Weight Class

Take a look at your sparring/fighting sessions. Do you tend to pair up folks that are approximately the same height, weight, and skill level? If you do then ask yourself the question, are you training folks for SD?

The only way to gain proficiency in anything is to train, practice and make sure your doing so against as many training associates as you can with a wide variety of greater weight than you say from 5 lbs to 25 lbs. A greater height of a fraction of an inch to several inches. A greater combination of these two. The most important part is the skill level. I try to always choose to train with someone of greater ability and proficiency. Even regarding height and weight the skill has to be greater.

Now, to live up to the ken-po goku-i and spirit of my system we have to have two sides to this coin. I also love to train those who follow my systems but are at a lower proficiency level. I then can try to convey my knowledge, experience and proficiency by stressing them in theirs so they grow. At the same time folks who are hungry for learning the system tend to spontaneously apply things that will take a higher proficiency level practitioner totally and completely by surprise. One of those benefits of training someone either as Sensei or an associate Sensei.

Going back to training with one of higher skill level you can also add in training with those of lesser height and weight. You do have to understand that in reality height and weight really have no benefit other than a higher weight will add to your momentum for power otherwise it has no significance if your applying all the fundamental principles of martial systems.

I have not truly covered all that could be a part of this post yet I sense it is enough to convey the idea that restricting your training and practice to the sport mind of weight classes and generally close skill levels in sparring/fighting training scenarios is counter productive IF you are training/teaching/instructing SD for street and/or combat.

Note: The idea about weight class came from Rory Miller's blog post "Nightmare" on his blog "Chiron."