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Advantages of Hand strike/block arts over Muay Thai
First of all, technique done without gloves to protect the hands is more
realistic. The knuckles are vulnerable and punching a head with lots of power is bound to hurt the hands, if not injure them.
Secondly, Muay Thai is a sport and Kung Fu isn't. There is competition karate, which I guess is a sort of sport, but it isn't
solely a sport. Any emphasis on points and competition tends to take realism away. Also, MA teach self defence
techniques while MT is more just beating up. In MT many blows are absorbed and not blocked, the aim being to 'cover up' at
the onslaught of strikes. This way, the strike has gathered momentum and will make contact with more force. This method
is used against a fighter of similar size to oneself - on the street it is likely that one's aggressor will be larger. A strong
Wing Chun concept is to move in with arms away from the body sweeping and pinning the opponents arms and occasionally
the legs. The opponent's limbs remain further away and are thus less of a threat. The MA emphasise speed
rather than brute force, and perhaps speed is harder to come across in the average opponent than brute force. WC especially
emphasises good balance while MT often puts so much weight into the strikes that overbalancing is common. In addition, only
clinching is used in MT, rather than going on to trip up/take down and apply joint locks on the opponent.
Advantages of Muay Thai over the MA
Muay Thai is a brutal contact sport that uses simple strikes with the fists,
elbows, feet and knees, as well as clinching in close, often used along with knees. It is clear that the strikes of MT are
more powerful but slower than their MA counterparts. Weight is in a sense dropped into the opponent, rather than the
quick and snappy strikes of WC or karate, which are often aimed at rather than through the opponent. Thaiboxers have ways
of covering ground very fast, using means which WC and karate are too conservative, perhaps rigid, to use. This footwork is
light on the feet and include hops and 'switches', which add momentum and speed. Weight is 'thrown around' more than in the
MA, but for a purpose. It is possible that always maintaining such a high degree of balance wastes effort and stops the fighter
from acheiving his/her full potential. The MT stance places the fists near the temples rather than near the chin like in boxing,
which can be better used on the street. Personally, I'd be more afraid of an opponent coming at me in full MT stance, ready
to pound me with fists and elbows than a more balanced and controlled Wing Chun defensive stance. The 'in your face' aspect
of MT would have devastating psychological and physical implications for fighting an opponent. The moves are decisive and
powerful, the aim being a KO most of the time. I was reading an article recently on the importance of decisiveness in a fight
and how it isn't taught in the MA. When a martial artist fails on the street, it is in my estimation that it is not technique
but indeed a lack of decisiveness at the heart of the issue. As the old saying goes, a good defence is a good offence!
While MT spends a fraction of the time on defence as the MA, its offence is so powerful that it may well be all that is needed.
After all, one doesn't vanquish someone by blocking. Striking is pure decisiveness, and that's what Thai boxers do. Another
reason why MT and plain boxing have an advantage over the MA with regard to defensive hand positioning is that, due to
the fact that a martial artists hands are usually positioned away from the face to intercept the attacks coming in well before
reaching their target, if he or she is unsuccessful at intercepting them in time, there is nothing more protecting them -
but for a boxer/kickboxer, the hands generally remain as close to the face as possible. Also, if I have not mentioned this
elsewhere, rarely if ever are 'leg checks' (blocking kicks with the legs) used in the MA, but they are used all the time in
kickboxing. The advantage of the leg check is that the hands do not have to be lowered from guard to defend against incoming
kicks. The 'gam sao garn sao' block in wing chun to defend against a round kick employs both arms simultaneously, and leaves
the torso and head completely vulnerable to attack.
Perhaps one could adopt a style that uses Wing Chun defensive moves
and Muay Thai offensive moves. This would ultimately depend on the individual fighter and whether they felt comfortable with
this proposition or not, having fully tested its merits.
Further thoughts
So those are the basic differences, but it is not that simple. It
is perfectly possible for a practitioner of either styles to defeat the other. For this it is also important to discern between
self defence and fighting. A fight requires both parties to consent, whereas self defence is self preservation and survival.
It has nothing to do with someone's ego, or boxing ability, or whatever else. Engaging with someone in a fight has different
ramifications for how a confrontation will occur. One's priority in a self defence situation is to end it as soon as
possible. If that means using potentially lethal force, so be it. It is easy to say that boxing related sports are merely
sports and not for self defence. Yet I cannot personally see the martial arts as being that much better suited
for the task. Any boxing related activities require a higher level of fitness, strength and the ability to take
hits than in the MA. The only real flaw with boxing/kickboxing is the fact that punching with such power minus the hand protection
would lead to major hand injuries. Yet the hand skills acquired from boxing would be greatly valuable in fighting as long
as this was well understood and palm strikes and elbows were not shunned altogether.
What to expect from a martial arts school
It is important to keep in mind that MA schools in modern times only
operate because they have paying students. The more students the better, and the longer they stay the better. Hopefully one
of them will stay and train for so long that they will be the next head of the school, or open up a school of their
own.
But really, so what if a school is linked with so and so who accomplished
such and such? It is what they are acheiving now that counts, not who was the big man in town back then. In my opinion
the greatest gift a martial arts school gives is getting together people all interested in training while physically competent
to do so. Instructors are great for demonstrating techniques, as for counting push-ups or going through warm up stretches
but after a certain point, the necessities for good training are all with the students and their interactions. For beginners,
expert instruction is a must have, plain and simple. Yet after this, the need for instructors to maintain proficiency in the
art decreases. Because that's what it is, maintaining proficiency. Learning is still a part of it, but the real goal is maintaining
one's combat skills. On can go on and learn 101 kung fu 'internal' flowery forms but if thats all you train for, then why
do martial arts anyway? Do Tai Chi or Yoga. Anyone thinking of stating to me that Tai Chi is a martial art, well... I'd have
to say that any activity where you go through soft flowing movements and never experience anything related to sweat, blood
or aggression can't be associated with the word 'martial'. Martial means it has to do with war, and no war is ever going to
be fought by flowing peacefully.
But lets face it. People take martial arts classes for different reasons. They are renowned
for health benefits, especially the Kung Fu internal styles. This may be true but I don't really see an overweight person
being able to lose much weight after a year of training in some form of
slow breathing 'martial' art. It isn't often a particularly athletic endeavour. Often,
MA schools offer social activitites as part of their 'enticement' regime. I suppose it gives people a reason to stay at training.
I could be biased, but Taekwon Do schools are probably the most likely to do this. The level of intensity at training is a
real issue with serious martial arts. Some schools train hard while others are more laid back. It goes without saying that
making a transition from one to the other is going to cause certain problems for the individual, and maybe for the group,
when there's one practitioner who doesn't pull his punches. Of course, training with not enough intensity is a waste
of time, but likewise, it is not advisable to do everything full depth and full speed like it's a full contact fight. It can
be rather off putting for beginners especially. It is important to keep in mind that the faster techniques are trained, the
higher there is a risk of injury. Just because the techniques are done with pulled punches, it does not mean that injuries
could not occur when someone falls to the ground, as I've seen happen with knees. It is important to never feel over
committed to one particular MA school. Of course they want you to be committed and it isn't a bad thing. Yet schools come
and go, as do teachers and students. It's a fact of life. Some say the only constant in life is change. Remember, your
training is your training, and isn't someone elses to call their own. One shouldn't train to the extent that one
puts in more than one gets out. After all, we are paying for it, and it is a club, not the army.
Grappling
If you've been involved with the MA for a while you've probably heard the
old debate concerning the percentage of fights that 'go to the ground'. Some number like 90% has been quoted often. The
most heard counter to this argument is that at least one of the combatants involved willfully makes the fight go to the ground
by using grappling. I believe that if I were to use any form of grappling in a streetfight, I'd darn well want to be
standing up and NOT on the ground with the creep who jumped me. There are several reasons for this, all common sense: the
ground is a hard and unforgiving place, if there are multiple attackers it would be suicide, if he has a weapon my
chances of survival would be drastically lower, it drags the fight out to last longer and hitting someone in the
mount position or putting on a lock looks very unlike a self defence situation.
I believe that grappling is more common than boxers or karateka
would like us to believe, but less common than a Gracie Jiu Jitsu expert would uphold. When boxers get close enough to
be clinching, the referee separates them and there sure won't be a ref on the street. Yet those trained in grappling
will be more confident of their throws and locks than their striking skills, so will fight accordingly. Basically by covering
up, coming in close enough and executing a take down followed by joint lock or strikes from the mount position. No matter
how proficient one becomes in the art of grappling, one cannot expect to use it solely for self defence. Even the Gracies
themselves cross train in striking arts, as do most serious fighters of any discipline. Biting, eye gouging, groin striking,
elbow and knee strikes, headbutts, grabbing fingers (to break them) are not customary moves in grappling. Yet they are
all executed from well in close to one's aggressor, and are likely to be found on the street. It would be a real shame to
execute a picture perfect take down to the mount position and arm bar only to have it all spoiled by one of those
nasties. No one can claim enough proficiency in grappling or applying locks to be invicible to plain old street fighting maneuvers.
Sometimes simplicity is best and at such a close and dangerous range to one's opponent, time is of the essence. In grappling
the body will be somewhat slowed.
Of course this is not to say that no one with the aim of improving their chances of survival
in a high risk conflict situation should train in grappling. Such training, among other things, would lower the chances
of freezing up when grabbed. It gets the body used to being in contact with another body it doesn't wish to be in contact
with. Being 'used' to something can definitely improve performance in that field. In addition to this, grappling is said to
be excellent for controlling a non co-operative person whom you don't want to physically harm. So for police, security guards,
bouncers, staff in mental asylums, etc. grappling can have an immediate use. Arm bars and headlocks are quite useful in situations
where one would need to capture a person, arrest them or simply move them to another place. Even non professionals may occasionally
need to use some form of restraint methods on misbehaving children or those affected by alcohol, drugs or anger. If your
friend loses his cool at someone taunting him, it is a trifle over the top to give him a hook to the jaw. He'd more
easily forgive you after the incident if you merely held him back, or possibly held him down.
Looking at grappling from a training perspective, it is considerably more realistic
than training in striking. This is quite simply due to the fact that those who train in striking rarely strike each other
realistically (if at all in some cases), and never full contact with a bare fist. There is a large differential between striking
training and striking application, but less so with regard to grappling. A lot of karate is just kicking and
punching the air as if we are facing an invisible opponent. With grappling a move is only practicable
if we are effectively using it on someone, so one trains accordingly. There is more scope for training in a random,
free flowing style in grappling because the moves aren't designed to maim people(unless of course someone falls
on concrete!). Grappling also offers the opportunity to 'use the aggressor's force against him', that famous old
saying in the martial arts. I believe that it is not possible to use someone's force against them in a striking
situation. Being able to down a large, heavy person is in my estimation a very good reason to train in something
like Judo. However, judo is not immune to certain technical problems when transferring a move to 'the street'. The vast majority
of moves in judo require grabbing hold of the opponent's Gi, the thick white clothing worn by judoka. Grabbing onto T-shirt
material will not produce the same effect, neither will bare skin for that matter. Also, certain moves require both the attacker
and the defender to fall to the floor. That's all right on a judo mat with a person who won't clobber you soon afterwards,
but on concrete with a 'streetfighter' you'll soon discover it to be a mistake. It is best to keep grappling to a minimum
- a good trip is a good a takedown as any, then followed by a stomp to the face or kick to the head once they 'hit the
deck'. Direct and simple.
Footwork
The learning of precise footwork is very important in the study of martial arts. Emphasis on correct
stance and foot placement is perceived to be of critical importance for combat. Yet this is likely to have the effect of regimenting
and complicating the entire process. In boxing the footwork is fluid, simple and effective. In my opinion only a minimal amount
of explicit instruction in where to place one's feet in a fight situation should be included in martial arts teaching. If
you keep your footwork regimented, you will remain a fighter with predictable moves. If your opponent can predict where your
feet will be at any given time, they can more easily control the fight.
A note on combat sports
I will deal here with combat sports like boxing, KB, MT and also Judo, rather than arts like TKD and
Karate modified for competition. The main point I would like to make is technical. To my knowledge, these sports emphasise
using one's weight in combat, rather than stiff, muscle driven techniques present in the majority of martial arts. I have
read that the main principle of Judo is 'maximum effect with minimum effort'. This, paired with the notion that Judo is a
sport along with Muay Thai leads me to believe that martial arts combined with athleticism/sport leads to the formation of
relaxed techniques - which are still effective. There is certainly less of an element of control in the techniques. Which
is more effective is quite debatable - perhaps it depends on the individual.
Sparring
Sparring is a very physically demanding activity when done properly. When contact is involved,
not to mention clinching and grappling, it can be very grueling. When wrestling in close with someone it is difficult to breathe
freely enough to maintain one's ability to continue. No one loves getting hit - it hurts - and there is always a humbling
effect which comes with it. Many martial artists rightly stress that sparring is to train the body to get hit and keep fighting
rather than to just avoid getting hit. One can hardly claim never to get hit, it's just about impossible. Sparring makes you
tougher, but there are still important lessons to learn with regard to realism. The way I see it, sparring teaches people
to hit one's opponent without really hurting him. If you have sparred before, you know that it is mainly composed of
sharp, direct hits like jabs, front kicks and quick, short round kicks. These are not knock out shots and neither are they
designed to cripple or maim. Sparring is of course useful, but it may lead us to become hesitant when we may require an immediate
solution to an aggressive situation, like charging in with knee to the midsection followed by an elbow (or two) to the
side of the head. If someone is good at sparring, they might end up being good at hitting, but not maiming. We
don't want to anger our opponent, or give him any unnecessary chances.
If you do wish to gain skills through sparring but have reservations about hitting someone and
getting hit in return, an idea is to have the aim being tapping (open hand) one's opponent on the shoulder, or ribs instead.
If you are good at high kicks you could aim quick crescent kicks at the shoulders. To make it more physically demanding
you could stipulate a rule whereby whenever someone gets tapped they drop and do 5 push ups, or sit ups. The only issue with
this exercise is that those with longer arms have a serious advantage, if all that is needed is a tap. The owner of the
shorter arms would need to strategise.
Tactics for street self defence
Street self defence is a risky and unpleasant business, but many experts
emphasize that one shouldn't necessarily give in but fight to survive. We must realise that we won't be fighting 'with'
someone, we'll be fighting 'off' someone. We want the confrontation to end as quickly as possible and avoid injury and death
at all cost. It isn't a boxing or wrestling match, neither is it a spectator event (well in some cases perhaps) and it sure
isn't about egos or who can talk down whom.
YOU MUST REALISE THAT YOU WON'T NECESSARILY BE DEFENDING YOURSELF AGAINST:
OR EVEN:
YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF WITH SOMEONE EVEN MORE DANGEROUS:
YOU WILL SURELY BE FACING SOMEONE WITH A NASTY ATTITUTE:
HECK, YOU PROBABLY WON'T EVEN BE FACING THEM WHEN THEY ATTACK YOU!
Your aggressor isn't going to look like any of the above: a violent person
can come in many forms and isn't likely to make himself conspicuous. He'll most likely be far uglier than any cartoon
character.
Strategies to fend off such an attacker can go to the extreme. Anything
that will work, nothing fancy. You can't use your body as anything other than a weapon. Inside, you must see yourself as a
tough character, who is more than able to handle the situation.
To cut to the chase, once you've taken a firm stance and established
the correct distance with your attacker, either by advancing (lightning quick) or letting him advance and moving to the
side/convering up, you need to look at your options (now, not while defending yourself, which should be instinctual). You
have a lead and rear arm, as well as leg. Your preliminary attacks with your lead arm/leg need to be very fast and hit
the target (unless you're using a fake). They are mainly linear (rather than circular).
Attacks from the lead arm are:
- Jab (aim for nose, throat, eyes)
- Eye strike (with fingers)
- Palm strike (straight or even downward swooping toward nose)
- Back fist (preferably using fleshy part of fist, more of a hammer fist)
- Palm strike in circular motion to the side of head, ear
Attacks from the lead leg are:
- Groin kick
- Front kick (fast to stomach)
- Kick to the shin or knee
These should immediately be followed up with strike(s) from the rear side. These should be delivered
with power and weight behind them.
Attacks from the rear arm:
- Cross
- Hook
- Thai boxer's 'overhand' punch (fist starting near chin, elbow up, striking down onto opponent
from very close range)
- Palm strike (upward swooping to nose, chin)
- Hammer fist (striking down onto face)
- Elbow (upwards, sideways, downwards)
- Circular body punch
- Forearm strike to side of neck
Attacks from rear leg:
- Front kick (preferably with heel, like a Thai boxer's front jam if you want to push
them away from you, but see below *)
- Low round kick to knee (dropping weight into it)
- Stomp onto their knee with heel/low side kick to knee
- Knee to stomach, ribs or head (while gripping the neck firmly - other targets include kidneys,
base of spine and the side of the thigh)
- Round kick to ribs
A neat little combo I thought up recently starts off with a stiff kick to the opponent's shin (make
sure you've got strong, hard shoes) with the lead leg followed by an uppercut into the neck/base of chin area. This is especially
good if your opponent is taller than you.
* The front jam is aimed straight at the opponent's chest area. It is meant to push the opponent backwards,
often to get them far away enough to deliver a round kick. I would suggest this: Aim the kick with the heel making contact
with the pit of the stomach rather than the chest. This way, you will be pushing the person both backwards and downwards.
It is more likely that they will stumble and fall this way. The force is somewhat directed into the pelvic basin. More pain
will be caused as well. About backfists: one should be cautioned about using the back of the fist (as well as blade
of hand, fingers...) in striking the head. It looks martial artsy but in reality, the bones in the back of the fist could
be easily damaged. I can see how a backfist or backfist like motion can be useful if our aggressor is to the side of us, perhaps
sitting down. At this angle one cannot effectively use a punch without turning to face the attacker (which is slower if seated).
The way I would do it would be to keep the fist clenched but the wrist relaxed so a flicking motion would occur. The critical
difference is that I would aim my knuckle to strike at the eye, or just below it.
Another option to use is the headbutt - I'd say it is more of a last resort. I might use
it while grasping my aggressor's neck and driving the top of my head into their chin. A quicker way would be a forehead delivered
to the nose. A variation on the palm strike is the 'face rake'. I'm not sure exactly what it's called but the open hand
attacks the face and claws it, as if removing the skin. I'm not entirely sure what the results of that would be, but I'm sure
it ain't pleasant!
Just about any combination of lead and rear strike can be used. Remember that the lead strike may
be just used to get them off balance and set them up for the rear strike. You want the rear strike to knock your aggressor
back, if not down. It's a case of proficiency at using such moves, which must be done with decisiveness. The stance I would
personally recommend is like a Thai boxing stance except the hands are open and facing the opponent, not touching
the head but not too far out. The elbows should be tucked in and the fingers straight. The feet should be slightly wider
than shoulder width with the lead foot facing inwards to protect the groin area (the knee is more in the way). If you are
truly afraid of getting hit and need to go on the defensive, clench the fists and place them where your forehead
meets your hairline. Keep your forearms together and keep everything in tight. Now would be a great time to
use your legs - deliver a fast and hard groin kick then go straight back on the offensive using your arms, following through
with an elbow strike. I am assuming that blocking is not an option. I would advise taking up Wing Chun to learn how to block.
A strategy to use if you have more confidence would be to grab, push or jam the opponent's arms against his head if his fists
are up in a boxing stance. This should be done on the offensive - if he's attacking and you're busy defending it may well
be too late! With your hands out in front of you advance and push/slap his forearms back against him, pinning them there for
the time it takes to deliver a groin kick or maybe a front kick... ah what the hell, stomp on his knee. These are easier to
deliver when holding your opponent for balance anyway.
Once you've successfully made him lean forward in pain, there are further options.
You can add knees to the face, but make sure they're genuine as you really don't want your leg grabbed. You can drop an downward
elbow onto the base of the skull, which I reckon would be fatal if done correctly. There is also a downward hammer fist to
the same area if you're further away. Any method, using tripping and/or grappling skills, to get your opponent to hit
the groud as fast and as hard as possible can be used, but make sure that you do not find yourself pulled down with him,
and make sure if you do fall down that you remain on top. If he's fallen to his knees, a good
knee to the face can be given, perhaps while grabbing onto the ears or hair. If he's crouching and leaning
forward, a good kick to the face would work. Unless he's leaning forward, a kick in a simple upward motion may not land
and you'd be off balance - not a good idea at this or any stage. You can use:
- A stomp on the head
- Kicks to the ribs/head - but don't hang around there for too long! You'd look a downright
ruffian and you want to end it as quick as possible and get to safety.
- At Wing Chun our teacher even recommended actually dropping onto their ribs with our knees
- It may be risky if they roll out of the way and you hit the concrete instead.
Another strategy to floor them is tripping. This should be done going not into them but past
them. Once you've dodged or blocked a punch, get in range then 'clothesline' them with an outstretched arm (forearm under
the chin) and with your leg closest to them, do a leg-sweep - you should follow through with the arm but don't over balance
- keep a strong stance. There are various angles that trips can be done from, including standing behind them and to the side.
Either the heel or the foreleg can be used to execute the trip by sweeping the opponent's leg behind the knee. The shoulders
should be maneuvered at the same time to ensure that they will fall to the ground.
Knowing the DON'Ts in fighting is as, if not even more important
than the DOs.
You don't need to perform any high kicks - you MAY get away with it if you're a Taekwon-Do
expert and have luck on your side.
You don't need to let off a karate yell or perform fast hand movements before you engage in
combat - just get to the task at hand. Good breathing and vocalisation need not be stifled however.
The same goes for being only defensive and responsive to the attacker. You don't need to wait
for him to fully execute the attack before you attack. You must be pretty darn sure he is willing to attack you, however,
he deserves getting hit if he charges you like a bull even if he isn't planning on hitting you. Don't let him control your
movements.
Don't be wary of 'fighting dirty'. Go for whatever works, and use whatever weapons are at your
disposal - this is about survival.
You don't need to involve any form of jumping, although if you're familiar with MT, small hops are
often made prior of delivering a kick.
Don't move backwards on purpose. If you have to move, go forward or to the side (or both). If
you have to move backwards, make sure there is sideways motion as well.
If you ever get into a fight with a Thai boxer, 'never ever drop your head' is a very common
piece of advice. You sure don't want to get kneed, and it's also bad fighting form in any fighting situation.
Don't expect anyone to 'go easy' on you - expect your aggressor to be as nasty as can be.
Don't assume that just because you got knocked to the ground that the fight is over and he won't
kick you while you're down. There are trips and attacks to the legs that can be done from the floor. You don't want him getting
on top of you and striking, or standing over you and kicking. You need to find a way to get out of that situation fast. There's
even the good ole 'low blow' you can deliver from a crouching position.
When hitting one's opponent in any way, including with a blunt object such as a club, there are positives
and negatives to consider when considering starting low and swinging upward or starting high and swinging downward. Starting
low and swinging upward is good for the element of surprise - the blow comes out of nowhere, and it started off when we are
in the most natural position, with elbows and hands kept below our shoulders. but there is a drawback, which
is that our opponent can more easily block the strike. With starting from a high position and swinging downward, it is slower
and our opponent has a greater chance of being aware of whats coming, but it makes for a very tough shot to block. Try putting
your palm below your chin as though you were blocking a strike coming at you from below. Hit your blocking hand
with your other hand and obverse the results. Chances are, the block will be strong. Now try holding your palm up above your
head as though attempting to block a strike coming down at your head and repeat the process. Chances are the block is weak
and your palm hits against your head. Not a great position to be in.
Unfortunately to all those hard trainers out there, the best way to really be ready for a street
fight is to be in a few and survive. Basically, the best fighting style to use is the one you would automatically revert to
after having been in a number of violent confrontations where you had to use hand to hand combat, and survived them all, of
course. This doesn't mean that lots of hard training wouldn't serve you well in a fight - I am sure it would.
That just about wraps it up for street self defence strategies. It sure won't guarantee anything,
but it may improve your chances. Remember, self defence is a last resort and it's no tea party.
Why palm strikes are better than fist strikes
I have already gone over how striking with the palms is safer than striking with the fists in earlier
paragraphs, but here I will elaborate. Firstly, since a fight is not merely a boxing match, one will be using one's hands
for more than just striking. There is only one thing one can do with a closed fist and that is strike. With the hands
open one can block, grab, gouge and of course, strike. Not only are the knuckles vulnerable when punching, but also the
wrists. If you strike with your fists and feel pain from the experience, it will likely slow you down. Palm strikes basically
erase that problem.
A note on Intensity: It's really to do with HOW you do it
Simply knowing what you can do in a self defence situation is, quite simply,
not enough. Just picture for a moment a puny or overweight person (or ANYBODY, I shouldn't discriminate) with absolutely
no intensity whatsoever, hesitating before performing any combo mentioned
above to a menacing and skilled opponent. It wouldn't work and he/she would be toast! In my honest opinion, the way in
which a self defence maneuvre is executed matters A LOT more than the particular maneuvre chosen. So much has to do with
timing and the element of surprise and deception that THE MOVE ITSELF IS RELATIVELY UNIMPORTANT. As long as it hurts and possibly
disables the opponent, that's just about all that matters. Strike as if you're in business to maim, nothing
less.
A note on body type
It is a sad fact that not all body types are optimal for all fighting styles
or situations. To be an effective kicker I would suggest having a body type ideally like Jean Claude Van Damme, hence tall
and powerful, with a slim waist. The longer your legs, the more effective your kicks, is what I'd venture to say. To be an
effective wrestler, having a stocky build with powerful glutes, back and shoulders would be ideal. For fighting with the fists,
being compact and well balanced is most likely the ideal type. An expert in the use of elbow and knee strikes, being
of slim build, being flexible and having long limbs is good, but a stocky combatant would be deadly at close range, being
able to deliver heavy, perhaps unstoppable strikes. It is quite obvious that being slim is ideal for parrying and getting
out fo the way while being stocky is ideal for absorbing or deflecting blows. Having either body type can be used for one's
advantage. This is something that martial arts schools very rarely take into account, their philosophy being that their
style is effective if used by anyone, of any age, size or shape.
Being hard on yourself
If you aspire to be tough, you'll never get there by being easy on yourself during training,
or anytime for that matter. To be an effective hand to hand combatant I believe everyone should also train with weights,
a punching bag, and go jogging, all of which I do. But there is training and there is training. If you want to give yourself
more of a challenge, here are some pointers. First off, when most people do weights they go to a gym, and part of their programme
includes training on the machines, which facilitates one's workout. There is often a buddy present to give aid when needed,
especially during the benchpress. When they lift up a barbell they can drop it to the floor without having to lower it gently.
All of this takes away the challenge and difficulties present when doing weights in the home, as I do. I possess a wood floor,
and no method to keep the barbell at a particular height, so everytime I lift it for whatever reason I also need to lower
it gently to avoid damage to the floor. I also benchpress with only my bed to lie on and no one is there to assist
in the process. I also don't have air-conditioning like there would be in a gym, in the summertime. When I go jogging, I
only ever do it on concrete ground, on the local bicycle path. The path is often narrow and windy, covered with
leaf and branches, and I need to avoid the occasional pedestrian, dog, pram or bicycle. It is harder on the body than
jogging on a proper path or on grass, and the added challenge of having obstacles to avoid helps one's awareness
and flexibility while on a long distance jog or a shorter run. When I train on the heavy bag, I virtually never use bag gloves
(as I often use open hand palm strike or chopping techniques), and the bag I do use is very hard, being many years
old and much of the contents being tightly compacted. As it is located in the garage, I have only concrete
to stand on, and I always train barefoot. Thus, my balance needs to such that I can avoid falling over,
as this would likely result in pain or injury. It also adds to the stress on the body from the occasional small jumps I
may make to deliver a strike to the bag, as the feet have only concrete to make contact with.
I cannot say for sure that using these techniques would be safe for everyone, but they
have always worked for me, and have likely made me tougher than had I not used them. If you can manage to use these techniques,
it puts you that far ahead of those who do not, and choose instead to pamper themselves. It is ironic that those who invest
money into going to the gym actually get less out of it (in terms of a challenge to the body), than those who merely use a
few inexpensive items and what is around them to gain a higher level of fitness.
In Conclusion
The above covers a large portion of what I know about fighting and
the martial arts. I am not trying to force feed the reader with any dogma or cynicism concerning the martial arts. My
aim is for you to make up your own mind and be aware of my opinions and knowledge on the matter.
Just as we can be victims of street attacks, we can also be victims of heavily marketed martial
arts (sometimes referred to as 'belt factories'). We can be victims of training without thinking about what we're actually
doing. We can be victims of learning poor technique, but by the same token we can be victims of boredom and thus take up training.
Overall there is much more to gain from the martial arts than to lose. There is practically
nothing whatsoever to lose. As soon as we lose patience, it's time to look at one's options and then make a well informed
decision whether or not to continue training.
There are probably two distinct types of people who train at a martial arts school: those who
are serious about learning self defence and who aspire to know 'how to fight' and those who do it as an alternative to a sport,
essentially as a leisure activity. Those in the former category are more likely to train in 'hard' Kung Fu and Ju Jitsu.
These folks generally see their style as being 'effective on the street' and don't see too many alternatives to their
training. Those in the latter category are more likely to frequent the local McDojo and do competitive TKD or Karate or
maybe Judo, kickboxing (although these 2 can be effective) or... Tae Bo but now we're not even in the realm of martial
arts. To them, it could be an alternative to going to the gym. I suppose there is also a third category, those who want some
sort of spiritual/health benefit. These people would do Aikido, Tai Chi, Chi Gung, Ba Kwa, the last 3 being 'soft'
Kung Fu styles. These are likely to be older people, wanting to maintain their health and perhaps interested in Eastern philosophy
and culture.
While there is nothing wrong with any martial arts training, there is something wrong with believing
we are invincible or have found the 'ultimate' style. Being arrogant about it makes it even worse. Believing we are best equipped
to deal with conflict by training with simulated situations is wrong. Real life experience is by far a more painful, but better
teacher. I am not saying this due to experience, but I do believe it and it makes very good sense. Simulations should
be trained in, but should be taken seriously for maximum effect. Ideally, MA training should not train us to play games or
light activities. The world can be a cruel place indeed and the MA would never have been created were it not for human
cruelty. In wartime, a soldier's training (as well as, of course, luck) is his survival.
Some say that if we want peace, we must prepare for war.
Peace is surely something we all want, and it doesn't require training for.
Afterthoughts
My latest news is that I have begun formal martial arts training once more,
after a lengthy absence from it. The style is called Fighting Fit, which is a combination of Brazilian Ju Jitsu and stand
up self defence, similar to Freestyle Karate. I am mainly doing it for the BJJ techniques, as that is what I am least familiar
with. I am also finding the striking techniques practiced with a partner and thai pads/kicking bag to be in many ways more
effective than solo on my punching bag in the garage, as a partner moves backward, to the side, or forward at random, which
makes the practice less predictable and more realistic. I attained the rank of yellow belt in this style and have done
it for about 3 months, before ending it for reasons of scheduling and that the gradings were held in a small town not easily
accessible to me. I still retain a keen interest in self defence and keep up contact and exchange ideas occasionally
with my cousin, who has trained for several years in the style of Tae Kwon Do. A strong interest of his these days is
knife defence. An intersting point he made was that if you can defend yourself, with bare hands, against a knife, you can
defend yourself against an umarmed combatant with far greater ease. So it does make a lot of sense to train against knife
attacks, albeit as a last resort.
Now it is several months after the paragraph above was written, and I have my eye on training in MMA (mixed
martial arts) and BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), at the university I attended some years back. The first hour is composed of MMA,
which will include muay thai, takedowns and ground grappling, while the second hour will be formal BJJ training. This school
is affiliated with the official BJJ school of Australia, the Machado style in particular. Fortunately, gradings will be held
in my city. For the past several months, I have trained nearly every second day with the weights and bag, but I believe it
is now time to join a reputable school and aim as high as I can. I greatly look forward to it and all I will learn.
And so concludes my essay on the martial arts.
Good training to all.
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