What is masking.  Well basically it is just one way to say hiding skill.  Sometimes during the course of your everyday life it will be important for you to not show what you know or that you move like someone that knows the martial sciences.  Why?  Well there could be many reasons.  Take for instance if you are around someone that if you show your true skill level then potentially something could happen or if you let someone know what you are and do then again they may want to test you.  Imagine if you were involved in some type of robbery with multiple victims.  Would you want to show your skill sets right away or wait for the most opportune time to act.  You would also want to be perceived as not a threat and should take appropriate actions so that the criminals would feel that you are less threatening.  We have all been around or know of some people that if the conversation goes to martial science training then it could turn in a way that they may try to goad us into doing something.   This is especially pertinent for younger martial science practitioners.  For myself I take my training very, very seriously and juvenile tactics like this are something I will have no part of.  So when someone does this then I am out of there or I tell them that I do not perform on command.  That worked quite well when I was younger.  Quite often when training with someone for the first time if it is not a student/practitioner type of training but instead a reciprocal type of training then I will mask a little skill and let the other person show what they know.  This then allows me to see what they do and concentrate on that rather than trying to concentrate on what I do.  You can learn allot about someone by doing this.  Sometimes you can see right into them. 

     Throughout the course of your life there will be times when it is prudent to mask your skill set and hide your martial science training.  Truthfully this is not very hard and with a little practice it can become very easy.  : )

Copyright Instinctive Response Training LLC 2008

Brian R. VanCise

Note: This Blog is opinion only and Instinctive Response Training LLC nor Brian R. VanCise is responsible for any third party actions taken.

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