I will probably get myself in trouble again by saying this, but I am continually amazed by the fact that many martial arts classes I have attended or visited seem to teach students a disproportionate use of the feet and legs in self defense.While it is true that a human being's legs are much larger and stronger than the arms, it is not appropriate in my estimation to leave the hands and arms out of the picture.
Not long ago, I attended a class in WTF Tae Kwon Do. I should stop here and clarify that I have nothing against Tae Kwon Do. I studied it for years and learned great lessons in the process. One of the instructors I respect most is Master Stegall who is a 6th Dan in ITF Tae Kwon Do. I go out of my way to learn from him at every available opportunity. Having cleared that up, I can get back to my story.
I was attending this class and was given the opportunity to do some sparring with one of the instructors. He was a great guy and lightning fast with his feet. It became quickly apparent that my best chances for survival could be found in either running away or getting in close. Since I was all dressed up in my fancy Japanese pajamas (Martial arts uniform) I couldn’t very well run away. So, I took the first opportunity to bridge the distance and move in close. I got my grubby little hands on him and proceeded to put him on the mat. He had kicked the snot out of me in the proceeding 30 seconds, so I thought landing his rump on the mat was the least I could do.
He was very gracious about it all. He got up with a smile and we started again. Each time we clashed, I found my safety zone inside his powerful kicking range. He found his at the extension of his kicking power. He was twenty or so years younger than me and easily twice as fast, but I found that I could still manage to land a kick or two if I chose my opportunities carefully. The problem for him was that he didn’t have any hands. I don’t mean that literally. The man possessed hands; he just didn’t know how to use them effectively. By all rights, he was nothing but lightning fast feet.
Because of this out of balance approach to his training, I was able to take advantage of his weakness. I stayed close. Sure, he could still execute those cool rubber band Tae Kwon Do close up kicks, but they didn’t help him. I was too close and the moment he lifted a foot off the mat, his center of gravity was broken and down he went with a little help from me.
After the sparring match, he and I talked a little. He told me that he focuses on tournament competition and the rules of such things forbid clinching and throwing. As a consequence, his training has consisted of 90% kicking techniques and only 10% hand use. I listened and kept my comments to myself, but I will share them with you now.
The human body has many parts and many potential tools that can be used in self defense. Among these are hands, arms, legs and feet to name only the obvious. The idea of summarily eliminating 50% of your tools from the tool box is foolish in the extreme.
While I understand that some martial styles have been converted from “martial” arts to “sport” arts, it is important for the student to understand the difference. Sport arts are perfectly legitimate for a sporting application in competition. However, they are not entirely adequate for self defense.
To clarify the glaring difference between the two, we must define the words in questions. The word “martial” is defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary as follows: “Of or suitable for war.” By contrast the word “sport” is defined as, “Any activity or experience that gives enjoyment or recreation.” While I enjoy studying, practicing and teaching martial arts, that which I study and teach is “of or suitable for war”.
So, if you’re hunting for a martial arts class to attend, my advice is to determine where your focus will be before you start. The best way to determine this is to be honest with yourself when you look in the mirror and ask, “Why do you want to learn a martial art?’ Your answer will determine whether “sports” instruction or “martial” instruction are right for you. It should be noted that many martial styles have both sports focused and martial focused sub-styles. Tae Kwon Do is just one example. Whichever you chose, be sure to remember the limitations of the instruction you have chosen and for goodness sake make sure you learn the use of your hands.
5 comments:
Comments from www.hockscombatforum.com
Re: Hands Wanted
« Reply #1 on: Today at 05:05:47 »
-----------------------------------Closing the gap negates kickers from kicking and if inside you get inside their punching range what have they got left?
The power of a strike is at or near its end point:
If I Get inside to the knee area of the kicker he cannot kick with any power.
Sport Martial artists stress move to kicking range,kick,throw a punch and then MOST back out and move around to kicking range again.
The punch most people employ is a haymaker,the Big finish,so again if inside they are lost all I have to do is be close to and or inside their elbow.
This sport strategy is so stupid for reality,yet many who do it sell you on its usefulness in Real world confrontations.
You do in Reality what you do the most in training,so if sport is the main focus of the school then what you will do on the street is sport.
Throw the kick or punch while I rush in at angle and the kicker and or puncher will go backward and many times the kicker lands on their butts.
Rushing in does not allow them to get extension and point of contact on their MEASURED attack,I do not have to measure anything,my goal is getting inside,then use inside downward stomps to the inside or outside near their knees,(crushing them),employ knee attaccks,elbows,grabs and face and or neck attacks.
The tools for both sport and self defense are the same as they come form Military application,but the application is where the difference is.
Military or self defense application is to use the kick and punch to close with and destroy the enemy.
(This was the trend of thought in arts like TKD in the 60's-70's-and early80's prior to the Big sport move,prior to everyone dreaming of TKD Olympic Medals)
Close with,not move in and then move out allowing an exchange over a finish,that to me is the secret for true Self Defense for civilian and or military applications.
My opinion anyway.
JIM H.
Re: Hands Wanted
« Reply #2 on: Today at 07:04:11 »
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here is my take on what u said-I have a friend who instructs in MMA/BJJ/Muy Thai--he was invited to a Kung Fu class by the head of the school-He did not want to go but he did-He was invited to spar with the head instructor-He siad OK -after about 30 seconds into the sparing the Kung Fu instructor got up off the mat and shook the cob webs out and said to my friend-I am going to attend your classes-and did so-----as you say sport or martial-pick what you want to do and study hard but dont go into the real world of fighting/protecting yourself unless you take up the correct way to do it....as a side note I am working in Kuwait and wach the IFL most every night-I have not seen any knockouts by a kick yet-it is all a punch/choke out/leg lock/arm bar etc etc-oh lot of knees to face as the opponent is trying to get back up from the mat and the other guy charges accross the ring and knees him a good one.. stay safe-ari the white wolf in kuwait..
Whitewolf
Re: Hands Wanted
« Reply #3 on: Today at 07:25:37 »
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Here is something flip-side of that. When I was younger I studied TKD. When I moved I decided to try something else and wound up in a Kung-Fu school. On my second day there they were testing and it included sparring. The only one who knew my background was my instructor and he threw me on the mat during a students test. I proceeded to kick the crap out of him because he was a at a loss as to what to do with feet. He also assumed because it was my second day I didn't know anything. The guy never forgave me because he didn't advance that day.
Wardog
Great comments!
I'm the dude who wrote the original post that Adventure posted here. I don't focus on sport arts, but I understand that others do. The point behind the article was that we must know and admit the difference and acknowledge that some people are more interested in one or the other. Neither is "wrong" in my estimation, provided the practitioner understands what he has gotten into.
I have known many TKD practitioners. Most would not survive a street fight using their art because their practice is sport oriented. However, I have met others who would be a major handful in a street fight. Likewise, I have studied Kung-Fu for years and have found the same to be true. Some Kung-Fu practitioners are more interested in the sports aspects like Wushu competition and others are more interested in the martial aspects of the arts. I really don't think it's a matter of right or wrong. It is simply a matter of choice. Where I have difficulty with it, is that many "sports" oriented schools bill themselves as suitable for self defense. This is disingenuous in the extreme and sets students up for disaster should they ever be faced with a truly violent situation.
I have seen violence and been involved in violence. I can say from experience that kicks work, leg strikes work, elbow and forearm attacks work and hand strikes work, as do arm bars, joint attacks and the like. The question is not whether they work; but how and under what circumstances they are applied.
Just as it is self destructive and counter productive to close our minds to the martial aspects of combat and claim that sporting arts are sufficient, it is equally harmful to dismiss kicks as a general rule and claim they have little or no usefulness. There is an old saying that, "Pride comes before a fall." I have done away with the habit of discounting the studies of others. It is a prideful habit at best and will lead only to my downfall.
joel
Well said, Joel. My appologies for being so slow to finally post.
Also, many of you who commented made some very noteworthy observations about the nuances and effectiveness of kicks in a fighting or sparring situation.
The only thing I wanted to add is that is very important to bear in mind the context in which these attributes are observed.
The average thug on the street, whether he's a trained fighter or not, will more than likely not care about being fair nor about being honorable. Likewise, don't expect his friends to be either.
Therefore, one should never expect the real world to resemble a sparring match or a ring. Nor should one ever expect that any fight you have will remain one on one.
One on one training is a wonderful and very practical platform from which to learn and train. But it is dangerous to not expand your training or your mind beyond this dimension.
The goal for anyone who suddenly finds themselves in a fight in the real world is not to win. I'll say that again. The goal of a fight is not to win. The goal is to simply Stay Alive. If what you're learning doesn't address the methods or philosophies to achieve this, then it just might be a good idea to supplement your studies with something a little more.
But perhaps you already know this. That's why you're reading this blog in the first place.
My best regards to all. Happy training.
Jared F. Boasen
P.S. For those that don't know me, I am an instructor of LT Wing Tsun Kung Fu (been studying it for more than 10 years), have a previous background in TKD, am incredibly fond of David and Joel, and am very supportive of the work they are doing with this site and these classes.
Wow. Not because I'm a TKD student that I'm going to say this but Joel... you attended a TKD class that only met once a week. The program was set up to be am after school kind of thing where the knowledge of TKD can be spread. Join a traditional TKD dojang where you'll be training for 1 hour a day three times a day. Then read your post again.
Hi Anonymous:
Thanks for the comment. I appreciate your point of view and I understand how you arrived at it. Obviously, you attended ONE of the MANY schools I have attended. You are quite correct, my son and I attended an after school Tang Soo Do class for many years under Paul Slush (a man for whom I have tremendous respect) and Stephanie Haynes (about whom I feel likewise). The class met once per week. That was quite a while ago.
Perhaps it would help you if I brought you up to date a bit. What you don't know is that I have attended many other schools and sparred with, worked out with, taught and made friend with not just a few Tae Kwon Do practitioners over the years. This does not even mention studying Kung Fu for years (something I was doing while I was attending the once per week class with my boy and something I still do), studying Filipino Martial Arts for years (something I still do) and working out with long time practitioners of many arts (including TDK) on a fairly regular basis.
I have attended several schools in which training occurred not 1 hour a day but several hours each day. In addition, I am up before 6AM, seven days per week practicing what I have learned. I have some private students and teach a couple of other instructors of different arts who are kind enough to teach me what they know in trade for my teaching them what I know.
I do not pretend to be an expert in TKD. However, I have been around the block a bit and have experienced both hard fighting TKD practitioners who have a well balanced art that is fierce and deadly as well as those who are all feet and only focus on tournament fighting. The same is true with TKD schools. Some I have visited or attended lent themselves to sport and others to combat. This is true of many arts, not just TKD. Even the venerable Chinese arts have been dumbed down in order to create a point sparing, kicking and punching sport which does not in any way resemble the wonderful fighting arts of that country’s history.
I know many sport TKD folks who could kick my butt all over a mat in a tournament. I don't think I would stand a chance against them where the rules of the sport apply. However, if they attacked me on the street, I could kill them in seconds. They’d be dead before they had a chance to lift a foot. They don't know anything about defending themselves in a real life situation. The twin worlds of sport and combat are different and as martial artists we must not pretend that they are same.
For clarification, I want to stress again, that I know TKD fighters who would do very well on the street. But, they are not the SPORT fighters who work primarily kicks, never learn the use of elbows or knees or anything else needed to fight in close (none of these things are permitted in tournaments), never learn ground work, and hardly ever practice their art with another person unless they are so padded up that they can hardly feel it when then get hit or when they hit.
By contrast, my sparing is done without pads. That includes stick and knife work. As my wife can testify, I come home from practicing with other instructors covered in bruses and sporting knew injuries every week. Some are from working with sticks, some with aluminum practice knives and some from empty hand work (old fashion kicks and punches). I have been hit in the head with sticks, fists and feet, kicked in the groin, elbowed in the face and had my limbs just about cranked off of my body by experts in ground fighting who were teaching me well remembered lessons in pain.
I am not the most experienced martial artist in the world. I grant you that. But you should know that I am not quite as inexperienced as you make me out to be.
So, I understand your point of view. But, with all do respect (and please make no mistake, I do respect your point of view and I don't mean to be snippy). I think you have made two errors in your judgment of me. One, you do not know what training or experience I have had. You assumed that the only training I have had is that which you obviously attended. Two, it appears that you feel my article was intended to bash TKD. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have great respect for that art and have loved the Karate Style arts since I first began learning from Paul Slush.
Nevertheless, whether you like it or not, many "Martial Arts" schools, regardless of whether they are teaching adults or kids are more focused upon the sport than they are on the traditional "Martial" application of the art. That's fine. Frankly, I enjoy watching the sport and I do so often. But, it is disingenuous in the extreme for a school to bill a sport curriculum as being suitable for street protection or martial combat. That was the only point.
So, if you have found a TKD school at which you are happy and where you enjoy learning, so much the better for you. TDK is a wonderful art and I love it. Here’s hoping that your instructor teaches you not only how to have fun in the sport but also how to defend yourself and your loved ones should you every need to. I hope you continue your martial arts journey and I sure hope you will come back to the blog and contribute your thoughts.
joel
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