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The first hour of the seminar, which I was late for due to an absurd amount of shore traffic, was about using battlefield tactics in one on one combat. We were taught five different ways of facing an attack based on the five elements we base our basic kata on. It sounds esoteric but was only hard in terms of implementing the next level of thinking, not in execution. After hearing all this, it really affirmed for me that I have to work on bringing my abilities up to a new level. I can do all the techniques with reasonable ability so what I should be focusing on is what I'm thinking about and visualizing during the fight. Do I see the space and not the person's arm or kick? Which is the best option amongst many techniques that will keep me safe and most disadvantage my opponent? I'm nowhere near where I should be.
There was one point during training when we were using swords and the technique was to step to the side, drawing your opponent's sword point off the 'line' between you and them. You then stepped in the other direction and skewered or cut them. I was watching someone else train and thinking of something else, but I did the whole thing without thinking about it and only realized I had when I felt the sword hit my opponent. It was a bit of a shock. At least my instincts are learning something.
We used a number of weapons throughout the day from knife to rope, but the principles of everything were the same - identify and take the space, don't let it go, walk. There was a break in the middle for a talk from a marine gunnery sergeant (Jack's friend) who gave a pretty interesting speech on Marine training (which is what he does).
I had pretty bad luck in training partners for the first 2/3 of the seminar (we trained for about 4 1/2 hours total). My first was okay, though we only trained together for about twenty minutes. My only real complaint about him (other than being dull and switching partners on me without telling me) was that he was wearing a class ring which is now the cause of the bruise on my wrist. Considering I take any jewellery off before training you think a man wearing a massive ring would do the same. Next was a kid who had obviously only just started training so I spent so much time helping him to just get into the right position (and he had a teenager's exasperated sigh down pat) that I barely trained and he never completed any techniques. It wasn't helped by the fact that I didn't have much patience for teaching today since I wanted to learn.
I resolved to train with a black belt next but fate was not kind and instead paired me with this woman R. who had trained with M. before. Since M. and I compare training partners I already knew the woman was a rough fighter and not very good, but I figured she had to be better than the newbie at least. And technically she was, but boy did she have her own problems. She kept watching what Jack was doing and then doing something completely different from what he did every single time. I was patient through this since I figured she just wasn't paying attention, but about ten minutes in, I realized she was paying attention, she was just doing different things on purpose or doing what she knew rather than trying something new. She'd also use force to try to get her bad techniques to work rather than doing the actual technique. I didn't put up with that and instead stepped back and corrected her whenever possible and refused to engage. And when I had to engage, made sure to hit her hard and often since she certainly wasn't skimping on hitting me (it's the first time I've ever seen a woman with this sort of attitude... plenty of men who just have to fight and change things cause they think they're better or can't let go of their ego, but never a woman...). She also fought my own training in the techniques which is very bad practice and kept smudging my glasses with her hands which pissed me off since we weren't doing anything that required her hands near my face. Since bludgeoning me into submission wasn't working and neither were any of her techniques, she was even more frustrated than I assume she normally is. Much to my surprise and amusement (with a bit of being appalled at her bad manners since you never switch training partners like that unless everyone agrees) she turned to M. who was training next to us and asked to switch with her so I was training with M. and R. was with the other guy. I was snickering and relieved to be free of her, though then we were doing sword with M. hates so it wasn't our best training session, but was infinitely better than training with R. would have been. I'm left wondering if R. noticed I was rather angry beneath my affable exterior (the thought "touch my glasses again and I'll hurt you" may have crossed my brain) or if it was only frustration that drove her to switch.
For the final part, I finally hit the jack pot when Jack had us doing protection fighting which meant one person being attacked, one attacking and one defending (M. had to sit out to count the seminar money so I'd have had to be in a threesome anyway). I joined C. and the gunnery sergeant and they were both a lot of fun to train with (which sort of was a nice surprise on the marine's part). First it was defending someone against being punched which involved pushing them out of the way then using a straight fist to take the space when the attacker turned his attention on you. The sergeant was obviously a bit surprised when I managed it, but quickly learnt that I'm, uh, a bit ruthless and was pleased that I could finally have fun that day. I wonder if I should worry that a marine called me sadistic? Jack was pleased to be able to show off his female fighters methinks since he told the story about the time M. dislocated someone's shoulder. From his explanation, I think I finally know why he's always telling me not to hurt anyone (he told me twice today within fifteen minutes of my entering the room and he shouted it across the room when he did so) and it's not for my benefit but for my training partners because he rightfully assumes that they underestimate women and since M. and I don't underestimate them, they are much more likely to get hurt (for those wondering, I've never seriously injured anyone training so nyah:P).
Anyway, the second defensive scenario was stopping someone from strangling a person, and much to my surprise I was one of the uke (the one being strangled much to my dismay) so I got strangled an awful lot within those last ten minutes. The key was to get in between the two people and if you were tall enough you just put your elbows in the space and expanded it until the attacker let go, then either warned them off or took them down with whatever you felt like using (this was where I earned my sadistic title cause I'm very good at painful take downs). If you weren't tall enough you put your hand on the outside arm, and one on the inner arm (from underneath) then pushed up with your legs. At one point the sergeant called me short and it was right before one of my vicious take downs so he resolved not to call me short again. We were laughing about that and a bunch of other little jokes of a similar theme (like who wanted to choke who the most) so the time passed quickly (and violently);) And then it was over, and I went out for ice cream as usual (though at a new ice cream shop with much better ice cream) then headed home.
There was one point during training when we were using swords and the technique was to step to the side, drawing your opponent's sword point off the 'line' between you and them. You then stepped in the other direction and skewered or cut them. I was watching someone else train and thinking of something else, but I did the whole thing without thinking about it and only realized I had when I felt the sword hit my opponent. It was a bit of a shock. At least my instincts are learning something.
We used a number of weapons throughout the day from knife to rope, but the principles of everything were the same - identify and take the space, don't let it go, walk. There was a break in the middle for a talk from a marine gunnery sergeant (Jack's friend) who gave a pretty interesting speech on Marine training (which is what he does).
I had pretty bad luck in training partners for the first 2/3 of the seminar (we trained for about 4 1/2 hours total). My first was okay, though we only trained together for about twenty minutes. My only real complaint about him (other than being dull and switching partners on me without telling me) was that he was wearing a class ring which is now the cause of the bruise on my wrist. Considering I take any jewellery off before training you think a man wearing a massive ring would do the same. Next was a kid who had obviously only just started training so I spent so much time helping him to just get into the right position (and he had a teenager's exasperated sigh down pat) that I barely trained and he never completed any techniques. It wasn't helped by the fact that I didn't have much patience for teaching today since I wanted to learn.
I resolved to train with a black belt next but fate was not kind and instead paired me with this woman R. who had trained with M. before. Since M. and I compare training partners I already knew the woman was a rough fighter and not very good, but I figured she had to be better than the newbie at least. And technically she was, but boy did she have her own problems. She kept watching what Jack was doing and then doing something completely different from what he did every single time. I was patient through this since I figured she just wasn't paying attention, but about ten minutes in, I realized she was paying attention, she was just doing different things on purpose or doing what she knew rather than trying something new. She'd also use force to try to get her bad techniques to work rather than doing the actual technique. I didn't put up with that and instead stepped back and corrected her whenever possible and refused to engage. And when I had to engage, made sure to hit her hard and often since she certainly wasn't skimping on hitting me (it's the first time I've ever seen a woman with this sort of attitude... plenty of men who just have to fight and change things cause they think they're better or can't let go of their ego, but never a woman...). She also fought my own training in the techniques which is very bad practice and kept smudging my glasses with her hands which pissed me off since we weren't doing anything that required her hands near my face. Since bludgeoning me into submission wasn't working and neither were any of her techniques, she was even more frustrated than I assume she normally is. Much to my surprise and amusement (with a bit of being appalled at her bad manners since you never switch training partners like that unless everyone agrees) she turned to M. who was training next to us and asked to switch with her so I was training with M. and R. was with the other guy. I was snickering and relieved to be free of her, though then we were doing sword with M. hates so it wasn't our best training session, but was infinitely better than training with R. would have been. I'm left wondering if R. noticed I was rather angry beneath my affable exterior (the thought "touch my glasses again and I'll hurt you" may have crossed my brain) or if it was only frustration that drove her to switch.
For the final part, I finally hit the jack pot when Jack had us doing protection fighting which meant one person being attacked, one attacking and one defending (M. had to sit out to count the seminar money so I'd have had to be in a threesome anyway). I joined C. and the gunnery sergeant and they were both a lot of fun to train with (which sort of was a nice surprise on the marine's part). First it was defending someone against being punched which involved pushing them out of the way then using a straight fist to take the space when the attacker turned his attention on you. The sergeant was obviously a bit surprised when I managed it, but quickly learnt that I'm, uh, a bit ruthless and was pleased that I could finally have fun that day. I wonder if I should worry that a marine called me sadistic? Jack was pleased to be able to show off his female fighters methinks since he told the story about the time M. dislocated someone's shoulder. From his explanation, I think I finally know why he's always telling me not to hurt anyone (he told me twice today within fifteen minutes of my entering the room and he shouted it across the room when he did so) and it's not for my benefit but for my training partners because he rightfully assumes that they underestimate women and since M. and I don't underestimate them, they are much more likely to get hurt (for those wondering, I've never seriously injured anyone training so nyah:P).
Anyway, the second defensive scenario was stopping someone from strangling a person, and much to my surprise I was one of the uke (the one being strangled much to my dismay) so I got strangled an awful lot within those last ten minutes. The key was to get in between the two people and if you were tall enough you just put your elbows in the space and expanded it until the attacker let go, then either warned them off or took them down with whatever you felt like using (this was where I earned my sadistic title cause I'm very good at painful take downs). If you weren't tall enough you put your hand on the outside arm, and one on the inner arm (from underneath) then pushed up with your legs. At one point the sergeant called me short and it was right before one of my vicious take downs so he resolved not to call me short again. We were laughing about that and a bunch of other little jokes of a similar theme (like who wanted to choke who the most) so the time passed quickly (and violently);) And then it was over, and I went out for ice cream as usual (though at a new ice cream shop with much better ice cream) then headed home.
