The basics.
Every sport, trade, art, or other undertaking has them. Most people find them boring because they are often drilled over and over, and teacher/coaches remind us of them constantly whether it is how to throw a kick or hold a paint brush.
In Tang Soo Do, the basics and taking the time to master them is of utmost importance. They are drilled over and over at the beginning of each and every training session, moving up and down the floor. They are performed under the watchful eye of the instructor and even the slightest corrections are made to ensure they are performed just right.
A slight turn of the wrist here, an adjustment to the arm height there, or a turn of the hip or head, all to get them just right. Why do we spend so much time mastering these techniques?
Your Foundation
By taking the time to MASTER the basics, not just memorize them, you are building your foundation in the art.
Just like a house (more like a skyscraper) foundation determines how stable and solid the building that is built on it will be. If the foundation is weak, the building will be weak and unstable.
When faced with storms (like the hurricanes here in Florida) the building will flood, fail, or crumble. Like the building, if you have not mastered the basics of the system, your art will fail under pressure, like a self-defense situation, when you need it most. When I taught classes in the dojang I focused heavily on basics, going around making adjustments, testing stances and fists.
As an instructor the last thing I ever want is for one of my students to be in a self-defense situation on the street and have what I taught them not work. Thankfully that has never happened and I have had the opposite from the few students who were forced to defend themselves in a bar or club.
They came to class and apologized for not being able to avoid the situation, but went on to explain what happened and how what they had learned had worked and saved them and the ones they were with from harm. I was like a proud parent knowing that they successfully defended themselves, but even more proud of them and their humility and the honor they showed in the midst of the situation.
Put In the Work
Yes, it’s repetitive, even boring at times, but is an absolute necessity. Put in the work and the reps to learn and master the basics. Work on generating power from the ground, through your body, and into the target.
Work on increasing your speed, snap, and power, rotating your hips, while remaining relaxed and loose. Pay attention to your breathing ensuring you inhale and exhale at the right moment. Snap the technique and tense at the moment of impact, immediately relaxing afterward.
Many students begin martial arts because they see it in a movie or TV show, thinking it’s cool and fun. Then they begin real training, practicing the same things over and over, doing hundreds of repetitions day after day. A majority quit because it’s hard work or boring.
Those that persevere build their body, their mind, their discipline, and their spirit. Which will you be?
“One becomes a beginner after one thousand days of training, and an expert after ten thousand days of practice” – Masutatsu Oyama, founder of Kyokushin Karate