There was a time I would observe a very proficient practitioner of MA demonstrate a technique or kata where the movement seemed to restricted to be of any value. It was much later that I realized that what I was seeing was a very proficient practitioner who was mastering or had mastered EM-of-MA or Economical Motion of Martial Arts.
So many of my systems practitioners, both novice and expert, seem to be still training and practicing where larger, more obvious, and easily detected mover were used. If you ask you might here "It is the way Sensei taught us or it is the original and unchanged way the master taught us."
The system I practice may have lost sight of the principles that are intricate to MA because of many factors yet it is still not too late to discover and implement these into our practice.
In my opinion at the level of San-dan to Go-dan the practitioner should be moving from the gross movements of the system into the more EM-of-MA.
Bibliography:
Perlman, Steven J. "The Book of Martial Power: The Universal Guide to the Combative Arts." New York. The Overlook Press. 2006.
Hi Charles, my understanding of economy of movement is that it means using good footwork so that you get your feet into position in one swift movement (rather than shuffling around or taking several small awkward steps) or placing your hands/body in the correct position on your opponent in one movement to control them. Occasionally this means big movements rather than several small ones. Is this the same as what you are saying or have I got the wrong end of the stick?
ReplyDeleteHi, Sue: Thanks for the comment. Actually your view is within the whole principle.
ReplyDeleteWhether it is a small movement or large always depends on that moment in time.
Economical Motion is a martial principle for all systems where the end result is conservation of energy where conserved energy is applied to the power of the applied technique.
Hm, not exactly but a hint anyway. Really the explanation comes when it is studied within the whole scope of fundamental martial principles - Steven J. Pearlman, The Book of Martial Power.
Don't get the title as a literal although it does apply to applying power but rather as a title the publisher felt would gain greater attention.
It is really a great fundamental explanation of those principles that must be present to achieve true proficiency in martial practice and by proxy application of said system.
p.s. without these fundamental principles studied and applied as a whole the MA is not a SD system but merely dancing. With FPofMS (Fundamental Principles of Martial Systems) it becomes SD, Combatives, and any other fighting system that is effective regardless of the MA system studied.
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