Drilling should be boring

Drilling is not the be all and end all of martial arts. Boredom is.

Think about how you are behind the wheel of a car. You drive with a knowledge of your lead foot, or at least I hope you do. The idea behind driving lessons is exactly the same as those behind drilling. You need to stop thinking about things.

As you learn to drive (and I apologise to the Colonials) you will spend quite a lot of time feeling for the clutch. You will spend hours trying to build up those routines and awareness that allow you to hold a conversation whilst processing one hell of a lot of information.

You shouldn't think about reactions, guards, positions, spoons, distance, True Times, the aesthetic pleasure gained from the woman behind your opponenent (if it's remarkably more pleasant weather than it is now).. You build as much as you can into your kinesthetic sense and work from there. You stop trying to drive and start reacting to the conditions.

Drilling is not trying to win, it is trying to minimise risk. With a drill, you know where the blow is coming from. You should have one movement needed to block it (or a group of plays). Your partner is helping you learn, not trying to make sure you carry your hands home between your teeth. Even in non co-operative drills.

Once you become so bored with a specific drill that you can do it blindfold, then you might- and only might- not need that drill.