A snippet from last night's training:
For years, we've trained you to get to the pocket of safety. But this time, you can't go there.
Because I weigh roughly half of what a typical "big guy" weighs, my budo instructors taught me to automatically get into what they call the "safe zone." I trained to get into this pocket so many times it's become ingrained in my reflexes.
But last night, we trained a type of in-fighting technique that doesn't work unless you get out of the safe zone.
I stood across from my usual Tuesday night training partner. He stands 5'9" and weighs about 225 lbs. His thighs might as well be tree trunks.
The first punch came in, and I barely got inside. The second punch skimmed the side of my head, but I managed an elbow strike to his ribs.
The arm bar had to be on, like NOW, but it wasn't working. I was pulling his massive weight around but wasn't getting the reaction I needed.
"You're too far out!" Sensei yelled. "You need to be HERE." He grabbed my shoulders and moved me to where I needed to be. I grimaced. It felt super uncomfortable to be squared off so close to the guy's face.
"100% of the time, you will feel like you're being pummeled.
And 50% of the time, it might be true." He added. I laughed a little. We tried again.
I dodged the heavy arms that came at me like falling beams, applying just enough pressure to get them off course. It was like being buried in a cave. But from inside the hole, my elbow strike was way more effective than the first time. I found my arm bar. And hey. It worked!
Of course, I didn't do it perfectly. There is still better footwork to be had and nuances that I don’t fully understand yet. But I saw that it could be done.
Now, there are hundreds of quotes out there about getting out of your comfort zone, so this lesson about stepping out of your safety zone isn’t anything new. But with broad concepts, it's hard to know what they mean for you in any specific moment.
Last night's lesson was a reminder
Getting into my pocket of safety is a solid reflex that avoids immediate trouble, but it sometimes takes a riskier stance to pull off something quicker and more effective.
It was a great visualization that measured risks can save you valuable energy and time.
A secondary lesson to be learned from this is that the feeling of being overwhelmed is just that — a feeling. It doesn't mean you have no effective options, and it doesn't necessarily mean you're in a bad position.
Sometimes, the position is supposed to feel overwhelming.
“But I saw that it could be done.” This strikes me as such a key thing too — having the evidence for what’s possible or that something is possible. Digging these illustrations, Leslie! & of course, love this ode to the scary zone.