Transition and Technique

Back in high school I remember a classmate doing a martial arts demonstration for his 11th grade presentation. Alex was a black belt in karate and everyone knew this... Nobody messed with him because of his 'status' and when he got up to speak silence fell across the room like a blanket of snow in the middle of the night.

As part of his presentation Alex gave a little history and broke a board with a punch - and when that happened the guys in class raised their eyebrows, while the girls glanced at each other quickly and admired him with delight.

He had our attention...

Alex then went on to talk about the importance of body movement, knowing how to turn and what technique should follow the previous one. He explained that although you might be able to punch and kick, you need to know how to turn from one direction to another seamlessly and put your techniques together so they flow like water through a pipe.

He explained that without this connection between technique and transition, a martial artist could really find themselves in hot water, unable to completely defend themselves... particularly in a multiple attacker situation.

For example it would be foolish to try to kick to the front and then use the same leg while unbalanced to kick in another direction. This would result in an ineffective technique - and we all know that ineffective techniques can get you killed. Learning how to make a particular technique, then transition to a stable position before attempting the next technique is crucial.

I was just a beginner at the time and my head was still spinning from him breaking the board, but I guess some of what he said actually engrained itself into my memory... which today is the basis of this article - transition and technique.

So we've established WHY it's important for us, as martial artists, to be able to shift from one stance to another, or change direction faster than a pinball bouncing off a rubber cushion, but we haven't yet taken a look at...

How to change direction quickly...

Let's assume you've got to turn 180 degrees. How should you make this transition? Should you pivot by moving your front foot across or your back foot across? Should you step as you turn? Do you move your back foot up or your front foot back? Why? Does this work every time? Can you think of any conflicts? In kata do you sometimes move the front? Sometimes the back? Why? The list goes on.... and on... and on...

Yikes!

That's a lot of questions... and to not know the answers prior to combat might just leave you deader than Elvis.

So which do you choose?

The general answer is it depends on the situation. It depends on from which direction the attacker is approaching, how they're approaching, and what you want to do...

To illustrate an important point let's assume there were 8 different directions the attacker could come from... and assume that there were 8 different attacks he might use... and you had 8 different responses for any of those attacks...

8 x 8 x 8 = 512 possibilities! Aaahhhh... the power of multiplication!

What if there was a second attacker?

1024 combinations...

Are you starting to see how complex this can become?

This is why it's SO critically important that you learn to control as many of the variables as possible... let's start by mastering our footwork. Thankfully many of the transitions you make are similar in nature and we can simplify the situation a little. Let's master the connection between transition and technique with...

The Left Behind Drill

The basic concept of this drill is to first turn to your left and then turn behind. Repeat this process 4 times and you'll end up at your starting point. During the drill you'll make 8 transitions. Pick a technique for the drill and carry that through every transition.

Here's how it works:

This is a great drill for developing fast, sharp turns and transitions. Of course what we've covered today is the SIMPLE version. You can switch it up by changing the variables. Remember the variables are:

1. The techniques you wish to practice
   
   For example - you can plug in a combination here like block down, then step forward and punch.
   
   
2. How you wish to make your transition
   
   Are you going to step, or pivot, and with which foot?
   
   
3. What stance(s) are you going to use?
   
   Forward stance, cat stance, sumo stance, etc?

My advice is to start off simple... otherwise in the Left Behind drill you'll find yourself literally left behind. =)

Of course if you really want to mix it up, there's whole other side of your body, right? But then it wouldn't be as much fun if it was called the "right behind drill" now would it?

If you teach, try this with your class. I guarantee you that if you've not done this drill before it will create more chaos than protestors at the G8 Summit.... but after the chaos has subsided you'll find that your class will be in possession of an important new skill, and have started the connection between technique and transition.