Tonight near the end of karate practice, someone had asked if a sequence of movements should either be done with "technique" or "speed" in mind. Focusing on technique can mean sacrificing flow, but focusing on speed can mean dropping fundamentals. The discussion involved a few of the brown and black belts. After class, walking to the parking lot with one of the brown belts, we were talking about it some more and I found myself explaining that it has a lot to do with intention.
At a certain level, the kata/forms we learn need to be more than just pretty motions. What are we training our body to do by doing this motion, or that one? What's the idea behind moving the arms this way? Why does that form make us move the legs in that fashion?
At the higher levels, we're expected to start thinking more and more behind the reasons and not just take what we're taught at face value. Some people don't really choose to go into depth, which is a shame - it shows in their forms. They become carbon-copies of what they were taught, with only a flimsy veneer of understanding.
To those who have started to put thought into the "why" of moves, it doesn't always guarantee that they're doing something that might actually work, but it's the first step. They can put intention into the motions because they have the visuals in their head. At this level, there may be some questionable definitions, but there's a huge improvement from the last example.
Finally, there's the place some people reach when they've not only taken the time to think about the purpose of the movements, but also both how they work (or don't work) with their own bodies and have actually tried them out to make sure they're effective in practice. They still have to move within the rules of the style, but the style is now more a guidebook than a rigid cast.
So, my faithful taiko player-readers, where are you in these examples? Are you discovering that you take what you're told at face value, just hoping to look competent because there's just SO much information to process? Maybe you're at the point where simple mimicry doesn't suit you anymore and you need to find out what makes your technique feel good? Or are you realizing that your group is but one path on the way to discover how to utilize your body as a performer?
Nice duality between the "motion" and the "reasons." I agree that there needs to be a balance between the two, but based on the post, it seems that you have placed a higher priority on understanding the motion than the motion itself. And I don't know if I fully agree with that idea. I see "motion" and "reasons" similar to anatomy and physiology—each compliments the other in an integral and necessary fashion.
ReplyDeleteSince so much of taiko is the performance of the task, I wish I could see more people "sell" their motions rather than just "do" them. That's why I often do place a higher priority on understanding the motion than simple execution of it.
ReplyDeleteMany players get caught up in their heads about what they're doing with every single motion, that they're not able to project their energy to the audience. That's not just to those with limited experience, it's a mental obstacle that many have trouble overcoming. Once the motion is truly *understood*, then it no longer needs to be thought about and the energy can truly flow out of the performer.
It's often the difference between a good performer and a great performer, in my humble opinion.