Submitted by Kyoshi Mackay Ueshiro Midtown Karate Dojo
Under the Direction of Hanshi Robert Scaglione
Onegai shimasu, Hanshi, Kyoshi, Sensei and Deshi World-wide,
Part of Hanshi's concept that "Karate is 90% mental" includes the idea that what we want or intend a technique to do subconsciously influences how our body executes the technique. Our basic chest block, for example, will look and perform slightly differently depending on whether our intent is to (a) deflect the punch out of the way, (b) break the opponent's arm, or (c) knock the opponent backwards as we take over his space. An experienced karateka MAY achieve all three goals simultaneously, but as a practical matter we tend to set a single goal and then achieve it via 110% commitment. This assumes we've already ingrained the mechanics of the technique into our muscle memory through countless repetitions. In the heat of battle, though, there is no time to figure out "how" to achieve a result, only "what" specifically we need to accomplish.
Domo arigato gozaimasu, Hanshi,
Kyoshi Mackay Ueshiro Midtown Karate Dojo