Do Not Be of Two-Minds:
Published 11/08/2013
By Spencer Sensei
I have mentioned in other papers that you cannot mentally think of two things at once. You can try, but only one thought can prevail at a time. In fighting, being of two-minds will cause you to be slow and indecisive. Indecision can get you hurt in a fight. I was first introduced to the concept not being of two-minds by a Shorin-ryu instructor. Later I came across Bruce Lee’s commentary on the subject and found myself in full agreement with both teachers. This concept also carries over into our everyday life. You cannot be of two opinions on any topic. Cognitive dissonance impedes decision making on important and relevant matters that affect both you and your family. Being of two-minds not only impedes one in fighting and kata performance it also is a problem in our ordinary daily interaction with others.
In John Little’s book entitled Bruce Lee’s Jeet-Kune-Do Commentaries volume three Bruce writes, “Many people make a big mistake in fighting an enemy by thinking too much about winning or losing. Practically speaking, they should allow none of these sentiments to invade their mind. They need only to act as circumstances demand. When they act naturally, their hands and their feet will suitably function.” This was the same concept of the Shorin-ryu instructor. You must be of one-mind in a fight. Thinking of anything except what you’re doing at the moment slows your reactions down.
When I was training in the Korean martial arts prior to my immersion in Okinawan karate, a fellow black-belt told me a story that applies to this concept. Harry was an extraordinarily talented point fighter. I have never seen hands and feet as fast as his in my thirty plus years of training. Back in the eighties there was a karate tournament called the Battle of Atlanta. At the time this was one of the premiere events on the point karate competition circuit. Harry was in a groove on the day of the tournament, and won his division quickly dispatching all those that stepped into the ring. He earned the right to fight for the grand championship. One match winner takes all. The trophy, for this event, was almost as tall as he was. It was simply beautiful, and he imagined placing that honor in his local dojang (Korean karate school). As the fight began Harry kept glancing at his prize. Unfortunately for Harry, his opponent was focused on scoring points. Needless to say, Harry did not take the trophy home. He was of two-minds. The distraction was too great.
In the old movie The Karate Kid, not the new kung-fu version, one of the main characters Miyagi sensei told his young student, “Karate-do yes or Karate-do no… you okay… but karate-do I guess so and you get squished.” “It is like walking down a highway,” he continued, “stay on one side or the other and you’re safe, but walk in the middle and you’ll get hurt.” If you want to defend yourself, you must enter training with that mindset. If you’re training in karate simply for the workout, you should join a paliates class instead. If fitness is your goal, join your local aerobic exercise class because the cardio results will be better, and you’ll be less likely to get hurt believing that you are capable of defending yourself if you’re ever in a real fight. When counterattacking an opponent do not hesitate… attack. Do not let your mind debate whether it is or is not safe. Not committing yourself leaves you vulnerable. Not committing slows you down. A stop and go motion causes the punch or kick to lose power because hip rotation and weight transfer are truncated. It is like putting the brakes, shortly after throwing the truck into drive. It is do or don’t do. When I was child, my cousins had a can filled with compressed springs that were covered with bright cloth. The can was labeled jumping snakes, and once the lid was removed the springs shot the contents out of the tube to startle the person removing the lid. Your attack must be like the springs coming from the can. It is pure action without thought. You’re either in a fight or running away. Anything else and you’ll get squished.
If you’re thinking of saving your life, instead of being focused on defending every technique thrown at you and counterattacking the adversary’s soft targets you are vulnerable. This moment of two-minds gives your adversary an obvious advantage. Attack and do not think about attacking or retreat and do not think about retreating. Punch and kick, but do not think about it. Thinking slows you down. You must react without thought. Reacting without thought comes from your dojo training. Repeating a technique, a thousand times increases your reaction to the point that you respond without thinking about it. You do not have time to think about your response during personal combat. Kumite in the dojo is where you experiment with new tactics. The dojo is a safe environment and is conducive for this type of experimentation. Don’t worry about winning or loosing because everybody gets hit. Experiment on the street and you may lose your wallet or your life. The only loser in karate class is the student that does not train hard and experiment when given the opportunity.
One of the best places to practice being of one-mind is done in the performance of kata. As an instructor, if you see a student stumble during the performance of a kata as you walk by, it is because he/she is of two-minds. They are more concerned about making a mistake in front of you than they are of living the kata and fighting an invisible opponent that has just attacked them. Making a mistake in kata is not a problem. A fight is fluid and constantly changing, so your plans must also change, but loss of concentration can get you hurt. Kata in its most rudimentary form teaches power, focus, and technique. Lose one of these three elements and the situational self-defense within the kata is no good. Practice your kata with single mindedness.
Not being of two-minds is one of those karate lessons that transcends the dojo experience and becomes a life lesson. Planning is a good thing, but too often we have a tendency to plan something to death. Too much time is placed into the “what-if” scenarios before the “let’s-do-this” action. We appear to be afraid to make a decision, because we try to see everything, and many times overlook the obvious. This over analysis causes paralysis. I’m not saying shoot from the hip, but don’t over analyze every decision in your life. So… in more practical terms, I’m saying don’t weigh the consequences too heavily before having a second donut.
Over analysis in life decisions may not cause too much pain, but indecision in personal combat can get you injured. Don’t think do. Make every movement inflict pain on your adversary. Do not let yourself be afraid, because you do not have time nor do you have the energy to invest in emotion during personal combat. Fear is a process that involves the mind. Worrying about hurting the adversary involves thinking. The time to feel sorry about your actions is once your attacker is incapacitated. Karate is for self-defense. You must reflect upon your actions, but it also must be done in a safe environment once the threat has been removed. Indecision slows your reaction.
Being of one-mind in combat is very necessary. Being of one-mind with your wife/husband while you’re parenting is also necessary. Divide and conquer is a tactic used effectively in politics and by your children. Division in thought weakens the strongest bonds. In professional football one team usually at some point in the game heightens their play because they smell victory. Focus replaces the fear of losing, and that team has the tactical edge. That focus comes from being one-minded, and as team they began to believe victory is at hand. Fear of making a mistake leads to making mistakes. An athlete that is having a slump only gets worse when they focus on their dilemma. A batter, in baseball, cannot fear not hitting and be able to focus on every pitch. The internal chatter will be maddening thus making hitting impossible. Being of two-minds hinders performance.
Being of one-mind is not however a license to run over your spouse or friends. Single mindedness in combat or business is one thing, but in interpersonal relationships it can be destructive. In relationships analysis is not a bad thing. I unfortunately live in a world of single mindedness and have to work hard not to steam roll over those that I care for.
Being of one-mind in the martial arts is an absolute necessity. Train or don’t train. Fight or run. In a confrontation, you must act without thought. This can only happen through single minded training. Kata prepares you for many different attacks, so that you may respond intuitively, but you must train in kata by seeing the attack in order to respond appropriately. Once an assault moves from self-defense against an attack, to that of a street fight run or turn the dogs loose, but don’t try to reconcile your actions and defend your life at the same time. Your enemy has one thought and that is to hurt you, so your thoughts must be to hurt them back as fast and effectively as you can, and the best way is to open the can of snakes. Don’t think do.