Tip 09/03

Understanding Speed In Martial Arts

We can readily identify 4 types of speed:

  1. Perception speed or intuitive recognition can be increased by repeatedly exposing yourself to situations that require instant analysis. Military personnel do this by participating in mock battles that require them to quickly analyze different scenarios to determine immediate threats and actions required. The best drills for developing perception speed in martial artists are CQC drills; sparring and one steps. The best drill to mind is the “killing house” or hostage rescue scenarios.

    CQC drills teach you what an attack looks like before it happens. The drills also teach you to be alert at all times by placing you in imminent physical danger. Alertness is a critical part of perception speed. You cannot analyze the situation if you do not realize it exists.
  2. Reaction speed (speed by which we react to an identified threat, physical or otherwise) can be improved by a two part approach.

    Firstly, you need to be aware of the different types of situations that may arise in any given environment. In sparring, your opponent usually does one of several things which are predetermined by the rules of the sparring match. You know in advance what is allowed and what is not.

    In a self-defense situation, you can still have some idea what to expect. You can reasonably expect your assailant to try to harm you in some way, either with a weapon or without; with a strike, kick or grab. You do not expect him to demonstrate his skill in field stripping and reassembling his weapon first. By estimating what to expect within reason from the given environment, you can narrow down your choice of possible responses.

    Secondly, you must have experienced an identical or similar situation previously. If you have been attacked hundreds of times by a front kick in sparring, your reaction becomes almost reflexive. Ditto for an over head downward slash of a knife. If you are a novice at sparring, your reaction times are longer because you must formulate a response without a basis for comparison. If you have practiced self-defense techniques in a realistic way hundreds of times, you are much better prepared that if you spend all of your time beating up a stationary heavy bag.
  3. Execution speed is the type of speed that most martial arts (and regular military) training focuses on. Executing techniques like kicks and strikes with speed takes up a large part of the intermediate and advanced stages of training. Execution speed can best be improved through attention to detail. Shifting into a ready posture at the last minute wastes time. Begin each movement with a ready and relaxed posture. If you are going to kick, shift your weight to your supporting leg and relax your kicking leg. Shifting your weight and positioning you hands can take more time than the actual striking or kicking. Anticipate, and be prepared to act.

    When you learn a new skill, practice slowly at first to train your muscles in the correct execution of the movement. When you can execute with little thought about the segments of the movement, speed up gradually. In speeding up the movement, take care not to lose the precision you learned in the beginner stage. Strong basics are essential for speed training.

    Observing the laws of motion is also important to execution speed. If you flail your arms and head wildly about when kicking, your kick will be slow. If you stabilize your posture, your kicking speed will increase. If you punch with your arm, your punching will be slow. Spinning kicks always have more power than front-on kicks due to the harnessing of the torque and body weight in spinning.

    Finally, you must relax to create speed. Tense muscles have more difficulty responding to intense demands than relaxed muscles. Relax just prior to the movement and maintain a minimum amount of tension during the movement. Relaxation conserves energy and lessens the amount of force necessary to move your body quickly.
  4. Recovery speed is the result of execution speed. The old adage “what goes up must come down” applies in other directions as well. If your fist shoots out in a punching motion, it must return quickly to be efficient and effective. If you execute a side kick and drop your leg to the ground immediately following impact, you will be off balance and in danger. You must rechamber the leg and then return to a natural stance.

    If you do not execute the recovery portion of the technique, the action becomes “dead”. It does not have the dynamic quality associated with speedy movement. It also increases the risk of joint injury tremendously. A fast strike or kick that ends in locked out position is a common case for knee and elbow injuries.

    A complete technique has an initiation, execution, impact and recovery. Each phase must be executed correctly to create dynamic speed.

CAUTIONS

  • Never use complex skills for speed training.
  • Always master the basics before moving to speed training.
  • Never tense your muscles before executing a speed skill.
  • Muscles must be well trained before engaging in speed training. Weak muscles that cannot bear the intense requirements of speed training are easily injured.

The above article was condensed from Song H.Kim with thanks.