Making Contact: Tag, Tetris, Wayfinding, and Martial Arts
Controlling Connections and Problem-Solving
If striking is Tag, then grappling is Tetris. Striking revolves around touching without being touched, whereas grappling emphasizes staying connected. Tetris is all about maintaining connectivity through corresponding shapes, which is precisely why it resembles grappling. They're all about controlling contacts.
By orienting striking to Tag and grappling to Tetris, both practices become more accessible and less enigmatic. Neither Tag nor Tetris holds any mystery; the real challenge lies in how swiftly and accurately one can make decisions based on their read of the situation. Once the framework (game engine) is understood, all that remains is sharpening your senses and responses. Without perception, or the ability to get sensory information, you can't make informed decisions. Again, perception isn't solely vision.