In a sense, to be a martial artist means to conform to a rigid code of movement. Do not mistake the term “rigid” for stiff or cumbersome. A salmon is not rigid in the way it swims, but it does attempt each season to return to the waters were it was spawned. Therefore, rigidity can be defined as conformity of action, or specified movements in accordance with a predesigned plan of action based on random stimuli. Herein resides the problem with many martial arts—even the some hawked as “modern”. Robotic or repetitive training as a reaction to a “set” stimuli (e.g. The predictable and warned throwing of a specific kick or punch in a controlled setting) is effective usually when cooperation is established between participants. Removing cooperation from the training dynamic causes a moment of sensory access, or indexing of the nerves required to make a muscle or series of muscles respond along programmed lines. This moment of access is much like preparing twenty years to drive a race on a specific track, only to have this changed on the day of the race. You are still a skilled driver, but you have been “rehearsing” rather than adapting. True, when you race a car the other drivers create the randomness of the race by varying their speed and tactics; however, the environment itself is only changed.