As someone who never accepts random duel requests from disgruntled MA victims I can give some insight. Back in the day all I did was train people, duelling in every possible plane in every conceivable way as a learning and teaching tool. I participated in AW ladders and the like at every opportunity. After a certain point , after you've duelled 1,000 different people you begin to realize there's only so many planes, so many variants of the merge and so many counters to a very finite set of moves in the 1 vs. 1 co-alt , co-E, same plane encounter. At that point deulling becomes alot like masturbation, it feels good, but it's not sex.
The MA is a totally different animal, it's alot like chess. At every point during every flight there's a myriad choices to make, it's never the same, it's random yet at the same time your choices determine the degree of order to the madness. You can hide E, rope, seduce the E from an overzealous opponent, force overshoots etc.. All the while, during just one flight, have 1 vs. 1's, 2 vs. 2's, 1 vs many and many vs. 1 encounters. All in all far more interesting and integrating a far more diverse skill-set.
That is not to say duelling does not serve a purpose. For learning basic and advanced acm's and merge moves it is key. But deulling in no way necessarily equates to MA talent. I have known hundreds of people who have an ironclad set of merge moves and counters in the DA but couldn't find their arse with both hands in the MA unless they happen upon the ultra rare 1 vs. 1 co-alt, co-E same plane situation. Conversely , I have known many people who were MA geniuses who were quite lackluster in the DA.
Zazen
