Bridging and Mentality

[ChinoXL]

Hey guys - I'm a long time reader and I normally don't post since I can use the search function well; but I would like to share a experience I had last night when I was slightly intoxicated.

In a nutshell:

-Last night 2 drunken guys (who happen to be muscle heads) that I've known got into a fight.
-Started off with A. pushing B. in the face followed by B. throwing a counter hook but missing
-I laughed for a bit then I decided to break it up with the help of 3 girls

I realized that as a natural human reaction both A and B had their hands up ready for attack, (they were both drunk) both had their hands extended therefore would keep the other person at a reasonable distance and from coming in too close to their comfort zone - sort of like a ball - and then it hit me.. I finally saw people bridging by accident in real-life

Now my theory for people who bridge, I would say it comes down to 2 people "scared" to get hit - that's why their hands are out to prevent the other person from coming in too close into their comfort zone and therefore keeping their distance

As a MMA guy; If people have their hands out the same way I seen it last night and I was the one who got into a fight - without a doubt I would of
a. bob and weaved to the side with a following overhand
b. same thing followed with a double leg

Any further opinions? or constructive criticisms?

[sanjuro_ronin]

Searching for a bridge will get you KO'd, you are not suppose to do it, nor are you supposed to just stand there with your arms up.
Bridging should be dynamic and fluid, never static or ridgid.
That said, I personally don't care much for "bridging"per say, but I know some people who are quite excellent at it.

[David Jamieson]

bridging is merely the point in time which you pass through the defense to strike your target.

[ChinoXL]

They weren't exactly searching for the bridge; but they have their hands up in a way where they're pushing each other away and swinging at the same time - that said they formed the bridge a few times and it's not what i'm use to .. ie. boxing

[golden arhat]

my instructor used to do hung gar with the guy across the hall from us from when he was about 16 for about 6 years ish
from a real traditional guy (hours of horse stance, loads of conditioning etc i.e the real deal)

anyway taught us bridging in about five minutes didnt take long at all and works semlessly with gloves on or off, and when someone starts throwing punch after punch in combination especcially if they have long arms and better reach than you bridging really makes a difference, shelling up works so far as defending yourface etc but isnt a solution
i really love tying someones arms up(not literally) but keepingthem busy unable to make swings etc leading up to me getting my own shots in or goin for the clinch
i dont see alot of MMA guys from other places do it much
but for me it makes all the difference.

[Yum Cha]

Carrying on from what David and Sanjuro said, bridging is dynamic, and while we often note the arms and the techniques for getting the arms into position to bridge, its the footwork that makes it work, and its evil cousin is short power.

Kinda goes to the comment about bobbing and weaving....

[I Hate Ashida Kim]

other guys arms all extended? (i'm imagining like a 1900s boxer)

Low kicks for the win.

what up.






can someone post a youtube clip of this "bridging" as you described it? I *think* i know what you mean but i'm not sure.

[golden arhat]

if i can get a video i'l show you
it doesnt look like a form or anything anjd i certainly dont look for somewhere to bridge,


its like if someone starts throwin combinations at you (especcially hooks)
you throw up a tight guard and cover up and wait for him to start which doesnt alwyas work without big gloves or you start pre emptively putting your arms out where his are and go on the offensive yourself as a counter

[Mas Judt]

That's a fun theory for a possible origin of the concept, but the more likely source is Spear work or swordsmanship.

What you described is not 'bridging', but I guess in a crude way could be seen as such.

Often, the thing lacking in making something work is experience and imagination. Experience to understand the context and imagination to find a better way. Someone on the boards once said SPM bridging work was made useless by boxing, yet in my early days I used SPM bridging skills to routinely beat the GG boxers I trained with. The skill was adapted to the opponent. 'Know your enemy, know yourself' right?

A student of mine just visited Lloyd Irvins gym, worked with their pro fighters and had them oogling his footwork eager to learn it, as it worked well for him. (one of my student's students just nailed a kickboxing championship as well using that footwork).

Oddly enough, the people eager to have me out to their gyms have all been MMA schools. Good stuff is good stuff, no matter the source and fighters recognize this. It's sad that CMA has developed a reputation like The Society for Creative Anachronism when it has so much to offer.

[Michael Dasargo]

If by bridge you mean connect forearms, then I suggest first closing the distance safely and effectively to illicit incidental contact.

If by bridge you mean closing the distance, then there is offensive and counter-offensive.

For street counter-offensive, we need to look at the flinch-startle response and how the body reacts under sudden stress. Tony Blauer is a defensive tactics specialist who argues that the flinch startle response is mallable and can be trained to "spear" the opponent...also known as a trained simultaneous block and hit flinch response.

For offensive tactics, positioning, distance, and angle. Trapping is secondary to striking. When you attempt to hit someone who doesn't want to be hit, you will illicit the bridge connection either through an offensive or defensive reaction.

2 cents,
M.Dasargo