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Monthly Message: January 2002
Fellow Karate-ka:
Everyone knows what practice is.
Everyone has some idea of how it works and how to do it.
Most people however do not understand exactly what it is.
Practice is the way to rehearse the existing skills
that one already has and to reinforce the new skills that one has just
learned. It is the “art of correct repetition”.
It is necessary to be able to repeat over and over what one has
been taught correctly. If you learn something in
class, you must have an understanding of it (the way to move, where to
move, etc.) in order to practice it correctly. If
you do not then you will find yourself having to relearn it again at
your next class because you may leave something out or execute a
technique incorrectly. So understanding of what you
have been given to practice is the first step to practicing correctly.
The next step is physical repetition.
Your body must get used to moving in the new way.
Techniques must be done with focus and power. Balance must be
maintained correctly and your center should be low and in the right
place for each technique. This comes with repeating
the movements over and over and focusing your power and energy (ki) in
your techniques. Your mind must also be focused.
The third step is to mentally see yourself practicing
each technique correctly. Our minds are very
powerful and they are the first source of information for us to practice
with. You can practice everything in your mind.
Seeing yourself perform your kata or techniques correctly will
help you transmit this to your physical body.
Repeating a self defense application in your mind over and over helps
you to learn that application at a faster rate.
Digest your material and practice it in your mind before you do it the
first time physically. See the results you get.
Finally you must practice like there is no tomorrow
or that there is nothing after your practice. In
other words practice like you have everything to lose and in this way
you will be concentrating so much on what your are doing that no
distractions will occur and you will reach your goal of mastering a
technique much quicker.
Imagine what would have happened to the samurai who
fought in real life and death situations almost daily if they didn’t
practice with this attitude.
This is the way.
Sensei Dave
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