PDA

View Full Version : Something I've been thinking about..



Rolling Elbow
09-19-2000, 01:27 AM
Gentlemen, I have recently come to realize, that learning effective body movement in the martial arts and actual progressing in one's respective art, requires that a student learn NOT TO be afraid of punches...

Sure, we all practice evading them, but when you are actually in a semi free flowing environment, I have noticed my own tendency to stay on the outer range of my attackers limbs..This isn't to say that i am unable to aplly gunting or limb destruction techniques...but rather, it makes breaching the gap hard to do. It is my opinion that those who are truly comfortable weaving inside and outside of an attacker's punching range will truly bennefit from their studies in kungfu, taijutsu, kali etc...

Let me know what you think..obviously there is no quick fix here, long sessions of jabs, crosses, and hooks are what are needed as is a bit of courage and the willingness to take a few hits /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Michael Panzerotti
Taijutsu Nobody from the Great White North..

yamato_damashii
09-19-2000, 03:08 AM
yup

Jason C. Diederich
Pax Nobiscum

Highlander
09-19-2000, 04:42 PM
The fear of getting hit is worse than getting hit.

An instructor I had a long time ago told me "Learning to fight is learning to control fear". Of course there is more to it, but this is the one absolute I find in all martial arts. If you can't control fear, you can't fight. This is also why the study of martial arts carries over and benefits other aspects of our lives. If we can control fear in a fight, we can control other area of our live.

nospam
09-19-2000, 05:36 PM
Unless your style advocates a perimeter philosophy, the only way to end a fight consistently is to be well rooted in the strike zone. This requires faith. And the only way to achieve a good level of faith is diligent and smart/logical practise.

If you are able to control the strike zone and maintain control of the zone (this incorporates foot work), then you will consistently win.

I am not a firm believe of controlling my emotions, per se. It is more of a recognition that in a given situation, although I may feel fear, my belief in ME is greater. Everything before and just up to engagement is meaningless. There is a larger space to deal with in this presence of mind. Because of this, we have time to fill the space with natural tendencies, such as fear, anxiety, ellation, hyperactivity, etc..

Fear is not an enemy, it is an emotion that arises out of effect. Courage is strengthend through discipline, faith by discipline. At the point of engagement, our rational and perceptional space decreases, courage which is an emotion is now passed, discipline guides us, and faith is all that remains to fill the smaller space. If you falter in either one, courage, discipline or faith..the space will grow and the chances of failure increases.

This is where the saying of there is no try- just do, comes from. You either have it or you do not. At any given time and at any give stage or skill level, faith is what commonly becomes identified as reaction.

BrutallyFrank
09-19-2000, 09:43 PM
Hi Gentlemen!
I've been sparring several times at a buddy of mine's gym where Muy Thai is taught. He's showed me lots of cool things, namely one which fits well in this discussion.
Muy Thai boxers are taught to walk into a punch at the start of a fight (with forearms vertical and close to face). They do this in part to eventually be able to lock their elbows onto their opponents shoulders for a couple of elbows to the side of the face and knees to the kidneys, and then they release. The first time My friend came at me like that while I was snapping quick jabs at hime, it caught me by surprise. I mean, here I am connecing hard and he walks right in. The first (and only!) time I let hime walk in like that, he dropped me hard. Thing is, he's the one guy I have the most confidence in as far as street/bar fights are concerned because he was taught to take a punch or two while remaining totally calm and composed. I guess overdoing it might make you a little slow in the noggen, but in my opinion, it's really important to learn to take hits and remain composed and focused.

Keep em' comin!
Cheers!
CT