Mr T told us two things on tuesday. One, what is a technique and why is it important. Me being a coach, I do know the definition of it. It means the procedure used to accomplish a task. All along I have used that to tell people what it means. Untill that day when he explained it in an analogy that I realised the true meaning of it. A simplier layman way to explain it even. He gave the example of wanting to open a capped bottle. We could use our teeth and people with strong teeth could peel the cap off. The act of using the teeth is termed a technique. Using the wrong technique for tasks results in us getting injured or wasting our energy, like the way of teeth on cap. A wrong technique applied, as with using our teeth, will cause us pain and broken parts, which is totally unnecessary.
Alternatively, we could execute an action with the lest amount of effort even, with the correct technique. Knowing the right technique would save a lot of angst. The right technique in this case will be using a cap opener and in the absence of it, the edge of a table. Easier, less harm done, with the lest amount of energy used.
And then you apply that to throws. Right technique of execution= ease of completing execution= lest amount of effort needed= opponent on the ground break falling. Easier said than done. I will die trying.
I have decided that I will not focus that much on throws from now till I can get my technique of execution correct. The focus will be on the Kuzushi (崩し:くずし) aspect of judo. Like how doing control kicks forms the foundation of kicks, Kuzushi (崩し:くずし) forms the foundation of throws. Got it.
The second thing Mr T talked to us about was the Micheal Chang (the tennis player) interview he saw 10 years ago. In that interview, when asked by the press how he improved himself, MC said that each day he hit close to a thousand balls in order to get his technique correct and Mr T said that that was the way it should be, practise till perfection. The reason I could relate to what he said was because I saw that same interview too 10 years plus back when I was just a Taekwondo noob. And it deeply inspired me to do close to 1000 kicks each day just to perfect my kicking technique. Without fail, every morning, I would stand infront of a wall and did 500 control kicks on each leg. I wouldn’t say my kicks became perfect after that but there was no doubt it became far better. Up to what it is today.
I don’t see why I cannot apply the same reasoning to improve my throws. Though I need more than a wall for practising throws, I remember, last time I didn’t have a lot of equipments too and I improvised, with tires, walls and tracks. I could improvise too, in this case, and I will do so.
Maybe he isn’t such a bad coach to train under afterall. I am ashame to say I have let other people’s and my own judgement of him define him. Maybe I am saying this too soon but training under him, to me, is far better than going to a place where everyone is national level and no one is willing to share and the coach doesn’t really correct your technique anymore, just like how a uni professor does not tell you the correct way to do 1+1. He reckons at that level, you should know how to.
I recognise my technique does not do my belt level justice and I will do what I can to make it better before I go take on the giants again.
Go go go!!!
This is monster speaking 