Contextualization: the Make-or-Break of Martial Arts

[Chris McKinley]

Deus,

RE: "You learn to judge distance automatically. Now there are specifics about adjusting for the correct distance with footwork that can be contextualized similar to any other technique. However with the skill of distance also comes learning when to use what type of attack, what range you are in, and matching your weapon appropriately.". Agreed. The skill to match appropriate distance with specific tactic is still somewhat general, and therefore can be both learned and practiced within free sparring, though it can be better isolated and tweaked with controlled sparring.

RE: "A skill like distance though is really similar to walking in that it crosses all boundaries of fighting, from point sparring, to MMA, to life or death confrontations.", and "Its a universal skill as pertains to fighting. It seems to me that there simply would come to a point where you either know it or you don't.". The first statement is entirely true, the second isn't. Distancing is a general skill, but the precise distancing necessary sometimes for combat tactics isn't. That level of skill can be learned and practiced and refined to a high degree in sparring and other exercises. However, it's a much different kind of challenge to maintain that level of precision without thinking about it under the duress of combat. Manifesting it in the safety of a sparring ring is easy enough to make you think you're better than you really are. Manifesting it in a dark alley while surrounded, or with a guy slashing/stabbing at you with a knife, or with a home invader who's just crashed through your front door yelling about he's going to kill your family, etc. are all a very different level of challenge.

RE: "From there that specific technique can be used in a free movement format which usually becomes much more difficult than any of the predecessors.". Almost profound point, and a key reason that free sparring of some kind must be included at some point to be able to use the skill at all, even at the most rudimentary level, in the real context. And even with all that, we're still only at the phase of practicing the skill. Even with the sparring, it still hasn't been contextualized into the native context.

RE: "You must not just do a technique on command now but must integrate it into random movement and learn how to visually recognize the opportunity to use the technique. Usually you will see opportunities but not have time to take advantage of them.". As brilliant as it is true. This is the first big hurdle that usually weeds out all the skills learned in IMA classes, for instance, because the students don't spend any appreciable time doing exactly that. And keep in mind, even with such sparring, that still doesn't begin to consider contextualization and is really still at the practicing phase.

For people who don't even do that meager level of sparring, they haven't even graduated from the learning phase, nevermind practicing, since if you'll recall, I defined the learning phase thusly, "This phase [learning] isn't complete until you can perform the skill functionally.". IOW, it's not sufficient just to perform the skill, i.e., in the isolation of solo training, no matter how skillfully it can be done. It must be performed functionally against a resisting opponent before one can say that that skill has even been learned, nevermind practiced or contextualized. As a result, most IMA practitioners, even long-time practitioners, are weeded out at the learning phase, since most do not ever develop the ability to use their skills functionally, i.e., against a resisting opponent, even to a minimum degree. Until they can do that, they can't even claim to have finished learning their skill, nevermind be ready to practice it and eventually contextualize it.

That's a sad state of affairs for such practitioners, and the fact that that situation is the rule rather than the exception points to the almost crisis-level problem it represents for neijia as supposedly combat-viable arts in the modern world. Yes, I'll throw in the usual caveats and disclaimers that there are a few folks out there for whom that characterization isn't accurate or valid, especially since I'd like to think I'm one of them. However, a problem doesn't have to be present in 100% of all cases in order to be a problem, even one of crisis level. If less than one percent of practitioners of MMA worldwide were functionally capable of fighting and competing effectively in full-contact tournaments, that mode of training would have been abandoned and permanently enshrined in ridicule years ago. Yet that's exactly the state of affairs for IMA as a group of martial arts claiming to be viable for real combat, nevermind tournament fighting.

RE: "1) is executing techniques spontaneously and effectively in a free format contextualization in itself?". No, not per se. Some contextualization can happen, as the boundary between the three distinct phases of learning is not always digital, but being able to execute a technique spontaneously and effectively only qualifies for graduation from the learning level by my definition. IOW, until you can do so with a given skill, you haven't even finished learning it yet, nevermind started practicing it, nor then contextualizing it. (Yeah, I know, that makes me an unreasonable hard-ass or whatever.)

RE: "2) do specific techniques really need to be trained for contextualization in specific or does the training to remain calm under pressure make the techniques available regardless of the specific technique used as long as it was trained to the proper degree?". Yes, they need to be contextualized. "Training to remain calm under pressure" is great, as far as it goes, but to avoid contextualizing any of your skills and instead relying on the ability to remain calm enough to use them all, every time, under the worst possible circumstances is like betting the whole family farm on Red 17 on the roulette wheel afresh every time you face those circumstances. Beyond that, it's simply a fantasy to think that you can train so that you can guarantee that you will remain that kind of calm under all circumstances, including but not limited to a surprise life-threatening assault. Bottom line is: arousal and the adrenal response happen, nobody makes them go away permanently with no exceptions forever.