Picking up your feet in a fight.....

[Jared Traveler]

Today at Muay Thai one of the things we worked on was flying elbows and knees.

This has a lot of potential for sure! Coming down over the top of your opponents guard, that potentially deviating. But it reminded me of back when I was living by the gun, and often dealing with violent people. And reminded me of something I had considered long ago, back when I used to get adrenaline dumps.

When the stress of a street fight/violent attack is formulating, and your adrenaline goes up, people tend to freeze their feet. Subconsciously seeking balance, and stability. An almost unconscious instinct to want your feet grow roots in the ground. Making moving your feet a difficult thing to do mentally. I'm not saying a full blown "condition black" freeze response, but a bias towards the know and stability for sure.

Lifting your feet to kick or jump can instinctively seem like a really bad idea under stress of a violent encounter.

Is this something you have experienced? Of course this also makes walking away or running more difficult to do mentally. Perhaps we instinctively try to "protect the castle" and our imaginary personal bubble? Perhaps we fear being knocked down or pushed?

Whatever creates this bias towards immobility often results in people under acute stress to be a stationary target for sucker punches. Is it worth our time as self-defense instructors to make sure our students have a bias towards movement in a confrontation?

These jumping elbows just have me thinking about old survival lesson I use to think about many years ago.

On an unrelated note, I accidentally kicked my instructor in the balls today with a jumping fake teep. Oops. To be fair I kicked the belly pad first and it skipped down.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

When your opponent gets you in a double neck tie, if he uses right knee to strike you, you can use your right knee to strike the inside of his right upper leg (this can deflect his knee strike). You then hook your right leg behind his rooting left leg. With your hand push (or your forward body momentum), you can take your opponent down with very little effort (when your opponent is standing on single leg).

This is one of my favor knee strike counter. Not sure if MT schools train this move or not.

 

[Jared Traveler]

When your opponent gets you in a double neck tie, if he uses right knee to strike you, you can use your right knee to strike the inside of his right upper leg (this can deflect his knee strike). You then hook your right leg behind his rooting left leg. With your hand push (or your forward body momentum), you can take your opponent down with very little effort (when your opponent is standing on single leg).

This is one of my favor knee strike counter. Not sure if MT schools train this move or not.

This can be possible, but it's difficult because when you throw a knee in the clinch you typically focus on pushing their feet into the ground as you do it. Making it hard for your opponent to counter using his feet.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

This can be possible, but it's difficult because when you throw a knee in the clinch you typically focus on pushing their feet into the ground as you do it. Making it hard for your opponent to counter using his feet.

But "pushing your opponent's feet into the ground" during clinch is a 2 ways street. A can do it on B. B can also do it on A. Who is pushing who's feet into the ground depends on the skill level. In theory, if A and B are on the same level, nobody can raise his knee.

- If A raises knee to strike B, B push A's feet into the ground.
- If B raises knee to strike A, A push B's feet into the ground.

This also happen in wrestling a lot.

- A tries to throw B, B shakes A.
- B tries to throw A, A shakes B.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Good lord. "...when I was living by the gun..."

 

[Jared Traveler]

Good lord. "...when I was living by the gun..."

Have you ever done a big city, inner city police ride along, on say a Friday night at the first of the month?

 

[Holmejr]

When I was young and practicing MT I could do this plus throw two knees simultaneously. Very combative and overwhelming for the unsuspecting assailant. If I tried that now…gulp…hurts thinking of it.

 

[Holmejr]

Good lord. "...when I was living by the gun..."

I’m sure that you meant it I jest.

Haha, does sound a bit Doc Holidayish, but unless we’ve walked in a cops shoes I wouldn’t be too quick mock.

 

[drop bear]

Have you ever done a big city, inner city police ride along, on say a Friday night at the first of the month?

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

When your opponent gets you in a double neck tie, if he uses right knee to strike you, you can use your right knee to strike the inside of his right upper leg (this can deflect his knee strike). You then hook your right leg behind his rooting left leg. With your hand push (or your forward body momentum), you can take your opponent down with very little effort (when your opponent is standing on single leg).

This is one of my favor knee strike counter. Not sure if MT schools train this move or not.

My fave for knee check

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

This can be possible, but it's difficult because when you throw a knee in the clinch you typically focus on pushing their feet into the ground as you do it. Making it hard for your opponent to counter using his feet.

Do like a double bounce to release the press. It works often.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Have you ever done a big city, inner city police ride along, on say a Friday night at the first of the month?

I was a Marine MP and then worked in civilian law enforcement. LOL.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I’m sure that you meant it I jest.

Haha, does sound a bit Doc Holidayish, but unless we’ve walked in a cops shoes I wouldn’t be too quick mock.

I have.

 

[Jared Traveler]

I was a Marine MP and then worked in civilian law enforcement. LOL.

Doing what in civilian law enforcement?

 

[drop bear]

The thing is people throw flying kicks in the street.

And anecdotally. This works a lot.

So it is not a universal approach to stress.

 

[Jared Traveler]

The thing is people throw flying kicks in the street.

And anecdotally. This works a lot.

So it is not a universal approach to stress.

Yeah, I agree it's not universal. It's something to consider if you have a lot of kicks in your strategy. Picking even one foot up to kick can be hard if you get a mild dose of the freeze response. It makes me wonder how much visualization can help overcome this if it's experienced.

I agree flying attacks can be extremely devastating.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Doing what in civilian law enforcement?

Not "living by the gun," whatever that means.

 

[geezer]

Not "living by the gun," whatever that means.

I can think of two possible interpretations:

1. Your gun is your means of securing a living like being a "highwayman"....or perhaps a hit-man or sicario. Not exactly how I perceive LE though.

2. Even worse: Literally "living by the gun" like my gun-nut brother after his divorce, in a tiny garage apartment full of gun safes and hundreds of guns (which he collected and was licensed to deal. Barely enough room for a tiny cot to sleep on!

Happily he lives a much more normal life these days. Still an avid gun collector, competitor and enthusiast though!

 

[Jared Traveler]

Not "living by the gun," whatever that means.

It becoming abundantly clear to me that you haven't. If you truly have you would understand. I'm glad I survived to come home to my kids every night. Not all of my friends were that lucky. They have kids growing up without father's now.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

It becoming abundantly clear to me that you haven't. If you truly have you would understand. I'm glad I survived to come home to my kids every night. Not all of my friends were that lucky. They have kids growing up without father's now.

Several people here know me personally. They know who and what I am and what I've done. I have no need to prove my bonafides to you.