Mindfulness is Important in Martial Arts Training

First, it is important to supplement your in-class training with your own practice outside of class. Sometimes it can be helpful to go to a park to get away from distractions at home. Other times you might be able to use an empty room if you have membership at a local gym.

What I mean by mindfulness is that you should imagine how this movement is applied in the form first and get good at keeping your mind on the movements with an eye toward improvement. After that you can think about how it is applied in chi sau. After that you should start to consider how this might be applied in actual self-defense. Check your hand position. Is your centerline covered? Is my weight on the back leg? Am I looking down at my feet, or keeping my head high and looking forward? Am I stiff and tired OR energetic, springy and ready to snap your hands at the imaginary opponent?

As you progress, you should expect to move more quickly and smoothly with better balance. If you just go through your movements without any thought, you are bound to stagnate. In addition, you will not have committed the movement to regular memory or muscle memory.

If you are working with a partner, some of the same considerations should apply. Each partner is going to be different. His or her “feel” would be different in the wrists and arms. Chi sau experience will help you deal with different strengths, stiffness, directionality and other factors. Knowing the kind of mistakes you have made can tip you off on mistakes your training partner may make.

Sifu Keith Sonnenberg