Repeating technique
Lately I have found that I seem to be getting the same technique showing up repeatedly during randori. It comes up a lot and some times interferes with trying to get something different to happen. Sometimes it is a lot of fun. Other times it is real annoying. Has anyone else experienced this (I assume yes), and what is it? Is it something to enjoy? Or something that shows up like a scratched record?
I think it's something everyone goes through. I went through a period where tenkai-kote-hineri was my bread & butter. In the end, it is a short-sighted affair. We must assume our partner knows at least as much as we do, preferably more. Therefore, if I know tenkai-kote-hineri lives here... well, my partner does too. Ultimately, randori is an engagement that, when it locks up in a terminal position, should come as a surprise to both partners.
Yeah, I think we all do it. Maybe after a while, we stop and work with our partner and say, "Okay, we know this is coming, now what can you do with it?" (a little ura waza there).
I've also tried consciously forbidding myself a favorite technique for a short bit (I try to keep the conscious mind out of it as much as possible, but then again, if I'm focused on NOT doing A, my subconscious is free to do B, C, D etc as needed and surprise me.)
It's a good question, I hope more folks chime in.
Like Sean, I had to pretty much take my favorite technique out of my inventory.
I also like randori working at a slow enough pace that my partner & I can re-create what events/techniques transpired, and then have a chance to figure out other solutions to the problem.
I've noticed that when patterns start to emerge, it generally means that you are moving the same way over and over again.... a quick way to break the cycle is to move a different direction than you normally would on your first step (or any step for that matter), then you have a whole new set of variables to deal with from that point forward...