Technique Discussion: Dropping The Storm & 5 Swords

[ATACX GYM]

Yeah just checked all the videos are up.A little blurry but they're there.I do some light technical bareknuckle no protections sparring with DTS too; exactly like several "more senior instructors" than I (I am merely a 5th dan) said could NOT be done.But we found how to do so within 2 minutes of being introduced to the technique (after I made this assertion,other IKCA guys said that they DID spar with DTS...even when some of them previously stated that DTS doesn't lend itself to practices like sparring in the first place.And I then asked what made them think that they had any form of combat skill with DTS if they didn't spar with it,and how could they inculcate skill with DTS into THEIR STUDENTS if they DIDN'T SPAR with it.I meant this question then and now with the utmost respect but with unwavering rigor.I am unaware of any method whatsoever that imparts combative skill without combative practices like sparring.If they or you or anyone else that you know has such knowledge? Please share with me because I'd like my ignorance on this subject to be alleviated as much as possible).I also have a video showing ATTACKING MACE while grappling,as I submitted a bjj blue belt just shy of his purple belt with this approach.Hope you enjoy.

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

5 Swords started as a count-drill, at the Crenshaw school... run by Mr. Sullivan. He knew 5S just fine.

The missing component in DTS is related to a concept called, "Strike Manipulation", which is dependent on "Depth Penetration". If Osoto Gari is your end desire or final goal, then the missing link is the setup leading to it off a strike.

"Ricocheting" (sp?) is another kenpo concept that cleans it up and make it work, nicely. Ricochet of the right hand contact into the backnuckle, so it skips off the block like skipping a rock across a pond. 'Target selection" = aim the backnuckle to the front half of the mandible, instead of towards the neck, and strike deeply and authoritatively enough to forcibly turn the guys head to his left, as if forcing him into a blindspot check. If your attacker is FORCED to turn his head sharply toward his left shoulder by the depth and direction of the strike, any left handed strikes will be positionally and mechanically inhibited. This means, he may still be able to throw that left, but it won't have any meat in it if his head has been shoved to look at his left shoulder with the right backfist.

Having "cancelled" the power in his left by cancelling his width zone with the depth of penetration and target selection of the right backfist, you have the time to set up and execute the Osoto. The misalignment created by the neck crank (via strike manipulation through the backnuckle that forcible cranks his face towards his left), will also jack up his ability to find his feet or waist to initiate a defense against the Osoto.

Once down, front stomp his grill, & go get lunch.

Kenpo techs are meant to demonstrate how an attacker is controlled through the physical application of C&P. Start with the C&P, and look for how they express themselves in the moves. If you start with the moves first, it will always be a swing-&-a-miss.

D.

 

[yorkshirelad]

I'm not a huge fan of throws, for the simple fact that if they're not done right or quick enough, you could end up putting yourself in a worse position than you started in. I'd rather opt for sweeping the leg, if possible.

I was trying to tie in a throw at the end of the technique which would be more applicable than Osoto-gari. Kaiten-nage would not compromise your balance at all, and would flow straight into the technique. It could also position the opponant as a shield if a second attacker was to engage in any direction, resulting in the first opponant being thrown into the second. You may not be a fan of throws, but they are important in completing kenpo as an art.

 

[yorkshirelad]

Once down, front stomp his grill, & go get lunch.
D.

Nice!

 

[ATACX GYM]

5 Swords started as a count-drill, at the Crenshaw school... run by Mr. Sullivan. He knew 5S just fine.

The missing component in DTS is related to a concept called, "Strike Manipulation", which is dependent on "Depth Penetration". If Osoto Gari is your end desire or final goal, then the missing link is the setup leading to it off a strike.

"Ricocheting" (sp?) is another kenpo concept that cleans it up and make it work, nicely. Ricochet of the right hand contact into the backnuckle, so it skips off the block like skipping a rock across a pond. 'Target selection" = aim the backnuckle to the front half of the mandible, instead of towards the neck, and strike deeply and authoritatively enough to forcibly turn the guys head to his left, as if forcing him into a blindspot check. If your attacker is FORCED to turn his head sharply toward his left shoulder by the depth and direction of the strike, any left handed strikes will be positionally and mechanically inhibited. This means, he may still be able to throw that left, but it won't have any meat in it if his head has been shoved to look at his left shoulder with the right backfist.

Having "cancelled" the power in his left by cancelling his width zone with the depth of penetration and target selection of the right backfist, you have the time to set up and execute the Osoto. The misalignment created by the neck crank (via strike manipulation through the backnuckle that forcible cranks his face towards his left), will also jack up his ability to find his feet or waist to initiate a defense against the Osoto.

Once down, front stomp his grill, & go get lunch.

Kenpo techs are meant to demonstrate how an attacker is controlled through the physical application of C&P. Start with the C&P, and look for how they express themselves in the moves. If you start with the moves first, it will always be a swing-&-a-miss.

D.

I speedily came to much of these conclusions myself when I first read the write up,but it's good to see a person (whom I assume to be) a senior IKCA member and black belt speak so knowledgeably and reasonably about this particular technique.

My idea,as I stated previously and perhaps you weren't aware of,is to execute the primary movements of DTS (and whatever other technique I/we train) pretty much regardless of the (civilian) self-defense scenario I or my students or others observing might find our/themselves in. So I sought to apply the backfist and takedown to skilled opponents and not just in the circumstances called upon by the "Ideal Phase",and I sought to do this while sparring and facing resistance.The chaos of sparring immediately forced modifications in the technique,but I was already more than proficient in executing the movements and primary components of DTS as I saw it when faced with NON-IDEAL attacks (C&P,HWD manipulation,takedown/throw with osoto preferred but basically get him to the ground violently,stomptastic finish,sub,or escape) regardless of the circumstance.I did this against armed opponents too.

But thank you for the explanation,I learned something from it and I appreciate your post.

Oh,btw in closing I'd like to ask a question: What if something goes wrong with the execution? What happens if the block or the backfist or the osoto is thwarted? What happens if instead of stopping the bad guy's omg haymaker smashtastic hook of doom with the double inside block and stuff; what happens if we bob and weave under the hook and we run the whole series of techniques from OUTSIDE the arm? Is the technique in your opinion still DTS or is it something else? I am asking this with all due respect and I am genuinely interested in your response.Thanks ahead of time.

With respect,

THE ATACX GYM

 

[ATACX GYM]

I was trying to tie in a throw at the end of the technique which would be more applicable than Osoto-gari. Kaiten-nage would not compromise your balance at all, and would flow straight into the technique. It could also position the opponant as a shield if a second attacker was to engage in any direction, resulting in the first opponant being thrown into the second. You may not be a fan of throws, but they are important in completing kenpo as an art.

I'm a major fan of throws.Major fan.I use a variant of Kaiten-nage (I oftentimes add a strike while passing under the opponent's arm,like a ridgehand to the groin;man that works wonders),and have been doing so for years.I actually spar with kaiten-nage all the time,and quite a few other aikido techniques.While weapons sparring,I regularly drill people with tenkans and irimi techniques.Yesterday I disarmed people all day during firearm disarming drills.Got shot a few times--not too often,but it happens pretty regularly during the month,like 5-6 times/month--but I was lots more successful when I added my throws,sweeps,displacments and wristlocks to my strikes and my hefty dose of running away.

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

I speedily came to much of these conclusions myself when I first read the write up,but it's good to see a person (whom I assume to be) a senior IKCA member and black belt speak so knowledgeably and reasonably about this particular technique.

My idea,as I stated previously and perhaps you weren't aware of,is to execute the primary movements of DTS (and whatever other technique I/we train) pretty much regardless of the (civilian) self-defense scenario I or my students or others observing might find our/themselves in. So I sought to apply the backfist and takedown to skilled opponents and not just in the circumstances called upon by the "Ideal Phase",and I sought to do this while sparring and facing resistance.The chaos of sparring immediately forced modifications in the technique,but I was already more than proficient in executing the movements and primary components of DTS as I saw it when faced with NON-IDEAL attacks (C&P,HWD manipulation,takedown/throw with osoto preferred but basically get him to the ground violently,stomptastic finish,sub,or escape) regardless of the circumstance.I did this against armed opponents too.

But thank you for the explanation,I learned something from it and I appreciate your post.

Oh,btw in closing I'd like to ask a question: What if something goes wrong with the execution? What happens if the block or the backfist or the osoto is thwarted? What happens if instead of stopping the bad guy's omg haymaker smashtastic hook of doom with the double inside block and stuff; what happens if we bob and weave under the hook and we run the whole series of techniques from OUTSIDE the arm? Is the technique in your opinion still DTS or is it something else? I am asking this with all due respect and I am genuinely interested in your response.Thanks ahead of time.

With respect,

THE ATACX GYM

I would offer this (even though some may find it abrasive): If you are trying to execute a technique in the Ideal Phase against any incoming attack, you have missed the point of kenpo entirely.

Mr. Parker was a big fan of music and musicianship as an analogy/metaphor. One learns music by learning the language (ABCDEFG, treble, base, pianissimo, forte, 3/4 and 4/4 timing), learning the keyboard if they are a pianist, reading music, etc. One develops the skills of tickling the ivories by spending hours running scales. One learns which notes go together well -- and which don't -- by learning to play (from the ideal phase of the sheet music) classics. Bach; Beethoven; mebbe get some jazz guys in there too as your tastes start looking outside the vanilla box.

But when you pack up your keyboard and head to a jam session, and are in the middle of a rhapsodic riff, you don't go back to running scales or playing Ode to Joy in up-tempo. You freestyle; you take the knowledge you have learned, the skills you have developed, assess the key and skill levels of the other musicians you are jamming with, and go off on a solo that fits the situation.

One should never try to pull off DTS, or any other technique. One should have learned, by drilling it, position recognition for setting up into an Osoto, and how to insert a strike into the setup. Think about all the things you would get eliminated from a judo match for if you did them. What if you developed this really great setup into seoinage... once in gripping range, you busted the other guy in the nuts with a knee, freed one hand just long enough to stick a finger in his eye, regained your grip, then elbow smashed him in the throat. THEN threw him. Well... that's kenpo. Put them together and rehearse it as a sequence, and it's a kenpo technique.

Thing most folks miss is... lets say you're in a brawl now, and wanna seoinage the guy. But the knee you usually bust him in the balls with isn't a good positional choice, and the hand you usually use to finger poke him is occupied with something else. Improv time. Poke him with the other hand, elbow smash him in the throat as a form of kuzushi to tip him into one corner for an off-balance, then knee him in the nuts on the way to the seoinage.

The techniques are not meant to be done the way they are written. They are written that way to teach the student how certain moves fit and complement each other better than others from specific positional constraints. If you duck under the right, AWESOME!! Crack him in the head, kidneys, spine, or back of the knee with someother really hard hit, shoot on his ***, and dump him with another throw. If you had good training and a good instructor, you will spot targets on the hand, wrist, elbow, biceps and ribs as his arm swings over your head, and clip at one or more of them as a "take that home with ya" parting gift. Then, maybe thwack him on another target, depending on what you see. But you learned the targets -- and how to look for them -- by drilling techniques. You learned that dropping a hammerfist with some downward clipping spin on it onto that kidney that is now right next to you causes more stuff to go wrong for the bad guy, because you drilled it in a technique that had that hammewrfist in it. You knew to blow that near leg out with a side thrust kick, because you trained it a bunch in Leaping Crane. Then you abandoned Leaping Crane, and put his neck in a super tight hadakajime and squeeze until stuff starts squirting out of his ears, because you trained that heavily in BJJ. BUT!!! you avoid taking him all the way to mata leon, because he has some buddies a couple yards away. So you quick-contract your forearm into his throat to start him choking on a muscle spasm (then shove him forward to the gorund to either smash his face or cause him to put his hands out to stop his fall, putting him in a 4-point position), because you're gonna need your hands free for his friends that are walking up to help him.

It's all a freestyle jam once the SHTF. But the skills you use in the jam were developed training the techs.

I play once in a while with my buddies in Nor Cal, all of whom are competitive judoka from the well-known San Jose state team, from USJA, Kodenkan schools, etc. We do stuff that's not allowed in a match. Not just the dirty wrestling (grinding kimonos across open cuts and such), but striking while on the way to a setup. Meaning, as you step to Osoto, use that knee and drive it into his quads or nuts or hip bone and keep pushing until you break through to the other side of his body where you finally use it for the trip. Vertical uppercut him in the floating ribs before gripping his gi low, and see if you cant seal his breath before launching him.

DTS, in my opinion, is just there to indroduce dirty judo to a bunch of kenpo guys who may have never been shown the throw before, and if they have, are too nice about how they do it. When I do seminars or classes, I ask the question, "What does (insert the name of any technique) teach us?" Typically, people respond with the moves. "DTS teachs us the double block and backnuckle as a setup to an osoto", or some such.

I would argue, "No. It doesn't. It teaches us something judo and aikijujutsu guys already know about throws, and that is... they go better if you soften the guy up a bit first by beating the crap out of him a little, before trying to toss him anywhere." Then I give them homework that requires them to think about the idea behind the technique, and globalize the idea into a wider range of skills. "Pick 3 more throws, break off with a partner, and come up with some good inserts that recieve an attack -- any attack -- then soften the guy up, then throw him, then finish him. You have 15 minutes, then will be expected to demo your creations for the rest of the class from the front. Ready? Go."

Now we're not teaching them a technique. We are teaching them to think, along a theme. Which is what the techniques are supposed to prompt in the first place.

Windy answer. Hope it helped.

D.

 

[yorkshirelad]

DTS, in my opinion, is just there to indroduce dirty judo to a bunch of kenpo guys who may have never been shown the throw before, and if they have, are too nice about how they do it.
D.

I think you're right about that Dave, but it's an extremely flawed technique. If techniques are words of motion, then this represents extremely poor spelling. Everything from the double block, to the expectation that Osoto-Gari will work from that position is wrong.

I agree that we should be drilling our techniques in order to attain an instinctive response, but drilling techniques such as this is damn right dangerous.

 

[punisher73]

I think you're right about that Dave, but it's an extremely flawed technique. If techniques are words of motion, then this represents extremely poor spelling. Everything from the double block, to the expectation that Osoto-Gari will work from that position is wrong.

I agree that we should be drilling our techniques in order to attain an instinctive response, but drilling techniques such as this is damn right dangerous.

First, can explain what you think the attack is in Dropping the Storm? Then what specifically do you find wrong with the technique?

Most of the problem is that no one on here has described what the attack is in Dropping the Storm. The attack is meant for a huge roundhouse punch meant to take your head off that has enough body momentum behind it to bring the attacker's right side forward with it, so his right foot is forward as well.

Next, in the video of DTS. The defense is shown incorrectly. As shown in the IKCA, the defense is a block with your left hand to the attacker's wrist as you hammer the bicep with your right hand. The right hand transitions in a teardrop path into the backfist, which is meant to turn the attacker's head and momentarily stun him. Then after making contact with the backfist you slam your palm onto the attacker's shoulder and secure the grip as you anchor your elbow, which checks his movement and also pulls him off balance as you enter for the reap. Left foot adjust for depth if needed, and then you execute the reap.

 

[MJS]

I was trying to tie in a throw at the end of the technique which would be more applicable than Osoto-gari. Kaiten-nage would not compromise your balance at all, and would flow straight into the technique. It could also position the opponant as a shield if a second attacker was to engage in any direction, resulting in the first opponant being thrown into the second. You may not be a fan of throws, but they are important in completing kenpo as an art.

I agree, it would help complete the circle, so to speak. I was simply saying that like anything, if something fails, we need to have plan b. As long as when throw a fails, you can transition to throw b or something else, then by all means, throw away.

 

[yorkshirelad]

First, can explain what you think the attack is in Dropping the Storm? Then what specifically do you find wrong with the technique?

You answered in the next paragraph. The attack is "a huge roundhouse punch".

Then what specifically do you find wrong with the technique?

I find all Kenpo techniques that require the defender to turn his back against his opponant's left side flawed. The technique then requires the opponant's momentum to magically stop when the block connects. I think Shiho -Nage would be a far more effective tool in the case, if the arm is blocked in this manner (It shouldn't be blocked in this manner). If a backfist was performed, then Shiho-Nage tenkan would suffice.

DTS would probably work agaist an uprooted tree. Block a branch, back fist the trunk and then sweep the remaining roots using Osot-Gari. Most people actually move when they've been punched in the face.

 

[punisher73]

You answered in the next paragraph. The attack is "a huge roundhouse punch".



I find all Kenpo techniques that require the defender to turn his back against his opponant's left side flawed. The technique then requires the opponant's momentum to magically stop when the block connects. I think Shiho -Nage would be a far more effective tool in the case, if the arm is blocked in this manner (It shouldn't be blocked in this manner). If a backfist was performed, then Shiho-Nage tenkan would suffice.

DTS would probably work agaist an uprooted tree. Block a branch, back fist the trunk and then sweep the remaining roots using Osot-Gari. Most people actually move when they've been punched in the face.

No, the technique does not magically require the momentum to stop. In fact, when you strike in that way, the attacker's arm will stop but his body/shoulder will continue in the path of the arc. This does alot of stuff that prohibits an immediate follow up with the left (especially since the left shoulder/arm is rotating in the opposite direction). There is no punch to the face, and I would agree most people do move when punched in the face. A backfist in this case moves the head to the side (reread Kembudo-Kai Kempoka's post) towards his left hand, again further negating an effective and immediate follow up by the attacker.

Why in your opinion should the arm not be blocked this way?

 

[Touch Of Death]

You answered in the next paragraph. The attack is "a huge roundhouse punch".



I find all Kenpo techniques that require the defender to turn his back against his opponant's left side flawed. The technique then requires the opponant's momentum to magically stop when the block connects. I think Shiho -Nage would be a far more effective tool in the case, if the arm is blocked in this manner (It shouldn't be blocked in this manner). If a backfist was performed, then Shiho-Nage tenkan would suffice.

DTS would probably work agaist an uprooted tree. Block a branch, back fist the trunk and then sweep the remaining roots using Osot-Gari. Most people actually move when they've been punched in the face.

You get inside the rotation. No Magick.
Sean

 

[yorkshirelad]

Why in your opinion should the arm not be blocked this way?

I've already told you, it leaves your rear dangerously unprotected. Would someone who is used to getting punched, like a good thai boxer ever use a double lock in this way?No! Why? Because he knows he would get his *** handed to him. Would the same Thai boxer use a downward block against a front kick? No! Why? Because he knows he would get his *** handed to him in the follow up. Apparently Atacx has used this technique over a thousand times in one day while sparring. All I cn say is,he must've been sparring Stephen Hawkins

 

[ATACX GYM]

I've already told you, it leaves your rear dangerously unprotected. Would someone who is used to getting punched, like a good thai boxer ever use a double lock in this way?No! Why? Because he knows he would get his *** handed to him. Would the same Thai boxer use a downward block against a front kick? No! Why? Because he knows he would get his *** handed to him in the follow up. Apparently Atacx has used this technique over a thousand times in one day while sparring. All I cn say is,he must've been sparring Stephen Hawkins

Trust me brutha,I have already had this discussion and it's very interesting.I sparred with it,as my videos prove.The bottom line? Punisher73 is right in a very specific regard: IF you are faced with someone who throws THAT EXACT omg whompalicious roundhouse of doom at you AND steps through with the right leg? The technique as written WORKS PERFECTLY.

The problem,however,is EXACTLY what you've noted,yorkshirelad: that exact sequence of technique almost never happens period even from unskilled people...and it is almost a 100% guaranteed likelihood that it will NEVER happen from ANYONE who's trained ANYTHING with ANY REAL SKILL AT ALL.Therefore,in the real world,the functionality of DTS is limited to ONLY the "Ideal Phase". My idea is to REPLACE this "Ideal Phase" with a "FUNCTIONAL Phase" that allows maximum performance by incorporating the primary "what-if" scenarios we find in civilian self-defense ranges (which again,are: long weapons range,kickboxing/standing,Clinch,Up-Seated where one party is standing the other is seated,Seated-Seated where both parties are seated,Up-Down where one party is grounded the other is not,Ground-ground where both parties are grounded,Multifight,Armed Variants of all of the above,Escape from all of the above,Rescue innocents/property/loved ones from all of the above,Rescue and Escape from all of the above) and rigorously test EACH TECHNIQUE SPARRING AGAINST EACH OF THESE SCENARIOS BEFORE BEFORE BEFORE BEFORE TEACHING THEM TO STUDENTS.

The results will be a very very obviously functional model that our students and other teachers will adapt to themselves anyway (as they should).But there will be NO DOUBT that the technique works.Could you imagine a boxing coach or Navy SEAL instructor going through all these histrionics about music and ideal phases? Truth is THEY WILL TEACH YOU WHAT WORKS NOW.As they SHOULD.Btw,the Ideal Phase has extremely limited functionality so Position Recognition is almost certain to fail in the real world because the Ideal Phase DOESN'T PRACTICE real world positions SO THEY WON'T RECOGNIZE IT.That's just true,and we need to acknowledge that and make the adjustments.Period point blank.

And I mean that with ultimate respect,punisher73 and the other very knowledgeable poster whose name escapes me but wrote an excellent response using music as metaphor and adding the fact that GGMEP loved music.

 

[punisher73]

I've already told you, it leaves your rear dangerously unprotected. Would someone who is used to getting punched, like a good thai boxer ever use a double lock in this way?No! Why? Because he knows he would get his *** handed to him. Would the same Thai boxer use a downward block against a front kick? No! Why? Because he knows he would get his *** handed to him in the follow up. Apparently Atacx has used this technique over a thousand times in one day while sparring. All I cn say is,he must've been sparring Stephen Hawkins

OK, we can agree to disagree then. This technique is designed to show a response to a specific attack to neutralize it. There are other techniques in the system that show other ways to deal with a roundhouse attack that doesn't "turn your back to his left".

What amazes me, is I've seen this same defense in some the FMA's. Think they would use it when defending against a knife if it was such a crappy defense?

Video showing the downblock as practiced in Muay Boran before it became a ring sport (muay thai).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCyD0q7a4GU&feature=related

 

[ATACX GYM]

I've already told you, it leaves your rear dangerously unprotected. Would someone who is used to getting punched, like a good thai boxer ever use a double lock in this way?No! Why? Because he knows he would get his *** handed to him. Would the same Thai boxer use a downward block against a front kick? No! Why? Because he knows he would get his *** handed to him in the follow up. Apparently Atacx has used this technique over a thousand times in one day while sparring. All I cn say is,he must've been sparring Stephen Hawkins

I used the technique over a thousand times and was in dire straits abouta thousand times in just the space of a day or two.I wish I WAS sparring Stephen Hawkins,because he wouldn't've kneed,swept,punched,tackled,threw,clinched,scrambled,tripped,or gone for weapons spontaneously at all...much less with the speed skill zest knowledge perception experience talent and athletic ability approaching anything that my sparring partners display.Lol.

However,Thai boxers use both the double block high and low vs power attacks and so have I.It works.I just don't do it in this DTS scenario of the wtfpwnage whomptastic roundhouse hook from hell because I've found it to be highly unlikely that anyone I'll face will feed me the perfect Ideal Phase attack that allows me to apply DTS without any problems whatsoever.Instead,as my videos demonstrate,I've found a very functional and effective way to execute these techniques vs skilled resistant opposition no matter what they do.Armed or not.Multifights or not.

 

[yorkshirelad]

What amazes me, is I've seen this same defense in some the FMA's. Think they would use it when defending against a knife if it was such a crappy defense?

To tell you the truth, yes, I think they would! Whe dealing with knife defense the rules change as far as I'm concerned. At that point the whole defense become a question of damage limitation, so my focus becomes my exit and if there is no alternative my focus becomes the knife itself. If this is the case, a control of the wrist on the inside is a viable technique.

Video showing the downblock as practiced in Muay Boran before it became a ring sport (muay thai).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCyD0q7a4GU&feature=related

Again, the block is dangerously flawed. This is Muay Boran. If a practitioner of Muay Thai uses this block in the ring , it would be a rare occurance or the fighter would be a beginner who was probably trained in another system. Trust me I've learned the hard way by trying to pull off down ward blocks while sparring experienced Thai fighters.

On the other hand, I'm sure there are some people who can pull off almost any technique. I would never advocate an aerial ax kick, in any situation. I was watching Mr. White's new DVD a few weeks ago (excellent training video btw) and saw Jamie Matthews pull this off with success in a kickboxing tournament. Mr. Matthews is extremely talented, he is the exeption rather than the rule.

 

[yorkshirelad]

I used the technique over a thousand times and was in dire straits abouta thousand times in just the space of a day or two.I wish I WAS sparring Stephen Hawkins,because he wouldn't've kneed,swept,punched,tackled,threw,clinched,scrambled,tripped,or gone for weapons spontaneously at all...much less with the speed skill zest knowledge perception experience talent and athletic ability approaching anything that my sparring partners display.Lol.
.

Thanks for seeing the funny side!

 

[Blindside]

What amazes me, is I've seen this same defense in some the FMA's. Think they would use it when defending against a knife if it was such a crappy defense?

I have certainly seen it, but at least in the FMA I learned it was a "oh crap, I am so far behind on time that I don't even have time to move, must stop knife from cutting me, get block up" and the risk from the other (potentially knife wielding) hand is just what i have to accept so I don't get hit by this one. The other is that we don't often practice against giant haymaker knife attacks because our assumption is a trained, skilled attacker, one who won't likely give you such an opportunity. Basically, if you can do anything else, you do it. Mostly I show that defense from the attackers viewpoint of how to completely mess up the defender, it isn't something we want to encourage.