Unseen Mai-ai

A few posts ago I talked about the distance between two opponents, or Mai-ai. My Sensei simply called it "the gap" and taught us that whoever controls the gap wins. He emphasized the art of being able to dance with your opponent so you can enter and control the gap. This takes an ability to flow, harmonize, disrupt and control while on the edge of the gap and/or in the gap itself.

I am a firm believer that whatever we see on the physical level of karate is a pointer to an internal unseen world. This internal unseen world includes our thoughts, intentions, feelings, moods, etc. So, whatever we have in the Seen World is also in the Unseen World.

So, where is the Unseen gap? Well, one that I am aware of is the gap, or distance between your actions and your thoughts. Most of us can be aware of this one quite easily. I am sure you have had a thought you know you should not act on and so you censor the action. People with impulse control issues have a very difficult time being aware of it and of course managing it.They have no awareness of the gap...and of course lose to impulsivity.

Another gap of the Unseen world is the gap between your Intention and the actual Thought. This is one that takes a little more practice to become aware of. Prior to a thought coming forth is the spark of intention...and there is a gap between them. A good exercise to become aware of this is zazen. Seeing how the mind wanders and feeling the intention to wander before the thought shows up begins the process of seeing the gap...and consequently controlling the gap. In many ways, just to 'see' the gap between intention and thought is to manage it.

Now, when I became aware of this I said to myself...So What?...well, the longer I am in the martial arts and have become aware of the gap between intention and thought....and thought and behavior....it became easier to defend myself. Being able to feel another's intention is faster than reading their thoughts through their behavior...if you only act on their behavior your odds of self-defense are 50/50 in my book. But reading and feeling intention puts you on the edge of and entering your opponent's unseen gap. You may be able to move faster and harmonize with their intention without thought...mu-shin anyone? Your odds of defending yourself just shot up to 85/15 or better.

Just some thoughts.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Mai-ai

Mai-ai, or proper spacing, is extremely important in Budo. Without skill in managing Mai-ai, or what my Sensei called, "the gap", you are not going to be very effective in defending yourself. Proper spacing between you and your opponent keeps you safe...and in most cases in Karate, it allows you to hit your opponent, yet he can't hit you.

Just an inch of proper movement to close the gap or move within the gap can be the difference between victory or defeat. Proper spacing allows you to flow with your opponent without you getting locked up in your stances or handwork. In fact it makes them work even better.

Drills with a partner for proper footwork are paramount and most styles have their own drills to keep spacing and/or to control the gap. From my experience, the person who controls the gap wins, but the gap is also a very tenous place to be. It is in constant flux and you must be able to make adjustments accordingly. If you don't your opponent will...so in an altercation, it is as important to know how to enter the gap and control your opponent in it. Practice, practice and more practice is the only way to develop this skill. It can't be done by intellectualization.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen