(Approx 1 minute 40 second read)

Muscle memory is built by repetition, and doing something wrong during that repetition ingrains it into your mind. It’s much more beneficial to do it right the first time, than training bad information out later on.
.
In the martial arts, faster is usually considered better. Performing a faster kick or punch. Fast, however, can also hide a lot of problems – especially bad technique. When I watch students practice, there are often times where they display poor biomechanics, things that can dramatically reduce power and efficiency.
.
So on occasion I will get them to “slow” down, practicing their techniques very slowly, while intensely focusing on what and how they are doing them, paying attention to correct bio-mechanics, balance and form.
.
Some experienced students can have difficulty correcting their form – they have integrated their technique into muscle memory so much, that unless they are really concentrating on what they are doing, they just revert to what they have been doing all along.
.
If you sometimes incorporate “slow” practice in to your training, your technique really will improve. It will help to get rid of those often unnecessary movements that you may not realize you doing. Also moving slowly can help you keep better balance and stability.
.
Training slowly requires intent and focus with a bit of mindfulness thrown in – as well as repetition, helping to condition internal muscles that are part of larger muscle groups, tendons, and ligaments.
.
Practicing “slow” can also help to find those applications you may be looking for when practicing bunkai. It can give you the opportunity to interpret movements in a different way, beyond its terminology and ‘normal’ use.
.
When you slow things down, you’re not just refining technique – you can start to peel back the layers of your kata, starting to see movements differently.
.
That turn you always thought was just a turn? Maybe it’s a throw. That simple block? Perhaps it’s a joint lock, part of a neck crank, or a setup for a strike.
.
By practicing slowly, you give yourself the chance to explore applications you may have missed, to connect the dots between form and function.
.
It’s in this deliberate practice that kata stops being just a series of blocks, punches and kicks and starts becoming a living, breathing self-defense system.
.
Slow down, take your time. Move with purpose. Because sometimes, the answers you’re looking for aren’t hidden – they’re just waiting for you to slow down enough to see them.
.
.
Written by Adam Carter
.
.
Photo Credit: Masanari Kikugawa.