The Law of Specificity.

 The Law of Specificity is interesting from a Training to Street perspective.

We all know a person cannot make their legs stronger by doing pull-ups, they need to work those specific muscles.

The same thing applies to Training; what you train comes out in the heat of application. If you train to take someone down whilst giving them a hand and helping them up afterwards what do you think you will do when it counts?

This is why I often take issue with training that is extremely impractical, especially when the Instructors tout the practicality of that which they teach.

Some might say these people are doing no harm, I call bullshit on that perspective.

I have often heard ‘Oh it seems impractical, but it is actually training practical muscle memory’ or ‘Yeah, it seems silly, but there is reason behind it so we keep doing it.’

Why? What reason? What practical muscle memory would involve a move that has you surrounded by people in the center of a circle, requires you to jump into the air, tuck your knees, and spin in a specified direction to meet an attack? Why not just turn around and meet it? 

Does it give a good workout? Sure. Don’t present it as a practical drill though, one could get the same type of workout for the same muscle groups doing other exercises specific to building muscle and cardio without meeting an attack.

The mind requires specificity when it is necessary to act quickly without conscious thought.

In this realm specificity is often synonymous with simplicity… That has been my experience in nearly every aspect of life.

Most who would not agree are touting the same things as those Instructors I illustrate above, they have skin in the game and seek to profit from it or they have devoted so much time to it that they do not wish to feel as though their time had been wasted.

Look at what you are doing, honestly, look at it, question it, rework where reworking is necessary with the thought in mind that someone’s life might just depend on this someday.

It could be a paying Student, your niece, your nephew, your wife or husband, your children.

Get your head out of the heirarchy soup that is determined by an Organization seeking to preserve itself and start really thinking about the people who come to you for guidance… They matter more.

For Students… Start questioning, start challenging, start picking at the bones of the system.

If any aspect is found wanting, ask why. If no answer is given, go somewhere else.