Art of Combative Pressure

[Corey Minatani]

Hey everyone:

My dear friend and collegue Sifu Ken Smith has just recently submitted an article for your review.

If you know Ken, this is an explosive article under his topic "symphony of destruction" series! Seriously, Ken is a Full Instructor in Both NSI Tactical and Jeet Kune Do as well as a shodan in Okinawan Goju-Ryu.

Please check it out at:

http://www.geocities.com/wrcma/Home.html

Corey Minatani, WRCMA Central Washington RD

 

[Samurai]

JKD and Wing Chun teach us to apply forward pressure to the attacker to aid in our techniques. What about the "yielding" in Tai Chi Chuan or White Crane. How does this figure into the equation?

I am just looking for ideas with this...I have some ideas of my own as well.

Thanks
Jeremy Bays

 

[Corey Minatani]

uh...My friend Ken is all about crushing people in a very devastating manner, he doesn't work well with the idea of "yielding", he's so tall and strong, he doesn't have to!

But I will ask him for you...ok?

 

[Samurai]

There are basically four methods of dealing with a fully committed and deadly attacker.

1.) Hit First (The JKD Stop-hit)
2.) To Blast Through them (Forward Pressure)
3.) To Yield to their attacks and counter (Yielding)
4.) Block

Let's look at these one by one.

Option #1 is to hit the attacker first before he has the chance to fully launch his attack. This is usually the best answer because the attacker never has the chance to develop his technique and hurt you. The only trouble with this is that there usually are legal issues here that need to be dealt with if you are called to defend yourself in court.

Option #2 is to Blast. This is what this excellent article was trying to teach us. Maintain forward pressure on the attacker and "run them down". Dan Inosanto is quoted as saying that it is hard to launch a sucessful attack while you are stumbling backwards.

Option #3 is to yield to the attack and counter that the correct time. Many martial arts favor this method of dealing with the attack. There are great advantages to this method but sometimes this is not the best way to go.

One should only yield to force in order to "put the fight on your own terms". Yield and strike another time. Yield and Strike using the attackers own force against them.

Yield and Strike. This is the Yin and Yang of this method. One can not be effective without the other. Yielding begets the strike and the strike begets the yield.

Option #4- Block. This is the worst method to use in dealing with an attack. Blocking, as taught in most schools, is passive. I challege you to make your blocks ACTIVE! Use your "blocks" to strike with. Target soft spots of the body and block like a steamroller.

Thanks.
Jeremy Bays