Nearly everyone has “TUNNEL VISION” when they look at something, being able to “SEE” what they are looking at, plus all that it encompasses. People studying the martial art are a very good example of that, as the vast majority of practitioners really don’t even “SEE” what they are studying and what they are being taught and “TUNNEL VISION” is the major problem causing that little bump in the road to enlightenment.
We as human beings have a tendency to take or accept things at FACE VALUE, seeing only what we are GUIDED TO SEE. Beyond what we are being guided to see exists a VAST WORLD of what has not been pointed out to us, consequently we very often totally miss that VAST WORLD.
Studying the martial art we are often very privileged to be EXPOSED to many aspects of the defensive aspects of a vast multitude of techniques and that is really great, because although ALL MARTIAL ART TECHNIQUES have plausibility, that definitely does not mean that they function as we might need them to, every time we need them and there are many variable reasons why that happens.
Taking a really good examining look at each martial art technique we are exposed to can assist us greatly to get out of the “TUNNEL VISION” way of looking at things.
A very interesting way to break this “TUNNEL VISION” habitual way of looking at things is to SEE or LOOK at what you “THINK” you are being exposed to, then examine it from different perspective angles utilizing different though processes.
Looking at things in this manor will allow us to SEE and FIND things that our “TUNNEL VISION” didn’t first allow us to see or even think might possibly be there.
Please let me try to give you a “VISUAL” idea of what I am trying to share with you through written words, as we actually have “TUNNEL VISION” THOUGHT PROCESSING that limits our progressive development also.
Hopefully most martial art practitioners know what a punch looks like, but actually there are so many varieties of punches that we often do not know which punch is applicable in what set of circumstances.
The great BRUCE LEE once said something like “A PUNCH IS A PUNCH AND A KICK IS A KICK” and that could actually apply to pretty much anything, but regarding the martial art Bruce Lee was referring to a very wide spectrum of punch variables.
Just for the heck of it let’s start with a fairly common KARATE STYLE doubled fist at our hip level, with the palm side up, then throw the punch upward at about a 45 degree angle, from the hip up to an average six foot height person’s face.
Notice that as the hand and arm raises, the wrist, forearm and fist “TURN”, as the arm extends toward the desired target and by the time the fist reaches the face target the fist is now palm down, with the hand or fist having turned approximately 180 degree’s and this is a fairly common type of punch.
Now let’s take off the “TUNNEL VISION” of what we have just been exposed to or shown to SEE some of the things that this exact same motion can also be, staying with martial art applications.
Should your wrist be grabbed, reversing this exact same motion is a very good counter to a wrist grab and also opening the fist and grabbing an opponent’s wrist, pulling it back down to the hip can be an off balancing pulling take down. The starting position of this technique can also be the FINISH position to a painful twisting wrist lock.
To state my intent more clearly here, getting away from seeing everything through “TUNNEL VISION” allows us to analyze virtually EVERY MOTION OF EVERY TECHNIQUE so that we can “SEE” far more than just the technique or motion we have been shown or taught in the first place.
The martial art is actually “LIMITLESS”, just like “LIFE”, we simply have to break out of our habitual “TUNNEL VISION” to see, find and learn so much more that originally met our “TUNNEL VISION” eye.
I continually advise my students that you can actually see or find every style of martial art in every style by simply TAKING OFF THE BLINDERS of teachers telling us that all styles are different, even though they really are different, however they are all also the same and seeing THE SAMENESS verses THE DIFFERENCES will allow us to SEE and FIND so much more than we ever thought possible.
What so many martial art practitioners and teachers do not realize is that there are so many styles that are simply variations of other styles.
For example there are actually SEVERAL THOUSAND STYLES OF THE MARTIAL ART and quite honestly virtually all of them have FAR MORE SIMILARITIES THAN DIFFERENCES regardless of global location.
Karate, Gung Fu, Kali, Silat, Judo and every other separated style of martial art are all quite simply and honestly PART OF THE TOTALITY OF THE MARTIAL ART.
Most martial artists will not agree with that last statement, however I have been showing and sharing that with martial artists globally for the majority of my life and in so doing I have been able to nearly eradicate many martial art practitioners at all levels of expertise from so many styles “TUNNEL VISION”, assisting them to finally very realistically “SEE” and discover for themselves that there is far more to the martial art than meets the eye.
We can often very easily SEE what someone TELLS US we are seeing, however “SEEING” beyond “TUNNEL VISION” shows us the interconnectedness of it all.
