Keeping your stance in self defense.

Kung Fu Wang

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The problem with a sideways stance is it means you cannot attack or defend with your rear arm or leg, giving you less options in a fight. It also makes it easier for someone to hook-kick you in the back to knock you off balance.
Whether you are in a "side way stance" or not, if your opponent just moves in circle around you, you will be in "side way stance" no matter you like it of not. The angle between you and your opponent can be changed dynamically.

 

Paul_D

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Another martial artist who has mistaken fighting for self defence. "Bad guys" don't "fight" you. They use the four d's (Dialgue, deception, distraction, destruction) to take you out of the game before you even knew you were in it. They don't want to fight you, they want to take what you have with the minimum amount of fuss and risk.

The only time you are likely to find yourself in a fighting stance is if you agree to step out side for a square go. But that's street fighting, which is illegal, and has nothing to do with self defence.

As for all the talk of leaving yourself open to heel hooks, trained martial artists are not in the habit of agreeing to get into street fights with other trained artists, for one it is likely to be in the T&C's of your club that you will be thrown out for brining your association, art and club into disrepute.

Could you be attacked by a trained martial artist, yes. Is it going to be the sort of illegal activity which poses the biggest threat to your personal safety, probably not. Certainly not to the point that you need to devote large amounts of training into learning how to defeat people from other arts.

Fighting stances are for fights, either in the ring, the cage or the pub car park. Self defence however is a totally different ball game, and believing your physical prowess in the ring, cage or dojo is going to transfer into SD success is like believing table tennis lessons will help you win Wimbledon.

Just ask Maiquel Falcao And Kaue Mena.
 

Kung Fu Wang

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No matter which fighting stance that your opponent may use, The 1st thing that you can do is to move your back foot, line up with his both feet. This way you can have the following advantages:

- His leading arm can jam his own back arm, and his back arm will be hard to reach you.
- When you shoot in, no matter how he may move his leading leg, his leading leg will always be in your attacking range.
 

Tez3

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Fighting stances are for fights, either in the ring, the cage or the pub car park.

And if you are going to do that actually know what the stances are, what you can do when in them and then practice them...........


if your opponent just moves in circle around you,

I actually fought someone like that, kept going round and round until told by the ref to actually engage or get off. I won I think because they'd either worn themselves out or made themselves dizzy.
 

drop bear

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Another martial artist who has mistaken fighting for self defence. "Bad guys" don't "fight" you. They use the four d's (Dialgue, deception, distraction, destruction) to take you out of the game before you even knew you were in it. They don't want to fight you, they want to take what you have with the minimum amount of fuss and risk.

The only time you are likely to find yourself in a fighting stance is if you agree to step out side for a square go. But that's street fighting, which is illegal, and has nothing to do with self defence.

As for all the talk of leaving yourself open to heel hooks, trained martial artists are not in the habit of agreeing to get into street fights with other trained artists, for one it is likely to be in the T&C's of your club that you will be thrown out for brining your association, art and club into disrepute.

Could you be attacked by a trained martial artist, yes. Is it going to be the sort of illegal activity which poses the biggest threat to your personal safety, probably not. Certainly not to the point that you need to devote large amounts of training into learning how to defeat people from other arts.

Fighting stances are for fights, either in the ring, the cage or the pub car park. Self defence however is a totally different ball game, and believing your physical prowess in the ring, cage or dojo is going to transfer into SD success is like believing table tennis lessons will help you win Wimbledon.

Just ask Maiquel Falcao And Kaue Mena.

Ok. Self defence advice has to be presented as successful somewhere before you send the little tykes out into the real world against bad guys.

So regardless what bad guys do and don't do. What you have to do is have a system you can train that works.

And by works. I mean against a real person trying to stop you. If you can't do that. Excuses like rules or mats or that you don't have five guys backing you up honestly won't amount to a hill of beans.

So in the gym. Stances work. If you want to jump in against a guy with gloves on and have no stance and no plan you will get your face punched in.

For real in that environment.

If you are trying then to argue that had it been a guy with intent to hurt you bare knuckle and no rules you would have somehow faired better. Then you are making a logic leap that just does not make sense.

Now we can theorise on what to do outside a gym. How to lock your car doors or defend a sucker punch. But they are a tactical addition to basic gym trained methods that you know works. Rather than a replacement for it.
 

drop bear

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Whether you are in a "side way stance" or not, if your opponent just moves in circle around you, you will be in "side way stance" no matter you like it of not. The angle between you and your opponent can be changed dynamically.


Not sure what circling like that actually does. It is not like you are going to out maneuver the guy in the middle. He has a lot less distance to travel.

But yeah. Fight in three dimensions.
 

drop bear

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Ok. The street. I don't know why I seem to be the only person who has ever thought of this but.

You get attacked or threatened. Take a step back. Take control of your environment and gain as much advantage as you can.

Then you can fight with a stance and any movement you feel comfortable with. Dont be forced into their fight.

It is not brain science.
 

Kung Fu Wang

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Not sure what circling like that actually does. It is not like you are going to out maneuver the guy in the middle. He has a lot less distance to travel.
If you drag your opponent's arm (or clothes if he has), you can force him to either move with you, or resist against you. In either case, you can take advantage on his commitment.

It's similar to the wrestling "arm drag". You try to move behind of your opponent.


 
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