Sense Training

Recently I have read a post or two on sense training. Often it is loosely connected to what some define kata bunkai to be regarding the senses. It has been said that Tatsuo-san had attributed certain sense training to certain aspects of the kata of Isshinryu. Considering the sources and their unofficial sources I have my doubts. I can also say with certainty that anything can be connected to almost anything in explaining things let alone in karate or any martial system. 

Regardless of this view one who practices any martial system should take a front seat toward figuring out how to utilize the senses to the most one can. I tend to start with touch as an important sense. I also attribute the term "feel" to be not only what we feel with our bodies but what we feel as to our so called sixth sense. 

Then I focus on the sense of sight as a more dominant one in martial systems. We humans, especially today, rely heavily on what we see but this is a bit convoluted because we have to understand that what we see is not always what is actually there or happening. What I am saying is our perceptions, our beliefs and our culture and all those entail influence our sight. Then when the trigger goes off dumping adrenaline and other chemicals in our bodies and brains we can also be fooled even more. The monkey and lizard brain where the lizard tends to drop into those inherited survival instincts nature provided to help us way back in the cave man days. 

The last sense I consider important is the sense of smell. When a potential adversary is close to you what you smell can tell you what you may encounter and how you may avoid or deescalate, etc. Other more experienced folks have posted on this sense and it is kind of interesting to listen to practitioners when they first hear how a smell can tell you about what you perceive. Of course you have to use this type of practice without judgements or preconceived notions as to what it means to you vs. what it truly means in the world. 

The best way to train the senses is to pay attention to those same senses when you spar, kumite or even compete. Then you can utilize those senses every single day as you walk through normal life. 

One such post talked about proximity sense training while doing kata. This is a good basic fundamental start but one must remember that spatial perceptions and proximity are only a start. Take for instance a blitz attack from behind that is totally predatory, how would you have used a sense to have perceived it as it is coming or as it starts to do damage? 

When we train and teach we have to remain vigilant as to how we explain or verbalize so the practitioner does not mistakenly assume there is no more and that this one thing is it.