Kalaripayattu

Kalaripayattu claims to be the oldest extant martial art in the world. While Greek Pankration is currently the oldest martial art that remains discernible in the West, it is clear from epic tales and religious texts that organized fighting techniques existed in India long before the rise of combat methods in the Mediterranean. Information is sketchy at best and scholars have been unable to patch together information to produce a workable replica. In India itself, the early arts seem lost to antiquity but records indicate that as early as 1500 BC wrestling was practiced.

The combative method we witness today dates dates from the twelfth century and is thought to contain clues as to its forerunner styles, perhaps even copies of techniques. The art originates in Kerala, in southwest India, and was formerly part of the training program used to prepare the local warrior caste for combat. Tradition holds that it was the sage Parasurama that created the art, combining methods of prolonging life with martial practices.

Training in Kalaripayattu

Training, as might be expected, has religious undertones, though practice in the art is non-denominational. For physical exercise the body is stretched and massaged, as much for health reasons as to promote martial ability. Basic training includes footwork, stance practice and various thrusts and kicks before moving onto the study of weapons and how to counter an armed opponent. Further training focuses on manipulating pressure points to both harm and heal, as well as the ability to counter any attacks made against one’s own weak areas. The tradition generally identifies 107 such pressure points with sixty-four being considered practically accessible in a fight. Advanced practice in striking vital points utilizes the otta, a carved, curving stick, with each curve corresponding to a specific arm position. Using this stick combative techniques are replicated before the practitioner goes on to effect the movements against an opponent.

Certain key points that are replicated throughout Asian fighting arts are found in this art and perhaps suggest a common basis in Yoga for assumptions on the generation of power. Masters teach that a vital energy flows through our systems, an energy that can be harnessed in times of need. Furthermore, it gives pride of place to the lower abdomen as being the area from which all movement should originate. These guiding assumptions are replicated in Chinese, Japanese and Korean arts and to a lesser extent (most particularly the idea of the existence of an invisible vital energy) in other areas of Asia.

In combat the master relies on strikes to weak points of the opponent’s body, using basic strikes and throws to disorient and allow for the successful execution of a pressure point attack. Attacks are met first with evasive body movement that puts the adversary in a disadvantageous position.

Capoeira

To the casual onlooker a practitioner of capoeira may look more like a break dancer than a martial artist. While the origins of the art go back centuries before the invention of break dancing, the art does in fact trace its roots to African dances, and war dances specifically. As in Asia, early African warriors emulated the actions of the animals that surrounded them, acknowledging the greater power that such beasts could generate. One such animal was the zebra, which would balance on its fore legs while shooting out its hind legs. In emulation, while dancing Africans would balance on their hands and strike out with their legs.

With the beginning of the slave trade in the sixteenth century the proud African warrior heritage came to an end in the face of Portuguese musketry. Over the years thousands of young Africans were transplanted from their homes to foreign shores in appalling conditions to begin a life of slavery with no personal rights. Under the Portuguese the practice of religion and martial arts was banned in the hope of preventing subversion. The slaves however were able to continue to dance and thus certain of the movements were interpreted from a combative angle. Once an application for one movement within the dance was found, it was not hard to find another. With the emphasis changing, other, specifically fight-oriented techniques were added and disguised as dance. A similar phenomenon happened in Okinawa when the peoples were banned from carrying weapons and practicing fighting arts: a number of self defense methods were therefore blended into dances. Some argue that as the hands of the slaves were bound this led to the development of the art. I find this unlikely as more orthodox kicks, knee attacks and trips can still be delivered without the free use of the hands. Furthermore, it would seem more likely that a fighting art utilizing the chains that bound the slaves to strike and choke opponents would have evolved, but there is currently no evidence of this. Rather I would posit that the fighting techniques were adapted due to familiarity and the ability to practice them in the open in the guise of a dance.

Despite the abolition of slavery capoeira continued to be practiced underground until, in 1937, Mestre Bimba (Teacher Bimba) was invited to give a demonstration to the Brazilian president. So successful was this expose that the first public training school was opened, spreading gradually through Brazil before gaining an international audience.

Training in Capoeira

Training begins with basic, standing techniques and conditioning, particularly stretching. As soon as possible practitioners are encouraged to begin 'playing' capoeira, an unusual verb choice for a martial art but, nevertheless, Brazilians maintain that it is a game first and for fighting second. Play takes place in the roda, a circular area, around which onlookers and fellow trainees stand playing instruments to dictate pace and rhythm or singing songs. As the participants move around one another they perform handstands, cartwheels and rolls interspersed with kicks and sweeps.

In combat the capoeirist will likely evade any attack before launching a powerful kick or sweep as a counter. The expert relies on ending the fight as quickly as possible as the range of techniques available, dynamic though they are, is very limited and do not extend to punching or grappling. In addition, the origins in dance rather than the battlefield leave the practitioner vulnerable to weapon attacks as there are no specific defensive tactics to snatch a weapon. The art also lacks those finishing moves that would be used on a battlefield to deliver a coup de grace to a stunned and weakened opponent.

Training begins with basic, standing techniques and conditioning, particularly stretching. As soon as possible practitioners are encouraged to begin 'playing' capoeira, an unusual verb choice for a martial art but, nevertheless, Brazilians maintain that it is a game first and for fighting second. Play takes place in the roda, a circular area, around which onlookers and fellow trainees stand playing instruments to dictate pace and rhythm or singing songs. As the participants move around one another they perform handstands, cartwheels and rolls interspersed with kicks and sweeps.

In combat the capoeirist will likely evade any attack before launching a powerful kick or sweep as a counter. The expert relies on ending the fight as quickly as possible as the range of techniques available, dynamic though they are, is very limited and do not extend to punching or grappling. In addition, the origins in dance rather than the battlefield leave the practitioner vulnerable to weapon attacks as there are no specific defensive tactics to snatch a weapon. The art also lacks those finishing moves that would be used on a battlefield to deliver a coup de grace to a stunned and weakened opponent.

Bill Walsh, 49ers Football and Excellence in the Martial Arts

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Bill Walsh, 49ers Football and Excellence in the Martial Arts.

As well as practicing martial arts, I am also a big fan of various sports, especially the English Premier League (Chelsea) and the National Football League in the US (Washington Redskins). Despite my favorite teams, I have a great deal of time for particular players, managers and coaches in these sports and others whether or not they play for my teams. In the Premier League I have a huge amount of respect for Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United. In the NFL I like players like Troy Polamalu and Ray Lewis as well as coaches like Bill Belichick. Another man I respect from more than 20 years ago is Bill Walsh, the former coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

During his reign Walsh turned the 49ers around, won three Super Bowls, created what would later become known as the West Coast Offense (characterized by the use of up to 5 receivers who would run timed pass routes to hit specific parts of the field at staggered times allowing for shorter, faster passes) and was christened The Genius.

I am nearing the end of a very interesting book written about Walsh and the 49ers called The Genius: How Bill Walsh Reinvented Football and Created an NFL Dynasty by David Harris, a book I recommend to anyone who wants to get an insight into how to be successful in a highly competitive arena and the price being at the top of your game exacts.

Walsh offered his players plenty of coaching along with advice on things like how to deal with the media. He went on to set up seminars on financial management for team. Certain principles though he returned to time and time again, emphasizing key lessons that would form the backbone of what he called '49ers football'. Having read them and spent a short time dwelling on them, I think they are worth sharing as they can be adopted by a martial artist to improve his or her individual performance while also being useful for a sensei to discuss with his or her class.

Beat the Opposition to the Punch.

Obviously this has a direct relationship with martial arts and in fact Walsh, an accomplished and would-be professional boxer, used the example of pugilism to demonstrate what he meant. Not only does beating your opponent to the punch offer an immediate and obvious advantage, over a period of time what starts as a small point of superiority can swell into a dominant one that assures victory. Bill Walsh valued quickness and explosiveness over toughness. He wanted players to be decisive, believing that anyone who wanted to simply stand and trade (a tough opponent) would be gradually beaten up before a final blow would signal the end. In Japanese martial arts we could call this sen sen no sen.

Set a Standard of Performance and Meet It.

Walsh emphasized playing as well as you could, week in and week out, irrespective of how your opposition were performing. Set yourself a high standard and determine that you will consistently meet that level. This was not just at game time; the mindset was also to be applied to practice, where the process started. Outperform the people around you in training and you will be able to outperform them in competition. This point can be applied to any endeavor.

Be Precise in All Things and Always Pay Close Attention to Detail.

Bill Walsh saw effective football as the end result of a combination of a multitude of minute details. Approximations of exactitude were not enough: everything had to be precise and practice was intended to accomplish that goal. Walsh wanted his positional coaches to be similarly exact in their feedback to players, whether positive or negative.

This attention to detail will be familiar to many who train in their chosen art with any degree of seriousness. Generating greater and greater power can be hindered by the smallest misalignment of the body. A small error in the execution of a punch can lead you to injuring your own hand more than any opponent. Attempting to execute a lock or choke when the pressure is angled wrong will lead to failure. Pressure points require not only a very high degree of accuracy, but also must be attacked from specific angles. Your instructor should be correcting your performance with evermore precise feedback as your technique becomes further honed.

Everyone Has a Role and Every Role is Essential.

The Genius believed that "championships are won with the bottom half of the roster." He certainly valued his stars, men such as Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, but he made sure everyone knew they were important and their successful execution of their role within the team was vital to gaining victory.

At first blush this principle may not seem to have a lot to do with the practice of martial arts. However, while martial arts are executed in isolation, skill is developed by interacting with the people around you in your dojo. In this sense learning a fighting art can be seen as a team effort. With the team working together effectively to build the skills of everyone involved, everyone can progress. Seen from this point of view your role in the gym is not merely to hone your own ability, but to play a role - an essential one - in helping your training partners to develop too. Skilled black belts or the equivalent are the result of not only their own effort, but of the input and challenges set by other members. Try to look at the dojo as less a collection of individuals pursuing individual goals and more as a team committed to seeing and helping everyone get better. Steve Morris (No Holds Barred) encourages sparring to be done with specific goals in mind, rather than a mock competition with a "winner" and a "loser". The point of sparring then is not so much to beat the other person, as to work with the other person to enhance particular attributes.

Preparation Breeds Execution and Execution Breeds Success.

Another key concept to 49ers football was the emphasis on execution, above and beyond emotional intensity, which was heavily favored by other coaches at the time. Bill Walsh would argue that strong emotions cannot win games; and in any case, anyone who was starting in the NFL was already at the height of intensity. Correct execution requires practice and repetition. In this way responses become automatic.

This is another key point that is directly applicable to martial arts. Endlessly repeating the basics may threaten boredom, but it is the only way to develop talent and flawless execution. I would say that over a lifetime of practice, this has to be countered with activities that alleviate boredom, but one should always go back to the basics. Learning new kata is important for various reasons, but one of the most satisfying results of this is go to back to your Heian Shodan or whatever equivalent beginners are taught after you have worked on more advanced forms and then re-examine the basics in a new light. It is for this reason that I primarily recommend taking a look at things like tuite and kyusho jutsu; not because they are necessarily more effective in a fight than a stiff jab, but because they had a new dimension of interest to the same patterns of movement.

Keep Your Wits at All Times.

Maintaining concentration in the face of adversity, fatigue, discouragement and a highly skilled opponent was of significance importance to 49ers football. Every play requires the full emotional commitment of each player. Small mental mistakes can have vast negative consequences. Being able to think under pressure then is a key skill. Repetition in practice, to return to the point above, breeds neuro-muscular memory which is what a player will revert to in times of stress.

Zanshin, a total awareness, remains a key concept in Japanese martial arts and can be forged in various ways. The grading system, sometimes much maligned by traditionalists, does allow for a uniform approach to inducing stress in practitioners and seeing if they sink or swim as it were. Can the karateka deal with the stress and still perform the basics? Competition, even just sparring for some, may be another way to test if someone can function under pressure. Obviously full contact matches such as MMA fights take this stress to an even higher level.

Communication is Vital.

Players and staff had to constantly talk to one another for 49ers football to work. Bill Walsh therefore cultivated communication. This was particularly important when things were not going as planned. This allowed the team to identify an issue and initiate a process of correction.

I think this point is also highly applicable to developing effective fighting skills. Most obviously communication between a student and his or her teacher is vital; but so too is that between students. Remembering that training should be undertaken with an attitude of teamwork to build skills, part of this process inevitably involves effectively communicating what is being done well and what is not effective. Certainly there is a lot to learn from self-examination, but sometimes the solution to a problem can be more easily discerned by the person on the receiving end. This feedback needs to be offered without any sense of superiority or one upmanship and taken without the ego intruding and becoming hurt if there is a perception of criticism.

Football Requires Endless Adaptation.

Walsh maintained that everyone involved with the team had to be adaptable to different circumstances and situations. Throughout the ebb and flow of a game and a season everyone also had to maintain a high level of concentration. What Walsh meant then was not passive acceptance of a situation, but pro-active adaption to new circumstances.

The idea of achieving harmony with an opponent (and, at a deeper level of understanding, of time and space) is central to the teachings of many martial arts. The very idea of karate as an empty hand form of combat is taken not only to imply that no weapons are used, but that the fighting method has no fixed style. It is "empty" until it finds a moment of expression. We are also reminded of the teaching of master Funakoshi that "form is emptiness; emptiness is form", a teaching taken from the Buddhist Heart sutra.

Count on One Another.

Walsh maintained that having high expectations among team members (not just coaches) was a vital component of success. This extended to the requirement that each player would sacrifice himself for the good of team because each individual cared about the whole. The Genius expected everyone to help everyone else improve.

Again, we have to recognize that martial arts seem to be more an individual effort than anything else but in order to improve we are reliant on the people around us; not just for instruction but for the challenge and feedback each person can provide to us. Sacrifice is perhaps too strong a word for an amateur training in the dojo nearest to his home 2 or 3 times a week, but nevertheless, a willingness to participate in drills and activities for the overall good of the gym, if accepted by all members, will create and maintain a healthy training environment.

Conclusion.

I think Bill Walsh has a lot to offer with his ideas on 49ers football, not just in the realms of the NFL or martial arts, but for anyone seeking to improve his skills in a particular area. The key ideas seem to be to always seek perfection and that no man is an island. To achieve perfection we need the help of our training partners, which suggests (and the legend Steve Morris seems to concur) that exercises in the gym should be less about competition and more about co-operative action intended to improve specific and overall performance (though there is a time and a place for some hard, competitive sparring).

Before interacting with a training partner in many martial arts we bow to one another or give some other signal of respect. Respect is a very broad term and can mean many things, but one meaning, the meaning I think Walsh would emphasize, is the appreciation for your training partner as he helps you to develop. Something I have encountered in my training here in Japan is that along with a bow people are prone to also say "Onegaishimasu". Directly translated, this means "please", but a more accurate interpretative translation would be something like "Please help me develop my skill". This is not only confined to the practice of martial arts.

There is a lot to study here and I can say that my own appreciation of the importance of training partners, to take one example, has changed significantly over the years. Nowadays I do not pay gym fees for the level of instruction I am given, but more for the opportunity to train with people of a high standard.

Train hard, live easy.

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Chuck Liddell Ground and Pound

Chuck Liddell is a familiar figure to all martial artists. He is the former UFC Light Heavyweight World Champion and played a major contributing factor in popularizing the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts. He is best known for his striking and knock out ability along with his excellent take down defense. In the following video though you can see some of his training for ground and pound. Ground and pound sparring is the next step up from basic training.

You can read a summary of the key points from the video below, but I think it is worth bearing in mind that Chuck was a professional fighter at the time and the level of contact he employs is relevant to that. There is nothing wrong with toning down (or even completely removing) the contact. You can still get a lot out of this exercise without risking a few bruises.

Key Points

* Be careful to train at a level at which you are not getting injured.

* They are hitting at 75% power to the body and open handed to the face while avoiding the eyes and the eye area.

* Mix up the positions from where you start the sparring from.

* When practicing ground and pound, concentrate on that. This isn't a full out sparring session and neither participant is trying to get a submission or practice escaping and standing up for example.

* Notice that the thighs are viable targets. Practice striking there also.

* Notice that while striking Chuck is keeping one hand pushing down on his opponent to help keep him pinned in place. This can be dangerous when done from the mount against someone who knows BJJ submissions.

* When using the focus mitts be careful not to hold them directly in front of your face as the impact may drive the mitt back into you.

* Practice striking from your back also, not only when you have control.

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