Bao wrote:Good points I see value in what you are saying, but I don't really agree. XY and many Chinese arts coordinate the body in a way that you can't really figure out by yourself. Repetition won't do if you are doing it wrong. Doing something wrong 1000 times doesn't mean that you will do it right the 1001 time. You need a good teacher that can teach you the right way and also a teacher you can return to and make sure you din't screw things up.
In the beginning a teacher is required to kick it off & yes along the way can tune up but at some point the student must make it their own. They must become self aware of the 100s of little refinement points some of which are hard to see. In solo practise they must take a point and drill it consciously to hopefully get it to a habit. Then move to the next and so on.
No teacher can do this for them. A robot with a good teacher will always be a robot until they make it their own. Conscious repetition focusing in on tweaking and improving is the only method here. The mind must be applied to the movement & is far more important than the quality of the instructor.
Bao wrote:When you stand there and someone is aggressive, can you really relax your chest, sink your weight an keep your physical and mental balance? It's really not easy. Most people have too little confidence in their traditional practice and when they do sparring or get into a fight, they lose everything they have been taught.
Drilling does not remove the need for partner training. In order to know how to use it then technique practise, impact conditioning (peda), pressure drills, strengthening & sparring are vital. Two people can learn/create these methods if they have the right background & foundation. Bigger groups working together will be even more useful.
To learn to handle pressure, context training is vital but the drills (basic forms) are the foundation to this.