Over complication...
in any direction serves no one.
Tactics is a new fad in the Martial Arts as MMA has peaked and is fading (as you should have known it would, especially now with a death in the ring). First it was Kung Fu, Then Aerobic Kickboxing (Tae Bo), then it moved on to now a plethora of work military style with knives, guns, fatigues and all tactical.
By trying to become too over tactical, militaristic, or barbaric, we begin working in contrarian manner. We try to implement fancy or just different to catch market share instead of real substance and Self-Protection for the general people. And because of this we alienate them. The instruction in any field must be simple or it will fail under stress and fear, with limited strength, coordination and coherent senses and function.
The TCM terminology was adopted in a desperate attempt to explain the old manuals and writings as they knew not what it was. It gets the practitioners close to the answers and able to do some things, but taken to the extreme it begins to be counter productive and leads them from true skill development that will work in real need. But this is not just in Kyusho, this is in everything from firearms to grappling, to healing and beyond.
Too Much...
An extreme also intimidates too many people from beginning… they feel they have far too much to catch up on before they progress. They however will join the new fad as it is the best way to start new with people, not being embarrassed or playing catch up. If it is too complicated or extreme in any direction, untrained everyday people, will not continue and therefore become the stronger person the extreme was intended to help them become. The goal for most is to become prepared, not an over trained slave to fear and preparation for goon squads.
Tactical trainers to sell more, must diminish the basics, which are the foundation of all… they only try to sell new, advanced, improved, etc. They work to create a problem that does exist, to sell you a solution you don’t need… so they downplay the fundamentals which undermines true growth. They try to sell so many classes that they develop new things to sell that may not even be relevant.
Many believe that fighting and protection was inefficient in old times which is false, it was far beyond today's scope in many aspects as it was a constant state of being and survival, not just playing in a dojo. New is good if it still contains the essence of the old ways and that was simplicity, practiced continuously until it was an advanced skill not theory. Things that work 100 years ago are still workable today… we need to stress the basics, however if someone wants more it must be available, otherwise do not over burden the beginner. Everyone can learn it, everyone can do it.
Keep it simple… go back to basics and traditions... look at the old masters documents and forget the modern extreme complexities some add for sales.
#Kyusho
-ep
