“We descend to our level of training”

I have been planning to write a lot about what the L-rd is teaching me about resting in Him, but I feel like He’s telling me not to blog about that right now—that I shouldn’t worry about how to restate spiritual insights for someone else’s benefit, but simply learn to live what I am learning.

So instead, you get this: some thoughts about self-defense and parkour.

I was introduced to the discipline of parkour a few months ago. I’ve only trained with Laurie once, but hopefully we’ll do another day of training soon. (I need to start doing pull-ups as well as push-ups and probably should take up running if I want to seriously pursue this discipline.) Anyway, I was reading this guy’s parkour blog the other day. Blane says in one entry, “When faced with the stress of a life-threatening engagement, we don’t rise to the occasion, we descend to our level of training.” He goes on to explain:

Many hand-to-hand combat experts have recommended learning as many combat techniques as possible to prepare for every eventuality—but many of the same experts also recommend spending time deciding on simply 3-4 different techniques that you are certain you can execute with adequate power, speed and confidence to end the confrontation…so that you’re not faced with the 3,000 techniques you learnt in the dojo running through your mind and trying to pick one in the heat of the moment.

I think it is in times of safety that we must consider these things logically so that we don’t have to suddenly make the decision under pressure. Don’t give the brain so many options as this causes it to panic—give it solid, concrete decisions and training based on previous logical thought so that it can lose all doubt in your ability to successfully employ this technique to save your life. Your brain has enough jobs to do during a crisis as it’s trying to manage chemicals, muscles, oxygen intake etc. Give it one less thing to worry about, today.

I was actually talking about this a few weeks ago with a friend who had recently started taking BJJ. I was telling him about how I’d trained in Jitsu Do Karate for about three years and had recently switched to Shinki Ryu Jujitsu/Shito Ryu Karate. He said, “You trained for three years? So does that mean you’re really good? Could you take me down in a fight?”

I thought about it for a moment. “I’m not sure,” I said. “I have two sets of reflexes: one from my old art and one that I’m learning from my new art. I’m not sure what I would choose to do. I might get mixed up during the fight.”

“Reflex” was probably the wrong word to use. I have only been taking Shinki/Shito for about eight months and that is definitely not enough time to turn training into reflex. If we look at that hypothetical fight purely from the point of reflex and instinct, the answer is clear: I would revert to Jitsu Do. For me, that means meat-and-potatoes self-defense: simple, effective strikes to vital points, defensive side kicks to the knee. If I am extremely lucky I might remember to use angular and circular movement to control the centerline.

But looking at what Blane says, what I should really ask myself is this: “If I get into a fight, what three or four techniques would be best for me to use?” The follow-up to that question then becomes, “Are these three or four techniques instinctive? If not, how do I make them instinctive?”

I can choose the level of training to which I would descend in a fight. It’s not something arbitrary; I don’t have to walk around all, “Oh, woe is me, my current training is worthless; I hope I remember all my Jitsu Do vital points if I get jumped.” No—I can make the conscious choice to train and prepare myself for that moment, if it ever comes.

I hope it won’t. That’s also why I would like to have some training in running away. I don’t want to cause another human being so much damage (unless they are clearly intent on seriously harming me, in which case all bets are off). But until some of the parkour techniques are ingrained, I’ll need to rely on those three or four techniques.

I’m off to make a list…