closing the gap

[ged]

at my last training session, i learnt a bit about closing people down..... ie instead of waiting till they punch, if they're being 'cagey', making a lot of feints but not committing, closing the gap and getting a touch on their hands. i havent done much on this at all, so im wondering if people could please tell me more about this. things im interested in are, the way that you make contact, the length of time in which contact is made with their hands, if you even bother with that or just try and hit them - i was told to reach out with both hands, and touch the outside of their wrists, then as i get closer to kind of collapse my elbows. im not too sure what to do at this point if they dont open up and punch - would elbows be suitable?

obviously i plan to experiment a lot more....... im just eager to hear what everyone else knows about this

[Merryprankster]

close the gap even further and jam everything. Glue yourself to their body and then--

clinch, lift, and drop.

My sifu has been in several real fights in China, usually with multiple opponents.

Once, he was challenged by 3 guys. The leader of them attacked with a flying knee to the groin in a manner that indicated that he had real kung fu training.

What my sifu did was what we ALWAYS do when opening a fight - close off our gates from the opponent, collapse our root, and ATTACK. My sifu stepped into the guys strike, taking the knee on his left thigh and striking the guy in midair with a hard right elbow strike.

The attacker didn't get hurt because he had his guard up in midair, but he was sent back flying. When he hit the ground, he ran away taking his friends with him.

[Apprentice]

good question, i wondered that as well, and i didn't know the contact was supposed to be on the hands, and when would be a good time to strike? and as you do, where should your defenses be, an example with a simple parry or redirection where this could be used would be cool, thanx if anyone replies

[nospam]

Yo yo yo 'sup.

Closing the gap- simple strategy really. A lot of people feel exposed if they initiate an attack, so they will hang or ***** foot around. A little feint, such as a foot stomp or change of foot position will reveal if they continue to hang or attack. If they hang, then close the gap and stick 'em high and lay the pressure on.

If they counter your feint in any way other than an actual attack, you cam pretty much be confident that they will do it again, so go in fast, hard and heavy- more than likely they will back-peddle and go on the defensive. Even if they decide to mix it up some, trust in your ability or in the least that you have the upper move and just keep throwing your strikes.

How one closes the gap truely depends on one's experience and confort level. As a rule of thumb, I like to make contact with their hands (so I know or am given the opportunity to engage and 'feel' thei rmovement) or at least direct where at least one of their hands will be, such as following or going to block my head strike, that way I can position myself mucho better once I'm in the kill zone. Some move backwards, some sideways, others don't move at all. I was just instructing this in class today, in terms of using the best stance to one's advantage upon entering the Zzzzzone.

This is where two-person training is worth your partner's weight in gold; working on fluid exchange upon contact to at least 3 techniques deep is vital. You'll be amazed at how many people stop 'attacking' after 2 moves/strikes, let alone three. This is one of the best ways to challenge one's ability (and thus confidence) in a semi-controlled environment. Tis truely a beautiful thang.

nospam.

[Sam Wiley]

Good topic.

In Taiji, we have "opening" methods used to break through a strong guard and get in to strike.

For instance, you could strike his right inner arm with your right hand, bring hte left hand under and strike his arm a second time in the same spot, strike his left forearm with the right hand (opening him up), and then strike with either hand to the face. I call this move "opening the veil" because it feels like you are parting stage curtains. If you come in for hte final strike with the left hand, the move is more economical, and a bit quicker. But if you strike with the right, the final strike here is more powerful.

You could also simply strike his inner right forearm with your left hand, then strike his inner left forearm with your right hand, and then rebound off of that with with a right punch to the face.

You could also strike the outside of his right forearm with your right palm, then slam your left palm down on his elbow, and strike him in the face with the right palm. This one puts you on the outside of him, and if you hit his arm hard enough, he will turn so that you are to his rear corner.

These are all done with a step in.

Or you could use P'eng to block his feint and try to catch his wrist, then step back a bit and jerk him down. He'll try to pull his hand back once you make contact, making the catch really firm, and the pull down will be Hell for him to take.

I'd recommend the first couple of methods, though. They set you up for some really nice techniques. For instance, the first might be followed up by Brush Knee Twist Step. You could crank his right arm up, and pull his head down by the neck to slam his face into your knee. The second sets you up for something like grabbing around his neck with the left hand, and pulling him forward so you can drive your fist into his throat. The third sets you up for grabbing him around the neck with your right palm so you can pull his head forward and cut across his throat with your left palm. These are just examples, though. There are probably a hundred techniques you could do from each of these opening techniques.

I find that the best thing to do when someone won't commit is to wait until they start to throw a feint punch or whatever, and quickly move in with an opening move. This upsets their timing and distancing enough for you to take control. All you need is the initial strike to distract them for a moment, and then you can explode on them with pretty much anythign you want.