A dynamic relationship
Maai concerns the distance relationship between practitioners taking into account their means and movement. The reach of a fist is not that of a foot; the step which precedes and the return which follows also count. Go no sen often designates a response after the opposing initiative; sen no sen an action during its development. Precise definitions vary between teachers. The reading of the intention is constructed with instructions, not by jumping randomly into the exchange.
From agreed to variable
Gohon kumite and sanbon kumite organize several agreed attacks. Kihon ippon kumite isolates one; jiyu ippon kumite introduces more mobility; jiyu kumite authorizes a freer exchange according to the instructions. Freedom increases uncertainty. It progresses with control, communication and the ability to respect a stop. The forms of work do not impose the same distance or the same pace.
Observe an evolving distance
Two stationary people can be out of range, then come into contact on the first move. The useful distance is therefore not only measured in centimeters. It depends on the time needed to act, the direction chosen and the availability of support. In an agreed exercise, a starting variation allows you to examine what is changing without adding all the uncertainties of free combat. Too big a step can close the possibility of a second action. A systematic step back can leave the initiative to the other. These observations become working questions.
Introduce one uncertainty at a time
An instruction can first fix the technique, the side and the moment of attack. The teacher can then make a single variable free, for example the time of departure. The practitioner then learns to perceive information rather than guessing the whole situation. If several variables change at once, it becomes difficult to understand the origin of a failure. The roles and stops remain explicit. This gradual transition from the agreed to the variable helps to link the technical bases to decision-making, without reducing the kumite to a recitation.