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VR – the Future of Martial Arts Training

(reprinted from jetli.com - now offline) VR – the Future of Martial Arts Training

By Paul Delaquis

“I know Kung Fu.” The bald-headed master leans toward his student. “Show me.” This memorable dialogue takes place in the 1999 movie The Matrix. What follows is a flashy martial arts training scene. The master and student spar impressively, but there is a catch: their battle happens entirely in virtual reality.

Virtual reality – or VR – is an emerging technology. It is mainly being implemented in video games and media installations. As of now, developers are only just beginning to explore its potential. Headsets such as the Oculus Rift allow users to navigate in exciting 3D environments. However, these devices are currently awkward and clunky, so a truly immersive VR experience isn't possible yet.

At the same time, developers are toying with motion-sensing technology to create interactive experiences. This hasn't been specifically adapted for martial arts training just yet. For instance, the Nintendo Wii includes a motion-sensing Nunchuk controller which looks like the training weapon of the same name, but doesn't have the same function.

Technology is developing at an incredibly rapid rate. In the near future, there is no doubt that users will experience truly immersive VR training for martial arts. Here is a look at what can be expected from VR training.

The computer: a new kind of teacher

As the student holds her pose, her trainer avatar comes closer to inspects her form. “Pretty good,” he notes. “However, your legs are only bent to an angle of 176°. You still haven't reached a full split yet.” With findings from the VR system's analysis, he explains exactly what she needs to do to improve her posture and flexibility. The program is fully interactive, so she asks questions whenever necessary.

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Motion-sensing technology will be a key feature in VR training interfaces. When the user throws a punch, the system will record its exact speed and pressure. The system will analyze precisely which muscles are activated and determine the angles of the user's posture to provide feedback on technique.

Aside from technique, VR training will also provide feedback relating to the user's health. Interfaces will be integrated with medical monitoring technology so users can keep track of their heartbeat rate and nutrition levels. What's more, the system will alert them when they are at risk of injuring themselves during training. It will be able to detect bone fractures, hyperextension and more. It will also be able to provide constructive feedback on shaping physique.

Users hoping to improve their technique as well as their physique will favor VR technology with a physical component. On the other hand, a purely mental, Matrix-like system could allow users to practice their technique without actual physical movement. This would prevent damage from overtraining and even give injured or handicapped users a chance to keep practicing.

Variety of styles, teachers and exercises

The student is feeling uninspired with her Karate. Perhaps I'll try some Jiujitsu instead, she thinks. Maybe as a cool-down activity, I'll study some yoga on the side. With a few clicks, she downloads new training programs and she's instantly ready to learn!

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VR training will be fully customizable. Users will be able to choose between countless styles of martial arts. In the absence of a human instructor, they will easily be able to fit training into their schedules without worrying about class times or teacher availability.

Not only that – programs will be created to give users one-on-one time with digital renderings of experts from every field of martial arts. They will even be able to choose trainer avatars based on martial arts masters who passed away long ago. Thanks to VR technology, the likenesses and teachings of the great masters will continue to inspire many generations of students.

A variety of fun training programs will also be developed for users needing extra motivation. For example, training games will allow users to fight alongside their favorite fictional heroes from movies and video games!

Respecting the human element

“You accomplished a lot today. Great work!” The trainer avatar looks at his watch. “You have been logged into the system for a period of two hours. Your sodium levels are low. The system recommends that you take a break and nourish yourself. Weather reports from your region indicate that the sky is currently clear and the temperature is cool, at 17°C. Perhaps you could go for a walk?”

The student takes an energy bar for a snack and leaves the VR center. After walking about two blocks, she reaches a park. She sees a crowd of older people practicing Tai Chi peacefully. Their movements are graceful and there is a beautiful harmony in their coordination. Looking content, they are clearly enjoying each other's company.

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Even when VR training interfaces become widely available, many people will still opt for a more traditional approach to training. After all, the human element of practice is at the core of martial arts training. Even the most realistic training simulations won't be able to recreate the feeling of community that traditional training provides.

Despite this, students could still use VR training as an effective supplement to their practice. For example, they could learn basic techniques in the VR system and spar in real-time to get the best of both worlds. They could use VR training as a form of solo practice and still enjoy the communal experience of martial arts when their schedules allow for it.

By the end of the training scene in The Matrix, the student has caught up to his master. Acknowledging his student's progress, the master says,“I'm trying to free your mind.” The ultimate purpose of training in The Matrix is independence from virtual reality. When VR becomes a genuine reality, users need to keep this in mind. VR training will be useful and fun, but users must foster a healthy relationship with it.

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Acoustic versions of a couple o' my tracks. Recorded in Summerland, October 2015.

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“without love i feel the abyss... understand your fear of death” - Björk

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Sensationalism and Child Abuse in Reality TV

I don’t watch much TV at all nowadays. In fact, I don’t even own a TV and frankly, don’t feel that I’m missing anything significant because of this. However, occasionally I’ll get sucked into a late-night youtube vortex and catch a clip of whatever programming is making the rounds these days. This habit has a disparaging result; I already felt that some of the shows that were popular 10 years ago had troubling features, but true to the media’s tradition of intensifying its controversial content for the sake of ratings, what I see broadcasted now is exponentially more provocative.

Networks that espouse themselves to be educational resources have succumbed to featuring low-grade reality TV programs for some time now (“the Learning Channel”... I’m looking at you). A fair amount of this programming is garbage, but at the best of times, it’s innocuous. After all, when exposed to this stuff, we can simply change the channel and find something more valuable to watch without feeling particularly offended. However, more and more content nowadays seems deliberately provocative and even ethically-challenging to discerning viewers. To what extent is it appropriate, for example, for our entertainment media to be explicitly based on the imposed suffering of documentary subjects?

Apparently, the A&E network hasn’t struggled with this question whatsoever, because the program that I made the mistake of checking out last night involves humiliating and threatening children in the guise of “shock treatment” for the consumer’s sadistic viewing pleasure. Raking in some of the highest ratings the network has seen, Beyond Scared Straight employs a long-discredited counselling technique of intimidating juvenile offenders by immersing them in adult prison operations firsthand. The theory behind this practice is that it invokes fear as a motivation for the offender to go “straight” and thus, functions as a deterrent to future offences.

This “tough love” approach sounds like a convenient and even logical option until we take a look at the studies that have evaluated it. Tara Andrews, the Deputy Director of Washington’s Coalition for Juvenile Justice flatly sets the record straight: “the research has shown Scared Straight to be at best ineffective and at worst counter-effective.” To make matters worse, another researcher adds that “this is the only program [...] reviewed that actually increases crime.” Nevertheless, Arnold Shapiro, the show’s producer, remains an outspoken advocate of the method. He dismisses these findings by claiming that, “academic studies don’t work.”

One of the many problems with the barbaric “Scared Straight” strategy is that it unsympathetically assumes genuinely troubled kids to be delinquent “brats.” (Having also masterminded a reality show project called “Brat Camp,” Shapiro is consistent with this characterization.) Many criminal behaviours have roots in complex societal or environmental factors that need to be addressed, and despite the expected outcome of the “scared straight” method, these behaviours will not be solved with a simple “change of heart” on the part of the offender. Substance abuse issues, for instance, often manifest as a response to deeper individual trauma; likewise, gang membership tempts individuals with a sense of security or belonging in otherwise problem-ridden communities.

Let’s consider a segment of the program in context. In this stomach-churning clip, we’re introduced to a 13-year-old male accused of arson and gang affiliation. Immediately, the facilitator outs him as a member of the Bloods (which seems irresponsible in and of itself) and immerses him in a room full of rival Crips convicts. I honestly don’t think that anybody in their right mind can dispute that what happens here is child abuse: this kid is physically shaken up by gang members and emotionally attacked. Absolutely terrified, he cries, and the men around him mock him further for this reaction. Even if there were some grounds by which we could justify treating a child like this in the first place, the simple fact of the matter is that here it’s not happening for any legitimate reason based on its effectiveness in rehabilitation but for the purpose of generating “good TV.” In other words, this is simple exploitation.

In some cases, it seems that the kids themselves can see through the simple-minded nature of “scared straight” treatment. This highlights another issue associated with the method: In addition to being perceived as “brats,” the kids are also treated like idiots. Let’s get real - without this form of visceral introduction to prison life, these youngsters already would have had some anecdotal understanding of its horrors (through lore of “knife parties,” gang rape etc.). Therefore, the added trauma of being tossed around by criminals is an unnecessary element. Rather than proving a point, it just damages the kids’ morale and causes them to feel disdain for their culture - especially corrections as an institution and their so-called “support network” for putting them through this and televising it, no less.

Some would argue that beyond the scenes of direct intimidation or humiliation, the show still has some redeeming features. After all, it does contain heartfelt clips of hardened criminals warning the young against making the same mistakes as they did, for example. Still, it’s abundantly clear that the primary objective of the program is to traumatize these kids and that objective is both immoral and ineffective. Ironically, what is happening to the kids in these halls is a form of crime in and of itself that should not be justified. In this age of manufactured TV-ready moments, it’s crucial that we consistently scrutinize our media. Programs like this one use the documentary form to establish a level of realism for the viewer but the scenarios therein and their outcomes are prefabricated. To sum up, let me take a page from the headlines of Zola and bust out some accusations:

I accuse A&E and Beyond Scared Straight’s producers of abusing children for profit.

I accuse them of promoting an archaic and ineffective version of “justice education” for the purpose of cheap entertainment.

I accuse them of causing unnecessary trauma to young minds, resulting in relapses into criminal behaviour and less hope for effective rehabilitation.

I accuse them of normalizing this abuse and turning it into a spectacle.

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becoming

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This is a commentary to

"Slavoj Zizek criticizing Buddhism" adapted from correspondence with a friend. In this talk, Zizek wisely distinguishes between the earlier and later traditions of Buddhism. There are some significant developments over the history of this religion - the earlier forms being "harsher" and more esoteric, the latter being more "democratic" and "spiritual in a personal sense", since the tradition holds that enlightenment is achievable by all in this lifetime, and under less strict circumstances than the former. Zizek's discussion about Buddhist principles as a justification for violent acts is apt. As he explains, one can draw a parallel between the harshness of Medieval Christianity and that of some periods in Buddhist history. To add to his examples, consider the case of the Samurai in Japan - these were warlords, yet they maintained a strict code of ethics and a series of military/artistic practices strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism. Frankly, the historical record of these traditions is paradoxical where the issue of violence is concerned.

I sympathize with Zizek's conception of Buddhism as an "enabler of suffering". The Buddhist framework dictates that suffering/evil/pain/etc is simply "out there" - it is a natural part of existence. This is over-simplistic to me. It seems dangerous to assume that certain social issues such as physical/sexual abuse, drug abuse, racial discrimination and so on are "just a part of life" - these have root causes that stem from specific circumstances which need to be confronted and remedied, after all. Of course, I hold the same criticism for the Judeo-Christian tradition with its implication of static, cosmic forces of good and evil. I feel more and more that discussing good/evil in this absolutist, dualistic manner is redundant, since any act needs to be interpreted by an outside party for its perceived ethical correctness, and this value can vary greatly between people, cultures, political/legal frameworks etc.

Taoism, like Buddhism, has manifested in some traditions that are overtly religious and esoteric, and others that are quite secular. Interpretation of the "proper Taoist way of doing things" varies significantly based on this fact alone. However, Taoism is a not a tradition with a direct parallel to Buddhism. These are historically discrete, although the former did influence some later forms of Buddhism, such as Zen. Needless to say, "living according to the Tao" is not the same phenomenon as achieving enlightenment in Buddhism, so the ethical code that comes from that central theme is distinct.

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True and False Mind It is the mind that is the mind confusing the mind. Do not leave the mind, O mind, to the mind.

"The Book of Family Traditions" - Yagyu Munenori

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Tunnel

Like the bullet train, departed from the chamber You're swiftly fired through it. Not the end but the means to it - Many see it as a tunnel. Funnelling through a spiral of light The passage invokes spectral memory. Conscience - clear Time - right

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Video animation project by my sister Genni, with a soundtrack by me

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my first animation. check it out

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way she goes

lone drunk king lets the ring slip off his finger to his pocket rock's off - blacked out before he knew he'd lost it temporary queen had fled the scene - it's almost perfect family jewels for her booty - was it worth it? it's never worth it pirate's price is never worth it pirate's price is never worth it - walk the plank and never surface pirate's prize is claimed, awake and sober king is shamed her vessel aimed toward the sea of sorrow hands are clasping at the wheel of suffering repeat tomorrow - vicious cycle, never bluffing it goes on and on birth is pain life is pain death is pain dukkha