Think of STMA, your Martial Art, your combat system, as a new language - a physical language.
How did you learn English?
By listening then repeating.
How did you learn to speak, then to write?
One letter at a time, then words, then sentences.
Do you speak any other languages?
If so how did you learn that new language?
On the way to green belt level you are learning words, single words, the shape of the letters, how to spell them correctly.
This applies to all 4 pillars of STMA:
Kali
Kickboxing
Kempo - CRA
Grappling
After a while you have gained enough words to begin talking with people.
Then you can debate with them.
Then you can win arguments.
Having a large vocabulary is not enough.
If you get stuck in an argument, shouting out single words, especially if they are unrelated, will be useless.
You need to take the words you learn and string them into sentences.
After a while you will notice that you tend to use a few sentences over and over again in your conversations.
They flow together well and it seems natural.
These sentences, which have chosen you as much, if not more, than you have chosen them, will form the basis of your game.
This is your personal selection of techniques.
Everybody's game will be different.
(compare Tyson to Ali to RJJ in boxing)
Your personality will come out through your game;
whether that be boxing, kb, kali, hubud CRA, chi sao, randori, grappling, VT;
whether it be on the mat, in the ring, in the cage, or on the street.
It's just another language.
No single word is powerful enough to win an argument by itself.
You need the right combination of words to form the sentences you need to express your point.
These sentences give you the power to attack and counter your opponent in the debate.
Being able to make a strong point, then a few more points, with a simple words is far more important than using impressive words from the dictionary and being unfocussed.
vociferous
parsimonious
irascible
surreptitious
they all sound very impressive, but they are meaningless, pointless and useless if used on their own.
Even the shortest passage in the whole Bible was 2 words.
Stay on task and refine your skills.
Over time you will hear those same arguments again and again.
After a while nothing will phase you any more.
Your responses to those arguments will become instinctive, unconscious, you will have heard them so many times.
You will flow naturally, because you have taken thought out of the process.
If you only have one of 2 reliable attacks that will be enough.
(Tyson's uppercut, Rickson's choke)
You need to develop a complete game - smooth movements and technique combinations.
You know the map, and you know how to navigate the terrain efficiently.
You create your own game.
Fill in the holes, communicate more effectively.
A list of techniques will never have the power to ensure a physical skill level.
You want 5 techniques that work for you,
not 20 techniques that work against you.
It is not about the techniques themselves it is about how you combine the techniques and flow from one to the next.
ABCs on pads that come out in sparring.
Lock flow from hubud.
Rolling from guard to take a leg, to pass his guard, to take the mount, to take the back.
STMA has no new techniques or drills - they are classical moves from traditional martial arts:
kali, boxing, muay thai, savate, jujutsu, karate, wing chun
We have options in each phase, range and position
Words we use in conversation.
The words one person uses may not work for you, so you need to find your own techniques to use from each phase, your own combinations, your own flow.
Climbing the ranks of the coloured belts is about bridging the gap between words and sentences.
Then you reach the advanced game of debate and argument.
