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If you
are given tools to make
a job easier,
you'll be foolish not
to use them.
So why do people
rely purely on sight
to provide information
when fighting? You're
born with five senses,
which can all be
used to help you
absorb information.
I am very short-sighted,
and when my contact lenses are
out I rely more on the other
senses. Over my
years of training in
various martial-arts I
have learnt that all
five are necessary to
fully assess the overall
picture. I say
that the 6th sense
is experience that
enables you to recognise
the other five. Your
senses receive information
that your brain interprets,
and that you can
then act on.
A fighter should
take in as much information
as he can about his
opponent, and the
environment he is
in. He must
continue to assess and adapt
his fight strategy on
the basis of this
information. Therefore,
the more information he
has, the more educated
and productive his response. The
sense of sight is
the most used -
it is the sense
most people are dependent
on. Your eyes
see the information
and the fighter can
then act on what
he receives. The
eyes give information
on distance, movement,
shape, texture,
positions - essential
information in a fight.
Learn to use your
eyes to the optimum.
A suggestion is to
not focus on a
single point on a
fighter, but instead
take in his whole
physique. If you
look at his eyes,
you miss what is
feet are doing,
and vice-versa.
I look at my
opponent in a haze,
not focusing on a
single point, and
absorbing every movement,
no matter how small.
Even a blink could
have significance. Even though
you're ready rely
on the eyes, check
you're actually using them
to fullest extent.
Also remember that your eyes
can be deceived -
perception is not
always reality, especially
when you are fighting
someone who uses feints
effectively. So
what happens if you partially lose you
sight? This could happen
through a cut, swelling, Vaseline,
oil or sweat in your eyes, or if in
close contact opponent's
gloves or body.
Suddenly you have
lost the ability to
take in information, so
you'd better take
some of it in from
the other senses. You
probably need the sense of hearing more
than you first think.
A good fighter will
always listen to his corner.
No matter how much
noise there is, you must be able to filter it all out to receive instructions
from your corner. Having the
experience to listen and
understand is a hard skill on its own,
but if you can’t focus on a single voice amongst the
many, you’ll never hear it in the first place. When in close you can hear your
partner’s breathing, and also hear instructions given to him by his corner. When
in contact with your
opponent you can feel
whether he is tense or relaxed,
how his weight is shifting, his
breathing patterns through body movements and breath, all essential information
that your eyes can’t give. You can also assess distance and weight shift
through vibrations and dipping of a sprung floor, such as inside a ring, as
heavier movements provide more bounce than lighter ones. The senses of smell and taste can be
used to give information, honest! Although to be fair, it is to a lessor extent
than the other senses. Fighters smell of heat rubs, Thai oil, deodorants, sweat
and body odour. This can assist in assessing a fighter’s distance and
position, albeit to a small extent. Taste can be used to provide some
information, as the air carries particles we can taste as well. The sixth sense is experience, that recognises the signals given by the five senses, interprets them, and allows you to react. If information is provided about what a fighter is going to do taken in by senses, it will be foolish not to act on it appropriately. |
