Whilst reading this try the
following experiment. Stretch out your arm (left or right) in front of your
face and make the "thumbs-up" sign, back of your thumb towards you. Focus on
your thumb nail and keep it in focus as you slowly draw it towards your face.
Notice that by "spot focusing" on your thumb, the background is out of focus.
This is called "tunnel vision" and the nearer your thumb is to your face the
less background detail can you see. Do the "thumbs-up" sign again but this time
look beyond your outstretched hand and focus on some object on the other side
of the room.
Keep your eyes focused on this object as you again move
your thumb slowly towards your face. If you're doing this correctly you'll
notice that you can "track" your thumb without actually looking at it even
though it's out of focus. This is called "small peripheral vision". After
you've become accustomed to this, try the first step again (spot focus - tunnel
vision) but this time move your thumb quickly towards your nose. The faster you
do this the more difficult it becomes to see anything but your thumb. Now try
"small peripheral vision" and you'll find that no matter how fast you move your
hand, you can still "track" the spacial relationship of your thumb and see the
chosen object on the other side of the room.
The next step is to go
into "wide angle peripheral vision", also called "soft focus". Research
indicates that many predators use this when hunting. The eagle glides or hovers
over an area and zooms in on it's prey using this technique. Not only does this
allow it to "track" and catch whatever it's after, but takes in the surrounding
terrain at the same time, trees, rocks and other obstacles etc. Using the
"thumbs-up" sign, look towards the other side of the room but this time don't
focus on anything. Let your eyes totally relax into a sort of "day dreaming
with attention" state and you'll be able to "see" everything in the total space
taken in by your eyes including, of course, your thumb, no matter where it is
or how fast you move it! Many people find the next experiment very tiring, so
don't over do it at the beginning. "Soft focus" or "Eagle", on an area on the
other side of the room, don't focus on anything in particular and don't move
your head or eyes. When done correctly you should have the sensation of looking
through a "globe".
Without moving your eyes, try "looking" left, right,
up and down etc. With a bit of practice you will be able to mentally "see" any
object in this "globe" without having to "look at it" although it'll be out of
focus. Using this "way of seeing things" whilst walking down the street or in a
bus or crowded bar comes as quite a revelation as not only do you become more
aware of your surroundings but this "Eagle vision" allows you to anticipate
other peoples movements! This in itself is quite amazing, however, you'll soon
notice something even more startling...
As well as anticipating others
actions , you'll be acting accordingly without even trying! It should be pretty
obvious to any martial artist the advantages of being able to apply this
approach and practicing certain training methods will lead one to an
understanding of the "classic" saying from Tai Ti Quan " If he doesn't move, I
don't move; if he moves slowly, I move slowly but if he attacks, I move first".
Before going into these training methods here are a couple of quotes
from the sixteenth century Japanese swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi in his guide to
strategy "A book of five rings". "The gaze should be large and broad. This is
the twofold gaze, perception and sight. Perception is strong and sight is
weak". "In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close
and to take a distanced view of close things". "It is necessary in strategy to
be able to look to both sides without moving the eyeballs. …….use
this gaze in everyday life and do not vary it whatever happens". "Some schools
fix the eyes on the hands. Some fix the eyes on the face and some fix the eyes
on the feet, and so on. If you fix your eyes on these places your spirit can
become confused and your strategy thwarted ". "In single combat you must not
fix your eyes on details".
Other sources also point to this kind of
"perception". In his book "Meetings with remarkable men", Georges Gurdjieff
devotes several pages to research done by his friend and cohort, Ekim Bey,
who's main concern was investigating "the power of human thought". (In passing,
it may interest followers of Gurdjieff's work, to know that he studied, and was
competent in the use of, Fan Zhi style Chinese Kung Fu). Pertinent here and
most illuminating, is the following, which I've loosely translated from my
Italian edition. "……this property, the same in every man, to whatever
class he belongs and whatever his age, consists of the fact that at the precise
instant in which he thinks of a concrete object external of himself, his
muscles tense or contract and, so to speak, vibrate in that direction…..
if he thinks of America and his thoughts are directed towards where he thinks
America is, certain of his muscles, above all the smallest, vibrate towards
that place, that is, they tense as if exercising a push in that direction". "To
sum up, the tension of thinking about a definite place is always accompanied by
a tensing of the muscles in the same direction".
Ekim Bey then makes
this observation about stage magic. "If the spectator knows that the magician
must take a hat which is on the table, even if he knows and understands the
trick and tries hard to think of the shoe on the divan, he will unconsciously
think about the hat and the muscles of imterest to the magician will tense in
that direction because they are controlled by the subconscious not the
conscious". It is also worth noting that the conscious mind arrives at
conclusions by deduction, the subconscious " Just does it". To verify that the
above is not "esoteric" but has very real applications in self defence, here
are some Tai Ji Quan training methods which may be profitably practiced by any
martial artist.
Stand opposite your partner, making sure that you're
within realistic striking distance by placing your hands on his or her
shoulders. You both begin with hands at your sides, totally relaxed, the name
of the game here is collaboration, don't compete. Your partner slowly makes a
fist and slowly punches to your nose. Focus on the fist and you'll find that
the first "thumbs-up" experiment holds true. The oncoming fist is in focus and
your partner isn't , in other words, "tunnel vision". Now, mentally form a
triangle with your partner's head as the apex and the shoulders as the bottom
two angles. Look through one side of the triangle past your partner's ear and
focus on an object about two or three meters beyond. Don't lose this "small
peripheral vision", don't move your head or your eyes and don't look at the
fist which your partner makes and again slowly punches towards your nose. Using
this technique you should be able to "track" the fist without looking at it.
Repeat this using "Eagle vision". "Soft focus" on an area behind one of your
partener's shoulders and you'll be able to take in the whole body from head to
toe. Your partener can now slowly try any body movement, punches, kicks,
stepping back, forwards or to either side and you'll be "tracking" without
having to "spot focus" anything in particular. Again, begin slowly.
The
next step is to connect your mind to your body, or, better yet, to reduce the
time span between realising that "something is happening", and doing something
about it. If you're suddenly startled by someone lunging at you, it's probable
that you'll shout "oh!" or "ah!" first and then raise your hands to defend
yourself, so to train instantaneous subconscious reflex actions, we use the
voice. Your partner tries to touch you whilst you use "Eagle vision". As soon
as you register any movement whatsoever, make a percussive exclamation such as
"Ah!", "Uh!" or "Pa!". Do not use a long sound, "Oooooooh" or "Aaaaaaah", as
this defeats the whole object of the exercise. Start this very slowly to get a
handle on how it works, then gradually increase the speed. It's important that
you're both relaxed and that each time your partner tries to touch you, you
both begin from the "hands at the sides" position. It's also very important at
this stage that your partner isn't actually trying to hit you, as this puts you
under unnecessary pressure, nor should your partner try to trick you by
feinting with one hand then trying to touch you with the other. Continue with
this until you can "Ah!" or "Pa!" at the very instant that your partner moves.
This also trains your partner who should stop whatever move has been initiated
as soon as he or she hears your voice. This exercise should get so fast that no
matter how quick the move, your voice immediately intervenes.
Now we go
for the mind-body connnection. Make your sound as before but now point to the
limb which is moving. You should aim at making your sound and pointing at the
same instant. When you 've got this together, actually touch whatever is "
attacking" you as you shout. When you feel comfortable with this you can try
slowly applying martial techniques appropriate to the direction and angle from
which the attack comes, gradually increasing the speed. Having got this far
you'll probably be able to invent your own partner exercises. Try two partners
attacking with random moves, or you can use "Eagle vision" during other
training, Tui Shou (push hands) and Nien Shou (sticking hands) for example or
San Shou combat forms. The most difficult but most rewarding level, is to be
able to use this method when both you and your partner are moving. It's not
easy and takes a lot of practice before you are able to maintain "Eagle vision"
when your partner moves outside your peripheral range causing you to adjust
your body, however, this can be done and opens up unexspected horizons for the
martial artist. Several things come to light during this training; first, It's
impossible to apply if you aren't relaxed, particularly if the attacks are
random, multiple and at high speed. Second, the subconscious recognition of a
movement will cause you to react whether the attack is real or a feint. Third,
you'll find that you're symultaneously learning "body language". A light,
friendly push, is totally different in terms of body language to a fast, heavy,
highly motivated punch on the nose! The subconscious registers this immediately
and you'll be replying with exactly the right power and technique for each
occasion without having to consciously calculate what is appropriate. Fourth ,
no matter what kind of attack is launched, your partner has to move "the
triangle". Head movement telegraphs kicks and the shoulders telegraph hands.
Fifth, your speed will increase beyond your wildest exspectations ! If it
doesn't, you simply haven't got it right.
With consistant practice
you'll be able to actually intercept your partner before he or she can move!
Any physical movement begins in the brain which in turn sends impulses to the
relative muscles to carry out the mentally formulated action. The conscious
doesn't necessarily pick up this "mind to body" directive but the subconscious
does. Through "Eagle vision" and the methods outlined above, you can train
yourself to act at a subconscious reflex level, "If he attacks, I move first!".
Rerences: "A book of five rings" - Miyamoto Musashi, Allison and
Busby, London 1974
"Recontres avec des hommes remarquables" - Georges I.
Gurdjieff , Julliard, Paris 1960
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