Students often ask, “Sensei why do you have your students develop sensitivity? “
This is a great question.. Sensitivity is the top secret ingredient in all martial arts. The understanding of this idea will raise you above all the rest in the martial arena.
There are many layers of understanding this idea (Concept) of what sensitivity really is concerning martial play. Lets begin with skin … the biggest organ on the human anatomy. Your skin is very sensitive and was designed by our creator to help us stay out of trouble.
If you get to close to a flame – fire … you will notice your skin becoming hot. The closer you get the faster your skin heats up until you become burned. Winter time if you go outside without gloves you will notice your hands become cold. If you have kids and get up in the middle of the night to relieve your self and while walking in the dark you step onto the kids toy may be some thing hard and pointy … ouch … yup that hurts. I think you are getting the picture here so lets move on.
We always hear that in the martial arts you learn how to defend your self against much bigger and stronger attackers. There is this idea by learning martial arts you can magically defend your self with just a few memorized techniques done in order from prearranged attacks. Well I hate to burst your bubble here but that is just not going to happen.
Now days people are lifting weights and doing combat conditioning drills to help make themselves bigger and stronger so they will become a better fighter. This is all good but with this type of thinking you will only be able to defend yourself as long as you are in good physical shape.
What happens now when you are hurt or injured? What happens when you are sick and drop muscle and have no stamina? What happens when you age and your speed – strength drops?
Here is where sensitivity enters into the picture. By learning to yield or give way like in Jujutsu or Aikido – Tai Chi and other martial art system as well you can now blend with energy instead of clashing with it. Learning to use your skin to notice and feel pressure is one of the best kept secrets in the martial art world. A lot of martial arts teach it, but they don’t make a big enough deal out of it because it is so simple to learn. So they take it for granted and pass it by or even blow it off.
The other day I had a conversation with a service man, who is the hand to hand instructor for his unit. He asked me the difference between Jujutsu / Aiki-Jutsu and Aiki-Jujutsu. The difference is how they utilize the energy coming in from different attacks. Ju-Jutsu is more of a yielding method.. that is what JU means in the Jujutsu.. it means to yield. Just like merging into traffic with your car. Coming out of an exit and merging with others cars going in the same direction you are traveling. You will first need to match the speed while not bumping into other cars.. Merging is yielding.. If I throw a raw egg at you how would you catch that egg without it breaking? You will need to match the incoming speed of that egg at the same time merging your hands with that egg and as this egg touches your hand you go back into your self with your hand or hands that is doing the catching. You tend to cradle this egg in a soft easy approach. If you just threw your hand out there in one place while the egg hit it the egg would then break the time you closed your hand around it. Apply this concept – idea, to human contact.
Aiki-Jutsu is a little different. Aiki means to blend with energy. Here is where your skin comes in. When you feel some thing like pressure or heat from another human being you learn to ease up and blend with the direction of where this energy wants to go. By learning to relax your muscles and allow the muscles to go soft you will be able to notice more feeling in these muscles. Your touch with skin to some thing else, will become more noticeable and heightened. When you feel resistance don’t resist, instead just let the pressure take you over and allow it to win. Just like the old saying in Tai Chi Chuan, (win by losing) so by allowing this energy to push or pull you in what ever direction it wants to go you learn to ride the wave of energy and in that we call blending. Think of this.. you are in a river with rough waters. You are trying to swim and becoming very exhausted. Now if you lie back on your back and just float allowing the current to carry you where ever it goes that is Aiki.
Aiki-Jujutsu is having the best of two worlds blended together. So now you have blending with energy and yielding. Some times you will need to just blend with energy and at other moments in time you will just need to yield with energy … Here is where it may get a little confusing because these two concepts are so similar but also very different. What makes them different is how you feel about them while in motion. Some times you will only need to yield to oncoming energy. Some times will will need to blend with oncoming energy … do what you must to survive is the idea.. but understanding energy and the different methods of sensing it and using it against your opponent is key.
When we practice Arnis – Kali – Escrima and Dumog we utilize the sensitivity drills. In Filipino martial arts we have a term called sticky stick. This is where you touch your opponents stick and try to feel where your opponents movement is going. By easing up on your own stick and following the path of your opponent’s stick through the sensitivity in your hand that is holding that stick, you can feel where his/her stick will go next and by doing this have already countered your opponent. This drill is done back and forth for long durations of time. When done properly you go into a meditative trance-like state and when this happens you are now training by spirit alone, which is truly a wonderful experience. Kind of like the runners high that you may hear about. Now Wing Chun Kung Fu has this same drill Chi Sau (Spelling) and they even do this drill blind folded. Amazing I know, but with the right instructor and lots of practice you to can accomplish a great deal.
Please understand sensitivity is not just limited to the arms. Oh no, you can do drills with your legs, your back all parts of your body. I know in Judo and Brazilian Jujitsu they have sensitivity drills they practice on the ground. They allow their bodies to listen (feel) for which way their opponents weight will shift next and they move right along with it by relaxing and allowing their opponents movement to take over. Also by relaxing you save a great deal of energy as well which you will need for later on in the fight.
I hope this helped you to understand just how important sensitivity is and also please do understand that I could write a book just on this subject but need to stop here, otherwise this article would still be in my computer and you would not be able to read it.
Always train slowly and be safe while working out with your training partners. Try to empty your cup before entering the dojo (school of thought) Be kind to the planet and all who share it.
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