Strength of Repetition

Repetition is a part of the learning process. Every martial art and combat sport system uses this principle in teaching. I think it is self-evident for everybody. But to what extent repetition can shape our individual styles? The answer is: partially because a learning process cannot override our endowments entirely.

Imagine a group of people repeating the same movements over time, like a karate team doing certain forms together or Shaolin monks doing the same techniques million times. Imagine you know each person very well in an exercising group because you are the assistant or the teacher of the group. Now, imagine that their faces are covered, and they are in totally the same uniforms. (Suppose they are the same in height and body type). Can you differentiate their movements and recognize them by their moves only even though they try to do the same techniques? I think the answer is yes. Similarly, in everyday life, all the people are moving, walking, running differently, although they are practising the 'same' movements over time. Then, repetition cannot determine the style alone.

Repetition has two results. 

One is the subconscious creation. The other is the replacement of previous reactions with new ones. But there must be something very personal mixed with the learned moves. Having a unique style comes from this very complex background. Always these two 'forces' shape our style in fighting as well as in general. Every person has natural endowments by birth which is the backbone of the person's style. That naturally determined style can be shaped and modified but cannot be replaced by repetition. Individuality is always a living force that cannot be ignored and enforced but can be supported. Supporting individuality might make progress faster. Then we always need to keep in mind that there are two forces present. One is the inborn and natural (nature), and the other is the societal part from outside (nurture).

The results of two forces (inborn and social factors) make us who we are, in general, and how we appear to others. When we are talking about our fighting styles, we are talking about their outcomes. For example, if someone studies three different martial art styles (at the same time, or one after the other), the result is determined by inborn qualities. And if someone study one and only one traditional style, their individual fighting style is also determined by their inborn qualities. These differences are recognizable to everyone. They are our InFi styles.

Natural Style (karate-InFi)

Have you ever noticed that many karate men's styles are totally different in a real fight from karate? Have you ever noticed that in spontaneous free fighting, competitors' traditional styles cannot be guessed (if they are not already known)? Isn't it interesting that the corporate styles are evaporating pretty much in real fights? The reason is simple. Unpredictable situations are the territory of InFi. No outsider styles have power over the power of InFi there.

My friend John said that the body reacts naturally using movements, techniques that have been instilled over time. Yes, it is true. That is the result of learning. Repetition creates automatic reactions. But does it have any connection with the personal style I am talking about? Yes, but only partially. A part of the individual style is learned (copied or invented), and the other is inborn. I would say that the base of a natural style is inborn, then shaped, developed, and improved by experiences from birth onward. Sometimes it is very difficult to modify this natural individual style by conscious learning without real (unpredictable) situations.

(karate) InFi by Tanaka

Karate (standard) by Kanazawa

After conscious learning (exercises, workouts, repetition) there are still two different styles (at least). One is the individual style, and the other is the conscious acting, representing a style system. To put it another way, a karate man can be exercising and demonstrating standard karate consciously as a play-role and also can demonstrate InFi in the street or competition with limitations. These two styles might be radically different. One is the acting, and the other is the automatic natural style. If the InFi looks like beautiful standard karate, which is very rare, we can call it karate-InFi. However, if the standard karate practiced is far from the natural personal (inborn and developed) style, the revealing InFi does not show too much relation with the karate. 

If a man were acting naturally according to the settled standard way, he would be a programmed machine, not a human. Hence karate men always have their individual fighting style more or less different from the ideal karate. In simple, if you are a karate guy, you are the representative of that karate, and you have your InFi too. InFi and the corporate style in appearance overlapping but never the same. Similarly, if you are a kung fu guy, you are the representative of that kung fu, and you have your InFi too...

Moreover, if someone has been studied several different style systems and feels the influence of all, realising the existence of an individual fighting style is much easier. Albeit, it does not mean that others have no InFi. Everybody has InFi skills and style. You have InFi!

In conclusion, a particular system helps to improve the individual fighting skills and styles

to the extent it contains situational practices. No one's InFi is the same as any traditional style or system. The more corporate styles have been studied, the stronger the awareness of the existence of InFi. The karate in my examples above can be substituted with any other styles (Wing Chun, Savate, Taekwondo, Shaolin, kickboxing...etc.).

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Individual styles behind traditional styles

Creating our (individual) style is a natural process. Everyone makes their style automatically. The statement is general but can be applied to any specific field. Martial art, combat sport, and self-defence are not exceptions. People who are practising fights, creating fighting styles. They are unconsciously (or consciously) creators of their fighting styles.

Whatever one is learning, only a part of it will be absorbed. The other part is going to be rejected automatically by selfhood. Moreover, every absorbed aspect will be accompanied by the person's uniqueness. The evolving individual fighting style is separated from the favourably practised traditional style. In other words, practising a conventional technique entails improving the invisible individual fighting (InFi) style.

For example, if someone is studying Wing Chun kung fu or Kyokushinkai karate, teachers control improvement according to the tradition. At the same time, behind the scenes, the InFi style is evolving automatically, according to the nature of the person in question. Then there will be two styles for each practitioner. One is traditional (socially directed), and the other is the natural individual fighting style. The conventional style is visible during the learning process or demonstration, and the InFi style reveals in unexpected situations only. For example, while a traditional style teaches 108 techniques in a rigid choreography, the personal style contains only 23 flexible techniques with their unique and personal taste and twist. Consequently, the individual styles are created, not learned.

But what if someone is making a new style from two or more combative systems with the intent of sharing, spreading and teaching, for example, for business. (Many traditional styles were born in this way.) That created style is not going to be InFi anymore. InFi style (personal combat style) is not reproducible since it is individual. Teaching one's style will be a corporate style with rigid rules and forms but not InFi. InFi is a living, ever-changing, and evolving personal style. Hence, in theory, there cannot be two same InFi styles - similarly as two men cannot be the same. In theory, the Individual Fighting style is inseparable from the owner.

In summary, my friends, think it over and be aware that whatever you are practicing (karate, kung fu, boxing, aikido, jiu-jitsu, krav maga, or mixed martial arts), it is on the conscious surface. It is the visible part. And behind it, there is your authentic InFi style evolving or dormant. InFi is not a school; InFi is your secret style. Nobody knows your InFi style better than you!