7 S's of Martial Arts

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I summarize martial arts in seven S's.
One must be prepared when an opportunity presents itself.
These seven S's represent necessary and sufficient preparations for opportunities.
The list is in the order of importance.

1. Spirit
2. Sight
3. Space
4. Stance
5. Speed
6. Strength
7. Stamina

1. Spirit
My definition of "spirit" is cognition, through awareness, appraisal and control.
Spirit affects one's awareness of the internals and surroundings, appraisals of situations and control of emotions.
Breathing is an effective tool to check and control one's spirit.

2. Sight
My definition of "sight" is recognition of opportunities, through perception and inference.
Recognition can be achieved without visual inputs.
Opportunities are targets that represent threats, exits and rewards.
Over-focus limits peripheral perception.
Accurate and timely recognition requires proper "spirit".

3. Space
My definition of "space" is an assessment of distances among objects, including one's self.
Knowing how far/close you are to threats, exits and/or rewards helps prioritize actions.
Accurate and timely assessment requires proper "spirit" and "sight".

4. Stance
My definition of "stance" is a positioning with respect to the external world, and with respect to its own internal balance.
Proper "spirit", "sight" and "space" help you determine where and how you stand.
How you stand determines how you react to opportunities.

5. Speed
A manner in time to execute one's action.

6. Strength
A manner in force to execute one's action.

7. Stamina
A durable manner to execute one's action.

There is no single "correct" technique for a given opportunity.
If you prepare yourself with these 7 S's in daily training, as you recognize opportunities and gain more experiences, you will eventually discover actions that work.
But a person’s experience is limited; thus, we inherit valuable experiences and knowledge from our peers and ancestors.
Today, they are categorized, formalized and studied in the name of techniques.

In my view, the essence of martial arts is not necessarily about the techniques themselves, but one’s own preparation and experience in daily lives with the seven S’s in principle.

As I said, one must be prepared when an opportunity presents itself.
As old saying, when preparation meets opportunity, what happens then is called "luck".
Good luck to you all.

Cheers,
Satoru Isaka
sisaka@visiondelmar.com