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AFFILIATIONS

Terry Barnett's
Integrated Arts

British Combat
Association

With this weeks article I wanted to look at the importance of being able to take a step back.

Often, when we get too close to something, we find it difficult to see the bigger picture. When this happens, we’re all familiar with the notion of Taking a Step Back, in order to review whatever it is we’ve lost sight of.

I remember a comedy sketch by Billy Connolly where he talks about being an amoeba at the foot of a giant table leg. He’s so close to the leg he has no idea that what he’s looking at it a table leg – he just sees an expanse of wood grain in front of him.
The only way to see the table and in fact see everything else that surrounds it is to take a few steps (if that’s how amoeba’s move) backwards.

Only when we take a step back can we gain a better perspective on things and see our progress in relation to whatever else we are measuring it against.

It could be to measure the progress and success of your business by stepping back to look at other companies in the same profession or even, other industries entirely.

Stepping back isn’t the same as turning away or recoiling and it isn’t necessarily a “backward step” or a negative thing. It is making a tactical movement in a controlled manner in a direction of your choosing, and there is a very big difference between the two.

If I relate, as I always do, this process back to my own martial arts. Stepping back could be alikened to fighting off the back foot.

This is a term whereby you are still maintaining your own attacks but at the same time, you are stepping or moving backwards to maintain range and distance, possibly even to draw your opponent forwards and into you.

Sometimes this is a necessary movement forced upon you by an aggressive and forward moving opponent. Sometimes it is your decision to step back and create space and range.
Either way, it is still done with control and precision, and under no circumstances must you turn your back or shy away from the incoming assault.

Perhaps, the military amongst you would know this as a tactical retreat. It has been said that A Good Retreat is better than a Bad Stand, and so instead of this being a cowardly action, it is an intelligent response to the situation in order to gain the upper hand in a future battle.

Fighting off the back foot is just the same.

In general, my fighting style, whether sparring or on the street, is continued forward motion. Taking the attack too the opponent, driving forwards with intent and purpose.
And so, it can often be a difficult choice to change this style and move backwards as it will often challenge the ego.
So, for me, that is the battle right there. To beat the ego by being prepared to take a step, or two, backwards. Providing this is calculated and under my own intention, then this is just as much a deliberate movement as stepping forwards.

I hinted at another example of this in my FACING FORWARDS article, where I had decided, after a couple of days on my first ever skiing holiday, to take myself back to the nursery Green slopes and spend more time working on my technique.

This initially felt like a backward step for me, but for all the negative connotations of the phrase. No longer was I on the steeper Blues and Reds, flying down at break neck speed. Now I was going, unimpressively, much slower. However, the only person who had an issue with this was me and that was my ego talking.
The fact that I had taken myself back off to the greens slopes was an acceptance that this was the right thing to do and the results later that week proved the point.

I took that conscious step backwards, slowing down and taking stock of my technique, in order to gain more control and consequently move forwards later that week onto tougher slopes with more speed and proficiency.

I now face similar challenges from a business aspect and have to consider taking steps back in certain areas in order to review, assess and then focus on moving forwards in another area.
The ego will rear it’s ugly head again with all the usual comments of, how it’s a Backwards Step, how it doesn’t feel like progress, how other people will now think I’m not performing as well. All of these things will be fired up as hurdles to prevent me from moving in this direction. And all of which will be overcome in order to reap the benefits of this tactical retreat.

I found a quote which I think sums up this whole article

“He who is sure of their own motives can, in confidence, advance OR retreat.”

This isn’t about taking a backward step, this is about stepping backwards and there is a difference.

I have always said that we never make wrong decisions in our lives – we just make wrong ”in-decisions”.
What I mean is, when we choose a path to follow, there is nothing wrong with getting some way along that path and realising it was not the right one for you. There is nothing wrong with stopping and moving back along this path to the last decision point and changing your mind, trying a different route.
Where we make mistakes is to realise we’ve chosen the wrong path and then to continue on anyway.
It takes courage to take a step, or several, backwards in order to try a new path, or change our plan of attack, it’s most certainly not a “backward step” nor a cowardly act.

Thank you for reading

Stay Safe and Have Fun

Al x