What Did You Feel?: Why Advanced Martial Arts Starts From Within

Why Advanced Martial Arts Starts From Within

In martial arts training, especially in disciplines like Kyusho and Tuite, there’s a common trap many practitioners fall into:

They focus almost entirely on their uke.

“Did they react?”

“Did it hurt them?”

“Did they move the way I expected?”

“Did I get the outcome I was aiming for?”

These are valid questions… but they’re not the most important ones.

A deeper question—the one that separates beginning students from truly advanced martial artists—is this:

👉 What did you feel?

The Illusion of Effect

We’re conditioned to look for effect—big reactions, dramatic takedowns, audible responses. Especially in pressure point and joint lock work, we associate “effectiveness” with how much the uke shows us something happened.

But that can be misleading.

In reality, when your technique is fully dialed in—when your body structure, alignment, timing, and intent are working in harmony—you don’t need to force anything. The technique simply works. Not because you overpowered your partner, but because the conditions were correct.

You may even notice that the uke reacts the same whether or not you added the pressure point…

But you know something changed.

You used less strength.

Less tension.

Less effort.

And yet—got the same or better result.

That is the beginning of effortless control.

That is where refinement lives.

Kyusho, Tuite, and the Power of Subtlety

In my own practice, I’ve found that the more advanced my Kyusho or Tuite application becomes, the less dramatic the uke’s reaction often looks. And yet, internally, I can feel the difference immediately.

That’s the beauty of these arts.

You’re not chasing big reactions.

You’re learning how to cause effect with minimal output.

A tap instead of a strike.

A subtle torque instead of a wrenching motion.

A quiet disruption of structure instead of a loud display.

If I get the same result and I barely had to do anything…

That’s not failure. That’s mastery in progress.

Martial Arts Wisdom: The Internal Shift

There’s a saying in Kosho Ryu that continues to shape how I teach and train:

“Change something in you, and you change something in your uke.”

That simple phrase carries layers of meaning.

It’s not just about technique.

It’s about intent, energy, breath, mindset, posture, stillness.

By changing your internal state—how you move, how you connect, how you think—you create change in your partner without needing to force anything. That’s not just a martial arts skill; it’s a life skill.

Final Thoughts

If you’re chasing big reactions from your uke, you might be missing the real opportunity:

To refine what you are doing.

To learn what it means to feel a technique instead of forcing it.

To trust that when your body is aligned, your technique is aligned.

The uke doesn’t need to put on a show for it to be real.

You’ll know.

Because you’ll feel it.

Advanced martial arts starts within.

And that’s exactly where the best learning happens.

Understand the Science. Master the Art! 🐼