Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast

By Coach Jeff Burger

This is often misunderstood so it’s misused and over used.

The quote comes from the US Navy Seals and it’s largely about how to learn.

When you are learning a new skill, a new move, or a new combo, going slow gets it into your muscle memory faster. In the case of Tai Chi, going slow helps you see and feel details and to move as relaxed as possible. 

Relaxation is an important part of speed. Why?

Speed is not so much about how fast protagonist muscles contract, but how fast antagonistic muscles can relax.

A problem I see coming out of the misunderstanding of this quote is some people think they never need to work on speed. They believe that slow will be fast when strikes are flying. “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” but don’t forget, “Speed Kills “.

Note: Speed includes physical speed and mental speed.

When we consider the stimulus of reaction, there is visual, tactile, audio. The eye is often an important part of the speed equation.