Developing our “Mind's Eye”

  In day's past, when I first met and trained with Taika, he would talk to us about our “Mind's Eye”. This was explained as being our inner “vision” of seeing (or imagining?) what we were seeking to accomplish in our training. It was our Mind's Eye, that was expected to be utilized and exercised at all times.

 At first, we were just learning how to make the techniques and applications even happen (on a physical level). As we learned more and more techniques, those motions began to have greater variance in their application.

 With the addition of more techniques, our (individual) choices of application end up becoming more simplistic (which, to many, seems contradictory). When presented with a choice of using a complicated/involved technique, or a more simplistic one (that will accomplish the same purpose), we will tend to choose the more simplistic one.

  The vast majority of our techniques are derived from kata motion. By practicing kata, we are practicing reacting to aggressive actions. It's only with research, that we can discover where and how those motions are applied.

  By using our Mind's Eye, we can visualize how those motions may (or may not) be applied in a given situation. Obviously, one requires at least some level of experience with the (actual) application of their techniques in order to accomplish this.

  That's the purpose of class time practice. Though we may mentally visualize how techniques might be applied in a given situation, until actually applied (or at least attempted) we can't know (for certain).

 With acquired experience, That Mind's Eye can be turned to the examination of Kata. Recognition of technique (within kata motions) is something that can only come once one has gathered experience (both from the application, and from the performance of those motions within the kata, and in the dojo).

 

 The goal of refining this ability is to able to (naturally) apply it to the examination of kata, and to the direct application of technique.