Distance. (Maai)
Whenever I am driving to the dojo I always try to keep a safe distance from the car in front of me, a thinking distance that give me time to react in case of an emergency. I am sure that most of you do the same. So I have this safe distance where I feel I am in control and the suddenly some other car pulls into my safe distance and changes the whole situation, apart from the fact it’s bad driving its putting lives at stake.
Ok, back to Kyokushin, when you fight you have your safe distance where you feel in control and comfortable in case your opponent attacks. You always try to keep this Maai so you can react to any situation and in turn, so that you can attack. It come with experience, when you stand in front of someone you should have a pretty good idea if they can hit you or in turn you can hit them.
Just get two students to stand in front of each other and tell them to walk slowly towards each other and stop when they feel threatened. When one of them or both stop they have reached that point where they feel in danger, this is Maai.
Now if car drivers could take a lesson from Kyokushin we would be safer on the roads.