[Aslan]

All the martial arts that I'm familar with teach basic blocking techniques. Most of them teach strikes as blocks to advanced students.

Few schools, in any of the arts, though, seem to teach getting hit. (for obvious insurance and liability reasons)

let's take a simple block - the inside block. The arm starts with the elbow bent, the forearm perpendicular to the ground. Keeping the forearm perpendiculare, the arm moves accross your front and your palm rotates to be pointing towards your face. (your hand is in a fist for this block)

The idea is that your forearm will contact any punches thrown and deflect them.

Done sufficiently fast, and with some force, this simple block can be a decent strike on your opponents arm. Turning your waist at the same time, increases the force of the blow and also presents a smaller target for your opponent's punch to strike.

Ok, so far, so good.

You need to practice both delivering a hard block an receiving one. It's funny to see people's reactions the first time they ever experience "hard" sparring. They tend to react to the pain in such a way that it throws their timing and game plan completely off. You don't want your focus to shift because your are feeling something unexpected.

It should also be noted, before anyone goes off and tries this stuff, that you can get hurt or hurt someone if you don't know what you are doing.

This was just a small discussion of a linear type block. Linear movements are usually associated with Karate, but most Gung Fu (Kung Fu) systems also include linear blocks. (just like most karate styles also include some circular movements.)

Btw, I'd like some feed back on whether or not to continue these posts - are they of any interest?

Any topics you'd like brought up?

:devil:

 

[RIKA]

I like your posts. Please continue. Would appreciate anything that I could pass on to other women or people having lesser strength. Realize that this might not be such a good idea as some of the folks are pretty elderly. Sorry if its a bother.

For myself I appreciate it all. Thanks

RIKA

 

[Aslan]

ok, will see about weaker vs stronger stuff...

good idea.

:devil:

 

[DJetAce]

Play the angles. There is only so many ways any type of strike can hit. Look for the angles and watch the 'triangle'. That's the points between the jaw and the two sholders. Depending on what type of attack you will see a sholder drop or another rise.

 

[RIKA]

I saw a great discussion on that triangle thing and will post it tomorrow.

RIKA

 

[Aslan]

I saw a great discussion on that triangle thing and will post it tomorrow.

RIKA

In our system, we move almost always on an 45 to our opponent, except when doing Pauqua, or Hsing I, or a couple other styles.

Moving like that means a lot of reverse hip type postures and strikes, which is very foreign to some of the Japanese / Okinawan karates. A lot of arts teach striking with the same foot you lead with. Reverse Hip tends to be opposite fist, opposite foot. (left foot steps, right fist strikes)

Moving on the angles does a lot to limit your opponents options, unless they are used to fighting in this manner.

Pauqua does a lot to create opennings because you are circling your opponent and constantly changing directions. The change ups create openings and the directional change lends momentum to your strikes.

But, all of this probably has little practical usage if you are looking for dealing with a stronger attacker (as in self defense for women).

Distance is your friend.

Next post will be on defense when grabbed...

:devil:

 

[Aslan]

Women (and men too) have to worry about someone grabbing them from behind.

If you are grabbed from behind, bear hug fashion, the worst thing to allow to happen is to be picked up off of the ground. If your arms are trapped, and your feet have nothing to gain any leverage with, you have problems.

A lot of what you can do depends on how your attacker has you. If his grasp is high, then you should have some use of your arms. Sometimes, just raising your arms to your sides will cause you to slide down further in his grasp.

At that point, I'd probably remove as big a chunk of arm with my teeth as possible. (Huge BSI violation - Bodily substance isolation, i.e. keep the possibly diseased icky stuff off of yourself.) But when fighting for your life, anything goes.

If your feet are on the ground, feign resisting forward away from your attacker, but suddenly spring back into him.

One or more hands free? Use panther knuckles on the back of his hand.

A lot of this is so much easier to demonstrate than to write about...

There's hundreds of things that can be done just on this one grab alone.

:devil:

 

[Wylycoyte]

A small fixed blade knife carried in front of the hips makes for good anti-grapple medicine. Done right, the knife requires no wrist articulation to draw and little elbow movement, which is great in clinch or bearhug situations. If carried it edge-up, it facilitates ripping motions by better enabling the lats to get into the movement.

As an example, a friend of mine screwed a Teklock onto a Cold Steel punch dagger and placed it parallel to his belt around 11 o' clock. It's out and in business in no time.

There are some fine ideas here:

http://www.shivworks.com/clinchpick.asp

 

[Aslan]

Nice knife! Thanks for the link.

:devil:

 

[andy]

in the time it would take to grab such, and BEFORE you could move it at all, could have grabbed his nuts.

 

[RIKA]

in the time it would take to grab such, and BEFORE you could move it at all, could have grabbed his nuts.

Your normal form of prison greeting, right andy?

RIKA

 

[Wylycoyte]

in the time it would take to grab such, and BEFORE you could move it at all, could have grabbed his nuts.

Keep right on thinking that, Melvin. It's not true, but that never stopped you before.

 

[Aslan]

in the time it would take to grab such, and BEFORE you could move it at all, could have grabbed his nuts.

Maybe, maybe not. It also depends on what your objective is. Going to an edged weapon escalates the situation. Which may be totally prudent. opening the femoral artery pretty much ruins your day.

we could spend a lot of posts just talking about being grabbed from behind.
:devil:

 

[john42]

One tech. I learned long ago is to get out of a grab from behind where you are lucky enough to have your arms free, and especially effective against a full-nelson. Essentially you just flail your elbows at his head, which should be right behind yours, but that's the tricky part. You have to get a major twist at the waist and hips (and FLING them elbows) to rotate with enough force to do any damage, otherwise you run the risk of making the person who is trying to hurt you madder than they already are. As far as wekaer vs. stronger there are a myriad of techniques, most of which would involve distractions and/or feints to allow you a split second advantage, whether enabling you to strike, get away, access a weapon, whatever. The main skill to have is recognizing that second and reacting in time.

John


P.S. Keep 'em coming Aslan!


Okay I completely forgot that I was going to second Aslan's theory about training ppl to get hit, with this short story. (Warning rant ahead)
I had a wake-up call a few years back when I was doing some friendly sparring with a guitar student of mine, who had also done some boxing. (I have had some boxing training) So when he asked if he sould use his "workout gloves" instead of the more padded versions we normally use (couldn't tell you the brand, but those foamy sparring gloves, not quite real boxing gloves)
Anyway, these gloves had only about 1-2 inches of padding on them, which I realized as soon as he landed his first punch. (About 10 seconds into it) Well, I noticed that it hurt, but we kept going. I am a few years more experinced than he, so I was able to keep him off of me for the most part, and still land plenty of punches, but when I hit him, it basically just knocked him around a little bit, while the few he was able to land, were growing more and more painful, especially as he started hitting spots he had already hit! Well, after about a round and a half my nose finally got knocked around enough to start dribbling, and we called it a day. Well in the time it took me to go inside and wash up, my face had revealed exactly how bad it was, with a huge mouse under my left eye, black eye (also on the left), slightly bloody nose, and a nice fat raspberry on my side where his glove had caught some skin. Fun fun!!! Since then we always use equally padded gear, and he has actually moved away.
But (the whole point was) I definently learned the value of being able to take a hit, and keep your head and do something about it. For about the first 20-30 seconds after he landed that first punch, I backed way off and went majorly defensive, trying to keep from being hit again. Well, I got hit anyway, so I switched to actively trying to hit him (alot), and making him worry about when to try to take a random swing in between me pounding on him. Well, thanks for reading my rant! Happy fistfights to everyone! unch:

Also, I mentioned this elsewhere, but if anyone is in the Texas area and would be willing to get together for some training I would love to set it up, just contact me!

 

[SatCong]

The book "SAS Self-Defense Techniques" is a quick read, with well illustrated and understandable, examples for those who cannot train more formaly. Barnes and Noble is one source, The Mililtary Book Club also has it.
SatCong

 

[RIKA]

Thank you Satcong. Will check it out.

RIKA

 

[brass hammer]

john#42

neat 'reading'. when the pain starts 'sinking in' it's time to go to the ground[taking him down to the ground ,my favorvite] or break contact.

i've been in a $hitload of knuckle-ups.


but this negroiod thats renting my mobile home is one slick combatant!


the simple moves he showed me[after 16 years in the can,6 on death row,he can 'MAINTAIAN HIS SPACE 'so to speak, OH! YEAH! his name is JAKE]

Althoug he had plentey of time to master the CRAFT, he is kinda back wards, always waTch there HANDS, thats what they can hurt you really bad with, and his training with me is all strength on strength with ones ownself,


BUT thats where the 'killer' strikes come from, i'm ramblin' but it's fun phuckin' around with this DUDE, ha! the first time i tried to 'latch' on to his guy



he took my 'lead arm an had me lookin' at the night sky,nothing flat!

thats when i slung him in the pool, after that.


if you all ever' MEET ' JAKE i suggest a 12 ga. hand shake![ha! he's o.k. don't be shooting my night fighter]




thanks.

 

[john42]

Good Book

Yeah, my dad has that SAS book (and maybe another?) and I have studied (well, read it a few times anyway) that and a few Army and Marine books as well. In my experience military h2h is alway idirect and simple, so I would recommend picking up any of the military books. SAS, Army, Marines, SEALS (they have some baaad sh*t), Isreali Special Forces are some butt-kickers too.

 

[andy]

in order to benefit from reading about techniques, etc, you have to have had at least SOME formal training, in stretching, balance building, etc. Without quite a bit of one on one correction of your stuff as you learn, all you will be doing is hardening bad habits and sloppy moves.

 

[john42]

okay

I have actually had quite a bit of formal training over the last ten years, most of it private and very good. (well, most) As well as contiunually working out with my friends and family, and any new ppl i can talk into it. Asfar as the books go I had a marine buddy showing me stuff at the same time, so it was more like a private lesson than anything else. Books are good for info, but anything i read that i like, i go and practice, and if possible, have somebody demonstrate stuff before even wasting the time to try and learn some off-the-wall technique.
Well, i didn't mean to go off there. What is everybody else's training background? I have formal training in boxing, Mong Su Dom Tai chinese karate, Krav Maga, and Ninjitsu. I have hung around/sparred with/been kicked by various ppl involved in Kung Fu, Makoto Chi, boxing (i like boxing), The U.S. Marines, and Shoto-Kahn. Look forward to finding out!m (And anybody on this forum with some experience feel free to speak up!)

J