Suey Bing Fa Essentials of Motion

8 Essentials of Motion:

We've found that these essentials are required for all motion that we hope to be effective, whether for martial arts, basketball or crossing the street.

Knowledge -
Balance -
Intent -
Strength -
Speed -
Timing -
Alertness -
Awareness -

Additional ideas for these concepts:
Explosive Force
Dealing with a "Blind Man"

UNDERSTANDING MOTION

We see our art as a study of motion. We see a single motion in these essential eight parts. This allows us to see what is possible when the motion proves successful. We can also see what parts went wrong when motion fails or is ineffective. In martial arts we think one should choose a movement to achieve an end or objective. Choosing the appropriate response involves taking the responsibility for its effect. Understanding how to get what one is after usually comes down to learning about the steps needed for success. Our motion is the root of our defense and counter attack. We like to achieve our desired effect without undesireable surprises. Maximizing the effectiveness of movement is our aim.

These essential pieces of successful movement are included in all movement in each of our lives. From crossing the street to guiding a basket through the supermarket. Sit in a chair then stand, throw or catch a ball, motion is always with us and these are the parts to master in each. Of course there are more possible inclusions in some motions but we think these eight parts are the essential ones in every successful movement. Our goal in a confrontation is to make the opponent unable or uwilling to respond. We find we can do that by making their motion incapable of harming us. This we call removing the essentials. We cause enough harm to our opponent both mentally and physically that it limits their ability do harm us. We want them to be unable to put together these 8 essentials of motion against us. Think of each essential as something we have and the opponent has. A confrontaion becomes a chess match to remove the pieces from the board until no contest exists.

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TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE

Knowing how things work. Technical Knowledge refers to our understanding of the things we can do. These things involve understanding range and gap, weapon vocabulary and the mechanics of our bodies and how our weapons and targets work. What works in one situation will work again and again if all of the variables remain constant. In theory variables can remain constant for study purposes only. In real life the variables tend not to remain constant so we need to know how to correctly apply the movement as adjustments are needed.

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BALANCE

Balance has two meanings. The obvious meaning is one of equilibrium. We need to have equilibrium to remain upright. Usually as we walk or stand. The other meaning is that of mixing or combining like we do in cooking. Making a cake from a recipe. Combining proper ingredients in proper amounts. With motion the proper balance of the ingredients make for the best motion.

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SPEED There are two aspects of speed. The obvious meaning is moving fast with the punch and kicks in the art. We refer to this first definition of speed as single point speed. Moving rapidly to a single point. We want to go fast to a single point in delivering the defense or offensive weapon. We like to move from where we are directly to the target. This avoids wasted time of cocking a weapon before striking. Rapid movement helps develop explosive force in our strikes and we are better able to deal with a "blind man"

The other meaning of speed refers to rhythm or cadence of our motion. When one sequence of motion is followed by another they are done in sequence but not always run together as one motion. We move from one offensive or defensive motion to another like music with pauses between the notes and sustaining some notes slightly longer than others. It is not rushed but measured. We refer to this metered speed as sequential speed. This type of speed varies as we need to respond to our opponent. It can be no pause at all to momentarily stopped or held on the target a moment more. The opponent can only react at a certain speed so we vary our motion cadence to with need. Once we have selected our option we can make our single point motion very rapid so we allow no time for them to react to it. If we explode with our motion we have a greater chance of success. We emphasize this with explosive force. But there is more.

Usually multiple movements strung together create our defense and counter attack. Many punches, strikes and kicks. If we move too rapidly from one to the next we shall certainly limit our effectivness. Our motion will become sloppy and lose the focus we intend. We also need to match the speed of our response to the needs and availble targets of our opponent. Feedback from the opponent is vital in determining the proper rate of our attack.We call this situational analysis. Our alertness tells us what is available and when to move. We also belive that every chosen movement deserves one hundred percent of our attention. When we move too fast our attention is split and our focus for the movememt betrays our energy and intent making the motion less than it might be. We want to move quickly but not to the point of detriment. We want our weapons to strike a target and stay on that target long enough for the force to penetrate the target. Pulling out too quickly will minimize the effectiveness of the strike. Just because someone can move quickly on to another target does not mean they ought to. Sometimes pausing is best and this cadence of our sequence is closely related to timing. Knowing when to pause and when to move on is related to our knowledge and awareness.

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TIMING

Timing is matching the weapon to target at the right time. It can also be having our opponents target on our own body protected at the right time of their strike. As in a shielding movement or parry. It can also be moving our body through the spaces between the cars as we cross a busy street. We want to keep an appropriate meter of sequence between our movements to meet the needs of the confrontation. This results in timing our efforts. We must select the proper time to match our targets and weapons. Our motion must match target and weapon to gain the best impact. It must be also noted that we must move out of the way in the proper time to gain our safety as well. This is related to our technical knowledge and awareness as related to our strength. A too rapid sequential speed will cause a blurring of motion which lessens the force potential. This is bad timing which demonstrates our lack of control of our intent. A too slow sequential speed allows time for our opponent to think and act. We certainly do not want to give them time to mount a counter attack of their own. Rushing too fast doesn't help our motion if we sacrifice our balance or strength benefits of the motion with bad timing. Being aware of our opponents' condition and intent with situational analysis determines what we do. Our timing varies according to our need and the opponents movement.

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INTENT

Intent is important because it controls our power. Power is always full on. Intent is the control as it can limit our power. If we want to lightly touch someone we can easily do so because we intend to. If we want to strike with full force we can because we want to. It is the intention in our mind that makes the difference. Intent of our opponent is important to guage and understand. If we can hurt them their intent may subside and they will be unable or unwilling to respond. This is what is called removing the essential of intent.

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STRENGTH

Strength refers to muscular strength. It takes some to move. It takes more to move with intention and it takes a great deal to cause harm to our opponent. The strength essential can be removed from the opponent by attacking it or avoiding it. Punch someone directly on the bicep and they will loose effectiveness in that arm for a moment.

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AWARENESS

Awareness is knowing what can harm you. It is being aware of the options and opportunities available to us. This means we must know what targets our opponent has and what weapons we have to use against them.

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ALERTNESS

Alertness is identifying that one or more of dangers are present. Alertness is identifying that one or more of our opponent's targets are now available and one or more of our weapons can now be uses against our opponent.

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EXPLOSIVE FORCE

Explosive motion is good in a punch or kick, insuring maximum force to the target. It is equally good not to rush into the next movement without first seeing the effect of the motion we just finished, assess the situation, and choose an intelligent option for our next movement. We want to respond appropriately. Part of our counter attack should include movements which have the effect of buying the time to analyze each situation. We call this making a purchase. As you can see, the essentials of movement are related to each other just as speed relates to timing, timing to balance, each to each other. It is the control of these links that yield our effectiveness. It is important to give each motion our full attention, not split our focus and diffuse our effort. There are several important points which can help determine the effectiveness of our motion. None are more important than the proper balance of these essentials. Proper blending of the essentials of motion produce explosive force. When one thinks of a dynamite blast they picture a rapid full force which is nearly indefensable. This is the nature of the explosive force we seek in training with Suey Bing Fa Kenpo principles.

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DEALING WITH A BLIND MAN

In Suey Bing Fa we say, "It is best to deal with a blind man." By this we mean removing the essential of alertness from our opponent. Learning to remove essentials from our opponent and create opportunities for ourselves. One of the best essentials to remove is that of Alertness. The obvious methods would include damage to the opponents eyes or ears. This can be done in many ways. By confusing them. By hiding our punch with the opponents body. By moving so fast as in explosive force that they can do nothing in response. If he is thinking about something other than our incoming weapons he is blind to them. If we can shield from his alertness the weapon we use he is vulnerable. Once we have done damage we can use the time we purchase to remove another essential and further our effort. Other essentials can be removed during our counter attack such as intent by changing the mind of our attacker using pain. Balance can be removed if we cause damage to supporting muscles. Strength can be removed by limiting motion of the opponents bones such as in a capture or restrictive joint lock.As you can see, the principles and concepts of this philosophy are to be used in combination with each other to create a total understanding.

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