Conceptual Self Preservation
I have been a fan of conceptual martial arts for a while now, and I would like to address what I feel are the benefits of Conceptual Martial Arts. I will discuss how I define Conceptual Martial Arts. I will also address how to use a Conceptual Martial Art, or CMA, as well as, my favorite concepts.
Definitions are hard to nail down because anyone can twist a definition to suit their needs, so I am just going to define CMA’s as I see them for the sake of clarity. When I think of CMA’s I often don’t think of specific systems. While most systems have an overall set of concepts guiding them, they are often very specific to said art. I like to think of a set of concepts that one can use to define their own personal incarnation of an art or group of arts. This overall set of concepts can help you decide which arts are worth studying. Let’s face it, most martial arts have some sort of benefit, although this benefit may not be what you’re looking for, and by adhering to a logical set of concepts one can decide on the martial arts that will benefit him in a positive way. So, I would define a CMA as a logical set of related concepts which are used to bring about positive benefits for the individual or group, regardless of the techniques used.
I have already touched on how a CMA can be used, so I will go into more detail. To use a CMA one must first have a goal. Start with a broad goal, since this website is about self-preservation I will use that as the broad goal. That’s pretty easy, right? Wrong. Self-preservation has so many incarnations that it must be defined farther. If I was to design a set of concepts for soldiers toting heavy amounts of kit I would have to choose differently than if I was designing a CMA for Joe Everyman who at most will be carrying a light pack or briefcase. To use myself as an example: I needed a set of concepts for self-preservation. I wanted something that did not require flexibility but took advantage of my very developed sense of balance and gymnastic ability. I also required something that would turn my short reach into an advantage. I didn’t need to stay away from people, in fact I prefer to be grabbed and I have no fear of taking a punch to get what I want, due to my sport fighting days.
Be honest with yourself, what are your strengths and weaknesses. Play to your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Work on your weak points but spend more time on your best tools. And even more important, choose tools that fit your set of concepts. A bit more on that point should be said. I read an article by Hawkins Cheung, friend and fellow Yip Man student of Bruce Lee’s, he was writing on Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do. JKD is one of the finest examples of a CMA, even if it is abused more often that not these days. Mr. Cheung was writing on the myriad of JKD practitioners who strive to pare away the arts while attempting to find the next great thing, be it grappling or whatever. He said that if one is still adding moves (i.e. Still in the process of learning a style), one is not ready to start paring away yet. I agree with him, to a point. It is useless to spend too much time on something that doesn’t fit your set of concepts. However, you never know if your CMA will change (in fact it probably will); also as you learn and grow you may learn that you have a place for that move, after all. I am a voracious learner, I love learning a new move or trick. I normally practice it a few times, until I think I will remember it and whether or not I like it; then it goes into the vault. I can think of dozens of times that I have remember a move and thought, “Hey, this would work really well with what I am doing now.” In short, never dismiss anything out of hand. If someone offers you some knowledge, experiment with it then keep it in the back of your mind until you find a place for it.
Now, to illustrate what I mean by concepts, I will include a few that I like and have served me well. First I have very few long range tools. I have a couple just in case but, for the most part, if it requires a lot of room to execute, then it is out. As a result, the closer, the better. Aggressiveness will win out most of the time, that means no strictly defensive moves, so aggressive moves are required to stop attacks. Because of the style with which I fight, groups are a large problem. I can’t fight more than one person at the same time, so I must deal with each person as quickly as possible. Therefore, every move has to be a potential fight stopper; feints and set up moves have minimum benefit.
Those are just a few of the concepts I have adopted to define my personal incarnation of combat. Some of you reading this may think, “Feints are great, how can he discount them?” I agree that feints can be a great tool but I can only answer this way. I have learned that with my reach, feints often get me hit. So I feint very rarely, and when I do it is a very small part of my overall strategy. Essentially, what I am saying is that these concepts are tremendously personal. They have little bearing on what is best for the masses.
Now that you have some concepts, you must remember to practice the physical techniques. Without the techniques, a concept is like a general without soldiers. Use your personal CMA to evaluate systems and styles as to their relevance to you. Whether your goals are strictly self preservation or more inline with traditional Budo, a personal CMA will make your precious time more profitable and make your training program more efficient.