Why go hard?

Had a training session recently where it became obvious that some things just won't work at speed and power. We were padded up (as much as needed for safety) and going at it with intent, power and speed. Just some attacks with a club. Very similar to what we do a bit lighter on a regular basis, but not the same. And the results were glaring.

The only difference other than the extra safety equipment was the speed and intent. Even at faster speeds we were usually successful making the blocks and intercepting the attack. But the intent was the game-changer. Fact: the "I'm gonna take your head off" attacks are just not the same as the "Here's something to block and counter" attacks. The commitment changes, the power certainly changes and the swing even changes a little.

The technique being used wasn't bad really, it just wasn't good enough to be reliable and consistent. In the end it was just a subtle change that corrected the issue. But subtle things can get you killed if you don't understand them.

And then there's the emotion! Everything changes under pressure. I say this all the time. Perfect example here. You don't know what you thought you knew until you need it. Or something like that. You won't be at your best if you ever need to use this stuff for protection. The script is important when you are first learning but, at some point you have to get uncomfortable and see what you really know.

That may be the biggest challenge now that I think about it. The comfort. It's too easy to go slow and safe and believe that we're more capable than we really are. It's comfortable because the fault tolerance is so great. It's another matter to know you can do it at speed and power most of the time. That's how it should be though. If you never miss you likely aren't going hard enough. Without some discomfort you can't really trust your ability.