Situational awareness
Many are looking but few are seeing
Control cannot exist without awareness. The ability to see, sense, hear, and feel are dependent on our receptors but often this ability stops at a perceptive level - looking, but not seeing.
Awareness is the active, continuous integration of signals into a larger context. It is being consciously in touch with any and all changes in a situation, especially the details of those changes. We make decisions and act based on our awareness, and the success of those decisions and actions are dependent on the quality of awareness.
Situational awareness in judo/jiujitsu
Situational awareness is comprised of three factors:
Spatial awareness of the place in which one is sparring, such as close to the boundaries or the center of the mat. This allows strategizing based on the match rules.
Distance awareness is knowing how far an opponent is and which techniques applies within that distance. In jiu-jitsu the mantra “create space too take space” is rooted in distance awareness, controlling distance, for example, through frames.
Positional awareness refers to knowing our own and the opponent’s position. This enhances responsiveness and decision-making on choosing attacks and defenses.
Breathing awareness is assessing the breathing labor of both the self and the opponent. Controlled breathing can prevent panic while leaving no hints of fatigue for the opponent. The effort used in sparring is directly proportional to the level of our breathing.
Emotional awareness is perceiving and understanding to the emotional status of both the self and the opponent. Before and during sparring one should keep a calm mind but stay focused. The usual negative emotions that may be experienced are fear and anger. Fear can negatively impact performance by inducing an attitude of avoidance, freezing, self-doubt, hesitation, and over-estimating the opponent. Anger may be the result of initial failure or desire for retaliation. Most of the time, these emotions lead to poor and reckless performance. Awareness is the beginning of managing emotions.
