How to develop laser-like focus ?

[ChiragGupta]

Hello everyone.

I am new to this forum. I have always wondered how black belts and the likes of Bruce Lee have got amazing focus. I think maybe you guys can help. Thanks !

Eagerly waiting for replies.

 

[Buka]

Welcome to Martialtalk, ChiragGupta.

I think focus just comes with training. Can't very well let your mind wander while training or sparring. Well, you can, but that doesn't usually work out too well.

 

[MI_martialist]

By doing nothing which is of no purpose or use.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Hello everyone.

I am new to this forum. I have always wondered how black belts and the likes of Bruce Lee have got amazing focus. I think maybe you guys can help. Thanks !

Eagerly waiting for replies.

Do you mean focus while fighting/sparring or focus while training? If you mean focus while fighting, what Buka said. If you mean focus while training-a lot of us don't. We'll goof around, take breaks and talk occasionally while training. It's almost impossible to give 110% every second that you're in their hitting bags or practicing drills.

 

[pgsmith]

By doing nothing which is of no purpose or use.

You mean like writing on an internet forum?

 

[JowGaWolf]

There are two types of focus.
Training focus doing kata/ forms = laser focus
Fighting focus = focus without focusing. If you focus like a laser during sparring then you'll get tunnel vision and then you'll get kicked or punched because of your "laser focus"

 

[geezer]

There are two types of focus.
Training focus doing kata/ forms = laser focus
Fighting focus = focus without focusing. If you focus like a laser during sparring then you'll get tunnel vision and then you'll get kicked or punched because of your "laser focus"

Jow Ga, how do you relate these two? Would you say that the intense laser-like focus during forms builds technique, structure, strength and energy release into "muscle memory" so that you can retain these qualities when loosening up into a more aware state of "fighting focus" when sparring/fighting?

 

[Touch Of Death]

You want attention to detail.

 

[Dirty Dog]

There are two types of focus.
Training focus doing kata/ forms = laser focus
Fighting focus = focus without focusing. If you focus like a laser during sparring then you'll get tunnel vision and then you'll get kicked or punched because of your "laser focus"

I'd agree, mostly, except I'd say the "tight" focus is how you learn, and the "unfocused focus" is when you know something well enough to do it without thinking.
I think learning has stages.
1 - "Oh crap, what am I going to do?" before we train.
2 - "I know what to do!" after we've trained some, but still have to think about what to do.
3 - "I already did it!" when we reach the point of responding automatically.
4 - "Which response shall I choose this time?" when we've truly mastered something.

I don't think many of us get to #4 very often.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Jow Ga, how do you relate these two? Would you say that the intense laser-like focus during forms builds technique, structure, strength and energy release into "muscle memory" so that you can retain these qualities when loosening up into a more aware state of "fighting focus" when sparring/fighting?

Correct. My intense focus during forms is to help me become more aware of my body, how it moves, how it tries to keep balance, how a solid stance feels etc. All of that gets dumped into muscle memory. Lately, many of my techniques during sparring are the result of muscle memory and the other stuff I mention. I don't think the technique, my body just does the technique. I recently learned that my forms also inputs body position into my muscle memory. This means when my weight is shifted or positioned in a certain way, that it triggers the muscle memory.

Actual sparring and fighting is almost like the opposite of focusing because the deeper the focus the worse the fighting will be. During fighting my attention goes from detailed focused to a large general observation. I'm focused but not focused (which is really difficult to explain). The best description is probably like using your peripheral vision to move around the house, or get a glass of water. You see everything in your environment without actually focusing on it. "Fighting Focus" is like letting everything go, clearing the mind, and my thoughts. It's almost like completely relying on muscle memory while my eyes focus on movements.

To be honest I actually train those 2 different types of focus.

 

[drop bear]

Hard tasks done dillegently.

There really is no secret to this kind of stuff.

 

[McBryde Mats]

i think a lot of it stems from self discipline and patience. These are two key areas of martial arts that i have found to be the cornerstone of my own focus.

 

[mograph]

I'd agree, mostly, except I'd say the "tight" focus is how you learn, and the "unfocused focus" is when you know something well enough to do it without thinking.
I think learning has stages.

Very true. We make the explicit implicit as we learn physical skills. Ask any athlete: they had to focus hard when learning, until it became second nature.

Narrow vs. broad could also be described as convergent vs. divergent focus. We need these at different times.

 

[Langenschwert]

Developing focus of any kind is a skill like any other, and it requires practice. Fortunately, you don't need only MA practice to develop focus. Variety is nice. If by focus you mean concentrating on getting things done perfectly or bothering to do them at all, then there are some things you can do that certainly aren't going to hurt.

1) Read a lot. Reading makes you smarter, which, like being stronger, is always a good idea. I'm not talking about reading facebook updates, but sitting down with a good book, preferably written by a good writer. I didn't realize how beautiful language could be until I read Charlotte Bronte. Be careful or you might learn something.

2) Learn another art form: music is probably the most potent of them all in terms of cognitive development. For example, learning how to lock up with the drummer requires a timing perception far finer than any martial artist, or learning how to play a fretless instrument in tune requires hearing a pitch in your mind's ear, analyzing the pitch of what you're playing, and correcting it before anyone else can hear the difference. This is all in milliseconds. Music is good because you have to do everything in real time, unlike say painting where you can go back and fix something. Once you've played a wrong note live it cannot be fixed, much like you can't un-take a punch. You can only give one back. Music can also be frustrating beyond what most people experience, and learning to deal with the fact that you suck at this song or scale right now carries over into keeping focused and calm when trying to learn MA techniques you find challenging. I think the only people who could understand the frustration musicians experience are those who play Dark Souls.

3) Meditation. There are a gazillion studies on the benefits of this practice. I don't meditate. Perhaps I should meditate on why I don't.

4) Physical conditioning. I like running, because I hate running. When you're running and reach that wall, learning to push through will help you in other frustrating endeavours, like you know, martial arts. Anything gruelling and unpleasant will do.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Fortunately, you don't need only MA practice to develop focus.

While in general you are correct, it depends on what type of focus you are trying to develop. There are some types of focus that come specifically from Martial Arts and nothing else. The focus and awareness that is learned in Tai Chi cannot be learn outside of Martial Arts.

All focus isn't the same and not all focus have the same benefits. I could meditate every day (which is what my wife does) and still lack the focus required for fighting or in some cases, such as kung fu, even have the mental ability to make the brain move your body through the forms or focusing on movement in general and specifically. My school has a surgeon, a musician, and a lab technician with different levels and abilities of focus, and for all of that focus that they have, none of that focus helps them with Kung Fu. Everyone that takes our classes say the same things. "My head hurts.... Kung Fu is mentally challenging."

Developing focus of any kind is a skill like any other, and it requires practice.

Very true. I always tell students that "we all start from zero." We start with not knowing and then we learn and practice until it becomes natural. No matter the type of focus someone is trying to gain, it's going to involve training or practice or both. Just make sure it's the right type of focus for the task in question.

Learn another art form:

I agree with this. Learning how to focus in different ways and at different levels means that a person will have a wider tool set to pull from. People who have good focus when they aren't moving probably should balance that out by learning how to focus in motion and in environments with motion. People who have good focus when moving (hyperactive children and adults) should balance that out by learning how to focus in stillness and in environments without motion. The more of a balance a person has, the better their overall mental health will be in terms of focus.