The Focus'on Philosophy

What we focus on, we tend to feel.

Have you ever remembered a happy or funny moment, during a time of sorrow? Or ever felt anger about something from the past, during a happy moment with a friend? Our focus can be directed in less than a heartbeat. And following it, comes a feeling. Be in charge of your own focus and emotions. Change your focus and change your feeling. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh, people who make you happy, people who help you focus on the good in life. If you focus on it, you will find it, whatever IT is. Learn from the bad, but focus on the good. Life is too short to be anything but happy. You don't have to be happy about everything that happens, but don't deny yourself happiness because of a moment of the past. Focus on the future and its infinite possibilities. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living. As the ancient Japanese Proverb goes, "Fall down seven times, get up eight."

What disempowering thoughts do you tend to have? What holds you back from being what you want and deserve to be? How might you change your focus in order to be more, do more, live more, love more, create more? Create something magical in your life right now. Create a life worth living. Change your focus and change your life. Be the change you wish to see in the world. What do you want out of life?

Drills:
Beginner - Next time you're in class or another safe place, close your eyes and listen. Hear everything that is happening but focus on nothing in particular. After a few moments, turn your attention to one sound and focus on this one sound. Follow this sound with your thoughts, pay attention to every detail. Recognize the direction it comes from, the tone, the pitch, the volume, the rhythm, etc. Next, open your eyes and see if what you heard comes from what you imagined.

Intermediate: While working with a partner during techniques, pad work, grappling or sparring try to read their telegraphs or feel their intention. Focus on the position of their legs and arms. What is their weight distribution? Can you feel if they are going to advance or retreat? Are they about to kick, or punch? Which side are they planning to use? Take note of their every action without focusing on your reaction to it. Be sure to start slow in order to learn to read your opponent. As you begin to correctly predict their movements, speed up the drill.

Advanced: Practice the same as the intermediates, but focus on your own intellectual responses to their actions and inactions as well. Begin to recognize every detail of the situation and seize every opportunity to succeed. Take advantage of their openings. Work around their strengths and overwhelm their weaknesses. Use the environment to your advantage. Work on your focus until you know what they are about to do, before they know.

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The Map is Not the Territory

Everybody has a plan till they get smacked in the mouth.

- Iron Mike Tyson 

In the field of General Semantics, there is a concept called the "Map-Territory Relation." The founder of General Semantics, Alfred Korzybski, famously stated in 1931 that "the map is not the territory," meaning that the awareness of the thing and the symbols we use to perceive it (in this case, the map) are not the same as the actual thing itself (the territory). General Semantics is the idea that our beliefs are formed by our perceptions of the world and specifically the language we use to define it. So a symbol such as a map, while useful as a tool to understand the lay of the land, is not actually the land itself which is completely separate and unique in physical and experiential reality.

The Belgian surrealist René Magritte addressed a similar concept in his painting The Treachery of Images. The painting is of a wooden tobacco pipe, with the words "this is not a pipe" written underneath it in french. And of course, Magritte was correct. For it is not a pipe, but rather an image of a pipe. Yet many who would look at the painting may be forgiven if at first they wonder how the artist could be so mistaken. For clearly, we see a pipe.

In our study of combat we discuss entry techniques, feints and distractions, set up strikes, combinations, defense and striking open zones, control maneuvers, repositioning techniques, and finishing moves. We talk about how to engage our opponent from different ranges, and which techniques to employ during each phase of the combat situation. We discuss how to approach unique aspects of combat differently, if the opponent attacks from the obscure zone we turn and face with zone coverage, if the opponent has our back we go stomach to stomach, if the opponent attacks our weak line we adjust our angle. We talk about how to counter our opponent's techniques, and what possible counters he may use, and how to counter his counters.

Generally speaking, in case of a fire in your home you need to get close to the floor, alert everyone, check doors for heat before opening them, and escape. Generally speaking, in case of an automobile accident you need to check for injuries, remain calm, and alert the necessary emergency services. Generally speaking, in the case of a home invasion you need to escape the home and call for help. Generally speaking, when I am engaged at range, I strike with kicks and punches, use cover positions to bridge the gap, close with my opponent using grabs and continued off hand striking, move to a control position, takedown and finish. It's good to have a plan.

But the plan is not the fight. Moltke the Elder taught us that "no plan survives first contact with the enemy." Even a plan which takes in to account our opponent, his strengths and weaknesses, his tactics and strategy, and his possible counters and our counters to his counters, is immediately obsolete once battle is joined. The original plan doesn't exist anymore, because the parameters have changed. The opponent moves left instead of right. The lighting is inconsistent. It begins to rain. You are tired, or sick, or injured. The plan is not the fight. The map is not the territory. The painting is not the pipe. All the training and talking and study you've done in the dojo is in preparation, but training is not combat and your opponent is not your friend.

Everything is context specific. That is why the first consideration of combat is Environment. The targets you strike. The strikes you use. The range at which you engage. The way in which you engage. The intensity with which you engage. Is this a drunken reveler on New Year's Eve? Is this a desperate man fighting for a crust of bread? Is this a violent sociopath who will not stop assaulting you because you have yielded? Is your family in danger? Is there a chance to escape?

Everything is context specific. Do you grapple or strike? Do you follow your opponent to the ground with the takedown or remain standing to engage or escape from there? What do you know of your opponent? What are his strengths? What are his weaknesses? What are your strengths and weaknesses? The man who knows himself and his opponent will not be imperiled in a hundred battles. Are there multiple opponents? Are they armed?

What we do in the karate school is make plans. We explore and study and dissect and examine and question and theorize and test. We follow a progressive system of expansive combat training which builds each skill upon previous simpler skills and futilely attempts to answer all possible questions about a dynamic situation of infinite possibility. The systems are artificial, because they seek to codify something which resists codification. At best, we can only imagine possible combat scenarios and apply our knowledge to those possibilities. We are drawing maps of fighting so we know which way to go.

But a map is a useful tool. It tells you where to turn. It tells you what to expect ahead. It tells you where be dragons. You wouldn't leave home without a map. And when you get lost, the proper thing to do is pull the map back out and find out where you are, and how to get where you want to go. Maps make safe travel possible, because they allow the traveler to prepare for the challenge ahead. That is why we paint pictures of fights in the karate school and why we practice self defense techniques against a number of attacks in a number of possible formations. That is why we ask questions, and seek the truth of combat, and practice that truth on the body. That is why we do the pushups and hit the pads. That is why we return, year after year, and stand on the line and set our Neutral Bow. We are studying the map, so that if we get lost, we know where to go.

But never make the mistake of thinking you are fighting when you are really training. We can only simulate the ultimate life or death combat scenario. We do not actually experience it. Your training partner is not going to kill you and though you may be injured in the karate school from time to time, you are not being actively assaulted. You are engaging in a practice, sometimes intense, which is designed to represent the combat engagement. But should you find yourself in a real fight, you must be prepared to change your plans to reflect the fluid nature of existing conditions. Or you must be prepared to lose. Fallen Sword in the karate school is a very specific response to a very specific attack practiced in a very specific manner where you strike very specific targets and your opponent responds in a very specific way. It is play acting. It is not a fight. Neither is randori, or sparring, or rolling, or Tiger in the Cage, or spontaneous defense. Neither even is full combat. Not in the karate school. It is training. It is making plans.

You need to make plans. That's why you have come to the karate school. To take the next step on mastering a unique and powerful art. To follow in the footsteps of those who've come before you. To learn how to fight, and why, and to prepare yourself for a fight which we should all hope never actually takes place. Sun Tzu's Nine Terrains teach us to plan according to the situation, to move to positions of strength, avoid combat, use environment to our advantage, marshall resources, and only when on death ground, to fight. The plan is to position yourself in such a way as to not have to engage the enemy. We plan not to fight, but no plan survives first contact with the enemy. And so we plan how we will fight as well.

Plans are important. But a fight is a fight. Ceci n'est pas une pipe.

Drills -
Beginner: Practice your beginner self defense techniques. Realize that each one is a like a photograph of a moment in time. Have the opponent circle you, occasionally throwing the proscribed attack for each technique, and perform the technique as perfectly as possible, again and again. Practice this with one attack and one technique at a time.

Intermediates: Practice your sparring. Choose one technique, like Penetrating the Wall, and practice apply thing technique to every attack your opponent gives you. Jab, Cross, Kick, Punch, Grapple, Inside, Outside, Penetrating the Wall, again and again. Practice adjusting your opponent's position to make your technique apply and practice adjusting your technique to apply it to your opponent's position.

Advanced: Engage in Free Combat drills, with an eye to where techniques appear within the engagement. If the opponent attacks with a jab and you defend and counter with a kick, that is Fallen Sword. If the opponent attacks with a high grab and you counter with a trapping grapple, that is Entrapping Circles. If the opponent attacks with a low kick and your respond with a leg hold that is Defensive Cross. If the opponent attacks with a low body lock and you sprawl and turn the corner, that is Taming the Bull. Understand that the techniques occur naturally, without the need to "make" them happen, and that by recognizing where they appear you can see the signs on the map pointing you to your destination.

The Strongest Hand Technique

The other day someone asked me what the strongest hand technique in kenpo is. That got me thinking.

First of all, strongest is too general a term. Do we mean most effective? Heaviest? Hardest hitting? Biggest striking surface? Smallest? There's no way to answer this question in an objective way.

In kenpo we practice at least ten impact strikes with the closed fist alone. That doesn't include blocking, breaking, or gripping techniques. Plus another half dozen or so closed fist variations (knuckle strikes, half and thumbless fist), and well over a dozen open hand strikes (handswords, palms, claws, and finger strikes). All of which can be delivered from a number of different angles (forward, reverse, inward, outward, inverted), with a number of different methods (whipping, slicing, snapping, thrusting, hooking).

Even before you start moving up the arm with wrist strikes and forearm strikes and over a dozen different elbow strikes you have pinching and striking grabs and fishhooking and every kind of grappling maneuver.

And then there's bicep strikes and shoulder strikes and traps and hugs and  holds. And each with both hands and two hand techniques and lifting and pushing and pulling.

And there are dragdowns and throws and hand assist sweeps. And holding and bracing and tackles and reaps.

And all your techniques are dependent upon targets. A hook to the eye is different from a hook to the mouth or to the subclavian notch. They're also dependent upon intention. There's punching to break, or to push, move, blind, or lock.

Of course force equals mass times acceleration. So heavy is good, but mathematically faster is better. A hammerfist can maim, but so can a ridgehand. I heard a story once about Master Parker knocking out someone at a sparring tournament with a single backknuckle strike.

And we mustn't forget that every offensive technique is a defensive technique and vice versa, so don't forget your parries and pull down checks, slaps, cranes, and presses.

No hand technique can ever be executed without proper stances and transitions however. You can't separate the arms from the body as a whole and still be effective. Even when you're grappling or on your knees body alignment is key. Punching is as much about the feet as the hands. Always strike with the whole body.

But practice striking with only your isolated limbs just in case.

And don't underestimate the value of your hands in kicking either. Your hands can provide balance by grabbing an opponent or by swinging to counter your shifting body weight. You can even grab the opponent to pull him into a kick. Bringing the target to the weapon is one of the ten ways to add power.

Lastly, there's a whole shadow side of hand work that you can't overlook in your studies. Sometimes the most effective technique is the one that never lands. Feints, fakes. Misdirection. Your hands can create mind clutter when striking or set up grappling techniques by making your opponent defend one direction then suddenly changing technique to use his force against him.

The question is hard to answer with punch or palm strike. Even if it were that simple, no two warriors have the same proficiency with any two techniques. Besides that, each technique is unique based on how it's used in combination. A step thru vertical punch after a kick is a different technique from a lead hand vertical jab followed by an inward reverse handsword.

There is simply no objective standard by which to judge this question. Joe Lewis, Bill Wallace, and Gene Lebell were all great fighters, and all used hand techniques. But they didn't have a consensus on the strongest hand technique. And saying that this technique is better than that for breaking doesn't even begin to address the issue.

The purpose of the Way is to master the self. We do that through the study of combat. It involves a lot more than punch and kick, like learning about human anatomy and how to corrupt its structure. And, at least generally, how to use weapons to do so as well.

A preference for one technique over another is just a stylistic bias. It should never be used as a measure of supreme efficacy. Some learn throws, some kicks, some punches. Western Boxing might prefer the reverse punch and a Muay Thai fighter might say the inward elbow strike is best, but in a street fight a grab to your opponent's testicles might be the best option.

What matters is learning how to use the body as a weapon. Philosophies, strategies, tactics, these are just finite codifications of the Way.

The body. The mind. The spirit. Those are the weapons. When you can make the three into one, then you are the weapon. And your hands and feet are just where that weapon makes contact with your opponent.

In the end, I only know one good answer to "What's the strongest hand technique?"

The one you Master. The one you train. The one you use when battle is joined. In kenpo, we are driven by efficacy. The ultimate standard of success is victory. Victory in battle. Victory over the self.

Master the hand techniques in kenpo. In that practice, you will master the Invisible Enemies. Then you will find the true strength of the Law of the Fist and the Empty Hand.

Drills:
Beginner - Practice your hand techniques against the heavy bag. Remember the order of instruction, Form, Accuracy, Speed, and Power. Practice each technique ten times, on each side.

Intermediate: Practice using your stances to enhance the power of your strikes. Practice engaging with Ground Leverage, and Back Up Mass, and Rotational Energy. Practice striking with every hand technique, from every stance, until you can execute a devastating blow from any position.

Advanced: Practice using combinations of hand techniques in sparring. Practice alternating open and closed hand strikes when attacking your opponent. Practice flowing seamlessly from defense to offense, delivering powerful blocking techniques followed by explosive hand strikes. Drive your opponent back with your hand techniques, and force him to submit to your strikes.

The Importance of Stance and Posture

In karate, everything comes from your stance. Your power, your mobility, your strikes and grapples and defenses, it all begins with your stance.

In kenpo, we teach the Five Prerequisites of Proper Performance.

• Continuity
• Angles
• Balance
• Liveliness
• Posture

Two of those prerequisites, Balance and Posture, relate specifically to stance and the way it affects your effectiveness in combat. Nakayama Masatoshi, the renowned karate Master, disciple of Master Funakoshi, and contemporary of respected martial arts historian Donn Draeger discusses the importance of Stance and Posture in his 1986 instructional text, Dynamic Karate.

Page 23

"IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT FORM

If the body lacks balance and stability, offensive and defensive techniques will be ineffective. The ability to defend against an attack under any circumstances depends largely upon the maintenance of correct form.

Stance in karate is mainly concerned with the position of the lower part of the body. Powerful, fast, accurate, and smoothly executed techniques can be performed only from a strong and stable base. The upper body must be firmly settled on this strong base, and the back kept straight, or perpendicular to the ground. Although an effective attack is impossible without a strong stance, it is only necessary to assume this position just before delivering an attack. If the student concentrates too much on remaining in a firm and stable position, he will lose mobility.

REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD STANCE

In addition to the above, the following points are closely related to the development of a good stance. The student must:

A. Be well balanced when applying offensive or defensive techniques;

B. Rotate his hips smoothly when executing techniques;

C. Apply his techniques with the greatest possible speed; and

D. Insure that his muscles used in attack or defense work together harmoniously.

Therefore, the first consideration is the establishment of a strong and stable base. From this base all parts of the body must work together harmoniously as a single unit. In other words, the feet, legs, trunk, arms, and hands must be well controlled individually, but at the same time work together as a unit.

It is important also that the muscles necessary to perform a particular technique respond fully, and that those not used be kept relaxed. If your stance is incorrect, the harmonious interaction of your muscles will be absent and your techniques less effective. Poor form brings unnecessary muscles into play, muscles which often hamper speedy and powerful movements. Strong, fast techniques depend for their execution upon a firm base. Further, the delicate control necessary in karate is only possible with a stable and correct stance.

Most karate students have only an incomplete knowledge of stance. Many are unfamiliar with the varieties possible. Even in the case of a particular stance, there is a real difference in its form at various times. For example, the form of a particular stance is different in the ready position from its form at the time a technique is applied. The form of the stance immediately after the technique has been applied again different from the preceding two. There is a delicate change at each stage, although the form looks almost the same.

The concept of one definite stance for a particular occasion is foreign to karate. The stance chosen varies according to the circumstances. however, it must be natural and it must allow one to move freely in all directions and to assume any position.

A few concrete examples can help illustrate the above points. In zenkutsu-dachi (front stance), there is an important difference between the stance as a preparation for applying a technique and the same stance at the moment of application. In the former instance the knee of the front leg must be bent and the muscles in the thighs and calves of both legs relaxed to permit flexible and quick movement. However, the instant a technique is applied, the muscles of the legs must tense to strengthen the hold of the feet on the ground and to give power to the movement.

Furthermore, in either the front stance or neko-ashi-dachi (cat stance), the position taken must not be so low that the muscles become tense, inflexible, or stiff. If this occurs it will be impossible to move quickly when necessary.

It is detrimental to the development of beginners if, instead of concentrating on basic training, they attempt to imitate the stance used by advanced students. The advanced may stand very lightly with their hips in a relatively high position. however, they can change this stance in an instant to a very strong and firm on with the hips low. It is difficult for beginners to duplicate this change, for the obvious reason that advanced students have spent a much longer time practicing. If beginners stand like the advanced, they will lose their balance at the moment of focusing the technique. Remember that in addition to stability while in a ready, or defensive, position, the stance must provide enough strength and firmness to withstand the shock caused by the application of techniques.

Stance changes according to the direction of our movement and the kind of techniques applied. The exhaustive studies of our predecessors have resulted in a number of stances which form the basis of present-day karate.

Each stance was designed for a particular purpose. Therefore, progress in learning will be slow if beginners do not adhere strictly to the form of each stance. Do not permit the form of a particular stance to deteriorate so that it is difficult to tell it from another. Pay strict attention to the requirements of each stance.

Certain training methods are useful in learning a stance. For example, it is helpful to keep the same stance under tension for a long time. Another method is to alternately tense and relax the muscles for short intervals while holding the stance. This latter method also helps to develop the coordination and to cultivate the feeling necessary for correctly focusing a technique. 

When learning a stance it is helpful to practice the offensive and defensive techniques which are the best delivered from it."

Practice your stances. Too often, we focus on blocks and kicks and punches and self defense techniques and combinations and forget to practice our stances. Practice them in place. Practice them in motion. Practice them on uneven terrain.

Practice your stances. Work on Balance and Posture. Practice practice practice. Stance is everything. Stance comes first. Mastering your stances is the beginning of mastering karate.

Considerations Five and Six

Today we will continue our discussion of The Ten Considerations of Combat. We have discussed Environment, Range, Positions, and Maneuvers. Here we will discuss Targets, and Natural Weapons.


5. Targets
Targets determine techniques. It can be no other way.

The student must be able to both identify available targets, and determine the appropriate techniques and weapons to use against those targets.

Understanding the opponent's position allows the student to identify the available targets exposed by that position. Are his arms too low to effectively defend his head? Is his body bladed, or is he facing the student square, exposing his solar plexus at a ninety degree angle to the student? These questions are important and must be answered by the student within fractions of a second.

Once the targets are identified, the student must be able to execute the appropriate techniques. The natural contours of the human body, as well as the size and density of the chosen target are some of the aspects which determine the appropriate weapon. It would be inappropriate to use a finger thrust technique to the opponents jaw, however, that same technique might be appropriate to the eye. A front thrust kick may be appropriate for a strike to the opponent's bladder, but not generally to the opponent's solar plexus.

The availability of targets fluctuates constantly with changes in the opponent's position. Identifying targets, selecting the appropriate weapons, and launching the appropriate techniques must all occur with immediacy, something which comes with experience and consistent practice.


6. Natural Weapons
Natural Weapons are the tools with which the student is able to execute his offensive technique.

In this case, the deliniation of these as "natural" weapons means that they are those parts of the student's body itself which can be used in an aggressive manner. Typically this is thought of as arms and legs, hands and feet, but in practice there are other natural weapons which can also be applied to the situation.

Every part of the human body can be used either as a striking surface, or as a fulcrum against which leverage can be applied to injure or maim the opponent. The head and forearms can be used as striking surfaces, or the neck and shoulders as fulcrum points.

Perhaps the most important natural weapon is the mind. Learning that the mind can be used as a weapon is a key step in the student's instruction. It can be used to escalate or de-escalate a situation. It can be used to dissuade an attacker from his intended use of aggression, or infuriate him into acting irrationally. It can be used to disguise the student's intentions, techniques, and direction.

Understanding the use of natural weapons is key to self defense.

Drills -
Beginner: Students A and B face each other in a fighting stance. Student A calls out one target and a weapon he could use to strike it on Student B's body, then performs that basic making sure to hit his target with a good basic strike. Student B then chooses a different target on Student A, calls it out and names his basic and then executes a controlled strike. Alternate until one student or the other can not think of a new target. Begin again.

Intermediate: Students A and B practice Three Hit Kenpo with selected categories of targets and weapons. Upper body, closed hand strikes, front of the body, kicks and leg strikes, etc.

Advanced: Students practice Offensive Defense. While sparring, each student identifies which targets he will be hitting in combination, and which weapons he will use. Combinations must be two or more targets and include both arm and leg strikes.

The First Principle of Personal Defense

Some consider Jeff Cooper to be for practical pistol shooting what Webster is for dictionaries - the final authority. His thoughts are simple, his actions straight forward, and his results are unquestioned. His book, Principles of Personal Defense, has only seven short chapters, but the topics of those chapters should give you some impression of how he approaches self defense.

1. Alertness
2. Decisiveness
3. Aggressiveness
4. Speed
5. Coolness
6. Ruthlessness
7. Surprise

These, more than the kicks and punches you train in karate, are the tools which will keep you alive when the worst case scenario occurs. In the following chapter, "The First Principle is Alertness," Jeff Coopers lays out the importance of what we in kenpo call Environmental Awareness, and describes some drills the student can use to develop it as an ability.

The First Principle is Alertness

"A commander may be forgiven for being defeated, but never for being surprised. This maxim is among the first to be impressed upon new lieutenants. It is equally applicable to individuals who aspire to a degree of physical security in today's embattled society. Alertness is, to some extent, an inherent personality trait, but it can nonetheless be learned and improved. Once we accept that our familiar and prosaic environment is in fact perilous, we automatically sharpen our senses.

Two rules are immediately evident; know what is behind you, and pay particular attention to anything out of place.

It is axiomatic that the most likely direction of attack is from behind. Be aware of that. Develop "eyes in the back of your head." Eric Hartmann, the WWII German Ace who is unquestionably the greatest fighter pilot of all time, (1405 combat missions, 352 confirmed victories), feel that he survived because of an "extremely sensitive back to his neck;" and conversely, claims that 80 percent of his victims never knew he was in the same sky with them. Combat flying is not the same as personal defense, but the principle applies. The great majority of the victims of violent crimes are taken by surprise. The one who anticipates the action wins. The one who does not, loses. Learn by the experience of others and don't let yourself be surprised.

Make it a game. Keep a chart. Every time anyone is able to approach you from behind without your knowledge, mark down an "x." Every time you see anyone you know before he sees you, mark down an "o." Keep the "o's" ahead of the "x's." A month with no "x's" establishes the formation of correct habits.

Observe your cat. It is difficult to surprise him. Why? Naturally his superior hearing is part of the answer, but not all of it. He moves well, using his senses fully. He is not preoccupied with irrelevancies. He's not thinking about his job or his image or his income tax. He is putting first things first, principally his physical security. Do likewise.

There are those who will object to the mood this instruction generates. They will complain that the do not wish to "live like that." They are under no obligation to do so. They can give up. But it is a feral world, and if one wishes to be at ease in it he must accommodate to it.

Anything out of place can be a danger signal. Certainly anyone you don't know approaching your dwelling must be regarded askance. It's 99 to 1 that he is perfectly harmless, but will you be ready if he turns out to be that other one who is not?

Certain things are obvious. An unfamiliar car parked across the street for long periods with people in it who do not get out. A car that maintains a constant distance behind you while you vary your speed. Young men in groups, without women, staying in one place and not talking. These things should set off a first-stage alarm in anyone, but there are may other signals to be read by the wary. Anyone who appears to be triggered out of watchfulness and into action by your appearance must be explained. Anyone observing you carefully must be explained. Anyone whose behavior seems to be geared to yours must be explained. If the explanation does not satisfy you, be ready to take appropriate defensive action.

A common ruse of the sociopath is the penetration of a dwelling under false pretenses. Anyone can claim to be a repairman or an inspector of one sort or another. It is often impractical to verify credentials but merely being aware that credentials may easily be falsified is protection against surprise. The strong need only remain watchful. The weak should take further precautions.

On the street let no stranger take your hand. To allow a potential assailant a firm grip on your right hand is to give him a possibly fatal advantage. Use your eyes. Do not enter unfamiliar areas that you cannot observe first. Make it a practice to swing wide around corners, use window glass for rearward visibility, and get something solid behind you when you pause.

All this may sound excessively furtive and melodramatic, but those who have cultivated what might be called a tactical approach to life find it neither troublesome nor conspicuous. And, like a fastened seat belt, a life jacket, or a fire extinguisher, it is comforting even when unnecessary.

Needless to say, no sensible person ever opens the door of his house without knowing who is knocking. If your entrance way does not permit visual evaluation of your caller, change it. The statistics may be against a threat waiting outside, but statistics are cold comfort after you discover that your case is the rare exception.

The foregoing suggestions are merely random examples of ways in which the principle of alertness is manifested. Situations are numberless, and specific recommendations cannot be made to cover them all. The essential is to bear always in mind that trouble can appear at any time. Be aware. Be ready.

BE ALERT."

Sound advice. There's a reason Environment is the first consideration of combat. You have to be aware of what is going on around you, who is a threat, where your escape routes are, and what you could use to defend yourself. Sometimes that means knowing where help is, sometimes that means knowing where the exits are. Sometimes that means knowing the terrain or the likely places for an ambush. Never walk by the entrance of a dark alley without looking down it first. Never leave a stranger at your back when you are alone.

The First Principle is Alertness. Practice it every day, and you may never need to resort to violence. Because you will avoid potentially dangerous situations before they become potentially lethal ones.

Drills -

Beginner: Practice walking into a room and immediately closing your eyes. See is you can identify ten objects placed throughout the room by name and location. Are there obstructions you could place between you and an opponent? Household items that could be used as environmental weapons? Everything in your environment can be used by or against you. Imagine ways in which they could be employed by you and your opponent.

Intermediate: Practice identifying potential striking targets on the people around you in public. Does the way the person stands in front of you in line at the taco stand make him vulnerable to unbalancing techniques? Does the heavy boxes a person is carrying down a flight of stairs make it more difficult for them to defend against low line kicks? Or does it give them a weapon to use against you? Engage this intellectual exercise as you go through your day to learn how to adapt to the position of any potential opponent.

Advanced: Think like a villain. Imagine how you would surprise and attack a potential victim. Look for dumpsters you could hide behind, dark corners that would cloak you in shadows, or blind corners where you could lay in wait. Understand how a predator would use these different aspects of the environment as lures or traps. The more you explore how your opponents would plan to attack you, the more prepared you are to avoid and react to those potential attacks.

On the Swept Plateau

   "When there is no wind, row."

                       -Chinese proverb      

                                  

Your karate training won't always progress at the same smooth pace. In the karate school we have a regular schedule of classes, curriculum, and tests; but your own personal growth in the arts will sometimes move in fits and starts. Sometimes you feel like you are on fire, like you pick up every new technique immediately. Other times you feel like you are plugging along, getting a little better all the time. You go to class, you hit the bag, and you feel yourself gradually getting stronger and faster.

And then sometimes you feel like you've been running and running forever. And one day you look around and it's been a long time since you saw any new improvements in skill and you start to question if it's worth it. Will my training ever pay off? Are all these repetitions, and bumps and bruises and scrapes, really making me better? You practice the forms and show up to spar but you feel like you're stuck. You can't see a horizon in any direction and you've gone so far without a major step that you've begun to lose context.

You're on the plateau.

The Way of martial arts is an upward winding path. Sometimes it is steep, and sometimes it is shallow, and there will be times when it seems to extend in front of you forever with no end in sight. It is easy during these times to become discouraged in your training. But that is just a part of the journey. The things that excited you about karate when the gains were easy and the time between rewards was minimal seem to have less of a draw now. Where you used to show up to class early chomping at the bit for the next technique or drill, now class seems a burden, and a part of you begins to justify not putting in the effort by focusing on how long it's been since you felt like you were growing.

Sometimes it happens at brown belt. Sometimes it happens at black belt. Sometimes it happens to a beginner. You keep doing what your instructors say, practicing the drills and performing the kata, but more and more it seems like a thankless chore.

The nights are dark on the plateau, and when the strong winds blow you have to make a decision. Do you keep training? Or do you stop training?

What you sometimes lose sight of when you are on the plateau is that there is only one secret technique of karate. Keep training. Regardless of how good you are or were or could be, if you keep training you will get better. The only way to stop getting better at karate is to stop doing karate. Left foot right foot. Better today, better tomorrow. Even when you're on the plateau the way to move forward is to move forward.

The wonderful thing about karate is that it works. And when you are on that plateau and you've been running and running, and you've been doing the repetitions and putting in the mat time, even though you didn't want to, you are training. You are training and training and training. And all that training pays off. You don't see it while you're doing it. But then another day comes, and you look around and realize you can suddenly see so much farther than you could before. Now you can see the long flat plateau below you, and how far you've come, and you can see the slope of the land from a perspective you didn't have lower on the path. The plateau is always followed by a massive leap in skill and understanding.

This can be a challenging time in your training as well. When you suddenly realize how much better your front kick can be you also suddenly realize that the front kick you felt confident and proud of before is beneath your new standard. It feels like all your skill has disappeared. But it hasn't. Your new understanding gives you the opportunity to grow further than you knew was possible before. But you have to keep doing the hard work that got you there. Right foot left foot.

When you are on the plateau it can be easy to lose perspective. You forget the gains you've gotten from your training before. You forget your victories. The plateau is not a place of victories. The plateau is not a place of defeat either. In some ways, that would be easier to deal with. FAILING means Finding An Important Lesson, Inviting Needed Growth. Instead the plateau is a place of interminable perpetuity. It is a challenge to the spirit. It is a battle with the self.

If you press, if you lean into that strong wind, you will leave the plateau behind you. Your mind will blossom, your skill will grow, and the scales will fall from your eyes. You will see karate as you never had before and you will express your new understanding and ability in everything you do. But the time for training is not done. You must continue to chop wood. And then, one day, you will look around and realize hot coals have fallen to embers, boiling water has grown tepid, long shadows cross the land and you can't see the horizon in any direction.

There are always more steps. There are always more plateaus. There is no ending to the challenges to the body, mind, and spirit. Karate is not a thing you finish learning. But when you have been through a plateau before you know what to do when you find yourself tired, empty, and parched.

Left foot. Right foot. Lean into the wind. Keep training. Keep showing up.

You will climb beyond the next plateau, and the next, and the one after that. Because karate teaches us to never give up. To apply ourselves to our training every day. To keep climbing.

You will find yourself on the plateau someday. You may have before, you may be there now. It is not the end. It feels like you've been running for ever and ever because you have been. You are getting somewhere soon.

Keep running.

Drills -
Beginner: Practice each of your techniques twice. Then practice them again three times each. Then again five times each. Then again three times. Then twice. Practice your techniques until you think you aren't getting anything out of it anymore. Then practice your techniques one last time. You will never finish practicing. You will never do "enough" repetitions. After a hundred, or a thousand, or ten thousand, you can still do five more and get better.

Intermediate: There will be times when you get tired of practicing the same drill or pattern again and again. You will want to skip around, or only practice your favorite techniques, or hurry through your kata practice so you can get to "the fun stuff." Remember, even if you've had this class, or done this activity, or sparred with this training partner time after time after time there is still a new lesson, right there in front of you. You will never stop learning from Short Form 1. Find joy in the drudgery. Embrace the chores and celebrate doing the daily work. The practice is the method.

Advanced: You have experienced training plateaus before. You know what needs to be done to break through to the next level, but you will still feel the miles as they pass beneath your feet. You will become parched, but you can quench your thirst with the sweat of your brow. You will grow cold, but you can warm yourself in the fires of your will. The plateau is no longer a frightening place for you. It is a predictable place, where the terrain is familiar and comforting and the time passes easily. Keep training. The next evolution is just ahead.

The Purpose of Patterns

Michael Rosenbaum's scholarly work Kata and the Transmission of Knowledge in Traditional Martial Arts seeks to identify the history, development, and original purpose of kata (forms) as a training excercise in warrior traditions throughout human history. His indepth account of the martial practices of ancient peoples and the influences which acted on their deployment of soldiers and the design of their weapons and armours gives the reader a new understanding of the esteem in which those warriors traditions held the practice of kata.

From the Introduction

"The great Chinese writer Chaung Tzu once said,

The fish trap exists because of the fish; once you've gotten the fish you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit; once you've gotten the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning; once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can have a word with him?             

-(Chuang Tzu, 140)

Like the fish or rabbit trap, kata exists because of combat. Once its lessons were recorded and then understood, the form was set aside so that the "meanings" Chuan Tzu wrote of would become clear.

Although "kata" is a term used often by modern martial artists to describe pre-arranged sequences of techniques, the word is a by product of the Asian fighting arts. In actuality, the practice of combative techniques in pre-arranged forms is a methodology that has been used by many cultures throughout history, from the Roman soldier whose drills taught striking with the shield and then stabbing with his gladius, to modern day karate-ka whose kata is executed so crisply in their starched white gi. The use of kata or pre-arranged training routines is a long standing tradition that has been employed in most fighting arts in some form or fashion. Even in those societies whose combative systems may not have been subject to the same systematic methodologies, as is found within many Asian and European fighting arts, some means were used to preserve and to transmit martial knowledge. In some cases transmission of techniques was accomplished in a highly organized manner as during the Renaissance of Europe when mathematics, the printing press, and codified techniques all came together to present a highly scientific - and at times overly analytical - analysis of the fighting arts. Yet on other occasions, the transmission of technique has been accomplisherd in less formal, but still eloquent means. Thomas Arnold observed about the Swiss and their martial arts that,

This was an important development, for though the Swiss and the landsknechts certainly possessed elaborate, sophisticated and effective tactics, they apparently had almost nothing in the way of written drill. Theirs was a culture of war, not a science - it was taught by old soldier to new, and never was really codified or regularized.

-(Arnold, The Renaissance at War, 64)

In each case the intent was almost the same; to preserve and pass on knowledge of battle proven techniques, that could be used at a later date when the need warranted. These routines of transmission also allowed the man-of-arms to practice certain techniques in a repetitive manner. This allowed him to perfect skills and gain artistry that made the execution of his techniques nearly as natural as walking down a city street.

Kata and pre-arranged training routines were not the only methods used to transmit and preserve martial knowledge. Dance, poetry, and written texts were used extensively to record historical events and preserve knowledge related to a society, its existence, and its martial prowess. In the early English epic Beowulf, the power opens with mention of the "Spear Danes" and that "the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness." (Heaney, Beowulf, a New Translation, 3) Beowulf is not the only poetical verse that tells of a culture's martial prowess. Homer's Illiad is filled with passages that detail combat of the early Greek society and shows us that the development of sophisticated fighting arts by mankind is a very old practice. Dance was another medium used to practice and record martial knowledge. Both the Zulu tribes of Africa and early Filipino martial artists used dance to transmit techniques and even train warriors. The use of written text has also played an important role in spreading knowledge of the martial arts. In Europe during the Renaissance period the printing press proved to be of great value in the production and distribution of fighting arts manuals.

To study the history of kata and pre-arranged routines is to also explore methods of communication, as they went hand in hand with the practice of pre-arranged practice patterns. In fact, the same creative process that was used to develop dance, writing, and poetry was also used to create kata. Just as physical shape and form is given to what were often ideals of an abstract nature, kata embodies the essence of the arts of war. It allowed man to identify, segment, practice, and then transmit concepts and techniques that otherwise would be lost in the chaotic realm of hand-to-hand combat. As Joseph Campbell said about man's ability to give physical shape to such ideas, removing them from an abstract process and thereby giving both form and meaning to the process itself, "The craft holds the artist to the world, whereas the mystic, facing inward, may be carried to such an extreme posture of indifference to the claims of phenomenal life as that of the old yogi with his parasol of grass in the Hindu exemplary tale, "The Humbling of Indra" (Campbell, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space, 89) For the fighting arts practitioner, kata or pre-arranged training routines are the bonds that holds them to this world. They are the physical manifestation of the fighting arts. Without them, and the techniques of which they are comprised, we have nothing but theory.

For the pre-modern or classical martial artist, kata practice was not just an empty routine performed for aesthetically appealing reasons. It was instead a complicated training ritual used to instill martial behavioral patterns and responses that were critical to their survival. Kata and the use of pre-arranged routines, allowed the classical martial artist to preserve techniques and behaviors that had proven successful in mortal combat. They were the "craft," that Joseph Campbell spoke of that provided the warrior with a rationalized means to examine the battlefield's chaotic realm and then perfect ways to survive on it. Dr. Karl Friday said about the influence of Confucianism on Japanese martial arts and their own use of kata that;

This infatuation is predicated on the conviction that man fashions the conceptual frameworks he uses to order and therby comprehend the chaos of raw experience through action and practice. One might describe, explain, or even defend one's perspectives by means of analysis and rational argument, but one cannot acquire them in this way. Ritual is stylized action, sequentially structured experience that leads those who follow it to wisdom and understanding."

-(Friday, Legacies of the Sword, 105)

Wisdom and understanding. That is the purpose of the practice of kata. We do not practice our forms for the approval of others, nor for the beauty of their physical performance. We practice the forms to gain wisdom and understanding. The practice is study. Training. It instructs us in its very execution.

Drills -
Beginner: Practice your forms again and again until you can perform the movements without faltering or stopping. Once you can perform the form in this fashion, you can then begin to make the movements your own through repetition and the application of emotion.

Intermediate: Perform your forms with only the upper body moving and the legs held still. Then perform them with your arms still and only the legs moving. Practice your forms in this way again and again, but remember to return to the entire body performing. The purpose of isolating aspects of forms in this way is to focus on perfecting those specific movements, not to forgo your study of the rest of the pattern.

Advanced: Practice your forms with intensity and explosive breathing with each major movement. Then practice them with grace and smooth, flowing motions. Practice them with kiai and stomps, and again breathing through the nose and gliding across the floor. Learn from each of these activities. Make each of them your own.

Kenpo Class an International Phenomenon!

Kenpo Class by Dunham's Martial Arts now has readers in the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Denmark, Kuwait, the United Kingdom, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Germany, India, Brazil, Latvia, Pakistan, Ireland, Mexico, Canada, Sri Lanka, Slovakia, the Ukraine, the Philippines, Romania, Argentina, China, Slovenia, Israel, France, Poland, and Iran!

We'd like to thank our readers all over the world for making us a part of their journey. We appreciate all your support in making this site a valuable source of information for martial artists of all styles and methods. We will continue to provide you with the kind of historical, philosophical, and instructional material which has kept you coming back for the last six months.

Thanks for helping us grow, and for recommending our site to your friends and fellow practitioners. We are all training in the Way together, and as the instructor learns from the student so too do we learn from all of you. Feel free to leave comments or feedback on our articles, we always love to hear from our readers!

Thanks again world. Thanks for coming into our school and being a part of Dunham's Martial Arts. Our head instructor Mr. Dunham believes we can work together to "Create a Great Day!" Thanks for being a part of that effort!

Drills -
Beginner: Practice the arts of your homeland. In North America, we have Western Boxing, Western Wrestling, several forms of Native American arts, and a variety of forms of folk wrestling and traditional fisticuffs. Look around at your local schools and gyms for ideas from local practitioners.

Intermediate: Practice the arts of other lands. Explore the Capoeria of Brasil, and the Chuan'Fa of China, and the Karate of Okinawa, and the Kendo of Japan and the Systema of Russia. Study how the techniques and methods of each style were influenced by the cultural and historical context of the time in which those arts were developed. Learn why each art is practiced the way it is, and how the same contributing influences affect the style that you practice.

Advanced: Practice the dead arts of antiquity. Ninjutsu as it is practiced in the Bujinkan is a recreation of Nine dead ryu. The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts is an organization devoted to recreating the European medieval and renaissance styles of armed and unarmed combat. Seek out these practices which have faded from common practice. Even some arts like Muay Boran and Limalama which are not truly dead, but are less commonly practiced, have a wealth of techniques to learn and study. In many cases these arts died because peace broke out across the land and a combat art like Sumai became a sport art like Sumo. In other cases, invasion from a foreign culture or an evolutionary shift in weapons and tactics made warrior arts, such as the practice of European Longsword techniques, obsolete to the professional soldier. In those cases, the practice of one art was replaced by the practice of another. Seek out these lost arts and learn from their methods.

A Universe Filled with Motion

We speak of "linear" and "circular" strikes in kenpo. A front kick or a straight punch are "linear" strikes. A wheel kick or backknuckle are "circular" strikes. But even “linear" strikes are, in truth, circular paths of motion. The circles may be elongated, but due to the inherent shape of the human body, the weapons still rotate around a central axis in order to strike. So for instance, while a side thrust kick would be considered a "linear" technique, in order to execute that kick the leg must be rotated within the hip socket and the path of the foot from point of origin to point of execution will create an arc.

But even understanding that for the purpose of training we still delineate techniques into "linear" and "circular.” And we describe those paths with the Universal Symbols.









There are many versions of this image, but this one will suffice for this discussion.

Within the universal symbol we can see many instances where "circular" lines become "linear" and vice versa. We can imagine, for instance, an outward extended block could become an inward handsword strike such as in the technique Sword of Destruction. In that case, the path would look like this.








However, if you could turn that two dimensional image into a three dimensional one, you would see that image like this,














I took that image from Michael Billing's Kenpo Karate site, and he got it from Jeff Brady's New Mexico Tiger Dragon Kenpo Karate Site.

When viewed in three dimensions you can see that what was previously thought of as a "linear" movement, is in fact only linear from a limited perspective. In truth, while the hand may follow a linear path of motion from point of origin to point of execution, the arm rotates around the joint, which is attached to the core which rotates around the body's center, resulting in a complex interconnectedness of linear and circular movements.

So, while some techniques appear linear in execution, the structure of the body requires that they incorporate circular motion for execution.

Articulation of the body occurs at joints where two or more bones meet. Depending on which parts of the body are being articulated, different types of joints allow for different ranges of motion. While some of these joints allow for little or no articulation, others allow for a great deal of movement.

Amongst those that allow for the least range of motion are the synovial joints, like those which attach the individual pieces of the skull to one another. For our purposes, these joints allow for such limited articulation as to be unimportant to our discussion of motion, though understanding them has value when discussing targets. Amongst those which allow the greatest range of motion are the ball and socket type joints, like in the hips. While those joints allow for a greater range of motion, in a greater number of possible directions, they are still limited in many ways, and do not allow for infinite motion.

A great number of other factors, including the length of the bone and muscle fibers, and muscle strength, determine the range of articulation, but ultimately, while the movement of the individual parts of the body can be explored infinitely and categorized limitlessly, that motion itself is limited and finite.

So, when discussing how the relationships of circles incorporate "linear" techniques, we can take two divergent approaches. We can either say that the "linear" techniques run parallel and perpendicular to the circles in the techniques, which is akin to looking at the universal symbol in two dimensions, or we can acknowledge that "linear" techniques are in fact simply less obvious circular motions, which is akin to looking at the universal symbol in three dimensions.

Understanding both is important to the overall goal of understanding motion as it applies to self defense. When defending or attacking, the student should recognize that more linear or more circular paths of motion have benefits according to the specific context of the situation, for instance, linear motions may be faster or harder for the opponent to identify, while circular motions may be more powerful, more fluid, or circumvent the opponent's defenses. At the same time, the student should understand that "linear" and "circular" are artificial categorizations, and that his applications of motion incorporate circular movements, both in the path the weapon moves through and the way in which that weapon moves in relation to the body, ie. the articulation of the joints, and that his, and his opponent's weapons both have capabilities and limitations which must be considered, and can be exploited.

Drills -
Beginner: Identify each of your basics on your belt charts as either "linear" or "circular." Practice these basics on pads, paying special attention to the path of execution of each basic.

Intermediate: While sparring, Student A only uses "linear" techniques. Student B only uses "circular" techniques. Alternate.

Advanced: Student A faces 12 o'clock while Students B and C circle Student A. Students B and C may attack with single strikes any time they are standing between 9 and 3 o'clock relative to Student A. Student A defends and may attack Students B and C at any place on the circle, using "linear" and "circular" strikes according to their relative positions.

Ground Fighting: Student A on their back, Student B rotates through nine positions. Mount, Side Mount, Reverse Scarf, Scarf, North South, Reverse Scarf, Scarf, Side Mount, Mount. At each position, both Students pause to identify possible striking opportunities. Alternate. Increase intensity and introduce spontaneity.

A Woman's Tips for Safe Sparring

Monica Mccabe-Cardoza's A Woman's Guide to Martial Arts provides an interesting look into her experiences as a student of Karate. In the book, she describes some of the challenges faced by women who choose to train in the martial arts and how those challenges can affect their experience and whether or not they continue in their practice. One point in particular that she raises again and again throughout the book is the subject of sparring.

For her, sparring was a constant challenge. The chapter in her book which specifically deals with sparring is titled “The Biggest Fear.” And in that chapter she describes how she and other women she had met and trained with struggled with their fear of sparring and methods that they were able to use to overcome that fear.

First she lists what she considers the three most important traits to develop for successful sparring. Attitude, Instinct, and Intelligence. While much of her book places emphasis on the importance of practicing basic techniques, she writes that in combat, “Developing a positive attitude can mean the difference between quitting and persevering. Fine-tuning your ability to detect what your opponent has in mind for you helps ensure your protection. And using your mind as much, or more, as your physical abilities will allow you to outsmart the competition.”

Then, at the end of the chapter she lists several important tips for excelling at and enjoying your sparring practice.

Page 118

“1. Relax. A certain amount of tenseness can help your sparring by keeping you alert. Too much, and your moves won't be effective.

2. Defensive strategy works. Once you've blocked your opponent's technique, then you can look for an opening to apply your own technique.

3. Avoid putting yourself at risk. Keeping your eyes on your opponent begins even before the first technique is thrown. Never, ever take your eyes off your opponent.

4. Keep it simple. Not only are basic techniques effective, they are less likely to get you injured.

5. Kiai. Use a deep abdominal shout as you throw a technique. It will unnerve your opponent and make your technique stronger by coordinating your exhale with your movement.

6. Keep your mouth closed. Keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth to prevent it from resting on your front teeth.

7. Analyze your opponent. Analyze your partner's height, weight, strength, and even the length of his limbs. Not all opponents are created equal.

8. If you send signals, make sure they're mixed. Use set ups for techniques, but don't languish in any position long enough to telegraph your thoughts to your opponent.

9. Study your classmate's favorite techniques. Analyze each student for the one or two techniques they consistently throw. Observe the tactics with which they approach sparring.

10. Pay attention to what your instructor says – to an extent. Do not put yourself at risk in an effort to please your instructor. Defend yourself at all times, and be careful when attempting difficult moves.

11. Hide your emotions. By hiding and controlling your emotions, you confuse and unsettle your opponent. Stay calm and you will put your opponent off guard.

12. Don't always think linear. Step around your opponent. Then get your technique out before your opponent has time to turn around. Move forward and backward only when it compliments the movements of your partner.”

Mccabe-Cardoza's tips apply to each of us, male and female, and can be used to positively inform our approach to sparring. For many of us sparring is intimidating, or even frightening. That is why at Dunham's Martial Arts we empower you with a thorough study of footwork, defenses, techniques, combinations, and counters before you begin sparring. So that you will have a skill set to apply once you enter the confrontation with your opponent. But even then, sparring is a challenge to the spirit.

To stand in the face of violence and resist it. To exert control over a dynamic situation and bring order to chaos. The chaos of the fight, but also the chaos within. To temper your skills in the fire of your will. That is what we truly learn from sparring. Yes, we practice the application of the physical technique against a resisting opponent. But more importantly, we conquer fear. We conquer uncertainty. We conquer ourselves. Remember the words of Lord Yagyu.

Mccabe-Cardoza gives us another piece of advice in her chapter on sparring. One that addresses this very topic. “You can't be afraid to get hit,” she writes, “if you let fear overcome you, your techniques will get sloppy and you'll be more likely to look away, exposing yourself to injury. You've got to learn to build your confidence, and at the same time, learn to trust your partners.”

Martial Arts is a challenge to us all. Women. Men. Children. Students. Instructors. We each have our own perspectives and approaches and we each bring our own experiences and fears to our training. That is why we learn from one another. That is why each of us is better when all of us are in class. Because seeing the strength a student demonstrates when they overcome their biggest fears in the karate school may be all another student needs to do the same.

Drills -

Beginner: Practice staying relaxed during sparring. Take deep breaths, sit low in your stances, and move with slow, deliberate steps. When the opponent engages, defend with strong blocks and hold your ground, then continue breathing deeply when he retreats. Learn to conserve your energy and stay calm until your opponent is gassed. Pay special attention to the attitudes of your training partners. If they are reacting negatively to the intensity or contact level of the assigned activity, offer to lower the intensity to a level they are more comfortable with.

Intermediate: Alternate periods of relaxation with explosive action. Flow through your stances and foot maneuvers with grace and ease using deceptive angles and blocking techniques to defend against your opponents attacks without countering. Then without warning explode directly at his centerline with bursts of linear strikes. Before he is able to adjust to the new pace of the engagement return to evasion and dancing, continuing to lull your opponent into lowering his guard before exploding unexpectedly with another burst of strikes. When training in ground grappling or other close contact positions be respectful of your training partners. Male or female, in the dojo we are all karateka, and we are all alike in our gi. Never intentionally behave in any fashion which would make one of your training partners uncomfortable.

Advanced: Engage your opponent quickly and with prejudice. Analyze his size and stance, feed a few hand and foot techniques to gauge his reaction speed and likely defensive maneuvers, and then blitz with strikes to various targets to overwhelm his defenses. Seize, takedown, finish. Never give him a chance to defend himself or fight back. Always win. Practice caution when striking sensitive targets on your opponents. Internal, sensory, and reproductive organs, joints, the neck and spine, and nerve junctures are all targeted in your training, but remember that your training partners will feel the pain you inflict and respect their well being.

Get Fed and Fit at our Grand Opening Celebration!

This Saturday is the Grand Opening Celebration and Open House for Dunham's Martial Arts! Be sure to be there from 12pm to 2:30pm for a great time and some delicious, healthy food! Middleton All Natural Meats will be grilling hamburgers and brats and selling them for only $2 and donating the profits to A Hopeful Tomorrow to help disadvantaged children get exposed to the physical arts, and Thrive Personal Fitness will be offering us a variety of tasty treats such as Black Bean Quinoa Salad and their Healthy Snack Mix with fruit, nuts, seeds, and carob chips! These great recipes are perfect for getting the healthy body you want this Summer!

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• ½ cup cooked black beans
• Half an avocado, chopped
• ¼ cup red onion, chopped
• ¾ tsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp dried cilantro
• Juice from half a lime.

There will also be Door Prizes, Self Defense Demonstrations, Massages and more! You want to be here for this! Bring your friends and family, everyone can benefit from learning more about health and fitness! And it all starts on Saturday at Noon at our new location at 3526 S. National Avenue in the Bradford Center!



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Local businesses Abba Anderson Acupuncture, Black Owl Bread, and Spa Salubrious will also be on hand to give demonstrations and talk about their products and services! This is going to be an exciting dynamic experience you won't want to miss!

Join us Saturday, May 21st for our Grand Opening Celebration and Open House and stay tuned to Dunham's Martial Arts and Thrive Personal Fitness for more details!

Full-Contact Strategies

Jean-Yves Thériault is a living legend in Kickboxing. The website of the school he now teaches at gives the following biography of his accomplishments.

"Born on January 15th, 1955, he began his Martial Arts career in Jiu-Jitsu in 1972 where he achieved the rank of blue belt. In 1976, after only six months of training under the direction of Kyoshi John Therien he won his first Kickboxing competition. Two and a half years later, and a lot of hard work and determination he became the Canadian Middleweight Kickboxing Champion. In 1980, he won the title of the World Middleweight Kickboxing Champion, a position that he held for 15 years! He is a natural athlete who trains extremely hard, and has the greatest disposition. His ring name is "The Iceman" due to his intimidating icy stare and his cool demeanor in the ring.

Since he became a Champion, Jean-Yves has worked with many groups and charities, such as, the Big Brothers, Children's Wish Foundation, Laucan and numerous others. He is author of a book on his winning techniques and has a series of video cassettes on the science of combat sports. He is the subject of an hour and a half film produced by the National Film Board. He was voted Athlete of the Decade by the Sports Writers Association of his home province, New Brunswick.

Since his retirement on December 1st, 1995, (a 3rd Round Knockout of Marcus Reid) Jean-Yves still trains 5 days a week and teaches classes exclusively at all Therien Jiu-Jitsu & Kickboxing Schools. He is a role model for all Martial Artists today; he is humble, honest and down to earth. He is a devoted father and a friend to all of his students.

Today, Jean-Yves has also become a world-class promoter for the sport of kickboxing. With the aid of his friend Kyoshi John Therien, he is giving new, young fighters the opportunity to realize their dreams in the “Iceman Amateur Kickboxing Circuit.” He is a true ambassador for the sport giving back so other ambitious athletes can realize their dreams."

In 1983 he and co-author Joseph Jennings wrote a book entitled Full-Contact Karate. This book was essentially a primer for training and participating in full contact sport karate, specifically the kind that was then being promoted by the Professional Karate Association, an international Sports Combat promotion which was in many ways the UFC of the late 70's and early 80's. While much of the book discusses the specific techniques and rules of PKA full contact competition, the tips in the final chapter provide useful advice to any karate stylist, whether he chooses to compete or not. From the book,

Chapter Ten
Winning Fight Strategy
Page 197

"Your fight strategy and style begin to take shape in sparring sessions. Often a student will attempt to adopt the style of another fighter, which is a mistake because no two fighters are alike in their approach to the sport. Even though fighters sometimes look similar in posture and technique, they are quite different because of physical abilities and mental attitudes. It is best to constantly look into yourself for development because succesful fight strategy must be an ongoing process, using your own judgment along with the recommendations of your coach as ways of improving your fight game.

Experience has shown the following 25 points to be the most important in developing a full-contact karate figher's ring strategy. Study them and apply them to your training.

STRATEGY POINTERS

1. Your best beginning strategy in a bout is to fight a defensive fight with a strong offensive mental attitude. This means leaving deceptive openings, tempting your opponent to take chances, and then taking advantage of it when he exposes a weakness.

2. A successful fighter is a thinking fighter, who wins with a sharp mind capable of making the right decisions in a split second. This skill is more important than just using your physical abilities to slug it out. A smart fighter can outmaneuver a slugger, wearing him down and picking him off at will. Fight with your brains, not your brawn.

3. If a technique works, keep doing it until your opponent picks up on it.

4. Use a variety of techniques. If your opponent protects his head well, avoid the head and go to the body.

5. Learn to fight from the center of the ring, keeping control of your opponent and maneuvering him where you want him, such as into the corner or against the ropes.

6. When caught against the ropes or in a corner, use your front leg to keep your opponent off you. Escape the ropes by slipping to the sides. When in a corner, the only escape is straight ahead; fight your way out again by using your front kick to the midsection.

7. No matter how superior you may be to your opponent, never carry a fight longer than it takes to achieve victory. Trying to please the audience by keeping the fight going for more rounds could mean disaster because you are increasing the chances that your opponent will slip in a lucky punch that could knock you out.

8. If you see your opponent tiring, turn on the pressure, which will burn him out more quickly.

9. Never get involved with judging or decisions. If you feel bad calls are being made, tell your traininer and have him take care of it.

10. Listen carefully to your cornermen in between rounds. Your coach is capable of seeing mistakes and openings in your opponent that you may fail to recognize. Apply his advice and evaluate the results. If it works, fine; if not, seek another route.

11. Since you must execute eight kicks per round [this was a PKA rule], pay attention to the kick counter near your corner. He will hold up cards showing the amount of kicks you have thrown. It is wise to get your kicks in within the first half of the round when your stamina is at its strongest.

12. Do not rush in wildly at your opponent; pace yourself, attacking only when the possibility of scoring is good.

13. When in trouble, avoid mixing it up with your opponent. Keep him at bay with jabs and kicks until you can clear your head.

14. Apply faking techniques throughout your fight to check your opponent's reaction and to upset his defense.

15. Never fight your opponent's fight; always stick to your major strategy.

16. If  your opponent tries taking cheap shots, never retaliate by doing the same because you may end up being penalized. The referee will eventually catch the rule-breaking fighter.

17. If possible, observe videotapes of fighters you are likely to face in your weight division. This is an excellent way to develop a prefight strategy by observing weaknesses a fighter may have.

18. In training, fight an assortment of different fighters; tall, short, slow, fast, aggressive, defensive. Each fighter will offer you a variety of challenges, calling on you to add and subtract tactics from your fight strategy.

19. Always have some idea of what plan to use in the ring, even for a sparring session. These tacics should be discussed throroughly with your coach prior to any amateur or pro fight.

20. Keep your fight game basic. Do not try any technique that may look good but cannot get the job done. If a technique can't do damage, don't use it.

21. Never fear your opponent. If you are in top physical condition and have prepared yourself properly, you will more than hold your own. If you opponent notices that you're afraid, it will make him more aggressive. By carrying yourself into the ring with self confidence, you will gain respect from your opponent, whether he shows it or not.

22. Strategy and psychology are inseparable. Never let an opponent psych you out, no matter what antics he tries to pull at the weigh-in or in the ring. When you react to his shenanigans, he will know he's getting to you. My psych game is simply to smile prior to the first bell. Smiling and showing no emotion toward my opponent puts him on edge because he's not quite sure what to expect from me.

23. To avoid injury, cease all hard sparring one week before a fight and always lay off, except for some light calisthenics, two days before a match.

24. During a match, occasionally execute powerful rear leg roundhouse kicks to your opponent's guard to numb his arms and weaken his defense.

25. Learn from your mistakes. Three losses during the early part of my career did more to build my determination to succeed and will to improve than if they had been victories. When you lose in full-contact karate you really have no one to blame but yourself. Go back to the drawing board with your coach and never make the same mistake twice."


As I said, these tips apply to Sports Combat, while we focus primarily on Self Defense at Dunham's Martial Arts. But it should be clear where we can apply each of these lessons. As Professor Anderson said, “there are situational approaches that are not interchangeable and there are those that are;" and Thériault's text has much it can teach us.

About preparing for battle. About the proper mental attitude to adopt. About the physical and psychological approaches to fighting. About overcoming our enemies, both within and without. Even tips which seem to apply specifically to Sports Combat, such as those about watching tape and how to use the ropes and how to adapt your training before a fight, contain truths which we can examine. Study your opponents. Understand terrain. Conserve your strength. These are the teachings of Sun Tzu as well.

Thériault closes with what may be his most important lesson.

IN CLOSING
Page 206

"In my opinion, the way you carry yourself as a person outside the ring is as important as your strategy in the ring. No matter what position you hold in full-contact karate, whether it be amateur or world title holder, your actions reflect on the sport and everyone involved in it. Although some boasting and chest beating are all part of the fight game, it should not be taken to an extereme that would discredit the sport. When a fighter begins making a spectacle of himself he makes everyone look bad. A disrespectful attitude will make your position, no matter how high, a sour one in the eyes of fellow fighters, promoters, and fans.

Be proud of and confident in your abilities, but at all times try to understand the position you hold and its influence on young fighters who are coming up. The example of sportsmanship you set should be a healthy one that others will be proud to follow. Good ring conduct is often rewarded with victory.

Full-Contact karate training not only builds a strong body, but strong character in individuals as well."

Drills -
Beginner: Practice defensive fighting. Allow your opponent to take the initiative and do not concern yourself with striking or countering. Focus first on not getting hit through the use of evasion and blocking. The strikes that you have practiced will begin to follow naturally and spontaneously as your defense improves and you are able to create openings in your opponent's position. Let the fight come to you.

Intermediate: Practice offensive fighting. Push the pace. Advance against your opponent with linear strikes, using Push Drags, Crossovers, and Step Throughs coupled with Front Kicks and Vertical Punches to pursue them through the space. Practice combinations of strikes while always remembering to return to strong stances while stepping and moving. Everything comes from your base.

Advanced: Practice counter fighting. Allow your opponent to initiate the action, but direct his movements towards predicted paths of motion through the use of baiting techniques, zone coverage, and angular movement. Draw him into your defenses and then attack when he is out of position. Defend from long range, strike from close range, and practice Max Protect positions to cover and move in critical range. Program your opponent's actions so that you control the outcome of the battle.

Offensive Approaches in Sparring

“While the schools remain apart in thought and styles, they are bound together by the practice of sparring, which is the only standard value in the sport recognized by all who are responsible for advancing the true art of karate.”

Sihak Henry Cho
Korean Karate, Free Fighting Techniques

This month in our intermediate class we're working on Offensive Defense, which is the term we use to describe the type of Sparring we practice at Dunham's Martial Arts. Our base Sparring techniques are derived from the Freestyle (Sparring) techniques Mr. Parker describes in Volume 5 of Infinite Insights into Kenpo. Those techniques have been added to and expanded upon to create the list of Freestyle Techniques practiced in the school. Mr. Parker wrote that the practitioner should, “study these progressive patterns of attack [and] take the initiative to develop patterns of [their] own.” Undefeated Champion Full Contact Karate Fighter Bill “Superfoot” Wallace once wrote, “In Sparring, the basic movements and strategies evolve into an infinite number of patterns and variations. (Dynamic Stretching & Kicking, 1982)”

We will practice these infinite variations with an eye towards efficacy and application, but there are broader approaches which will help us to develop the tactics with which we address each unique encounter. Professor Dan Anderson addresses these approaches in his classic work on Sparring, American Freestyle Karate: A Guide to Sparring.

The first, he calls Direct Attack, a basic, singular attack executed with complete commitment. Professor Anderson encourages the practitioner to just “pick a target and go for it.” Direct attacks are set up with deceptive footwork which hides the movements the practitioner uses to close range with his opponent. Once within striking range, he identifies a vulnerable target and strikes out against it. Of Direct Attacks, he writes, “A Direct Attack needs full commitment. An explosive take-off, a follow through attack, and good timing. It all has to be there without any reservation. If it is not all there, chances are it will not go.”

The next approach is the Attack by Combination. The Attack by Combination is an expanded form of the Direct Attack. Instead of getting in range and firing a single strike to an unprotected target, the practitioner fires strike after strike to a number of targets in sequence, using each strike to create openings for the successive follow up stikes. Of the Attack by Combination he writes, “This type of approach is good for street fighting and full contact karate. The idea here is not to get into the “one hit and quit” attitude. Be able to execute both single hit and multiple hit sparring as each have their place and can be interchanged on various opponents.”

Next is the Indirect Attack. The Indirect Attack utilizes fakes, feints, sweeps, and set-ups to make your opponent “zig when he shoulda zagged.” The practitioner begins by identifying his opponent's reactions to certain movements, hand and foot techniques, aggressive posturing, even stance transitions. Then he uses his understanding of his opponent's pre-programmed responses to encourage his opponent to move out of position. It is then that the practitioner strikes, taking advantage of his opponent's momentary vulnerability. Of the Indirect Attack Professor Anderson writes, “An Indirect Attack works on the premise that you want to redirect your opponent's attention from point A to point B so that you can hit point A. You can use a combination of fakes and hooks/sweeps prior to the real attack. Nowhere in the book of rules does it say just one set-up per attack. This approach is good for your imagination so use it.”

Next is Attacking by Trapping. Attacking by Trapping is using stand up grappling techniques to draw your opponent within range of your long range striking techniques, as well as to hold him in place and prevent him from escaping. Professor Anderson makes a point of explaining that Attacking by Trapping is closely related to the practice of Street Fighting and Self Defense and that “there are situational approaches that are not interchangeable and there are those that are;” by which he means that some techniques are specific to combat sports, and some are specific to self defense, while there are still others which overlap the two disciplines. It is these overlapping approaches which we are most interested in in our study of sparring at Dunham's Martial Arts.

Finally he describes the Attack by Drawing. This method is subtle, and relies on baiting and controlling range to entice the opponent to attack when and where you are prepared to defend. The practitioner may leave targets seemingly unprotected or subtly press in to his opponent's critical range, or he may create distance instead and goad his opponent into an unbalanced charging attack. This method requires the practitioner to understand and control space and time, while monitoring his opponent's reactions to his movements. Consider the Territorial Imperative from our article on Nonverbal Communication. Understanding how your opponent will react to intrusions into his territory can give you keen insight into his fighting strategy. Professor Anderson instructs the reader to, “interchange these [methods] with the variations in your opponent's approach to best suit your own ends. Also be able to recognize them when they are being pulled on you.”

Professor Anderson sums up the section on Offensive Approaches with these words. “In order to make the offensive (and defensive) approaches work, you have got to give total commitment to them. No half measures will do against anyone who is good at all.”

No half measures. In the Fire Chapter of his Book of Five Rings, Musashi wrote, “Who in the world can obtain my correct Way of the Martial Arts? Whoever would get to the heart of it, let him do so with conviction, practicing in the morning and training in the evening. After he has polished his techniques and gained independent freedom of movement, he will naturally gain miraculous powers, and his free and easy strength will be wonderful. This is the spirit wherein, as a warrior, he will put these practices into action.”

Complete commitment. Total conviction. Practicing in the morning and training in the evening. There are no short cuts in martial arts, but there is a trick to it. Dan Anderson wrote his book because as a boy he wanted someone to show him the tricks. Well there they are. The Offensive Approaches. Direct Attack. Attack by Combination. Indirect Attack. Attack by Trapping. Attack by Drawing. These approaches are methods by which you can engage your opponent. That's why we call it Offensive Defense at Dunham's Martial Arts. You are still practicing self defense, but in this scenario you must engage your opponent. And Professor Anderson shows us several ways to accomplish that, before encouraging us to compound and combine the approaches themselves. Attack by Drawing, then when the opponent moves within range, Indirect Attack, then Attack by Trapping, then use a Direct Attack to a Vital Target. That is how the basic principles become “an infinite number of patterns and variations.”

Drills -

Beginner: Practice the Direct Attack in front of a mirror and with a partner. Watch yourself for tells such as changes in height, shifting balance, and shoulder shrugs which might betray your intentions to your opponent. Ask you partner to monitor you for tells as well and then alert you to their presence. Work on eliminating these actions from your techniques so that you can strike without warning.

Intermediate: Practice Combination Striking on the bags and on the body. Hands set up feet. Feet set up hands. Practice three or more strikes at a time, changing levels and ranges and alternating between inside and outside and linear and circular techniques. When you can incorporate all these elements into your combinations, you become very difficult to predict and defend against.

Advanced: Practice sweeps, fakes, and feints while sparring with your opponent. Upper Body Fakes and Lower Body Fakes can be used to set up your opponent and move him off balance. When working striking combinations, practice alternating between pure striking and using some of the strikes as fakes or grabs to the opponent's limbs. Follow up grabs with sweeps against the opponent.