What it all comes down to...

One of my ex girlfriends was a high level sportswoman (not that I bragging....) We shared many opinions about training but she said something to me that helped influence my view. She competed in the Triple-jump and was a firm believer that the basis for all sport was athletics. If, through training, she could add a centimetre onto each of the stages of the hop, the step or the jump she effectively could improve her jump three times over. It was all connected. Therefore if I could improve my triple jump did that mean I could improve my Martial Arts? Absolutely, if I take one example to work on plyometrics, particularly the amortization phase, I can improve my kicking speed and power.
What am I talking about? The amortization phase is the transition point between two kicks for the same leg. Yes you can double kick without putting the foot down in-between, but you will not generate the same amount of force in the second kick from muscle work alone. However if you do put the foot down, the time it spends on the floor must be kept to a minimum. It gets very complicated as we get into the eccentric and the concentric phase, load on the agonist muscles etc etc. Basically the kick creates elastic like energy which is stored in the foot between the two phases. That energy can be used to "bounce back" through your second kick. The longer the foot is on the floor the more of that energy dissipates. If you want to see it in action the best example would be to look at a Thai Boxer throwing multiple kicks from the same side. Alternatively look at a triple jumper, I was never very good at that though(I think that's why she dumped me).
So the sum of all movements is based on very small parts, if you can improve any one of those parts you will improve the complete action. That is why I am very pleased to say that the trainers at Mission Training systems have agreed to help out with the next bunch of "2 Minute Breakthroughs". With their knowledge of athletic movement, anatomy and sport we should be able to come up with some useful tasks you can practice. Many thanks to them. So what is today's meditation? Again this applies to life as much as it applies to combat:
Improve one small aspect and feel the benefits.