Long term vs. short term training methods

[Epa]

This is an open question to anyone, though I'm particularly interested to hear Guro Crafty talk about it. What are some long term vs. short term training methods and how should we balance these methods to develop and maintain skill over time?

For a little background, I was first exposed to the idea of long term vs. short term training methods when taking a DBMA class with Guro Crafty at the Inosanto Academy. As I understood the point, he said that there are certain training methods that build direct fighting skill more quickly, but other training methods can build more complex skills over a longer period of time that shorter term training methods cannot do as well.

For example, if you had to stick fight in a few months you would probably want to do a lot of power striking or drilling to combine your striking with movement. On the other hand, drills like sumbrada will not necessarily make you fight ready in a short time, but if they are drilled well can help your angle recognition and use of the alive hand allowing you to use more complex tactics.

Thanks in advance.

[lhommedieu]

Funny you should ask. I'm teaching a 5-Count Sumbrada to relative beginners (precisely because it's a fun way to introduce them to angles of attack) at a camp this weekend. My teaching methodology is as follows:

Mechanics of hitting and parrying
Stationary Sumbrada
Basics of triangle stepping
Sumbrada with movement (stepping off-line on the female triangle with some of the hits and parries; stepping across the base of the female triangle on some of the hits and parries).

So, in terms of "long term" vs "short term:"

Body mechanics is a "long term" project (because it's a fundamental)
Movement of any kind is "long term" project (because it's a fundamental)

Stationary Sumbrada is a "short term" project (once you get it you get it)
Sumbrada with movement is a "short term/medium term" project (you can learn the basics but you can also refine the movement, refine the mechanic, appropriateness of the reaction, etc.)
Also: once you drop the "Sumbrada" part and keep the "movement" part it's bridge to a "long term" project.

Or, to put it another way, from "short term" to "long term" the training can progress as follows:

[Stationary Sumbrada > Moving Sumbrada > Movement...] (body mechanics are the bracket - the beginning and end, etc.)

Sorry for the rambing - just thinking out loud.

Best,

Steve

[gagimilo]

Another area that needs to be addressed in this regard is the health side of the training. In the short term regime there is not too much attention on the effects of the particular training method on the long term health of the trainee - the goal is to learn and instill (as much as possible) a limited scope of skills, usually for the reasons of immediate self-preservation (PAB, as mentioned in the knife post is a good example).

In the long term however, being that the trainee is going to be exposed to the training method for a longer time, one should also have in mind the effects of the training sessions on the health. It means, that if not promoting and boosting one's health, at least it should not be detrimental (a number of compaints about joints, tendons etc. comes to mind).