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UNDERSTANDING
DISTANCE
As a pupil of Martial Arts
Master Gin Foon Mark, I learned the importance of understanding "various
distances." If you are too close, you will get hit. If you are too far
away, you cannot mount a successful attack. It becomes essential to know
the approximate distances for varied fighting situations and making the
necessary adjustments based on this flexible "distances memory map."
Distances are used to sidesteps attacks and avoid getting hit and yet is
close enough to attack his opponent. The lessons we learned in martial
arts is applicable to all areas of our life such as driving a vehicle,
judging a football catch, and hitting a racquetball.
For racquetball, the key is to
work on reading and remembering the various distances needed for
different shots. Examples include calculating the distance for a ceiling
ball coming off the back wall, a high pinch wrapped around a third wall,
and a straight ball from the back wall.
The aspiring professional
player needs to compile their own master list of these variables for
their "distances memory map." This blue print is essential when
adjusting for changes in angles, velocity, and spins on the ball. A
compiled "memory bank" akin to a karate techniques map, will lead to
faster anticipation, less expenditure of energy and better selection
process.
The major focus is reading the
ball to get the correct distances so you can extend to the ball and
"move with the ball." This enables the body to use all of the power
sources into the stroke (i.e. hips, legs, shoulders). The professional
athlete only appears flawless because they have applied the correct
"distances" through years of experience.
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