Want to Be Great – Master the Basics
The secret to success in the martial arts or any area of life is mastering the basics. While this statement sounds intuitive, very few people actually do it. Many practitioners find the basics “boring” and want to move onto more advanced moves. The problem with this approach is emphasizing a 1 percent move over a 99 percent move.
Taking Taekwondo as an example, flying side kicks, while flashy, is not particularly effective. The side kick is very effective for both sparring and self-defense but is a “boring” basic. However, greatness has been achieved by many martial artist using the basics.
Dr. Jigoro Kano and his student Kyuzo Mifune practicing Judo from the Public Domain
The great Rickson Gracie won most of his fights with mata leone and a few armbars thrown in. He has stated that he is not trying to teach students new moves but focuses on constantly refining the basics.
Larry Holmes was the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion because he had a great left jab, the most basic of punches.
Urijah Faber had a great guillotine choke. Jose Aldo is a leg kicking phenom. Yasuhiro Yamashita had a devastating osoto gari. All high percentage basic techniques.
When I ask people why they don’t drill the basics, they equate basics with beginners. Basics are the foundation techniques and you want to continue to do them throughout your training. The key to attaining a high level of mastery is to drill the basics consistently.
If you want to improve your side kicks, do a hundred side kicks a day but don’t just mindlessly throw your leg in the air. For twenty, try to hit the same spot with every kick. For the next twenty, hit a heavy bag as hard as possible. For the next twenty, throw them as quickly as possible. For the last forty, concentrate on kicking with as crisp a techniques as possible.
For grappling, if you want to improve your arm bar from the guard, practice rolling from side to side, achieving the correct angle, while maintaining wrist control. Don’t worry about the arm pressure until you master achieving the correct angle.
It is okay to practice advanced techniques but not at the expense of the basics. Your training should be geared to moves that are the rule not the exception.
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