Martial Arts @ Shadowhand.com

Ready For Anything

Being Ready
	Single application practise is fine as a learning mechanism but is insufficient for proper fighting practise. An attack is usually a flurry of blows and kicks and as such defence against a single attack can not be deemed proper fight training.

Balanced stepping is essential for a fighter. To be able to move in and out, change direction while defending and counterattacking. Understanding wher your weight is , how to transfer it imperceptibly to be able to make the opponent overextend by correctly stepping to avoid the attacks.

Stepping correctly limits the attacking options of the opponent thus making it easier to anticipate what they are going to do next. It also put the opponent in a worse position so that they are no longer attacking from an optimal position. This creates openings for for counterattacking into the opponents weak spots.

To be able to do this effectively requires a cool temperate and calm frame of mind. Even though you may anticipate what your opponent may do you will not act until he actually comits himself. When the attack is actually started it is then that you move immediately and decisively to counterattack.

In this exercise the defender is combining seven stars stepping with the applications parry and punch and slap the face. Proficiency in the individual techniques is required before they can be combined fluently and with power. Only when all five elements are mastered can this be successfully put into practise in a real fight.

March 13, 2010 at 11:01 am | Training | No comment

Breaking the Mould

When learning how to fight constant repetition of patterns is essential to develop smooth coordinated action and speed. It is also easier for the teaher or coach to spot errors and potential issues in the student’s movement.

Seven Stars High Low Strikes
	The problem with exercise patterns is that people tend to take them for granted once they think they know how to do them. For this reason (there are others) I have found it necessary to keep changing and adapting the exercises to keep my students continually having to pay attention and think about what they are doing, instead of just going through the motions.

However there is a danger than once a pattern has been learnt and it is constantly repeated without variation that the practitioner becomes subconsciously programmed to perform that action and will do it automatically without thought to the circumstances and whether that action is appropriate or not.

It is not possible to learn performing completely free form so a balance must be made. The balance that works best is to perform the repetitive actions but create variations in the repetition. An example of this is to change the number of steps in the Seven Stars pattern from 3 steps, to 4 forward & 3 Steps back , and other combinations. To make it harder I will also alter the hand pattern strikes , or add in a kicking movement.

Seven Stars High Low Single Hand Defence
	People often find it difficult to coordinate both hands so practising with a single hand simplifies the problem and has the added benefit of training one-handed defence methods.

Patterns are necessary but then they need to be boken. In an actual fight a pattern has its plce but only when finishing a fight when you have the advantage. A finifhing combination can quickly end a fight and so is a useful weapon in the armoury but a fixed attacking pattern when there is no advantage becomes a liability as it enables the opponent to predict your behaviour.

March 6, 2010 at 12:22 pm | Training | No comment