The Martial Path

Ah… The age-old question within martial arts, and one I would say has produced more
arguments, disagreements, and even style splits and enmity between instructors than I care
to consider. However, it’s still a discussion worth having, if only to understand the points of
view in detail.

Handling adverse outcomes in combat.

Anyone who has taken part in any form of competitive practice, or been involved in any sort of planning scenario, knows a simple truth.

“The first casualty in combat is the plan”

This phrase has taken many forms, depending on the scenario, however, it holds as an axiom that is often brought out when plans fail as they are implemented. Engaging in combat is one such scenario. Whether in training or competition, you will find yourself against someone who is not only trying to put their plan into play, but also trying to counter your methods, often at the same time and within the same action if they can manage it.

The Orders’ approach to training.
For anyone with any amount of experience in the martial arts, you will be no doubt introduced to the ‘culture’ of your particular environment and the way in which that group trains. Reality is, there are numerous ways in which groups train and there is no perfect solution to all cases. If there was such a thing, someone would have found it by now and it would have become the standard approach. Each group and even each session within the groups will have different training objectives to guide their training.