Awareness Training (While Blindfolded)

[Gyakuto]

Something similar here.

 

[Jimmythebull]

Oh I thought you meant a bullhead catfish…

is it tasty ?

 

[Hyoho]

Something similar here.

I remember years ago avoiding a cut that was coming from Soke that was to stop a centimeter off the ground before he actually committed physically. Not too difficult with years of sword training to be able to sense things. But he gave me hell for it because the technique I did was supposed to respond an already committed physical attack. Not some kind of sixth sense.

A definite don't do with blade. If you are already in Jodan you don't bring it back even more before cutting. As far as a shinai is concerned. it makes a noise. Not discernable in an active dojo but in a silent room it's noisy. Secondly and as I teach my new students putting a very serious effort, cutting with a shinai weighs less that an umbrella. If you hold it above you head and drop it gravity will take it down faster than you can ever cut. Same applies to real blade. As you become experience it will be effortless.

 

[Jimmythebull]

I remember years ago avoiding a cut that was coming from Soke that was to stop a centimeter off the ground before he actually committed physically. Not too difficult with years of sword training to be able to sense things. But he gave me hell for it because the technique I did was supposed to respond an already committed physical attack. Not some kind of sixth sense.

A definite don't do with blade. If you are already in Jodan you don't bring it back even more before cutting. As far as a shinai is concerned. it makes a noise. Not discernable in an active dojo but in a silent room it's noisy. Secondly and as I teach my new students putting a very serious effort, cutting with a shinai weighs less that an umbrella. If you hold it above you head and drop it gravity will take it down faster than you can ever cut. Same applies to real blade. As you become experience it will be effortless.

what is your art?

 

[Hyoho]

I've watched this guys channel a few times. Cooks some crazy stuff..even Bull heads

Meanwhile in the USA...actually a lot of meat & looks tasty

In Japan in the specialized restaurants they bring you the blood first to drink in sake. Secondly is snapping turtle sashimi. A very greyish red meat. On the plate was the kidneys and a still beating heart! Next was kara age (fried in batter). A good taste but the little rounded bones reminded me of a human. Lastly a clear soup. As the senior I got the best one with the head floating on the top! I had covered the heart up with shiso nettle leaf. As we left the restaurant I uncovered it to see it "still beating".

We had a faculty head that always tried to take us to 'different' restaurants. This time he surpassed himself. Far worse than the one were we drank live fish in a wine glass and ate sparrows.

 

[Hyoho]

what is your art?

Kendo Kodansha. Kage no Ryu Batto Jutsu Shihan, HNIR Menkyo.

 

[Jimmythebull]

Kendo Kodansha. Kage no Ryu Batto Jutsu Shihan, HNIR Menkyo.

so it´s all sword stuff? excuse my ignorance but i´ve never heard of the other ryu.
I´ve always respected Kendo, never tried it but always liked watching it

 

[Ivan]

Greetings,

I am a Ninpo/Modern Combatives instructor. Here is a video of my assistant instructor and I facing off against each other in a blind folded drill during a workshop about a year back. I am in the green gi closer to the camera. A little bit of context: this type of training is referred to as "anchuken" which is a type of training utilized to help people hone their senses. It's not always blind folded or in the dark as there are various ways to perform these kinds of drills, but in this instance, the idea of this drill is to learn to trust all your senses except sight. The rules are each participant begins on opposite sides after getting spun around X number of times. Both participants are handed belts which they have to use to tag the other person just once to get them out. Everyone watching does their best to remain as quiet as possible. The round is over when one person tags the other with their belt.

I just discovered this section of the forum so I thought I would share something.

Training like this is used for weightlifting and powerlifting too - not sure how common it is anymore, but it was a good way to focus on your technique. Having mirrors everywhere in commercial gyms is more of a detriment than people realize. Gym rats end up focusing more on the pump and the aesthetic, and even if they are looking at their technique, they only consider what they see; not to mention how unnatural it is to correct something when you are looking at a flipped version of it.

I do not remember why, but in the book I read mentioning this it stressed it was crucial to use blindfolds, and not try to do similar training in dark environments or with your eyes closed.

As for the application in martial arts exercises, there are pretty famous grapplers who train with their eyes closed, I know of a Professor Noel Thompson at Coast Academy in New Zealand is a proponent for it and make his students roll with their eyes shut - I still believe blindfolds are preferable.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

is it tasty ?

Oh no it’s awful! They smell bad as soon as you pull them from water.

 

[Jared Traveler]

I don't do drills like the one demonstrated in the op. However I do train hundreds of people every year in captivity survival, where at some point they are hooded for an extended period of time. They certainly have to learn and develop their other senses. However this is more about Intel gathering under duress, without sight. Not about physically resisting.

 

[Gyakuto]

An old sword master once told a small group of us that he disapproved of the habit of walking around in public with earphones insitu with loud music playing in them. He suggested that hearing was the primary sense is being aware of one’s surroundings and detecting possible threats. He was, of course, correct. Auditory stimuli take about 9ms to ‘reach the brain’ whereas visual stimuli take a whopping 30ms! However, since up to 60% of our brains are given over to visual processing (Zeki et al.) it‘s extremely useful in predicting the change of threat level etc via an additional set of cues. Another vital factor is the ’clock speed’ of one’s basal ganglia, the area of the brain that, amongst other things, allows you to switch your attention between salient stimuli in one’s environment.

Meanwhile my iPod lies, gathering dust…

 

[Jimmythebull]

An old sword master once told a small group of us that he disapproved of the habit of walking around in public with earphones insitu with loud music playing in them. He suggested that hearing was the primary sense is being aware of one’s surroundings and detecting possible threats. He was, of course, correct. Auditory stimuli take about 9ms to ‘reach the brain’ whereas visual stimuli take a whopping 30ms! However, since up to 60% of our brains are given over to visual processing (Zeki et al.) it‘s extremely useful in predicting the change of threat level etc via an additional set of cues. Another vital factor is the ’clock speed’ of one’s basal ganglia, the area of the brain that, amongst other things, allows you to switch your attention between salient stimuli in one’s environment.

Meanwhile my iPod lies, gathering dust…

What amazes me is people on bicycles on busy, dangerous roads wearing them.

 

[Jared Traveler]

Another zero light training experience was during my SWAT days. Leading a whole team with gear and guns, in line, through a pitch black large room. Working out way to a kem light, while the instructors set up several things in the dark to cause noise. Like trip wires and obstacles. That was more about going super slow and feeling our way through it.

 

[Darren]

Greetings,

I am a Ninpo/Modern Combatives instructor. Here is a video of my assistant instructor and I facing off against each other in a blind folded drill during a workshop about a year back. I am in the green gi closer to the camera. A little bit of context: this type of training is referred to as "anchuken" which is a type of training utilized to help people hone their senses. It's not always blind folded or in the dark as there are various ways to perform these kinds of drills, but in this instance, the idea of this drill is to learn to trust all your senses except sight. The rules are each participant begins on opposite sides after getting spun around X number of times. Both participants are handed belts which they have to use to tag the other person just once to get them out. Everyone watching does their best to remain as quiet as possible. The round is over when one person tags the other with their belt.

I just discovered this section of the forum so I thought I would share something.

Do my technique’s with my eyes closed at times, but have equilibrium problems(WHO NEEDS ONE ANYWAY) so have to open my eyes as far as being spun around a couple of times I can’t do that even with my eyes open!!!

 

[Jimmythebull]

That was more about going super slow and feeling our way through it.

& probably wearing a mask which closes down vision & breathing.

 

[geezer]

Something similar here.

Many years ago I attended an FMA workshop where the instructor set up a "sensitivity challenge" that was somewhat similar to this in concept, and the initial round had similar results with the responder often able to evade the attack.

Then the head instructor quietly took the "strikers" aside into a back room and had them practice non-telegraphic hits a bit more ...after telling them that they were acting like idiots and just enabling a dangerous and false sense of security in their training partners. Furthermore he bluntly stated that if they couldn't hit their partner every time under such conditions, they better seriously review their technique!

Then without the defenders knowing anything, they started round two. The results were significantly different.

BTW that instructor did similar lessons when teaching knife work. Real eye openers.