Timing is the Essence

From Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, latest edition--

• Main Entry: timing
• Function: noun
• Date: circa 1659

1 a : placement or occurrence in time timing of the sale couldn't have been better> b : the ability to select the precise moment for doing something for optimum effect timing>
2 : observation and recording (as by a stopwatch) of the elapsed time of an act, action, or process

His hands move in a blur, fingertips slapping the torso pointedly and palms grazing the face and neck to show targeting without harm while his feet and legs slide and drop into position in an instant. "See," he says eyes opening wider for emphasis, "Speed is bullshit! Timing is the essence." As is typical, a simple statement carrying a tremendous weight of principles and ideas with implications that reach into every aspect of the art we practice. And every bit true in every sense that can be considered. Such is the way of Uncle.

I recall the first time I heard that and smiled while thinking, 'Easy to say when you're that fast,' while wishing I was that fast as I watched his hands explode into pattern of movement as the opponent attempted to close or shift. While speed certainly helps, that's not what Uncle was teaching; quite the opposite. Proper timing overcomes speed every time-- every time. The crux of course, is proper timing.

You'll hear some teachers tell you to, "Time your opponent and find the rhythm." This approach will allow the person to enter and strike or attack during the dead moments, or in between the beats of time that the opponent has created. Some of the more experienced instructors state, "Time yourself so that you'll know exactly when you'll be where you need to be should you choose." Sound advice, but only a piece of the puzzle. Proper timing requires the practitioner to understand timing of the opponent, of the self, and at various ranges, skeletal structures and terrain because as Einstein revealed, "Time is relative." Indeed, timing is different dependent upon a myriad of factors.

Moreover, combative timing involves both of the definitions provided at the beginning of this article. The "ability to select a time" and "the amount of time that has elapsed" are both important to proper timing. In fact, during self defense they are dependent upon each other for success.

Timing is especially important with respect to weapons work since the speeds are very quick, often quicker than the eye can see, and weapons are unforgiving to error while maximizing effect; that is the nature of weapons. It isn't the fastest that wins the match, but the fencer that has the best sense of timing. If you can time the strike and your response relative to the surroundings and resources at hand, you decide what to do with the strike far more than the striker even if you're slower. If you're quick and have range, destroy it on the way in; if you're slower than the attacker, simply shift to evade and/or deflect during you're own counter, or even allow the strike to hit while diminishing the damage through body movement and counterattack on the retraction. You'll do far more damage and be in a better position with each type of response due to timing. There are a host of possibilities.

Timing of internal movements are also necessary for maximum force generation.

Of course, you can't time what you aren't aware of, and that's another lesson.