Switching the Switch–From 0 to 100 in an Instant
An interview with Shifu Brett Russell—A 32nd Generation Disciple of Shaolin Kung Fu.
Shifu Brett Russel has dedicated his life to the practice and teaching of Shaolin Kung Fu and is without doubt one of the world’s masters in this ancient yet devastating combat system. To watch Shifu execute a side kick off his front leg to a hapless opponent is a breathtaking experience.
I interviewed Shifu recently in his teaching Martial Arts Centre in Coogee, Sydney, Australia where I am also a humble student.
In a wide-ranging interview I have tried to extract the major themes for those interested in improving their Speed Thinking.
1. It takes practice
There is no substitute for practice and hard work. As Shifu explains ‘repeating a skill over and over again means that it becomes part of your muscle memory, which means that when you need to protect yourself you do not have to think about it. A kick or a punch, for example, is a reflex, automatic action.’
Likewise with Speed Thinking—it is a skill that with the right practice, effort and tools you can become better at it.
2. The Three Factors in Fighting and Success
Shifu explains that the three key aspects of fighting are:
- Speed (of your punch or kick)
- Distance (not too far nor too close) and
- Timing (knowing when to block)
These are all important and interconnected. The important point is that for students to improve and grow they need to listen and be receptive.
Another way of explaining these three elements is to consider that to succeed in business and life requires the synergy of focus (i.e. Distance), doing the right thing at the right time (i.e. Timing) and thinking, acting and learning quickly (i.e. Speed).
3. Being in The Zone
In the sporting field, athletes talk of being in the zone. This is a place and space where they perform at their peak. Shifu is no different—he describes this as a feeling where ‘everything comes easy, you can anticipate what your opponent might do and things seem to be moving in slow motion.’
Participants Speed Thinking Experience workshops tend to feel the same thing. There is an absolute focus on the challenge at hand, they are in the moment and nothing else matters. They are challenged and energised.
4. Switch On-Switch Off
This is perhaps my biggest insight from my interview with Shifu. I have watched Shifu transform from a warm, generous teacher to a ferocious warrior (to spar someone for example) in an instant then return to his usual self in literally moments.
Shifu uses the expression ‘to switch’ to describe this movement. “You can turn it full on and turn it off like a switch’.
I love this expression because I believe it captures the essence of Speed Thinking. Everyone has the ability to accelerate the pace at which they think and react to a situation depending on the need. They can turn this on or turn it off like a switch. The next time you are stuck think ‘switch’ to immediately change thinking gears.
What’s more this immediate ‘switch’ is done without emotion. Shifu explains that ‘the aim in Shaolin Kung Fu or Chan as it is more broadly called is to have a still mind, free of noise. This allows you to react immediately.’ That is why Speed Thinking works because you do not have time to filter your thoughts—you just let your unconscious flow.
5. A Yin not a Yang Fighter
Shifu describes the difference between the two fighting styles as being, ‘a Yang Fighter has their energy on the outside–they are always jumping and moving around. A Yin fighter (which Shifu is) by comparison has their energy on the inside out. They conserve it but when they need to they can spring into action with amazing power or energy or chi.’
Similarly, a successful Speed Thinker from my experience is not jumping thoughtlessly from one project to another. Rather when they need to accelerate their thinking they do so and rely on their unconscious mind to create new ideas, solutions or decisions.
6. In Training the Body—You train the Mind
As a willing, enthusiastic yet a relative beginner student of Kung Fu I am constantly amazed at the connection between the mind and the body. To learn a new fighting system requires the harmony of your mind to focus and remember yet co-ordinate, the often bewildering array of simultaneous kicks, blocks and punches. There is no separation of mind and body so favoured in the west.
This insight is also one I will be using in my Speed Thinking Workshops in the future. I intend to introduce physical exercises that rely on speed in a seamless transition with ones that require mental agility and see what happens.
Thank You and Omitofu Shifu Brett Russell.
Dr. Ken Hudson,
Founder & Chief Starter
The Speed Thinking Zone
April 2007