I'll bet you almost broke your little delicate fingers opening this one, huh? Secret techniques. Sounds like every martial arts student's dream...
Well, I'm here to bust your bubble Buckwheat. There aren't any secret techniques...only basic techniques done in a new way. That's all. Oh, there's special knowledge and such that can be learned along the way; new principles, vital points, and all that. But as far as the technique goes...well, it's the s.o.s. I can see you're crestfallen and really bummed by this news. But fear not. You're probably not doing all of your basics correctly anyway, so there's still plenty to work on. I've been known to spend upwards of almost 2 hours demonstrating and teaching just the reverse punch. And I don't really know this technique at all.
I can hear the gasps from here. "You mean he doesn't know it?" That's right. What I mean is that I haven't yet mastered it and until then, I won't claim to "know" it. I'm still working on it. Many moons ago, I asked my primary kung-fu teacher about learning "secret techniques" and the answer he gave me is pretty much the same one I'm giving you. I didn't understand it at the time. I was too young and energetic but now that I'm a little older, I think I understand.
Basics are more than just the foundation upon which everything else is built. They're also the walls, ceiling, and furnishings. Without basics, you have nothing at all. Just learning to identify them isn't enough. You must be able to perform them with absolute precision and correctness and that takes time and LOTS of practice. It is this kind of never-ending practice that develops the extreme self-discipline for which traditional martial arts practicioners are reknowned - or used to be, anyway.
The basics are, after all, what you'll use if the need should ever arise that you must defend yourself. For this reason alone, the basics must be sharpened and highly tempered. At the same time, it is the constant, lifelong dedication to practicing the basics that ultimately leads to spiritual awareness. Along with the basic techniques are the forms. If basic techniques are seen as words and sentences, then forms are the books of the system. Knowing individual words is so much useless information if you don't understand how to put them into meaningful sentences and phrases. Forms teach you how to "speak" correctly. They must be practiced without end; constantly, regularly, precisely. The longer you practice them, the more they teach you. Many students are so excited about learning "the next" form that they neglect to practice the basic forms they have already learned. This is a serious omission in training and should be corected right away.
The Control and Restraint Drill
There will be times in a self defense situation where you will be man-handled, slammed to the ground by multiple assailants, drag up to a back alley do god knows what. Understanding that there ARE principles and tactics to follow in a multiple assailant situations, but this is not a technique or principle book, this drill will only enhance your survival ability and your functional strength. This can also help trainees who felt bored lifting weights etc.
Basic practice fighting such as One-Step and its more advanced cousin, Freestyle One-Step, are really just ways of training in the basics and the forms. Think about that. Practice fighting should not be divorced from the practice of the fundamentals; it should be an extension of it! Even Freestyle sparring should be an extension of training in the basics. Many martial arts schools nowadays don't make that connection which is unfortunate because they're not really working towards perfecting their techniques (and thereby, themselves) which is what training is all about.
The most famous martial arts masters, the ones you read or hear about, were people who practiced their basics constantly. Every day. Their skill came from this tedious, continuous practice; not from knowing some "secrets" which nobody else knew. The truth is that there is no silver bullet. There are only basics within a given system and the striving towards mastery and pewrfection of those basics. And that's the real secret.
Philosophy and Opinion 
I'll bet you almost broke your little delicate fingers opening this one, huh? Secret techniques. Sounds like every martial arts student's dream...
bummed by this news. But fear not. You're probably not doing all of your basics correctly anyway, so there's still plenty to work on. I've been known to spend upwards of almost 2 hours demonstrating and teaching just the reverse punch. And I don't really know this technique at all.
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