Warriors are adept at finding weak points. One of the things training teaches us is to recognize patterns. Within patterns are rhythms and like all rhythms there are highs and lows. The high is where the opponent’s defenses are the strongest. The low is where there is a suki (隙) or an “opening” because the opponent’s defenses are the weakest. The repetitiousness of training allows the student to get into a flow state which is akin to a meditative state and when this happens the brain begins programming the techniques into their subconscious. Subconscious or unconscious programming is used to create what we would call kan (勘) or “intuitive”movement in Japanese. We use kan to deal with an attack but it’s also used to intuitively recognize when there’s an opening to attack. With subconscious programming, our bodies learn to move without conscious thought which is supposed to be faster. To illustrate this point, on average conscious action takes 500 milliseconds and subconscious reaction takes 12 milliseconds. The more repetitious training we do, the stronger our subconscious reaction becomes. At some point in training, we get adept at reading our opponent’s patterns and using that information to defeat them. With experience, we also begin to realize that the true enemy lies within and then we then turn our discriminating eye inward so that we can see the patterns which are holding us back. Each of us do things consciously or unconsciously which are helping us and hurting us. The trick is in knowing the difference and breaking the habits that are keeping us from being successful or happy. O’Sensei referred to defeating ourselves as “masakatsu agatsu” or “The truest victory is over one’s self.” Warriors are good at finding weak points but, in life and in training, the real weak points that we are searching for are our own.
Today’s goal: Look for your habitual patterns or weak points and change the one’s which are holding you back.