Shoulder transitions do matter. However, it is the state of engagement, duration & distance that will dictate if a shoulder transition should occur. Much like we don’t transition to a pistol at the 50m line when we encounter a malfunction on the 50 meters, it might not be relevant at 5m.
Few quick facts about shoulder transitions:
1.Increases Safety – correct. But that goes only for a full transition. A bump/half transition will not necessarily increase safety entirely, and it is only really beneficial for symmetrical reasons. In fact half transition will still cause exposure of helmet/shoulder protection pads for example, due to how the body is postured.
2.Safety conflict - one aspect that conflict a lot for individuals doing Slice entry variants, or barricade work, is that while they are increasing their own safety on the upper body due to the transition, the lower body, in particular the legs, are still accustomed to their dominant side, or, ‘’as they would be’’ positioned on a strong side. This will a. decrease their functional ability to bail / work elevations b. cause them to expose more.
3.Speed – Anything around the transition itself, or any task from the transition itself - will be slower, in term of response to stimuli, and in particular, novel. The skill of shoulder transition CAN BE perfected and be of high quality. When we think about the real world, certain brain circuits (CPG’s) at certain situations, commonly associated with high threat in short distance, will interfere with the quality and probability of this skill taking place.
4.Telegraph – Speaking from LP / Slice entries, most transition techniques in the range do not account to a real workspace. Therefore, it is well documented that any angle between narrow to 90s will produce a telegraphing effect of a muzzle or arm when the transition is conducted.
