*On July 23-25, 2021, 10 FILKENJUTSU students tested for their Black Belts. During their preparation for the test, the candidates were asked to write a thesis paper. This is Darrel Craig’s paper. Darrel has been training at PMA for almost 9 years!

In martial arts, as with many other forms of learning there are five key steps in the learning process. These steps are Learn, Practice, Master, Functionalize, and Maintain.

Darrel and some of his training partners and instructors after a PMA Fall Hike.

Learning, the classroom instruction we receive at PMA, is the initial introduction to the mechanics of martial arts through combinations, kenpos, forms, and other exercises. Learning often is focused on seeing and walking through an example, and taking notes so you can remember what you’ve learned. This exercise forms the foundation on which we continue to build in the subsequent steps. Taking proper notes is a major key to your success through the martial arts journey.

Practice, the second step in the process, is the act of building on what you learn. This is often executed by reviewing your notes and executing the steps until you are comfortable with the movements. Depending on the subject matter the practice phase can take days, month, or years to complete. Short term practice is focused on simply executing the steps learned during class. Longer term practice is focused on functionalization, mastery, and maintenance of those movements.

Functionalization of our learnings is the application of the form or movement in action. This is the point in our art where we execute what we have learned and practice in real life situations. During this phase, sparring becomes a crucial part of training (1). In addition to sparring, demonstrations of forms and other movements in coordination with other students is also important. During this phase, feedback from the instructor or fellow students will help you strengthen each technique.

Mastery through repetition, practice, feedback, and adjustments is the point at which a form or movement is permanently embedded in our brains. Mushin is the perfect application of a mastered skill, meaning that the skill can be recalled and executed without forethought or planning. In simple words, it happens “naturally”.

Maintenance is the continual practice of a mastered process, activity, or movement. In order to keep your skills fresh and to continually improve, it is of utmost importance to continually practice the skills we’ve learned.

Darrel working with some of our Lil Dragons at a Belt Test.

Learning the skills of the Filkenjutsu martial art require instruction which is delivered by the instructors at PMA at the dojo. These instructors have years of devotion and practice to move toward mastery. “A true martial arts master is someone who continually practices their art with devotion and passion. The instructor’s role, in the beginning, is to act a as a guide as the student embarks on the journey through the martial arts. A successful teacher helps their students become better martial artists.” (2). However, even with the best of instructors and excellent instruction, the student must continually practice their skills in order to succeed on their journey. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the activities related to practicing our skills.

Practice Overview

Ed Parker defines practice as the engagement in “frequent workouts so that the increased number of repetitions proportionately adds to one’s proficiency”. (3) As we practice, our skill level and level of comfort with each form increases.

Practice makes perfect. Well, maybe not. SiFu David reminds us that only PERFECT practice makes perfect. As we learn a skill it’s important that we take accurate notes and practice the newly learned skill as quickly and often as possible. Many times, we’ll return to the dojo only to learn that we missed a detail or didn’t correctly record the steps in our notes. As we receive feedback from our instructors, we update our notes and modify our movements. Properly recording and learning from the feedback we receive from our instructors is a big step in the direction of mastery.

Darrel receiving a stripe on his Brown Belt.

Practice outside of the dojo is a key to the learning process and is essential to your success as a martial artist. Key components of successfully practicing outside the dojo are scheduling, notes, amount of practice, your martial arts studio, types of practice, and quality.

The amount of practice is up to you. Depending on your schedule and life activities you may have more or less time to practice. On average I’m able to work in around 2-4 hours of practice a week outside the dojo. Bruce Lee, during the peak of his career, included in several of his letters that he was able to practice two to two- and one-half hours per day. (4)

Schedule

Scheduling practice can often be the biggest challenge. With busy work and family schedules it’s difficult to set aside time for practice. Also, burnout due to our busy lives is very common. Many times I’ve dragged myself to class or started practice when life and work have exhausted me. When this happens, I’m generally not excited to show up to the dojo or start practice. However, the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the session, and getting my mind off the things that are wearing me down ALWAYS outweighs the stress of starting the workout when I don’t feel up to it.

You should approach martial arts practice with excitement, as this is something that is yours and yours only. It’s a gift to yourself. Burnout can steal that gift from you. If you really are burnt out, “if you feel the excitement waning (and you can tell this easily by how you approach the day your scheduled to do your favorite practice), take some time off” (5). It is also a good idea to discuss with your instructor. Through my training, I’ve had several cycles of burnout due to busy schedules and other stressors. I still train, and always feel better after training, but have also skipped a few classes just to get a break. If you take a break, promise yourself you’ll hit the next class or practice even harder. And keep that promise. You’ll be glad you did!

Schedule specific days of workouts and practice during your week. We generally attend class at PMA twice per week. In addition to those classes, I try to schedule three more days each week of practice and/or exercise. I always plan one night per week of no practice or exercise. This has greatly helped me reduce burnout. Even on tough weeks, I know there is one day each week when I can decompress and relax. You can always use this day off for an extra session if you are having a good week and have the energy.

A sample of my planned workout schedule is below. I use this as a guideline for my workouts. Some days I am able to do more. Some days I do less or not at all. If there’s something from class I need to work on, I revise my training schedule so that I can accommodate that need. If not, I don’t have to think about what I’m working on as it’s already in my plan.

*During the period when we attended class from home due to the Coronavirus, I often performed my weight workouts after attending class from home.

Plan your practice days ahead of time. Before you start your workout, you should know what you are going to practice (kenpos, combos, forms, chest and back, shoulders and arms, etc.). Solidifying your plans will make starting the workout easier. When you are practicing your martial arts, bring your notes from class. Your notes are a living document. In order to achieve mastery, your notes most constantly be studied and updated.

Notes

Note taking is perhaps the most important step in practice. If you don’t record accurate notes, it will be hard to properly learn and practice your techniques at home. In class I record notes in my notebook. When I get home I enter those notes into a spreadsheet so that I can quickly organize and find specific items I need to study. A sample of my high level spreadsheet catalog is below.

Each of the above items is linked to the detailed notes in a separate tab of the spreadsheet. This makes it easy to review the overall list of items I have learned and recorded, and I can quickly drill down to the detail notes. I find that this is much easier to do than to try to locate the individual notes in my notebooks. An example of my detail notes is below:

Your Personal Martial Arts Studio

Where you practice is a multifaceted topic. Depending on your logistical situation, you may need to be flexible in where you train. As a traveling consultant, I’ve practiced martial arts in many hotel gyms, in a Memphis park with the Mississippi river in the background, and behind a small lake next to the Saint Louis Arch. I’ve studied notes and rehearsed moves in my mind while flying from home to my project in another state. All of this is possible because our learning content is in our notes and in our minds, so it’s very portable!

At home, you should attempt to make a permanent location for your martial arts practice. This can be a spare room, a favorite spot in the yard, or a roll up mat in your garage (I’ve used them all). If possible, prepare this room so that it is ready for you whenever you decide to work out. The ten minutes you save by not having to set up your workout area may be the convincing factor as to whether you work out or not.

As part of your permanent location to work out, you should start adding components that you find at the PMA dojo. Basic weights, practice equipment (bags and dummies), and a martial arts library (see Sempai Monty’s article on your martial arts library on the PMA blog) are all key items to have in your home studio. Many of these items can be found slightly used for a small price. Most of the items in my personal studio were bought on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or the local used bookstore over a number of years.

Types of practice

As mentioned previously, one of the benefits of martial arts practice is you can do it anywhere. The forms of practice I experience most are as follow:

Kata – Webster’s Dictionary defines kata as “a set combination of positions and movements performed as an exercise. We can perform kata anywhere. All we need is space, notes, and our memory.

Darrel practicing with one of his training partners, Eric.

Physical fitness practice is the use of weights and other devices to increase strength and mobility. At home, a simple set of weights and a pull up bar or some exercise bands is perfect for a general workout. Elastic bands or TRX Suspension Training Systems are very portable and can be taken on the road if you travel.

Mental practice is the form of practice we do in our minds. Rehearsing and performing moves over and over in our minds are a key form of mental practice. As you rehearse the moves in your mind, be sure to visualize your opponent. Visualization of your opponent is a key factor in practicing alone.

Practice in execution, or performing motions in everyday life, is probably the most important form of practice. As we go day to day activities, we use situational awareness as a form of practice in execution. I remember early in my martial arts training (OK, it is still early), I was walking in a not too safe location in downtown Chicago. As I walked through a pedestrian tunnel, it occurred to me that I should maintain at least two arms length of distance between me and another person coming through the tunnel. This was the first time I realized the practicality of my martial arts training in everyday life.

Quality of practice

As you practice, make sure the quality of your practice is a central focus. Initially, our practice is focused on memorizing the move or form. As we move toward mastery, our focus should be on understanding the purpose of each individual movement and action.

Darrel and a few of the students he tested with after receiving their Black Belts on July 25, 2021. From right to left, Christine Traigis, Miles Jackson, Darrel Craig, and Eric Ridenour

Simply rushing through the movements is not perfect practice. Throughout the first few years of my training, crispness in execution has been a challenge (it still is). This was due to the fact that I was focusing on the whole form – and getting through it, and not the purpose for each individual movement. To achieve perfection, you MUST focus on each individual movement and apply that to real life situations. Though I’ve been told this dozens of times, it took until recently for me to realize exactly what this meant.

As Bruce Lee stated, “If you are going to train without the concept that you are actually hitting your adversary, you are short changing yourself. When you kick or punch the bag, you have to imagine that you are actually hitting an adversary. Really concentrating, putting 100 percent in your kicks and punches, is the only way you are going to be good” (6). To achieve perfection, you must take the time to visualize each kick, punch, block, and turn within your forms into a real-life example. When you block, visualize a strike coming at you. When you punch, visualize a target. When you turn, visualize an opponent in the direction you are turning.

Remember – PERFECT practice makes perfect!