THE FOUR SIDES OF TRAINING
by
Scot Conway, Ph.D., J.D.

“Forms are useless in a real fight!”

“If you learn 10 techniques, the first time you’re attacked you’ll need number 11.”

“How does all this marching back and forth help me defend myself?”

“What good is sparring if I have to fight by all these rules?”

People who study martial artists often disagree about what is really important in martial arts training. They disagree about what it takes to fight. They disagree on a great many things.

Many true martial artists recognize the value and purpose of all facets of training. They understand that different systems pursue different goals. For some, the goal is self-perfection. Others pursue health. Some train to promote mind-body harmony. Some train for inner power. The combat component of the art is not the prime focus of the system, but more of a side benefit. These are arts. Other arts pursue pure fighting skill and the other areas are the side benefits. These are fighting systems. A complete martial art, will contain both martial skills and artistic development. It uses all facets of training, pursues the physical, mental and spiritual goals and it is, ultimately, combat effective.

There is nothing wrong with a system that uses only one or two facets of martial arts training. Many systems do this intentionally, since some elements are less relevant to the goals of the system. Those martial arts that are complete, that use all facets of training, will spend time in the four following categories: Forms, Techniques, Skills, and Sparring. Virtually everything practiced in a martial art will fall into one of the four categories, and may move between them depending upon how they are practiced.

Each category of training has it’s benefits and limitations, and all four are required to complete the physical skills of a martial artist. Regardless of the opinions of various fighters, martial artists, athletes, and performers, most masters will agree that students who seek complete physical mastery of their art must spend their time studying Forms, Techniques, Skills and Sparring. The benefits and limitations of each are discussed below.

FORMS

Forms (also called kata) are a pre-set series of moves performed alone. The moves in a form have combat application in every martial art, and most of them have a combat purpose. The primary difference between combat application and purpose is whether the move can be applied to fighting, or is intended to be applied to fighting. For example, many Wushu and most Tai Chi forms have combat applications for the majority of motions in the forms, but they are not intended to be used in combat as they are performed in the kata. The moves in an art such as Guardian Kempo have specific application to pre-determined targets on imaginary opponents. Many arts fall somewhere in between.

There are several systems where the moves in a kata do not have a specific combat purpose, and perfection of execution is the main thrust of practice and performance of the kata. In these cases, for purposes of this discussion, the kata is part of the Skills category. The Forms category includes forms that have combat purposes, self-defense techniques practiced without a partner, and any other pre-set series of combat moves practiced without an opponent.

It is while practicing things in the Forms category that martial artists train for power, speed, focus, form, emotional content, intent, purpose, intensity, concentration and full power execution of the moves. Because the moves are pre-determined, the knowledgeable martial artist does not have to consider what to do, only how to do it. He does not have to consider where his opponent is or what the opponent is doing, since that is also pre-determined. Everything goes into effective, purposeful execution. The martial artist knows what effect the strike or kick will have. He knows what his block is stopping.

Practicing Forms, the martial artist can fully develop his visualization skills since there are few variables. He can, through proper visualization, condition his mind and body for combat focus. This involves seeing clearly with your mind just where the opponent is, what he is doing, and what your response is to his actions. The focus of the moves is beyond the target, an inch to six inches, depending upon the attack and the target. There is full transfer of power to your imaginary opponent. The moves are done to harm.

Stances are practiced not because you will use traditional stances in a real fight, but because they are the limits of your stability. The range of stances, from the long forward leaning stance to the deep back stance or cat stance, and the lateral stability of the horse stance, should not be exceeded. There is purpose in the stances that is often unrecognized by those who emphasize fighting. You are unlikely to use a textbook traditional forward leaning stance in a fight, but you should not lean further forward than the traditional stance. The stance teaches you the limit of your forward reach. To go beyond is to limit your stability, and give the opportunity for control to your opponent.

The moves are practiced without striking a target so you can use full power without harming anyone. It also teaches proper execution of the move on a target, keeping the power under control, since you cannot lean your weight into the strike or kick, as is a commonly made mistake in heavy bag practice. The power comes not from your body weight, nor your physical strength, but from the flawless and purposeful execution of the move. It is a matter of technique. If you miss, you still have control. If you hit, you still have an effective strike. Throwing your weight behind a strike, relying on the target to stop you, will yield an effective strike if you hit, but it will also cause you to lose control if you miss. If your street opponent is skilled, he can take advantage of your momentary vulnerability. If you over-rely on throwing your weight through a strike, then you can completely lose control, and end up at the mercy of even a modestly skilled opponent.

Many arts that rely on control of the opponent, notably Aikido and Aikijitsu, work wonderfully on opponents that rely on their physical strength and throwing their weight into moves. Many of the defenses are virtually neutralized if someone had their striking skills honed by forms practice. (Do not think that forms practice makes the Aikido/Aikijitsu practitioner helpless. The skilled practitioners have a number of other moves they can use that do not rely on you offering them control of your body.)

By practicing Forms, you can use full power techniques, executing your techniques on imaginary targets, and complete visualization skills. Forms have the greatest benefit when practiced as intended by the founders of most present-day systems. Know what you are doing to an opponent. Understand the purpose behind the move. Visualize what the effect of the move is, and you will gain the greatest benefit from practicing Forms.

Forms also has limitations. It cannot be the sole training ground for anyone truly seeking effective self-defense skill. The understanding of what you are doing, getting the full transfer of power to harm your opponent. visualizing the opponent’s moves and reactions is limited to your skill at visualizing. With many forms, you can get into a “forms rhythm” in which your moves follow one after the other in an easy-to-defend-against rhythm. The timing of the moves becomes predictable, and in fighting the moves tend to follow this rhythm and even a novice can block the attacks.

Also, the size of your imaginary opponent is typically the same as the practitioner, so the moves in the forms do not adapt to the size of a potential opponent. They do not account for variation in the attacks, defenses or movements of the opponent. They are geometrically constrained (opponents seldom attack from such neatly pre-determined angles). They are tremendously useful for their intended purpose, but the number and nature of their limitations clearly indicates that other types of training are crucial.

TECHNIQUES

This category specifically refers to pre-determined, street-effective defenses to pre-determined attacks. Self-defense techniques are in the Forms category when practice alone (shadow techniques). They are in the Techniques category only when practiced with a partner.

The most glaring limitation of this category comes not from the nature of the category, but from the nature of the self-defense techniques as often taught in an increasingly commercial martial arts industry. Many do not work. The problems are many an varied. The most common error is faulty presumptions on the effect of the moves or move combination. Slaps intended to stun or momentarily incapacitate an opponent have no effect on an angry attacker. Faulty presumptions on pinching, biting, leg sweeps, blocks, the timing and rhythm of the technique, inappropriate use of moves (such as a high kick to stop a punch to the face) and other fallacies can contribute to the ineffectiveness of a technique.

Even effective techniques face the limitation of attack variation. A defense against a straight punch that relies on moving just to the outside can walk you face first into a haymaker. And when will you know which punch the opponent is throwing? When the punch is far enough along to see the attack angle, and by then it may to late to use that technique. Many techniques face a limitation in size differences, and cannot be performed when an opponent is much larger or smaller than the defender. Sometimes techniques do not account for variation in the reaction of the opponent.

Ideally, a technique will realistically take into account the attack, movement and reaction variations of an opponent. Ideally, a technique will work whether an opponent is larger, the same size, or smaller than the defender. Ideally, a technique is based upon sound and reasonable presumptions. If these things come together, than the benefits of technique practice can be fully realized.

The first and greatest benefit of technique practice is learning to work with opponent variation. This presumes you train with different partners on a frequent basis. By working with opponents of different sizes, body types, strengths, skills and reactions, you learn to alter your movements to account for your partners. If your target is the face, you learn to strike higher or lower depending upon where your partner’s face actually is. You become target oriented, which is an important skill in self-defense.

You also become effect oriented. This component is most obvious in grappling skills. You are not executing a particular movement when you do a throw, your are throwing an opponent. The throw must adapt to the opponent to effect the move. You learn to adjust so you accomplish your goal. It is less obvious in striking skills, but you still train to get the reaction you expect. You strike the jaw so the head moves. You strike the groin so the knees buckle. You strike the throat so the chin drops. You pursue an outcome rather than an execution of moves.

If the technique is properly designed, then it will also train you for the real-life reactions of a human body to the moves in the technique. As a general rule, the point of impact will move in the direction of the impact, and the surrounding body parts will fold over the point of impact. If you hit the throat, then the impact point will move in the direction of the strike. The chin will drop, and the shoulders will move forward. This is determined not by the decision of the opponent, but by the physics of body mechanics. If the person is tense and rigid, then the strike will do all the more damage. The body mechanics work to limit the damage to the body. If they are over-ridden by panic or tension, then the body will suffer much more damage.

The follow-up moves will be less necessary because you will get a greater reaction out of the move executed. If the technique is well-designed and the martial artist well-trained, then the programmed technique will take the possible variation into account and the technique will be effective within the range of probable variations. This might require a technique combination, but should still be covered in these self-defense skills.

The biggest limitation of techniques is the requirement of control in place of power and focus. One does not use full power and combat focus on training partners. While you train variations, real-life reactions and proper move combinations, you must pull your techniques to avoid harming your partner. This can lead to habitual control of techniques, and when you really need them, you pull them as a matter of course. High ranking black belts have been faced with this conditioned response, and instructors experience it most of all. Years of control in the training hall end up translating to pulled techniques on the street. The power, speed and focus are drawn from Forms, and installed into the techniques. This requires, of course, proper Forms practice. Remember that shadow techniques are part of the forms category, and frequent technique practice without a partner is highly recommended.

SKILLS

Skills include moves that are performed without combat application. It includes such things as falling, rolling, punching, kicking and any other exercises that are practiced for the quality of the execution. They are often performed in a vacuum, such as marching drills. It includes kicking or punching a heavy bag. It includes forms practice when you are not working on combat quality performance. It includes all kata that may have combat application, but not combat intent, such as most parts of Tai Chi kata.

The purpose and benefit of the Skills category also defines the category. The purpose of practicing skills is to work on perfection of the move. You are working on proper execution, on excellence of form, body alignment, chambering, angles, foot position, and all the details that go into perfecting your move execution. When you are focused on personal excellence in execution, and not pure combat application, then you are performing a skill. When you are doing a kata with the combat elements in place, as discussed in Forms, then you are performing a Form.

Many kata are in the Skills category. Many systems emphasize this category of training far above and beyond all others. This is where self-perfection is sought. This is where the quality of the punch is trained. In the martial art Skill practice, the martial is secondary, the art is primary. This is where the underlying skill is developed that is applied to the combat intent of Forms. This is where the perfection of the movement is trained that is applied to the execution of Techniques. It is the foundation of martial arts skill.

When a martial artist learns a kata, he practices it to first learn the sequence of moves, which is a skill working his physical memory, self-discipline, and training his body to move in this new way. After he remembers the sequence, then he tries to practice executing the moves correctly, seeking greater perfection of technique, which is also a skill. Only after the martial artist is sufficiently practiced in the Skills component can he truly move on to practicing the kata as a Form, with all the intended combat quality and purpose.

The purpose and scope of the martial arts system will normally determine how much time is spent at this stage of training. Many arts seek first self-perfection, personal health, performance or otherwise stand first as an art form and only secondarily as a martial system. In these arts the Skills category will be the primary, and often overwhelmingly so, area of training and practice. Those arts more inclined to the martial application will spend less time here and devote much energy to the other categories, especially on the upper levels.

The limitations of Skills is obvious. As you are execution focused, you are not target oriented. You are concerned about how you are doing the technique, and less so about what the effect of your technique is. You are practicing the moves in a vacuum. You are not training the pure practical side of your art. The Skills category is not where the full expression of combat application resides, but this is where it is born.

SPARRING

Sparring is working with an partner or partners in a sort of play-fighting. Sparring helps train the martial artist to deal with the unknown. You do not know what the opponent will try to do, but you have to stop him. You have to try to strike at your opponent, and he is going to try to stop you. Dealing with the unknown is a crucial element of martial arts training, since an actual attack on the street isn’t going to be a pre-determined attack against which you can prepare your pre-determined defense. You will face the unknown, and sparring helps you prepare for it.

Sparring trains reflexes. You learn to block incoming attacks and respond to them. You learn to spot openings and take advantage of them. You learn to create openings. Dealing with the unknown and responding to it with effective reflexes in sparring is an indispensable martial arts skill.

Sparring also gets the martial artist accustomed to being under attack. Many martial artists that do not spar frequently freeze up when faced with a real-life attack. They are suddenly confronted with someone who actually wants to hurt them, someone who will not cooperate with a self-defense techniques as a classmate would. It is the ultimate performance pressure, and rather than mere embarrassment if you make a mistake, the cost is physical pain, perhaps even crippling injury. Facing attacks with confidence and composure is most easily practiced with sparring.

Sparring also helps train pain tolerance and performance under pain. In sparring, from time to time, you get hurt. Normally, the injury is not serious enough to stop a match, but the shin used to block the groin kick is throbbing, or the foot that hit the shin hurts. The accidentally over-hard strike to the ribs makes breathing a little difficult. Yet you must go on. Pain cannot stop you. Those that do not spar often find themselves unable to defend themselves after they have been hit, or somehow injured in the process of defending themselves. They stop when they are hurt, just as they condition themselves in class, only the attacker, unlike a training partner, does not stop and let you recover.

Sparring also has some rather severe limitations. Like Techniques, you are not striking with full power and combat focus on your moves. Your objective is not to destroy your training partner, so you exercise control. That control, if conditioned is sparring to the point of habit, can translate to habitual control in a combat situation. This, of course, results in losing the conflict. Obviously, this limitation is less of an issue in full contact sparring.

You also do not get real-life reactions. Sparring has the primary limitation of Techniques, but it lacks the primary benefit of good Techniques. Neither you or your partner react in a sparring match the same way that you would in a street fight. The control exercised means that your partner will often be unaware of what blows landed, and he will continue his attack as though those attacks did not happen. The same applies to you. It is difficult to tell in a sparring match exactly what would have happened if the fight was full-contact with no protective gear.

You do not know how effective your attacks would really be. Commonly, martial artists insist that a certain move “would have taken your head off,” or “there’s no way you could continue if I really did that to you.” Honestly, though, how do you know? If you make these presumptions, you might be surprised on the street when you really do X, Y and Z to an opponent and he just keeps coming! There are issues of reach, power, stability, distancing and opponent body mechanics that factor into a street-fight quality execution differently than they do a sparring quality execution of a move. This even applies in full contact matches, though less so.

Protective gear is a limitation of sparring. You can hit hard in a full contact match, or score in a point match with bad hand position because the gloves protect you from any limitations in your own wrist stability. Also, when you hit or are hit, the gear blunts that attack, especially in a full contact match. This also changes the focus required, even when fighting full contact. You might hit full power with the top of your foot when it is padded, but you might break all the small bones in your foot if the same kick were blocked without a pad. It changes your reach. It changes how hard a hit you can take.

Sparring has a limited range of techniques you can use. Even in the Ultimate Fighting Challenge, you are not going to gouge the eyes of your training partner. In Professional Kickboxing, you are not going to kick your opponent in the groin. In the Sabaki challenge, you are not going to punch your opponent full force in the face. And these are among the closest fights you’ll find to a real street fight. Point sparring or in-class sparing is even further removed from the range of techniques you might use on the street.

In some combat grappling systems, such as Gracie Jujitsu where they can spar under conditions substantially similar to fighting, sparring bears a greater resemblance to fighting. Many grappling systems are designed to deal with other grapplers, and they leave themselves open to striking. Many striking systems spar only against other strikers, and remain open to grappling attacks (as evidence by the repeated Gracie Jujitsu victories in uncounted matches). Generally, fighting conditions and combat conditions are substantially different, or they at least have the potential of being so.

There is a commonly held fallacy in martial arts that sparring skill equals fighting skill. Sparring is only a fraction of fighting skill. The limitations on sparring, especially controlled sparring or point fighting, clearly make it insufficinet for true self-defense. One must excel in Forms, Techniques and Skills in addition to Sparring to truly excel at self-defense.

SYNERGY

The key to total self-defense skill is synergizing all four categories. One must take the basis of execution from Skills, put that in to the combat execution of Forms and apply it to the moves of Techniques. Then, prepared by sparring to face the unknown and be under attack, a martial artist is prepared for street defense.

It is important to realize that the basis of self-defense skill is Techniques. The benefits of each of the other categories make Techniques work. This presumes that the techniques are effective, as discussed in the section on Techniques. If the defense skill of a martial artist is based upon techniques, then the fights will be over quickly.

A man tried to strangle Debora Lee Hicks. She reacted with a text-book technique against this attack. The technique presumed that the attacker was determined and held the stranglehold, but this attacker did not. His hands popped off her neck as she hit him. This was within the parameters of the variation for which her technique training accounted. She moved without hesitation into another technique that worked for the new situation, and she totally incapacitated the attacker in seconds.

She used the moves from two Techniques. She used the power, speed and focus from Forms. She executed her moves with the quality of her Skills. She reacted to with the confidence of one accustomed to being attacked by the unknown honed by Sparring. All her training in each of the four categories prepared her for that one moment when she had to perform, when the stakes were life and death, and she triumphed. The attacker was turned over to the police several minutes later, bloody and beaten.

There is a saying in Guardian Kempo that has general application to martial arts. “Do not fight unless you absolutely have to, but if you absolutely have to, win.” It takes character to fight only when you must. It takes skill to win when you must fight. We must train so that when we must fight, we will win. That involves training in all four categories, recognizing the value and limitations of each.

BEYOND THE FOUR SIDES

There comes a point beyond synergizing the four sides of training that a martial artist reaches into the underlying physical and philosophical principles embodied in teh synergized expression of the martial arts. This is where you reach beyond knowledge, beyond conditioning, and beyond practice to true and meaningful understanding.

This is where martial arts permeate life, since one cannot understand and apply the principles in martial arts without applying the same principles in life. As the principles are understood and used, and their effectiveness becomes apparent, then the martial artist will find those self-same principles flowing into other areas of his life. He begins to deal with problems and their sources in a manner similar to his art’s principle for dealing with attacks and attackers. He begins to think like his system had taught him. He become more a student of the system than a student of a teacher, and it is the key to the door to mastery.

To get there, though, the student must begin with Skills, and nurture the newborn skill through Forms, Techniques and Sparring. The martial artist must learn all aspects, and synergize them, and having done so, reach beyond. When he has mastered those skills sufficiently, he can consciously forget them and they will still flow naturally from within. They will be a part of him. Then he will be prepared to move beyond skill to the wisdom and understanding that flows from mastery.

Back to Articles Page