‘Thoughtless’ vs. ‘Without Thought’

Good Karate is done without thought. Many beginners may say, “Well, I can do Karate without thinking right now.” They are confusing ‘without thought’ and ‘thoughtless’.

‘Thoughtless’ means you are not putting any thought into your techniques. Mistakes are common as a result, or worse, techniques are performed incorrectly or unsafely. If you repeatedly practice your basics diligently then ‘muscle memory’ is developed and you can automatically perform the technique ‘without thought’. Still don’t get the difference? Think back to when you first learned how to drive a car. Making a left turn required your full attention to every detail. Anything less and you’d veer into oncoming traffic. Driving thoughtlessly could have deadly consequences. Now, you make a left turn without dwelling on every little detail. This isn’t thoughtless. You’re so accustomed to turning correctly that you hardly give it any thought; your mind and body perform the function automatically.

When learning a new kata, great attention is paid to memorizing the new sequence. There may be a couple of new moves, but almost every kata has the same basics (e.g. front stance, walking punch, turning, etc.). Learning the new sequence is easier if you don’t have to concentrate on each individual technique. It’s not good to think about the mechanics of a down block while executing it; you should be able to execute it without thought, if not, you don’t know your basics well enough. Once you are comfortable with the kata you should be able to think ahead. While doing the down block you should mentally prepare for the forward punch. While punching you should mentally prepare to turn into a back stance with a sword hand block, etc. With practice you should be able to think several moves ahead.

The same idea occurs in sparring. If you spar thoughtlessly, you’re likely to get blasted. At the very least, your fighting will be ineffective. While sparring, you should have a sense of strategy, a general ‘battle plan’ in mind, taking various contingencies into account, while reacting to your opponent’s actions. With practice, you’ll increase your awareness, allowing you to anticipate his/her next move. This cannot be done if you’re concentrating on your current action.

The idea of ‘without thought’ is akin to the Japanese/Zen concept of 'mushin' (無心), or 'no mind'. Whether practicing Zen meditation or warrior skills, the state of no-mindedness allows one to be open to anything. An unknown quote I recently read said: “You don’t attain mastery by practicing advanced techniques; you attain mastery by practicing the basics.”