Timing Drills

[Theban_Legion]

I had an interaction with a fellow from another association who showed me a timing drill. It was fairly simple, yet it absolutely transformed some of my techniques.
I had been having some difficulty increasing my speed past a certain point without losing power. I certainly don't want to trade off power for speed. Speed without power is quite useless; however, the timing drill did the trick. The change was remarkable.
I was thinking that it would be a fairly simple matter to extract the timing from a given technique in the form of a drill, and then one could easily import that timing into any number of techniques.
I understand that one association focuses on these drills; however, I don't think that they teach one how to extract timing from a technique in the form of a useful drill. I asked; a couple of people responded, but they did not actually answer my question.
These drills are very different from any other type that I have learned. I have been playing around with extracting the timing that I use in Snapping Twig, and I figured that I should probably ask someone, with far more experience than I, what pitfalls/errors I should watch out for/avoid.
I basically perform a tailored version of the technique that combines staggered motion from both the left and right side. It is fast and precise.
I welcome all comments.

[administrator]

Hello Theban_Legion,

I would love to respond to your post, but you did not ask a question.

Regarding the trade-off of speed vs. power - sometimes you have to determine what you need for tactical reasons. How much power do you need for an eye-poke? Speed is very important to bridging the gap. There are other times where sheer power and little speed is necessary, such as certain finishing holds, joints locks, etc.

Look back at your post and then formalize a question that we can discuss.
Thanks,
Kevin Lamkin
Site Administrator

[Theban_Legion]

Ugh..I wasn't very clear at all. Well, it was awfully late. Sorry about that. Maybe it was a good thing that I wasn't clear; now I can add a couple of questions that I wasn't thinking of last night.

In specific:
I was looking for advice that would prevent error while I try to extract a good timing drill from any given technique. Are there any hard and fast rules about forming these drills?
How many different timings are truely needed to be an effective fighter? I think it is clear that more than one is needed to avoid getting into a rhythm during an altercation. I vaguely recall Master Parker addressing this in one of his written works; it was something about stuttering your timing. I don't remember exactly where or the exact wording he used.
What are the different possible timings? Can "notes in a measure" be used as a proper/correct analogy? Could movements in a technique or timing drill be accurately compared to 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 notes in a measure? If that is the case, it would be fairly easy to determine possible useful drills, and perhaps even compose them without needing to extract timing from a technique.
I would like to be able to perform several different timings for each of the techniques/movements. My goal is precision, power, speed, and multiple timings. I think that timing drills may very well be beneficial to my training; however, I don't want to make the mistake of overemphasizing this area in my training. Right now, I find this topic really fascinating. I look forward to your answer.

[Theban_Legion]

I had an IM conversation with on of the AKLA regional reps. The information he provided was excellent. I am very impressed with the AKLA Maryland rep.

I was looking for advice that would prevent error while I try to extract a good timing drill from any given technique. Are there any hard and fast rules about forming these drills?
It is a matter of identifying the patterns of timing of the master key movements within different family groups.


How many different timings are truely needed to be an effective fighter? I think it is clear that more than one is needed to avoid getting into a rhythm during an altercation. I vaguely recall Master Parker addressing this in one of his written works; it was something about stuttering your timing. I don't remember exactly where or the exact wording he used.
Obvious answer: many different timing patterns are already contained with the family groups. It is simply a matter of identifying the seperate patterns.

What are the different possible timings? Can "notes in a measure" be used as a proper/correct analogy? Could movements in a technique or timing drill be accurately compared to 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 notes in a measure? If that is the case, it would be fairly easy to determine possible useful drills, and perhaps even compose them without needing to extract timing from a technique. This question is absolutely irrelevant. Often times I find myself thinking in terms of analogy when I should be studying the system itself.

[administrator]

Theban_Legion,

Training drills should always be dynamic and tailored to your needs. Never get into a drill for the sake of doing a drill. The concept of tailoring is what should be applied to each individual in order to enhance a specific result from each individual. In group classes, we do certain drills that we know will enhance, speed, power, flexibility, etc. Overall, these drills work in general for the majority of the class. However, we have to adjust them, about every seven weeks, to avoid 'law of adapability', in which the body changes in order to adapt to new demands on the body's system. Body builders, track & field atheletes, gymnasts, and most other dynamic sports must also adjust in order to progress forward.

Therefore, find a drill that works for you, and make adjustments every few weeks. Keep a journal to record what works, and what does not aid you in your progress.

Kevin Lamkin
Site Administrator

[Lance C]

Reply,

One thing experience has taught me when practicing self defense techniques is to practice with as many different body types as possible. Kenpo techniques can vary, as each opponent can react differently. Timing, Power, Speed, and the amount of control over height, width, and depth can vary significantly depending on who you are fighting.

One old pitfall is to do everything as fast as you can. If you were to react in this manner, you may be punching mid air. The human body and reaction to stimuli (getting hit) isn't a linear factor in timing and you may find not all reactions to the same strike are equal.

What I am trying to say is, learn to target dynamically (in motion) a good drill for this is a double ended ball. I would consider this a timing drill, but it does lead to speed increase and accuracy!

-Lance