Lessons from My Masters 24: Observations - Ruthless Intent Part VIII

“The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the only reason a warrior fights is to win”

            ― Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings

So anyway I'm training with Master Martarano one day and he asks, 

Master Martarano - “So how is it that you and John can hit people with just enough force where they get the message without hurting them?”

Me – “Simple you’ve got to keep hitting people.”

Master Martarano – “Yeah, but I don’t want to hurt them.”

Me – “Then next time don’t hit them so hard. I’m sorry but the only way to develop this is you have to hit people. If you don't hit them you cannot develop that touch.”

Okay, because life’s short I’m going to get right into this. I promise this won’t be “War and Peace” like the last Blog Post.

Internal Dropping

“The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.”

                         ― Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings

Along with learning how to “Disappear” right in front of people this is one of the coolest skills Grandmaster Perkins taught me.

“Internal Dropping” is all about developing your timing and subtle muscle control, so that when applied it becomes nothing more than a focus of your will, a focus of your "intent". But in order for it to become a focus of your will it must not only become a part of you but “who you are”. Thus the term "Internal Dropping". While this doesn't take long to develop, as I now speak out of the other side of my mouth. This is no easy thing because there is a level of development you must have in order to accomplish this. I've seen people try to do this without being given the proper understanding and they usually look like they're having some sort of muscle spasm or something. For one you need to have good body unity for without it your movement becomes jerky, rigid and stiff. Next you need to be able to properly Drop Strike since this is a further refinement of it. So until you can do that first, you're really not going to get there, which means you have to put in the time to develop those other attributes and build them in ahead of time. Something that unfortunately a lot of folks don't want to do. 

It also must be internalized and must soak into the marrow of your bones. Again, it is a level of subtle muscle control that does not lend itself to something that can be seen with the eye. So as a result often appears as just another one of those martial tricks we've all grown accustom too. However, when I do this I can tell you there is an "internal feel"  in the body where if you do it enough you just "know" because it feels right. Sort of like when you played baseball or soccer where when you hit the ball or kicked it you just knew it was gone from the moment you touched it because it just felt "right". There's really no other way to explain it because what you feel is very personal to you. So I can only approximate what I perceive through my own experience but since we're all human and our bodies work the same hopefully you can sort of extrapolate from that and gain some understanding.

You’ve heard me discuss Batman, Superman etc. and the differences. So I’m going to continue a little with the super hero mythology to make this point. So the while there are differences between the two there are some similarities as well. You see Superman whether he’s Clark Kent or Superman, he’s always Superman. Batman is always “that guy” in or out of the costume and will still “kick that ass”, the same is true for Spider-man. The costumes only define their alter egos and the roles they play. But physically at least they are always that guy, it’s just who they are. Now Iron Man on the other hand, no matter what is only Iron Man if he’s in the suit. In other words, if he shows up to the fight and the best he can do is put his hands up he may be in trouble.

This is important to understand because like Iron Man there are those in the martial arts that only seem to think that they can be effective if they have a weapon, have the "best weapons", or are wearing some special uniform. You know the type, these were the guys who walked around in the 70's and 80's dressed like Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon, with their rope bottom Kung Fu slippers. Or the folks that claim to have some super-secret technique that can only be used on every other full moon during the yearly lunar cycles "except for holidays", or some other nonsense. Like “Excalibur “ made King Arthur who he was, whereas without his sword he really didn’t have much to offer. Tony Stark in the same way really doesn’t bring much to the fight if he doesn’t show up on game day dressed to play.

The key here is you want to train in such a way where you are always “that guy”. You're always mentally capable of going there. Where because you’ve developed yourself through proper training you can bring it with or without a weapon. Where basically they have to kill you. Where a weapon is "truly" just an extension of your body or of your will. Now don’t get me wrong here this doesn’t negate the importance nor use of weapons. I’m just trying to highlight that at the end of the day it’s just you and nothing more, and the time to know how to move your body with or without a weapon to include using a gun. Is not when you’re in the middle of battle! To me learning "how to fight" while "in the fight" is sort of like trying to sail the boat while building it. Good luck with that!

The good news is, learning how to do Internal Dropping is one of those skills where once you’ve developed it you are always "that guy".  So whether it is your intent to break a person’s balance as you strike or smash though their arm on the way in. It gives all of your strikes an authority as if they are being hit with a steel pipe all of the time.

By the way speaking of steel pipes, I want to point out that internal dropping is not limited to just using your hands and feet to strike. The same can be applied to using weapons. Once again through proper training and Ruthless Intent, when all of the pieces come together everything merely becomes and extension of your will. Everything becomes a state of flow. When you "Zen Out" with the weapon there is no weapon because the weapon no longer becomes eternal to your being.

You know, as an aside, the good thing about writing about this stuff is that it always reminds me of some experience I had that I come to realize people in various venues.  They do this stuff all of the time even if they are not aware that they have these abilities. I can remember when I was in Afghanistan in Garmsir District checking on how some of the tools we gave the Marines were working for them. So anyway I'm talking to this Sniper and he's talking about what he likes about the optics etc. and then he makes a curious statement to me that I want to share. He said something along the lines, 

"You know Sir, It's weird but when I'm in a hide position and I've been there for a while looking though the scope. It's like my body disappears it's like it's not there. I don't see anything but whats in my scope.  I've taken shots where it almost felt like the gun went off by itself. But what's interesting is I don't miss. Just weird."

I've heard Marine and Army Pilots describe the same feeling where when they are flying combat missions "nape of the earth". They just "feel it". I've been on more than my fair share of missions where I've flown as a passenger like that and I can tell you there is no amusement park ride that can come even close to what these folks can do. So while everyone else in the back of the helicopter are "white-knuckling" it. These folks look like they're having the time of their lives. Plus, I think they get a kick out of seeing how many of us they can make puke.

When they're operating like that they're in "The Zone",  "Mushin", "Flow State". They're in that state where they can do no wrong. To be honest with you and it is really a credit to our combat pilots. Given the amount of flying they do and the level of danger they face every-time they go up. It is really a credit to their skill and bravery that we "rarely" have an aircraft either crash or get shot down. It's not that they don't get shot at, they're just that good and know how to make people miss while "smoking bad guys". Unavailable / Unavoidable, there is no difference. I'm all about it!

Anyway...

If you take a look at the picture at the beginning of this post it comes from the movie promo "The Man With the Iron Fists". To make a long story short, The Man with the Iron Fist is a Blacksmith who get his hands cut off by the bad guys, but because of years of training in the art of death. He fashions new hands made of iron and of course begins to wreck havoc on the evil doers who cut off his hands. The thing that I always liked about the movie (along with having the baddest soundtrack for a martial arts movie evah...), and even though I drive my wife nuts every time I watch it along with "Roadhouse".  Is the idea that what made him a great fighter was not the iron fists though they definitely helped, but his skill to wield them as a fighter in general. Like I said at the end of the day it's just you and what you can do and any weapon you use is but an extension of that. 

Okay so now I'm going to present a series of progressive exercises to get you on the path toward developing this. Fair warning this takes patience and consistent practice if you are to develop this. If you have the requisite skills it doesn't take months, Hell from my observations over the years, if properly taught it doesn't even take more than a few weeks to a month. But it does take some time and dedication to develop it and  little "imagination" (something often lacking in a lot of martial arts training). Anyway what I present here is but one methodology that can be employed to develop this. But I have to tell you I've seen other ways people have tried to develop this in students and to be frank they make this shit "way harder" than it has to be. 

Slow Dropping - When we talk about dropping as I explained in my last post we’re talking about that “spasmodic” response where we are able to “catch” our body as we drop where the ground pushes back with equal force in order for us to stabilize our body. Now in order to develop this to a greater depth you need to gain more control over this movement and then eventually develop it to a level where it becomes just a part of how you move in all of your movements.

When practicing Slow Dropping you want to start off the same way you would do a normal drop only now you want it to be more of a “sink” in your body. Timing your strike with your hands or whatever with your drop. Also, when your body stops dropping you then want to ensure that your hands stops. This is important since it prevents you from over traveling within your movement.

You then want to practice, practice, practice this focusing on becoming as smooth as possible with this and then practice some more. This will begin the process of refining your movement as you learn to gain greater control over your body.  Eventually you’ll want to practice this with a training partner so that you can develop this while moving in a dynamic fashion as well as learn to do it against a live person. The trick here is to not speed up when you want to drop otherwise you throw off your timing and defeat the purpose of what you’re trying to develop. Remember this is just a drill and not a real fight so you don’t want to sabotage your training just to get a little ego boost.

Dropping while stepping - Next you want to do this while stepping eventually working up to doing it with a training partner. Now, when I say this because I know there are folks who are going to misconstrue this. When you do this within movement and you step the key here is to be sinking and dropping within the step itself. This in turn helps hide the strike within movement so it becomes not only imperceptible to the person that you want to strike. But that the reason it is so devastating and effective is because they can’t see nor necessarily perceive it as it happens. So there is no way unless they are already moving out of the way where they can prepare for and deal with it. They just can't move fast enough to get out of the way. 

Dropping and stopping a heavy bag - This is a "great exercise" right out of the Grandmaster's tool kit! Now you want to stand next to a heavy bag. I generally recommend a bag no heavier than between 80 lbs to 120 lbs.

Also, notice I use for this example below the "Infinity Glove of Thanos?" The thing is you don't need anything special on your hand or wraps unless you have serious wrist problems. As a matter of fact I generally recommend you use your bare fist or palm. Where you have a little more feeling and are able to control the bag a little easier. Remember this is to help develop your timing and touch as well as power. Just be smart about it. 

1. Start off standing sideways in the "L" Stance toward the bag for leverage and then first touch the bag feeling the center. 
2. Then you want to give it a "slight push" either with your fist or open hands using the heel of your palm. As the bag moves away from you, you want to anticipate it swinging back.
3. As it returns you want to time your movement to “Drop Strike” the bag at the right moment penetrating the center of the bag and “stopping” the bag with the strike. when doing this the right way it should leave a slight dent in the bag where you struck. 

NOTE: Do not, do not, do not, let the bag push you backwards. Focus on dropping or sinking into your feet projecting the power into the bag penetrating it. Do not look for it to make a lot of noise like the sounds from the kind of bag work they do in the "heathen schools".  This is about crushing bones and organs not how loud a noise you can make. 

As your ability grows and your dropping power increase and your timing gets better. Eventfully, you’ll want to push the bag further and further to whatever is comfortable for you stopping the bag with the strike. Practice this with both hands then stand with your feet square to the bag and do the same thing. Eventually you’ll want to do this where you step side to side striking and stopping the bag from all different angles using a variety of strikes.

Key point: if the bag rolls off your hand to either side then you are not striking directly in the center and your strike is off. This is important to correct because when you strike people as you penetrate them in order to do this effectively you need to develop the “touch” to penetrate the center of whatever you strike.

Dropping on a Combat Balance Board™ (Wobble Board) – Folks, this is another great exercise and builds the sort of “cutting power” that makes people feel like they got hit by a car.

1. Now you want to stand next to a heavy bag on a Combat Balance Board™ stand with the board with your feet sideways in sort of an "L" Stance as if you are on a surf board or skate board. Using a bag, you want to do the same thing you did while standing flat on the ground. First touching the bag feeling the center.
2. Then you want to give it a slight push either with your fist or open hands using the heel of your palm, by sinking your balance, if you do not do this it will push you off the board. As the bag moves away from you, you want to anticipate it swinging back.
3. As it returns you want to time your movement to drop strike the bag at the right moment penetrating the center of the bag and “stopping” the bag with the strike. As your ability grows and your dropping power and timing gets better you want to push the bag further and further to whatever is comfortable for you stopping the bag with the strike. Special, special note: Now when doing this on the board because it has to be said. Take care to ensure that the surface you are doing this on will prevent the board from "sliding" as you strike. There is tremendous force when you are striking in this fashion and you do not want to the board to slide because as you drop you need to feel your feet "bite" into the wood. 

Well that’s it for this installment. Like I said I wasn’t going to make it like, “The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers", by Paul Kennedy (Ouch!).

In the next installment I’m going to share my thoughts on a number of things and tie all this stuff together and lay it out in a more systematic way to make it easier for you to train.

Thank you.

LtCol Al Ridenhour

Senior Master Instructor

GUIDED CHAOS

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