Smooth is slow...

I got this from a newsletter at SpecialForces.com. He makes the point of being smooth and how slow practice ingrains that. That's a point I've been making for years. We say, "Speed Kills"; speed kils power when you go too fast. Tai Chi uses slowness to ingrain smoothness. Read On.

"The Determined Patient Warrior is the most dangerous warrior"

His motto is:
"Smooth is slow and slow is fast"
Warriors persevere through long, hard, rigorous, repetitive and tedious training both physically and mentally preparing themselves for that day they will be put to the test. Preparation and progress is accomplished slowly and painfully, but when he's prepared and ready that slowness becomes smooth and when put to the test that smoothness becomes fast.
Perhaps the best way to explain the motto "Smooth is slow and slow is Fast" is using some characteristics of a tiger, the fiercest predator of the cat family.

One method of hunting Tigers employed is to stake out some animal like a bull as bait or if a tiger has killed a person or large animal and has not eaten all the kill they often will return to finish their meal so if you can locate the kill by tracking it down to where they have secured it you can lay an ambush preferably by getting up in a tree out of reach because they often return at night.
When the Tiger approaches they do not have much sense of smell so they rely on their sight and hearing which is far keener then ours. They observe every little detail as they approach slow and careful selecting an approach with out exposing themselves and a lot of times from a location you would not expect. They constantly observe the area to see if anything is out of place or disturbed. They have excellent night vision and they are listening for any sounds to give warning to them, they can read the sounds of a the jungle like we read a book. They are patient and will only approach the kill when they feel it is safe. Many a hunter in ambush has sensed they're being watched only to look around to find the predator staring at them. The hunter becomes the hunted. For the hunter it is also a game of patience that started with setting up the ambush. Now we have a game of patience and to get that shot off without wounding the Tiger and making the situation worse he must be patient for the right opportunity. If the hunter has prepared properly (Smooth is slow) when that small window of opportunity comes things will happen fast and he will make that kill (slow is fast) if not the hunter often will become the hunted and the next meal.
"Smooth is slow and slow is fast"
http://www.specialforces.com/