“Standing start” drills – what’s wrong with them
Introduction In my recent article “ Rhythm and its importance in developing situational reflex ” I discussed the need for martial arts drills to take place in a “ dynamic context ” – namely a context in which a rhythm can be established so that situational reflex can be inculcated. But what do people usually do when they wish to practice a technique? They isolate the movement into a “standing start” drill . What is this? A “standing start” drill is where one side is the attacker, the other side is the defender. The attacker will start from a stationary position and launch an attack - often on a count called by the instructor, but sometimes of his or her own motion. Sometimes the attack will involve a step (eg. “ippon kumite” or “one step sparring”), sometimes it will involve just a lunge and sometimes it won’t involve any substantial movement off the spot. The most analogous drill in a game like tennis would be practising a return of serve; each serve is its own distinct play with n...