Exactly One Step Ahead
Posted on | November 20, 2008
Students sparring with other students that are around their same level is usually a roll of the dice, as to who will end up winning. Obviously, some have a greater chance of winning but it’s never known 100 percent as to who is going to win. Yet, when an instructor decides to spar or practice with someone of a lot lower level, it’s completely obvious to everyone who has greater skill and who is going to be victorious.
Even though everyone knows the instructor could literally wipe the floor with the student, there shouldn’t ever be a thought of that possibly happening. A good instructor would never do such a thing to student who is simply having a friendly spar with him to practice and learn. The same can be said for students who are on completely different level than who they are sparring with. Yet, many people(including instructors) aren’t always clear on how far to go. Should they go under the skill level of the student? The same? Over? I can only best describe how I feel about this by telling you how my instructor deals with me in these situation since I work one on one with him all the time.
Every time I am out training with my instructor, my fighting mood can vary back and forth, even all in the same day. Some times I am simply in a more defensive mood. I wait a lot for attacks and then counter at the same time. Other times, I’m more aggressive and full of energy. I’ll be the one throwing all the swings first. How hard I decide to hit also depends on my mood. I never go full contact, considering I’d crumble before my instructor would 
, but when I’m aggressive I tend to put more “Umph” into my hits.
Rather than wiping the floor with me, my instructor keeps exactly one step ahead. He doesn’t go below my level, nor meet me at my same level, because then I’m simply fighting at an “average” level. What I mean is, that when my instructor goes exactly one step above my current level, whatever it may be at, I am always being pushed to try harder. If he were to match my level, no matter what I am dishing out, then I’d probably lighten up a bit and not try near as much since I’d know he is simply going to just keep up with me. But since he actually keeps a step ahead of me, I am forced to either try harder and harder or be hit more and more. He doesn’t go way above what I am capable of because that wouldn’t help me any, only cause discouragement.
I find that when I show people techniques outside of my practice with my instructor that simply staying one step ahead of them, gives them a lot of encouragement and allows them to freely attempt to perform what I just showed them without feeling worried about a level difference.
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