Sunday 30 October 2016

From a Tree Trunk to Gumby

Over the last while I have learned a lot more about my 5 techniques and how you must take into consideration each individuals body mechanics and just how they react. Height, weight, stiff, excessively flexible, strong, weak, fast, slow, focused aggression or spastic, angry, scared, trained or street fighter etc. All of things are and should be a consideration but it's not like you are able to ask an attacker to fill out a questionnaire or tell him, "No you don't match the requirements to my techniques so you'll have to fight someone else...have a nice day!" It just doesn't work like that.

Your techniques must not only be universal, but adaptable as well. Not to mention considerations or alterations on the fly and split second execution must be a part of it as well. In your mind you picture and practice the form. Form is the path, application is the commitment, and the intensity is just how far you are willing to take the commitment or the actual end result. I have practiced my personal techniques with a variety of body types, but the latest has been mostly with one type, taller, slim, fairly flexible, and I started to feel quite good about them until I worked on them with two levels of extreme on the weight/flexibility spectrum. For example on one technique the individual was heavier and less flexible, so it almost didn't work at all. I had to alter the initial part of the technique to work with the extra weight and manipulate the locks or alter my own and his body positioning in order for anything to be effective and have the ability to move the extra mass were I needed it to be and what I had to do in order to insure they landed in the position required to complete the technique. Without going into a long worded visualization of it all, I ended up sweeping only one leg as opposed to two and changed the initial lock in order to force the individual into the required position to complete the technique.

The other individual was like working with a light piece of rubber, very difficult to lock, so you really had to look for body reaction as opposed to taking the training partners word for it. I found accuracy was very important when working with someone that isn't easy to lock. You have to really get into that deep fulcrum point of the joint or the lock is next to impossible. This can be very difficult when they are a light person as well because you can't really use their mass to assist you in taking the individual off center or directing them to a desired position. You have to be fast and use more than one joint for manipulation. For example I would try to lock the wrist in such a position that the elbow would come into play along with the shoulder, think of twisting a towel. It may take more to your technique to have any kind of effectiveness with this type of person but I think the intial contact should be the starting point.

 There are many factors to consider but I feel an eye for detail is the most essential in order not to hurt somebody very badly or unintentionally that you are training with, but also to troubleshoot the technique and make it universally effective. I have learned a lot this last while and obviously much more to learn but I think with this gained experience I can have the confidence and assurance that if I ever had too, my techniques will protect me and disable an attacker and there are options available that must be considered when applying them and to what extent. See you at the Kwoon.


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