Repetition fills martial arts training. An instructor’s job is to disguise repetition and enhance students’ abilities. In our style of Kempo, we have a set of predefined techniques that we practice. These Combinations or Defenses make up kata and serve as the bunkai or application of the kata. Grading and testing use these combinations as a performance metric for skill. Performing these combinations to the air and with partners fills class time. How can we mix up this stale system and breathe new life into our repetitious rut? Try these new ways of practicing your combinations.
- Kata style: Start with the first technique and do each right after finishing the previous technique. Do not adjust your facing position. The goal is to have as little time between the performance of each technique as possible.
- Five by Five: To engrain the combinations into your mind, practice smaller groups of techniques. I suggest doing five combinations and repeating that set five times. Then, move on to the next set of five techniques. This set will help improve your memory and provide enough practice for the combinations to provide improvement.
- Left-sided: As students, we began training our combinations against a left-handed attacker at Black Belt. At my school, we start earlier because it provides so much benefit to the student. About the Green Belt, practice the most straightforward five combinations, reversing the sides, and add another five combinations at Brown Belt. This method is a mirror of the right-sided technique. In other words, a left punch becomes a right punch, and a right block becomes a left block.
- On your back: Lay and attempt to perform your combinations from the floor. This method requires a lot of visualization, imagination, and adaptation. The techniques will not be identical; they will be very similar. For example, Combination 12 starts with a left kick and a spinning back kick. From the floor, you spin into a donkey kick (hands on the floor supporting your back kick) and continue to spin up to a fighting stance.
- Armed: My favorite way of practicing combinations is with a pocket stick or yawara. Hold the stick in your hand with a bit protruding from both sides of your fist. Perform your combinations as usual, but utilize the stick to hook, strike, and poke the opponent anytime you would typically use your hand for a strike. Like before, it requires visualization, imagination, and adaptation.
Though our combinations are set and predefined, that is not their actual application. Kempo techniques are tools in your tool belt. You use them in any order and adapt them to the attacker’s reactions. You must flow with the attack, adapting and adjusting as needed. Real fights do not go as scripted in kata or combinations. Combined with the Triple I training, your techniques will become very effective when these variations are combined.
“Perfect practice prevents piss-poor performance.” Train hard, train often, and train repetitiously.
