ezzthetic
08-09-2005, 23:23
The following are some thoughts that came to me a little over a year ago:
Reading material on the Chinese internal martial arts (neijia) has proven rather inaccessible to me. It is quite unlike reading works on the Japanese arts, something I am accustomed to and know how to appreciate. This changed dramatically the other day. I was reading through some old magazines due to a drought of books and read an article on taiji I had previously discarded.
As I read it, I realized that the process of acquiring skill is in its basic elements always the same, no matter the field - it always begins with form. So to appreciate the writings I must strive to observe and understand the basic form of the "soft" school technique.
I would maintain that if you do not understand form, you cannot understand formlessness. For me to fully understand the virtuoso of a Michael Jordan, I would have to understand the basic skills of basketball. In the same way I must understand the equipment and tools of the neijia to appreciate its higher applications. Similar things could be said of other virtuoso performances. A layman will often understand that an artist is unique but not fully grasp the intricacies of the genius beheld.
It takes a real basketball fan to fully understand a great Michael Jordan play, but it can still be enjoyed on lesser levels by others. Who doesn't recognize the experience of showing a friend a recording of a great performance by some great artist (whatever field) you appreciate, only to see that your friend watching doesn't feel the profoundness of the moment? "Oh he's quite good," he might say, and just change the subject.
So in short, if I begin to study more the form of an art, I will appreciate how the great artists break away from that form. How can I know what is just plain normal and what is extraordinary and profound? Only by knowing the fundamental technique or form. The more I know of the bottom of the ladder, the more I know of the top. This I dare say is why I can watch a great fight on tape hundreds of times without ever seeing the same things. I've watched Stevie Johnston - Angel Manfredy so often it makes me dizzy just thinking of it! I frequently revisit the same old tapes of seemingly superhuman warriors like Tetsuhiko Asai, Morihei Ueshiba, Rickson Gracie or Roy Jones Jr because I can understand them better each time. Instead of admiring them less by bringing my perceptions of their feats towards the ground, I admire them more. They are expressing themselves beautifully with universally available tools.
Parting thought: You say real combat has no rules? What is gravity? :)
Reading material on the Chinese internal martial arts (neijia) has proven rather inaccessible to me. It is quite unlike reading works on the Japanese arts, something I am accustomed to and know how to appreciate. This changed dramatically the other day. I was reading through some old magazines due to a drought of books and read an article on taiji I had previously discarded.
As I read it, I realized that the process of acquiring skill is in its basic elements always the same, no matter the field - it always begins with form. So to appreciate the writings I must strive to observe and understand the basic form of the "soft" school technique.
I would maintain that if you do not understand form, you cannot understand formlessness. For me to fully understand the virtuoso of a Michael Jordan, I would have to understand the basic skills of basketball. In the same way I must understand the equipment and tools of the neijia to appreciate its higher applications. Similar things could be said of other virtuoso performances. A layman will often understand that an artist is unique but not fully grasp the intricacies of the genius beheld.
It takes a real basketball fan to fully understand a great Michael Jordan play, but it can still be enjoyed on lesser levels by others. Who doesn't recognize the experience of showing a friend a recording of a great performance by some great artist (whatever field) you appreciate, only to see that your friend watching doesn't feel the profoundness of the moment? "Oh he's quite good," he might say, and just change the subject.
So in short, if I begin to study more the form of an art, I will appreciate how the great artists break away from that form. How can I know what is just plain normal and what is extraordinary and profound? Only by knowing the fundamental technique or form. The more I know of the bottom of the ladder, the more I know of the top. This I dare say is why I can watch a great fight on tape hundreds of times without ever seeing the same things. I've watched Stevie Johnston - Angel Manfredy so often it makes me dizzy just thinking of it! I frequently revisit the same old tapes of seemingly superhuman warriors like Tetsuhiko Asai, Morihei Ueshiba, Rickson Gracie or Roy Jones Jr because I can understand them better each time. Instead of admiring them less by bringing my perceptions of their feats towards the ground, I admire them more. They are expressing themselves beautifully with universally available tools.
Parting thought: You say real combat has no rules? What is gravity? :)