I was helping my son, Tony, practice for his karate test the other night. We were working on his defenses and counters, called combinations. Tony was breaking his maneuvers into steps and stopping at each step. In other words, he would avoid the punch, then stop momentarily, then block and stop momentarily, then produce his first counter strike, stop, second counterstrike, stop, etc until he completed his combination. It was very compartmentalized and choppy.
I showed him how to “make it all one move.” I explained that speed and power don’t come from his muscles; it comes from relaxing and letting the flow of the maneuver flow through him. I explained that when you “let go” and “let it flow”, speed and power are a natural result. He was amazed at the quickness and was eager to do it himself.
When it was his turn, even at seven years old, he got it on the first try. He completely let go of the steps and made one continuously flowing combination of moves. This action produced a better combination with more power and speed than he thought he was capable of.
Tony’s purpose was to defend and subdue his attacker; your objective is health and an innate life. In life and health, we also need to “let go” of the steps and details. When we “let it flow” our lives get better than we think we are capable of. The totality of life is greater than the sum of its parts.
