Last week, I understood a little more about how Newton's Third Law of Motion applies to karate. It was a typical post-practice scene, with Sensei and I talking story as I hit the heavy bag. And as usual, Sensei provided corrections and suggestions in between stories about his training on Okinawa, anecdotes about people he ran into that week, and some various musings we were both entertaining. Like I said, talking story. Sensei mentioned that I should push against the ground with my feet when I hit. This wasn't the first time I heard it, nor was Sensei the first person I heard it from. He pressed his foot against mine to let me feel how I should be doing it. Again, that night wasn't the first time. However, this time something clicked. Having my weight towards the outside of my feet as they pushed against the ground suddenly made it easier to keep good posture and to time the kime. It was easier to use koshi naturally and to employ hara... or, at least to feel it. It wasn't a perfect hit, far from it. But it felt good. No, it felt great. Certainly better than any of my previous tries that evening... maybe one of my better ones up until that point, period."For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."
Sir Isaac Newton
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I already knew about Newton's 3rd Law and that whenever I pushed off the ground, the entire earth pushed back with the same amount of force. I already knew that I have the ability to walk, run, and jump around because even though the earth and I are pushing against each other with the same amount of force, I accelerate a lot more because the earth has far, far more mass than I do. Technically, I accelerate the earth by the merest fraction when I do this... we all do. And as I mentioned before, other styles tell their students to push against the ground during their techniques to take advantage of this wonderful earth-moving power, although whether or not their stance and posture maximizes this benefit is another matter.
But until my accumulated experience of trial and error from continued practice allowed me to understand it, all that knowledge was worthless in a fight. Knowing theory can only point you in the right direction. Knowing methodology gives you the opportunity to train properly. Training properly gives you experience. Experience is the difference between knowing and understanding, and understanding makes all the difference in the world.
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"Knowledge is empirical and not intellectual. It is to be experienced and from experience comes understanding."
Sensei Pat Nakata
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