thespymachine
Smash Ace
[Ramblings of my own perspective on Zen Buddhism and how it applies to competitive Melee]
Part 1 - Jan. 8th, 2014
[A random thought process that built into this quick post]
Zen Buddhism is an Indian Mahayana Buddhism translated through the language and thought of Chinese Taoism. The most you need to know about its history is that its Buddhist half emphasizes Mindfulness and that its Taoist half emphasizes Naturalness.
Contradictory to what a lot of smashers and competitive methodologies suggest, a Zen Buddhist competitive-mindset (ZBM) encourages a type of "autopilot" playstyle.
For ZBM, the goal is to play as natural as possible, as long as possible. By doing so - by relying on habit - one reserves their willpower and mental energy for later, when most needed. By playing completely by habit - naturally - you can keep your mind more prepared for later (in the game, set, or tournament) and put your focus onto other things (like your physical limits for the day, or exploring potential options). This is the sort of thing that HugS posits and something that he would apply to his pre-EVO training (this blog post is lost). But this isn't just a mindset to perpetuate the same style of play throughout one's smash career; a mindless style that is predictable from all angles.
When you're young, I'm sure you got burnt by something, since the sensation was so strong you couldn't help to be mindful of what was happening to you, and you've learned since.
The trick is to form habits worth having in a game that has very subtle situations.
To get to this type of "autopilot," one must be mindful.
Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of your sensations (or, in general, what is happening to/around you) - and it is generally used in meditation, typically to form a 'non-judgmental,' or a 'non-narrative,' perspective on ones thoughts and sensations. In Smash the goal is to be mindful of what is or isn't working in your or your opponent's play; it takes two to tango - you must take into account the abilities of yourself AND your opponent.
Naturalness without Mindfulness is to be a sphex - varying inputs, always one output.
Mindfulness without Naturalness is to clap with only one hand - by attempting to 'control' everything, one loses control. Or, how HugS puts it: "You cannot possibly be cognizant of every single millisecond input you perform during a match, so why do some of you try to play your matches this way? Why are you all demanding this of your brain? It's only gonna slow you down, mess you up, and have you wondering why nothing is working."
Essentially, we all think on these lines. When we first start learning tech we have to 'intentionally' do the inputs, being mindful of what to do and if you're doing it right. The goal is to be natural at techskill so we can apply our mindfulness to more important matters like reacting to, reading, and adapting with your opponent.
A great example of this type of mindset is in Bruce Lee and his Jeet Kune Do. He takes a very Taoist approach to martial arts to create a "style without style" - borrowing from fencing methods of defending and attacking in the same move.
Both JKD and ZBM put strong emphasis on playing naturally, and from that put a focus on physical ability to improve the strength of your foundation - you can do the right thing, but if you don't do that right thing faster and better than your opponent can to the less right thing, what's the point?
Part 2 - Jan. 9th, 2014
[More thoughts that spawned from above stuff]
This, all of it, is what Mango is talking about when he talks about listening to or following his heart (he probably mentions it a few times in this).
It's no surprise the (currently voted) best player in the world is 1) one of, if not THE, most technically consistent players, 2) mindful of all the little intricacies of play, and 3) plays naturally, from the heart.
These are the three foundations of ZBM: Physicality (techskill and physical strength/health), mindfulness, and naturalness. And these three form the groundwork for the core in-game skills: techskill, appraisal, and adaptability.
Techskill is simple: your physical ability controlling what interactions you have in the game. Like I mentioned earlier, you must be able to do your 'right' action faster/better than your opponents' 'right/wrong' action. Clearly physicality is important here.
Appraisal is the awareness and understanding of the (meta)game and its intricacies. "I can crouch-cancel [this move] until [this percentage]." "At this distance, [character] can hit me with only [this attack]." "[Character] can counter with [move] when I [move]" etc etc. Mindfulness plays an obvious role here, but not the whole time. With enough experience most of this will become natural, and, once at high level play, it'll only be the metagame pushers that will give you something to be mindful about.
Adaptability is the ability to grasp and participate in Yomi, mindgames, whatever you want to call it. This is pure mindfulness.
["Core in-game skills" borrowed and adapted from Sirlin's chapter "What Makes the Best Player?" from his book "Playing to Win"]
Part 3 - Jan 10th, 2014
[quick thoughts after reading @Cheeri-Oats ' comments and blogs]
One must understand the differences and relationship between vision and attitude - between one's goals and one's mindset.
I'll start with a simple, cogent, and powerful request:
Try to win "the game"
...
Keep trying.
...
...
Difficult, isn't it.
And, yet, this is the type of task a lot of players will put on themselves when they play.
They - we - will see on the map that the location (vision/goal) is directly north and will choose to follow a path (attitude/mindset) that stays a complete straight line. The focus is so strong on the map that they fail to realize there is a mountain between them and their destination. They become frustrated because it's taking them longer than what the map is telling them, without realizing that the map doesn't have physical data of the area or, in the very least, that they are currently scaling a mountain.
From a limited interpretation of the area, going straight seemed like a great idea - and if that's the only info you have at the moment, it's perfectly fine to make that judgement. But, to be so focused on that specific path that you don't see other possibilities hinders yourself and your journey-fellows.
So, ZBM is a path of non-pathness. A mindset of non-mindsetness. There is no set axioms from the start that establish the rest of the mindset - only the goal (playing the best you can play) and the game you play limit what ZBM discovers.
It's like those moments where a word is on the tip of your tongue but you just can't think of it? It's because your current thought process is so close to finding the word that it's looping around it, and all it takes is a little time not focused on finding it that the word comes to mind.
The only way to win "the game" is to not play it.
Don't be stubborn, like an ice cube unable to fit in your bottle.
"Warm up" to the environment, and you'll easily - no, naturally - be able to become more productive.
Don't 'make' your mindset. 'Find' it.
Be like water, my friend.
Part 4 - Jan. 14th, 2014
[a short discussion on non-duality]
I'm sure some of you have gone over what I've posted above and have come to the realization that I may be talking in circles or being self-contradicting. And I understand.
Zen Buddhism, and practically all Eastern philosophy traditions, speak with contradiction to escape duality. Because, in the end, there is no cold without hot, there is no brightness without shadow; perceptions are relative truths ("hot" is a relative understanding: what is hot to me is not hot to the bacteria that live by the steam vents on the bottom of the ocean).
So, I speak in subtle or strong contradictions, to focus on the 'middle ground' - the non-dualness.
Wu-wei - non-action: doing without trying to act (like doing an l-cancel without giving it a second thought, since you've practiced it so much). And so, ZBM - non-mindsetness: mindfully being natural, naturally being mindful.
Pikachu's jab isn't good or bad, in itself - it's bad if used to punish a wiffed smash, but good when used in rapid succession on a Fox off the edge to possibly eat their jump and force them to drop below the ledge and get Axe-Effect'd. Falcon kick isn't good or bad - it's bad when used as a combo finisher, but it's pretty good at escaping certain situations and recovering.
The mere desire to be Buddha destroys your ability to.
The simple attempt to win "the game" makes you lose it.
Trying to be natural evades naturalness.
Step 1: Practice mindfulness meditation.
Step 2: Practice your techskill. Stay healthy.
Step 3: Play, play, play, play.
Step 4: [coming soon]
___________________________________
This stuff interest you? Check these out:
- Bruce Lee's "Tao of Jeet Kune Do"
- W. Timothy Gallwey's "The Inner Game of Tennis"
[I know I'm missing references and stuff in the post, but I wanted to get all my thoughts out.]
Part 1 - Jan. 8th, 2014
[A random thought process that built into this quick post]
Zen Buddhism is an Indian Mahayana Buddhism translated through the language and thought of Chinese Taoism. The most you need to know about its history is that its Buddhist half emphasizes Mindfulness and that its Taoist half emphasizes Naturalness.
Contradictory to what a lot of smashers and competitive methodologies suggest, a Zen Buddhist competitive-mindset (ZBM) encourages a type of "autopilot" playstyle.
For ZBM, the goal is to play as natural as possible, as long as possible. By doing so - by relying on habit - one reserves their willpower and mental energy for later, when most needed. By playing completely by habit - naturally - you can keep your mind more prepared for later (in the game, set, or tournament) and put your focus onto other things (like your physical limits for the day, or exploring potential options). This is the sort of thing that HugS posits and something that he would apply to his pre-EVO training (this blog post is lost). But this isn't just a mindset to perpetuate the same style of play throughout one's smash career; a mindless style that is predictable from all angles.
When you're young, I'm sure you got burnt by something, since the sensation was so strong you couldn't help to be mindful of what was happening to you, and you've learned since.
The trick is to form habits worth having in a game that has very subtle situations.
To get to this type of "autopilot," one must be mindful.
Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of your sensations (or, in general, what is happening to/around you) - and it is generally used in meditation, typically to form a 'non-judgmental,' or a 'non-narrative,' perspective on ones thoughts and sensations. In Smash the goal is to be mindful of what is or isn't working in your or your opponent's play; it takes two to tango - you must take into account the abilities of yourself AND your opponent.
Naturalness without Mindfulness is to be a sphex - varying inputs, always one output.
Mindfulness without Naturalness is to clap with only one hand - by attempting to 'control' everything, one loses control. Or, how HugS puts it: "You cannot possibly be cognizant of every single millisecond input you perform during a match, so why do some of you try to play your matches this way? Why are you all demanding this of your brain? It's only gonna slow you down, mess you up, and have you wondering why nothing is working."
Essentially, we all think on these lines. When we first start learning tech we have to 'intentionally' do the inputs, being mindful of what to do and if you're doing it right. The goal is to be natural at techskill so we can apply our mindfulness to more important matters like reacting to, reading, and adapting with your opponent.
A great example of this type of mindset is in Bruce Lee and his Jeet Kune Do. He takes a very Taoist approach to martial arts to create a "style without style" - borrowing from fencing methods of defending and attacking in the same move.
Both JKD and ZBM put strong emphasis on playing naturally, and from that put a focus on physical ability to improve the strength of your foundation - you can do the right thing, but if you don't do that right thing faster and better than your opponent can to the less right thing, what's the point?
Part 2 - Jan. 9th, 2014
[More thoughts that spawned from above stuff]
This, all of it, is what Mango is talking about when he talks about listening to or following his heart (he probably mentions it a few times in this).
It's no surprise the (currently voted) best player in the world is 1) one of, if not THE, most technically consistent players, 2) mindful of all the little intricacies of play, and 3) plays naturally, from the heart.
These are the three foundations of ZBM: Physicality (techskill and physical strength/health), mindfulness, and naturalness. And these three form the groundwork for the core in-game skills: techskill, appraisal, and adaptability.
Techskill is simple: your physical ability controlling what interactions you have in the game. Like I mentioned earlier, you must be able to do your 'right' action faster/better than your opponents' 'right/wrong' action. Clearly physicality is important here.
Appraisal is the awareness and understanding of the (meta)game and its intricacies. "I can crouch-cancel [this move] until [this percentage]." "At this distance, [character] can hit me with only [this attack]." "[Character] can counter with [move] when I [move]" etc etc. Mindfulness plays an obvious role here, but not the whole time. With enough experience most of this will become natural, and, once at high level play, it'll only be the metagame pushers that will give you something to be mindful about.
Adaptability is the ability to grasp and participate in Yomi, mindgames, whatever you want to call it. This is pure mindfulness.
["Core in-game skills" borrowed and adapted from Sirlin's chapter "What Makes the Best Player?" from his book "Playing to Win"]
Part 3 - Jan 10th, 2014
[quick thoughts after reading @Cheeri-Oats ' comments and blogs]
One must understand the differences and relationship between vision and attitude - between one's goals and one's mindset.
I'll start with a simple, cogent, and powerful request:
Try to win "the game"
...
Keep trying.
...
...
Difficult, isn't it.
And, yet, this is the type of task a lot of players will put on themselves when they play.
They - we - will see on the map that the location (vision/goal) is directly north and will choose to follow a path (attitude/mindset) that stays a complete straight line. The focus is so strong on the map that they fail to realize there is a mountain between them and their destination. They become frustrated because it's taking them longer than what the map is telling them, without realizing that the map doesn't have physical data of the area or, in the very least, that they are currently scaling a mountain.
From a limited interpretation of the area, going straight seemed like a great idea - and if that's the only info you have at the moment, it's perfectly fine to make that judgement. But, to be so focused on that specific path that you don't see other possibilities hinders yourself and your journey-fellows.
So, ZBM is a path of non-pathness. A mindset of non-mindsetness. There is no set axioms from the start that establish the rest of the mindset - only the goal (playing the best you can play) and the game you play limit what ZBM discovers.
It's like those moments where a word is on the tip of your tongue but you just can't think of it? It's because your current thought process is so close to finding the word that it's looping around it, and all it takes is a little time not focused on finding it that the word comes to mind.
The only way to win "the game" is to not play it.
Don't be stubborn, like an ice cube unable to fit in your bottle.
"Warm up" to the environment, and you'll easily - no, naturally - be able to become more productive.
Don't 'make' your mindset. 'Find' it.
Be like water, my friend.
Part 4 - Jan. 14th, 2014
[a short discussion on non-duality]
I'm sure some of you have gone over what I've posted above and have come to the realization that I may be talking in circles or being self-contradicting. And I understand.
Zen Buddhism, and practically all Eastern philosophy traditions, speak with contradiction to escape duality. Because, in the end, there is no cold without hot, there is no brightness without shadow; perceptions are relative truths ("hot" is a relative understanding: what is hot to me is not hot to the bacteria that live by the steam vents on the bottom of the ocean).
So, I speak in subtle or strong contradictions, to focus on the 'middle ground' - the non-dualness.
Wu-wei - non-action: doing without trying to act (like doing an l-cancel without giving it a second thought, since you've practiced it so much). And so, ZBM - non-mindsetness: mindfully being natural, naturally being mindful.
Pikachu's jab isn't good or bad, in itself - it's bad if used to punish a wiffed smash, but good when used in rapid succession on a Fox off the edge to possibly eat their jump and force them to drop below the ledge and get Axe-Effect'd. Falcon kick isn't good or bad - it's bad when used as a combo finisher, but it's pretty good at escaping certain situations and recovering.
The mere desire to be Buddha destroys your ability to.
The simple attempt to win "the game" makes you lose it.
Trying to be natural evades naturalness.
Step 1: Practice mindfulness meditation.
Step 2: Practice your techskill. Stay healthy.
Step 3: Play, play, play, play.
Step 4: [coming soon]
___________________________________
This stuff interest you? Check these out:
- Bruce Lee's "Tao of Jeet Kune Do"
- W. Timothy Gallwey's "The Inner Game of Tennis"
[I know I'm missing references and stuff in the post, but I wanted to get all my thoughts out.]
Last edited:
"I got 2 stocks off him!" makes me try to make it 0 the next game.