The Balance

I am returning to the philosophy of circles.

When I began martial arts, it was with the focus on the circle. Techniques were always completed with this concept in mind; defences were based upon rounded movements, such as jiu-jitsu usually is. This philosophy became the basis of my training. And while I haven't forgotten this, somewhere along the way I started to take my own philosophies for granted.

You see, as I grew to be a more experienced striker, I learned the value of a linear approach to defence to complement the circle. I learned about centre lines, jabs, and crosses. Attacking on angles and doing kata in line formations. Often, it seemed, the quickest route to reach an opponent was in a straight line.

My circles never went away, though, I just didn't focus on them in the same way I once did. But my mind is returning to it, now, albeit in a more layered manner than before.

I like to look at a karate reverse punch as a good example of combining straight lines with circular movements. The punch, to be quick and effective, must travel directly at its target – in a straight blast of power. The foot, also, lunges into a forward stance, aimed in the same direction as the arm. But, the circle is still there. The fist corkscrews as it is extended; the hips turn in order to generate power. It is a perfect balance of both concepts at work.

Lately, I have been hoping to increase my jiu-jitsu training once again. It's like going home and I'm excited. I am once more thinking in circles both small and large. And I am applying the philosophy to what I have learned in the meantime, blending the two, hopefully, into seemless, coherent actions.

diversity...

I am happiest when there is diversity in my training.
While repetition is important, it can be done by revisiting the same techniques over time, rather than two hours each class just hammering the same lesson over and again (there is a time and place for this, don't get me wrong).
The past week is a good example of  what I like doing. Class One: stretches, kicks, strikes, once through all katas, and a fairly lengthy lesson on swords. Class two: stretches (with push ups, sit ups, etc.), focus mitts, light sparring, blocking drills, joint locks/take downs, and a session with the sticks. It was a great mix, and my brain feels like it worked out, too.
We all know that martial arts takes years of repeating a concept, not just specific classes where one technique is repeated endlessly. For example, I have likely done thousands and thousands of wrist throws over the past five years alone, yet never have I spent a whole class just on this one technique--not that I wouldn't. I just think diversity helps, keeping things fresh, and thus allowing greater focus on learning.
Maybe this is just me and my attention span. However, the repetition, if I look for it closely, is still there, just over years instead of hours...
I repeat, instead of hours.... hours... hours...
(groan). 
 

jab, cross, jab...

More and more I am thinking about multiple punch defense. Punches rarely come in one shot, yet often we practice against this scenario. It is definately a good starting point. After all, how can we deal with two strikes if we are unaware of how to protect ourselves against just one? That said, I worry sometimes many teachers focus on one-punch attacks--overlooking a possible situation to cope with outside the dojo. We should do exercises protecting ourselves from multiple strikes: some where we step back and get distance (a possible flinch situation); and other excercises where we try to get inside before the attack, or redirect the attack soon thereafter.

The other area I wonder about is jab defense. A jab is an uncommitted attack but potentially devastating. It is both underused, in my opinion, and under studied from a defensive point of view. Although an improper jab leaves a hole in the defense of the opponent (especially if not retracted fast enough), it can be difficult to read and still leaves bigger weapons available to your opponent, i.e. back arm and legs. To me, it is also a warning sign that the attacker is not ignorant to combat strategy in general. A jab, to be studied defensively, should be learned as a weapon as well.

Low Rider...

One of the ironies I like best in the martial arts world is the fact Bruce Lee taught that kicks on the street should never go above the waist. High kicks are good for control and balance, he claimed, but best left to practice, and of course, films.

I'm not going to get into the reasons why. Most of my readers will know why a high kick can be a defensive liability. But rather, I just wanted to comment on something I've experimented with while training.

I've lowered my heavy bag from the rafter enough to bring the height of both the knee and shin into play. This has taken the head height right out of the equation, as my heavy bag isn't tall enough to cover both. What this has done is twofold: my leg kicks have gotten much stronger, and I've been forced to strike in areas that exclude the area of the face (elbows and punches often inadvertantly gravitate to the height of the head while practicing).

Aside from the legs, the targets become the ribs, solar plexus, and neck area.

This works for me as it forces me into exploring alternatives to higher punches. I work more on knife hand strikes and palm heel more than I ever have.

Later, I'll raise the bag again in order to change the game once more.

Breaking it down....

Having reviewed and discussed the recent seminar material at my home dojo, it is always amazing to me how much impact tiny adjustments can make.

"It's what he doesn't show you that really makes the technique," my sensei said regarding the material. I knew we were to steal some of the secrets on our own, but how subtle the changes can be is, as I said, surprising.

For example, a quarter-inch adjustment on the grip of a figure-four wrist lock can change a fairly painful control technique into one of huge pain in a hurry. A subtle move into to a sanchin stance can be the powerful anchor required for a choke that felt a bit off-balance at first.

It's all enlightening, yet, it serves to remind me of how much analysis is needed of every technique we learn. And how much more always seems to lay under the surface of the art in general.

It also makes me wonder how long it would take for me to steal the technique if my sensei weren't so liberal when it comes to sharing his knowledge. It could be months or years, rather than hours. However, he believes we should get all the information from the start, rather than fixing bad habits later on in our journey. I appreciate this approach.

That said, I know he only gradually adds his Qi Gong experience to our jui-jitsu knowledge-base, leaving us a good but mysterious trail of bread crumbs to follow. But I guess internal arts must be self-realized, after all.

I remember when I started as his student over three years ago. He said it will take a student two years to even understand how to strike properly. And sure enough, despite a basic grasp of the proper method of striking the entire time, after two years something just clicked-in and my power and efficiency dramatically increased.

No doubt it was all an evolution of very subtle and minor changes to both my application and internal energy.

use-of-force by Ottawa Police

The police use-of-force debate is once again upon us.
I suspend any judgement on this right now--I don't know enough about the particulars of this specific incident for an opinion--so don't shoot the messenger.
As with any debate, there are always two sides, and most of us would just like to find the best answers.
An investigation is taking place by the Ottawa Police Service's Professional Standards Section following this incident in the Byward Market (downtown Ottawa). While law enforcement spokespersons are saying hard techniques are often required during an arrest, they plan to look at the specific incident closely after a video clip of the January arrest garnered much attention on Youtube.
"It's always difficult to make comment on a short video clip not knowing what the circumstances were," Staff Sgt. Michel Marin was quoted saying in the Ottawa Citizen.
A recently tabled Ottawa police report suggests physical force during arrests has tripled from 2009 to 2010.
Says use-of-force instructor Nick Mitilineos, "We don't use force on someone who is co-operating."

www.ottawacitizen.com/Ottawa+police+investigate+video+officer+punching/4348896/story.html

Weapons and Empty Hands

It is often taught that a weapon can be used as an extension of empty hand technique. I think this is very true, and it often helps to think of it as such. However, I also like to think of training with a weapon as a means to give further insight into empty hand technique.

I have noticed, for example, the more I train with a yawara (small stick), the more I transfer these same techniques to my weaponless defenses (for nerve point attacks I often use a knuckle in place of the stick). It works as well with longer weapons such as a Bo staff where leg kicks can be substituted for many of the sweeps/attacks.

The bottom line is that we are always training to hit the same joints and vulnerable areas of the body regardless of what we have or do not have in our hand.

This is not to say a weapon will not be more devastating if it connects (a bullet's speed beats a straight punch any day--and a knife is sharper than a ridge hand strike), but in the end, we can use our hands and feet to emulate such attacks.

And vice vera, of course.

Ali: The Unexpected....

I had a great conversation about Muhammad Ali's fight against George Foreman recently. If you aren't old enough to know about the Rumble in the Jungle, I recommend watching the documentary When We Were Kings by Leon Gast. Anyone interested in martial strategies should see this film.

Anyway, Foreman was the favourite, after beating the legendary Joe Frazier by knocking him down six times in two rounds. Foreman was a giant with big power. Ali was long-in-the-tooth and had recently been suspended from boxing for three years for not participating in the Vietnam conflict.

Although many fight historians focus on the strategy of Ali to let Foreman punch himself into fatigue (rope-a-dope), what I was fascinated by in the documentary was Ali's very deliberate decision to utilize a right cross as his engaging strike, instead of the boxer's higher percentage and usual first strike, the jab.

It was dangerous, as the back hand must travel farther to reach the target, and can leave you open for a counter. A jab, with its speed and accuracy, is usually used to wear down an opponent and set up for the more lethal right.

But Ali, despite being told this strategy was highly dangerous and could backfire, stuck to his guns and when he wore down poor George by pretending to be a punching bag for several rounds, he took Foreman by surprise with such an unpredictable attack. It was one of these right crosses, I believe, that initially buckled Foreman's knees and led to Ali's victory in Africa that night.

Genius.

One part confidence and one part sheer unpredictability.

A lesson for anyone interested in the psychology of combat.

Oh yeah, for the record, I was only two-weeks-old when the fight took place ;)