Power of Intention

         I've been experimenting with my intent during forms and combinations, and how it influences my movements.  Even something as simple as throwing a jab, reverse can change with intent.  Is my goal to hit solidly with both punches?  Is the jab more a fake with a strong reverse coming behind it?  How do these punches change if I throw in a roundhouse right after?  Personally, I know my phrasing and transfer of power changes as I change my intent with these movements.  Is one better than the other?  Not necessarily, it really depends on what my intent is at the time.  

        Going back to the jab, reverse; if my intent is to make solid contact with the jab, and then follow up with the reverse, my phrasing and transfer of power on my reverse is slightly different, than if I use the jab as a fake and then transfer into the reverse.  Same goes if I'm static or projecting.  The biggest difference I feel is when I add a roundhouse to the combination.  If I'm making solid contact with that reverse, I find the roundhouse becomes a bit of an afterthought.  Not that it still doesn't have power, but the way my body moves isn't as smooth as if I transfer some power into the reverse, but then finish strongly with the roundhouse.  Same goes in my forms.  Where I choose/where I think my transfer of power is will influence my harmonies, my phrasing, and my flow.  Good example of this is Da Mu Hsing 2, with the knife hand followed by the roundhouse.  The knife hand for me, I'm not necessarily trying to connect with.  It is more a fake or distraction, as it pulls my roundhouse into it.  If I were to make my intent to really connect with the knife hand first and then hit with the roundhouse, it would look differently, and my transfer of power would also look different.

        Now, it is good to play around with intent as a way to experience how it influences our movements, but it is also important to know when our intent is hindering us too.  A lot of the times our instructors will tell us to look at the move before or after to fix the move we're having difficulty with.  THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH INTENT, usually because we're getting ahead of ourselves and not completing the move because we know what's coming next, or because our intent was off in the move leading up.  For me it is the former, I'm anticipating the next move and therefore not finishing the prior technique.

        Playing around with my intent has been a good tool for developing my eye for detail, and for advancing in my forms.  By recognizing what works and what doesn't work intent wise, I can start to get a feel for what feels good in my body as I'm performing these techniques, what feels off, and what needs tweaking.