be the result -- or the process of becoming different.
Simply by being there, you both bring about alterations --- and you alter the outcome of the activity.
Don't fall into the trap of "I already know that" or "I don't need that lesson."
Some years back, my teacher, Joe Manley, brought this motto to our class, and it's been on my mind lately, what with a seminar coming up and a few comments folks have made in my presence.
For many years, I avoided missing class for a simple reason: I was absolutely sure that the one class I missed would be the class that had the lesson I absolutely needed.
We'd often repeat material over the years, and sometimes it would get frustrating. After all, how many times can you work on the front kick? Well... I don't know. I'm still working on it, and working on getting it right. So I guess the answer is "at least one more time!" Working with Joe would break out a new piece or new element or just tweak something, and my kick would get better. Joe would address this issue with a story from his own training... He would go to train with Dr. Gyi, and they'd work on something... and it'd be the same thing they worked on last time. It finally dawned on Joe that if they were still working on it, it must mean that they don't have it right yet... and he began to focus his training on getting it right -- and Dr. Gyi could finally move on!
Let's look at that motto again... "Simply by your presence, you can effect change." Presence. What's that mean? Being there. Effect. The dictionary definition is interesting. It can mean the result... or it can mean that you've altered the result. Change. Change can be the result -- or the process of becoming different.
Simply by being there, you both bring about alterations --- and you alter the outcome of the activity.
Don't fall into the trap of "I already know that" or "I don't need that lesson."
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Seminar Announcement
On January 29, 2011, Piedmont Bando of Northern Virginia has the honor of hosting Bando Grandmasters Joe Manley and Lloyd Davis for a seminar on the fundamentals of Bando and free sparring.
The seminar will be held at the Manassas Battlefield Holiday Inn on Balls Ford Road in Manassas, beginning at 10 AM. The seminar fee, to cover costs, is $70 for non-ABA members, and $60 for ABA members in good standing.
Contact us if you have any questions.
The seminar will be held at the Manassas Battlefield Holiday Inn on Balls Ford Road in Manassas, beginning at 10 AM. The seminar fee, to cover costs, is $70 for non-ABA members, and $60 for ABA members in good standing.
Contact us if you have any questions.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
What are you preparing for?
Martial arts training has become quite common today. Ranging from thinly veiled daycare programs through MMA competitors up to professionals who must use violence on a daily basis. Take a moment, and think about why you're training.
Some people train because they've got friends doing it, and the class is a social event. Others train to compete, whether in traditional style tournaments or MMA. Still others train because they've experienced violence, and want to be ready if it ever happens again. There are people who train because they train; they enjoy the physical challenges and wouldn't know what to do with themselves if they weren't training. And some people train because they have every reason to expect to need effective skills in using force. (Let's not even consider the people who train because someone makes them...)
Nobody's purpose in training is superior; they're all merely different. But that purpose will shape how you train. A sport karate competitor has to train to understand, use, and apply the rules of the event. A rape or domestic violence survivor's training may be very different -- and may have to be conducted with great sensitivity and care. A cop, correctional officer, or soldier may train differently from each other -- and very differently from the guy who's simply "doing" martial arts because it's more interesting to him than bowling or going to an ordinary gym.
Think about why you're training. Then assess how you conduct your training. If the two aren't in harmony, you're not going to get the results you want. If you're training to be able to effectively impose force on a resisting or combative subject in the streets -- you have to have partners who do that, and you have to do things like scenario training. If you're training to win the next MMA event -- you need to spend time working on the various aspects of that game. Including the conditioning necessary to last through your fight! And so on. If there's a conflict between your training and your goals, start looking for weighs to fix it!
Some people train because they've got friends doing it, and the class is a social event. Others train to compete, whether in traditional style tournaments or MMA. Still others train because they've experienced violence, and want to be ready if it ever happens again. There are people who train because they train; they enjoy the physical challenges and wouldn't know what to do with themselves if they weren't training. And some people train because they have every reason to expect to need effective skills in using force. (Let's not even consider the people who train because someone makes them...)
Nobody's purpose in training is superior; they're all merely different. But that purpose will shape how you train. A sport karate competitor has to train to understand, use, and apply the rules of the event. A rape or domestic violence survivor's training may be very different -- and may have to be conducted with great sensitivity and care. A cop, correctional officer, or soldier may train differently from each other -- and very differently from the guy who's simply "doing" martial arts because it's more interesting to him than bowling or going to an ordinary gym.
Think about why you're training. Then assess how you conduct your training. If the two aren't in harmony, you're not going to get the results you want. If you're training to be able to effectively impose force on a resisting or combative subject in the streets -- you have to have partners who do that, and you have to do things like scenario training. If you're training to win the next MMA event -- you need to spend time working on the various aspects of that game. Including the conditioning necessary to last through your fight! And so on. If there's a conflict between your training and your goals, start looking for weighs to fix it!
Minor housekeeping note
Readers may notice that the tone or voice of posts and comments under Piedmont Bando change occasionally. Nobody here suffers from multiple personality disorder. Instead, all of the instructors of Piedmont Bando have the ability to post and comment here under the main name. So, sometimes it might be Jim, sometimes Debby, even occasionally Tristan... If you're curious who wrote what -- ask us!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Training Responsibilities
Training mirrors life. When we begin training, our responsibilities are few. Show up, follow directions, practice on your own. As you advance in training, your responsibilities grow. You may be asked to greet new students or assure that the facility is cleaned and prepared for class. You might be asked to instruct new students or lead warm ups. One day, you may find yourself responsible for a class or club. Seems like it's a simple idea. The teacher teaches, the student learns. But there's more to it than that.
Let's start by looking more closely at a student's responsibilities. To simply say show up and train is to almost trivialize it. Students have the responsibility to show up in class. To focus on class, and listen to the instructor and participate with integrity. Why do I use integrity? Because it means wholeness, not just honestly. When you're in class, BE in class. Bring the required equipment. Pay attention; leave outside matters outside. Don't chat about unrelated matters, don't disrupt class by being a what-if monkey.. Give an honest and intent effort to the exercises and drills. If you've been training for months, and still can't do any more pushups than your first night... something's wrong. You may be asked to assume other responsibilities, like unlocking the training facility, greeting or teaching new students. You should be trying to bring a few new faces around... how else are you going to be sure to have playmates?! If you're not specifically assigned something, and it needs doing -- step up and do it! Unless it's something you don't know how to do or shouldn't do for some reason. A visitor should never feel ignored or unwelcome, for example. Every student can at least say "Hi, let me get the teacher for you."
But the responsibilities don't stop and start at the training hall door. In my classes, we don't spend huge amounts of class time on pure fitness type exercises. We don't have that much time, and I'd rather spend it focused on improving your skill, not your endurance. So you have to spend some time outside the training hall to develop your phsyical fitness. And you have to practice outside of class -- so that we don't have to spend class after class after class on the same material. My teacher used to tell us how he'd go to see his teacher, and they'd work on the same move, again and again, from one session to the next. My teacher finally realized that the reason they kept covering the same thing was because they didn't have it right yet!
A teacher has responsibilities, too. The teacher has to attend class, too! There's no class if there's no teacher, just as there's no class if there's no student. The instructor's primary responsibility is to be ready; have a plan, both for a particular class and for several months down the road, and to see that the training is accomplished safely. The teacher should have some idea and plan to help each student reach their personal best. The teacher also has to practice -- or the students will surpass the teacher! That doesn't mean that a teacher's time is spent repeating the same basic drills or that a teacher who can't recall a particular form or kata on the spur of the moment is irresponsible. Nor does it mean that the teacher should be bringing huge stacks of detailed lesson plans, or notes handouts. But a teacher who consistently spends no time on training or preparation until they walk in the door... They're probably being rather irresponsible. There's plenty more here (like being able to be humble enough to recognize when you're not helping a particular student by your teaching)... but I'm going to move on.
There's another type of responsibility to consider: Who is responsible for your training? One of the hardest lessons, but biggest keys to growth is accepting that ultimately, YOU and YOU ALONE are responsible for your training. Your teachers can put the information out -- but it's up to you to actually work with it and make it yours. And -- eventually, it becomes your responsibility to seek out the training you need. You might identify these needs through your own practice and even get guidance from your teachers -- but at some point, the spoon feeding has to stop, and you have to seek out what you need. And you have to be responsible for your own development within the martial sciences.
Let's start by looking more closely at a student's responsibilities. To simply say show up and train is to almost trivialize it. Students have the responsibility to show up in class. To focus on class, and listen to the instructor and participate with integrity. Why do I use integrity? Because it means wholeness, not just honestly. When you're in class, BE in class. Bring the required equipment. Pay attention; leave outside matters outside. Don't chat about unrelated matters, don't disrupt class by being a what-if monkey.. Give an honest and intent effort to the exercises and drills. If you've been training for months, and still can't do any more pushups than your first night... something's wrong. You may be asked to assume other responsibilities, like unlocking the training facility, greeting or teaching new students. You should be trying to bring a few new faces around... how else are you going to be sure to have playmates?! If you're not specifically assigned something, and it needs doing -- step up and do it! Unless it's something you don't know how to do or shouldn't do for some reason. A visitor should never feel ignored or unwelcome, for example. Every student can at least say "Hi, let me get the teacher for you."
But the responsibilities don't stop and start at the training hall door. In my classes, we don't spend huge amounts of class time on pure fitness type exercises. We don't have that much time, and I'd rather spend it focused on improving your skill, not your endurance. So you have to spend some time outside the training hall to develop your phsyical fitness. And you have to practice outside of class -- so that we don't have to spend class after class after class on the same material. My teacher used to tell us how he'd go to see his teacher, and they'd work on the same move, again and again, from one session to the next. My teacher finally realized that the reason they kept covering the same thing was because they didn't have it right yet!
A teacher has responsibilities, too. The teacher has to attend class, too! There's no class if there's no teacher, just as there's no class if there's no student. The instructor's primary responsibility is to be ready; have a plan, both for a particular class and for several months down the road, and to see that the training is accomplished safely. The teacher should have some idea and plan to help each student reach their personal best. The teacher also has to practice -- or the students will surpass the teacher! That doesn't mean that a teacher's time is spent repeating the same basic drills or that a teacher who can't recall a particular form or kata on the spur of the moment is irresponsible. Nor does it mean that the teacher should be bringing huge stacks of detailed lesson plans, or notes handouts. But a teacher who consistently spends no time on training or preparation until they walk in the door... They're probably being rather irresponsible. There's plenty more here (like being able to be humble enough to recognize when you're not helping a particular student by your teaching)... but I'm going to move on.
There's another type of responsibility to consider: Who is responsible for your training? One of the hardest lessons, but biggest keys to growth is accepting that ultimately, YOU and YOU ALONE are responsible for your training. Your teachers can put the information out -- but it's up to you to actually work with it and make it yours. And -- eventually, it becomes your responsibility to seek out the training you need. You might identify these needs through your own practice and even get guidance from your teachers -- but at some point, the spoon feeding has to stop, and you have to seek out what you need. And you have to be responsible for your own development within the martial sciences.
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