Martial Artists: What is Resistance?

Resistance means to slow or impede flow. This is true in electronics just as much as it applies to martial arts. When we measure resistance, we sometimes call it "impedance" - derived from the word "impede", which comes from Latin, meaning "to snare the feet".

Any time you use resistance to an opponent's force, you expend energy to support that resistance. (and in the analogy, light and/or heat is given off as spent energy).

And so, when we resist an opponent's strike, it becomes "me vs. him". Thus, the stronger will probably win. When we take an alternate route - that is, to shunt (another electrical concept) or bybass, we allow the opponent's momentum and inertia to guide their movement. We need only minimal energy to exert a force that takes the opponent off balance.

This is the very essence of Aikido.

Contrarily, some styles (or perhaps, instructors) teach that strength is the defense: so the stronger you are, the more likely you are stronger than your opponent. So in wrestling or BJJ or MMA or boxing, strength is important in order that you can overtake your opponent. I come from many taekwondo schools who preached that strength is important.

For a more pragmatic, practical answer, resistance to me, is part of what is required for scientific marital arts training.

If forms, drills, and solo technique practice are learning the equations and concepts, then resistance training/sparring is the laboratory where you apply everything you learned and see how it reacts to a situation that's close to what you're preparing for.

There is also resistance as in weight training, which I also believe is important along with general fitness, but I don't think that's what you had in mind with this question.

The most important concept that I think a lot of martial arts schools leave out is that these are techniques that have to work even when someone is trying their absolute hardest not to have them performed on them.

This is why watching demos where students cooperate with their masters doesn't mean anything.

I find it funny that it was only after coming on Y/A back in 2008 that I became conscious of others always talking about resistive training VS non resistive training....... It was never mentioned directly in the many years I trained before that time. We understood that some techniques need to be mastered by doing them in a slow only slightly resistive manner until the student begins to get the technique right. Then he uses it against others that are not allowing you to do them. To throw everyone out on the floor with techniques they can't do and then ask them to do them against someone that is resisting everything is just unrealistic. That mindset is against the basis of all martial arts. The martial arts were designed for weaker smaller people to be able to fight off stronger larger attackers. do do many techniques well means that you can do them using very little force/strength, but superior leverage, balance, timing,...etc. These things simply can't be developed by every training session being one person being as uncooperative as he can. Neither student learns how to correct things in that situation. It leads to sloppy technique and the overuse of strength to accomplish a win. If that is how things should be done then we should all start lifting weights, take off the GI, and just brawl as much as we can. How lame, impatient, and ignorant. The martial arts were never expected to be something that you could master in a few months or years. True mastery of real martial arts are something that very few master even after many years.

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I guess it really depends on your art. Resistance to me in my arts is all about positioning. Do I let someone pass my guard? Do I let someone lock in that key lock or Americana? Resistance is about much strength and technique I use. Simple as that.

I think a good thing to practice is aliveness. If you train in martial arts, and you aren't training in aliveness, then its not worth anything. You are then a dancing little kata fairy.

Resistance is futile.

Do you mean when someone has a hold on you and you try to resist?

Never resist. Your MA training will teach you how to counter attack,defend and repel your attackers' strikes/holds. Otherwise you are not trained in the correct movements of MA.

To resist fighting if possible. That is part of all Martial Arts philosophy. The ancient monks who had developed the art did so in accordance to their philosophical beliefs. They practiced the arts and trained to defend themselves because it was necessary to protect themselves from outside forces who had sought to rob them from their worldly nutritional goods.

Anyone who decides to use their Martial Arts training for ulterior motives will eventually be succumbed by their own handy work.

An unwilling opponent, for realistic training.