Feed: Martial Arts Spectrum - AggScore: 63.0
Up for air...then back under the surface...
It's been a little more than six
weeks since my last post.
If you noticed, you get a gold
star! (Metaphorically speaking.)
Unfortunately, it may be that long
or longer before you hear from me again. Or maybe never. I just
can't tell you at this point.
Funny, isn't it: life has a way of
carrying you along with it despite your best intentions
otherwise. No need to elaborate. It is what it is.
Because of life's pressures, I am
placing the Spectrum on indefinite hiatus effective
immediately.
I hope to be back someday soon. I
feel I owe it to friends and fellow bloggers like Nathan Teodoro
and Bob Patterson, who graciously provided advice and hyped the
Spectrum on their own blogs, and my small but faithful
group of subscribers who have ridden things out from the
beginning.
The blog site itself will remain up
for the time being, until I solidify my plans to return.
Be safe, be well...
Craig
Date Published:
Rory Miller: "Tried By Twelve..."
|
| I'd rather be alive and someplace other than this |
Lo and behold, Rory Miller just posted another to-the-bone incisive post on this very topic:
...When someone says "I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six" and they are sincere, it's simply unnecessary. But in almost every instance that I hear it, it is an excuse. The instructor has some idea of how to hurt a person and absolutely no idea of force law. So they say this to convince the people listening that force law is not nearly as important as what they can teach.
In logic or debate, this would be called a 'false sort.' It only has any validity if those are the only two options and they are mutually exclusive. "I'd rather hit myself in the head with a hammer than stab myself in the leg with a screwdriver." Simple fact is, you can do both of those things or neither. Dying might take going to prison off the table, but going to prison certainly doesn't take dying off the table...
As Rory said, it's possible someone could say that phrase with complete sincerity. After all, for some people, winding up in maximum-security prison may well be more acceptable than being killed outright.
For me, though, it's a moot point, because I have never heard the phrase uttered sincerely. Every time I've heard it - and I've heard it dozens of times - it's been excuse made to mask the person's ignorance of the difference between self defense and fighting.
Further, I've observed that the less the person knows about real violence, the more defensive they are when they say it.
As a self-defense instructor, my goal is to give my students options other than death or prison. If I can keep them out of the s*** to begin with awareness and avoidance training, it's a start.
Thanks, Rory, for an eloquent riposte to a tired platitude.
Date Published: Jun 08, 2011 - 11:00 pm
Lest We Forget...
|
| Headstones at Arlington National Cemetery |
Those we memorialize gave their lives while doing their duty. No political litmus tests, no sitting around debating the “justness” of a military action before agreeing to participate.
They simply did what they had to do.
I invite those in the U. S. to observe a moment of silence in grateful memory of their sacrifice.
So, in memory of the fallen, the traditional military toast:
Absent companions. (Hear,
hear.)
Refractions will return Monday, 6/6/2011.
Date Published: May 29, 2011 - 11:00 pm
Ninjas on Vacation, Part 2
Ninjas don't have to stop being ninjas
to enjoy a good time. Here's a group of them relaxing at a water
park. (Can't see them? More practice you need.)
|
| (Source: Very Demotivational) |
Date Published: May 27, 2011 - 11:00 pm
KO at :08 of Round 1 (Self Inflicted)
Here's a further tip on weightlifting
that didn't make it into my guest post at TDA Training.
When you're lifting, whether it's free
weights or a machine, don't forget about safety. Use weight
gloves (and maybe some resin). You should also have a spotter, if
it's feasible. And it goes without saying you need to know your
weight limit for the exercise you're performing.
Otherwise, you might wind up with a
spectacular fail like the guy in the video below.
Video frame broken? Click here to view it in a new window.
Date Published: May 26, 2011 - 11:00 pm
Imi Lichtenfeld, Founder of Krav Maga
|
| Imi Lichtenfeld (1910-1998) |
Imi was born Budapest, Hungary, but
grew up in Bratislava, in what is now Slovakia. His father was a
law enforcement officer and a gym owner. Imi studied boxing and
wrestling, and gained notoriety as a competitor in both.
During anti-Semitic riots in the
1930s, Imi organized a security force to protect the Jewish
community in Bratislava. He soon found the sport techniques he
had learned in his youth needed to be modified for use on the
street. Out of these experiences, Imi developed the philosophical
foundation of his approach to close quarters combat (CQC).
After a stint in the Czech Legion
during the early years of World War II, Imi escaped to Palestine
in 1942. He quickly caught the attention of senior leaders in the
Haganah (the predecessor to the Israeli Defense Force, or IDF).
Before too long he was teaching CQC to Haganah units.
By 1948, Imi became Chief of Physical
Instruction for the newly-established IDF, a post he held until
his retirement in 1964. By the late 1940s, his CQC system had
evolved into what is known today as krav maga.
After his retirement, Imi began
teaching modified krav maga to civilians and law enforcement. He
focused on training instructors, the first of which reached the
States in the 1980s. He passed away in Israel in 1998 at the age
of 87.
As a military CQC system, krav maga
has served (and continues to serve) the IDF well. For civilians,
krav maga is an excellent means of getting "fight fit" while
learning techniques that are actually street useful.
Also, if the physical krav maga
training is tightly integrated into the full context of self
defense -- alongside training in awareness and avoidance, escape
and evasion, verbal de-escalation, and legal aspects -- it can be
a highly effective system of civilian self-protection.
I have cross-trained in krav, and know
from experience that it's a system that can produce significant
mental and physical toughness. It's influenced my teaching
practice of traditional taekwondo, in many ways returning it to a
hardcore sensibility that was the norm in the 1950s and 1960s,
when taekwondo (or rather a subset thereof) was the Korean
military's CQC system.
So on his birthday, take a moment to
remember, Imi Lichtenfeld. His creation, krav maga, has continued
to spread world-wide since his passing, and has proven to be a
lasting and important martial arts legacy.
Date Published: May 25, 2011 - 11:00 pm
The One-Inch Punch
Here's an excellent
exposition of the one-inch punch by Rick Tucci, one of Dan
Inosanto's senior students. Mechanics are the key with this
punch. Rick does a great job of breaking them down:
Video frame broken? Click here to view it in a new window.
Date Published: May 23, 2011 - 11:00 pm
Armed Forces Day Salute!
Here in the States, the
third Saturday in May is Armed Forces Day. That's the day we
honor the men and women currently serving in our military.
Having spent a bit of time
in the military myself (21 years active, 4 reserve), I have a
pretty good idea of the sacrifices that go with the territory of
doing one's duty.
So to all military members
currently serving, active or reserve, thank you.
In keeping with the theme,
and in light of the fact that I just posted an article on the
Fairbairn kick, here's some archival footage of W. E. Fairbairn
and Rex Applegate teaching close quarter combat during World War
II. You can see the "Fairbairn chin jab" in action, delivered by
the man himself.
Props to Iain Abernethy for finding this clip!
Video frame broken? Click here to view it in a new window.
Date Published: May 20, 2011 - 11:00 pm
Food for Thought Redux
When ninjas want to work
on their tans, this is how they roll.
|
| (Source: Very Demotivational) |
Date Published: May 19, 2011 - 11:00 pm
And Now, an Important Announcement from Jules...
There are big doings here at the Spectrum. Rather than tell you
about them myself, I'm going to turn things over to my good
friend Jules. You may remember him from the 1993 movie
Pulp Fiction. (If not, probably won't get this
post, but just roll with it.)
Jules is a good personal friend and a
huge fan of Martial Arts
Spectrum.
He made one brief, uncredited appearance
in an early article,
but usually he just lurks. Today, however, would like to address
our readers personally.
Jules has his own way of saying things
that are not entirely appropriate for a family blog, but he's
allowed me to redact the naughty words as needed. Please give him
your kind attention, and for the love of heaven, do what he
says.
|
| What does Craig Willits' guest post look like?! |
Hi. I'm Jules.
I've asked Craig for a
moment of your time, because some really important [stuff] is
about to go down.
And you better [darn] well
pay attention.
Craig is about to make his
first guest post. Thanks to Nathan at TDA Training, it's happening at
about 4:00 pm EDT tomorrow (5/20/2011).
I was quite pleased to
hear that Nathan's blog is where it's all happening. That boy's
old school for sure, with a huge posse, so he's giving the
Spectrum mad props by
doing this.
However, I was definitely
not pleased when I visited TDA Training today and saw a
post titled "Why I Hate Craig Willits and His Upcoming Guest
Post". Not what I expected. At first look, it really
[cheesed] me the [heck] off. I wasn't sure just what kind of
punk-[posterior] [stuff] Nathan was trying to pull.
And that is bad, because I
have a tendency lose my temper and bust caps in the [posteriors]
of [people who do bad things to mom] who disrespect my
associates.
I was ready to pay a
business call on Nathan at his secret compound, but Craig stopped me. He
explained that it was Nathan's way of building interest in
tomorrow's guest post, and that "capping his [posterior] over
this is overreacting and you need to read the entire article and
maybe get a sense of humor, for [cripe]'s sake".
Now, me and Craig are
tight, so if he says Nathan's cool, he's cool.
Since, Nathan has clearly
got the Spectrum's
back, you readers need to thank him by getting off your pasty
[posteriors] and actually visiting TDA Training
to read Nathan's and
Craig's posts.
So tomorrow, at about 4:00
pm EDT, you know where you need to be. No [gosh darn]
excuses.
I'll be counting heads. I
don't want to have to pay you a business visit and ask you if
you've read Craig's guest post. If you say, "no," I may just lose
my temper, and you might not like my retort.
Date Published: May 19, 2011 - 3:00 pm
The Fairbairn Kick
The Fairbairn kick is a
leg attack that uses the exterior side of the foot to contact an
opponent's lower leg. In close quarter combat (CQC) circles, it's
also known as the "Fairbairn flick," the "flick kick," and the
"'Chinese' kick."
|
| W. E. Fairbairn (1885-1960) |
Although this kick is a
CQC staple, it is most closely associated with William Ewart
Fairbairn, a noted 20th-Century British combatives expert who
developed the Defendu system of CQC. Fairbairn placed great
emphasis on this kick and considered it a Defendu
fundamental.
The Fairbairn kick is a
specialized variant of the snap side kick (Japanese, yoko geri
keage). This kick is taught in many gongfu and nearly all karate
styles (although, oddly, it is rare in taekwondo).
In traditional martial
arts, this kick is used to attack any target on the body. In CQC
systems, however, the kick is used as a shin attack. Since it
doesn't require a set-up ("chambered leg"), it's especially
difficult to read, which makes it quite effective.
The exact target on the
shin varies with CQC system. Some instructors advocate targeting
the high shin, just below the knee, while others suggest aiming
for the bottom of the shin, just above the foot arch. In either
location, there are nerve points that intensify the pain of
impact. I teach my students to hit high, because I believe you
can control range better that way and have more follow-up
options.
From a tactical
standpoint, this kick can be used in two ways:
- In situations where you desire to maintain distance, or don't want to close with your opponent, you can deliver this kick and immediately retract your foot, flowing into an evasion if necessary.
- From close range, the standard CQC employment of the kick is to follow it first with a foot stomp (the "scrape-and-stomp"), then a hand technique to the head. In Defendu, the follow-up strike is usually a "Fairbairn chin jab" (a reverse palm heel strike to the chin); however, it can be any strike that flows naturally with body position.
The Fairbairn kick is most
effective when you're wearing boots or solid-soled shoes. If
you're wearing sneakers or other lightweight footgear, it doesn't
do nearly as much damage, but it can still be effective.
Now, let's break down the
Fairbairn kick step by step. For illustrative purposes, we'll
stick with the most common scenario: delivering a lead-leg kick
while facing an opponent.
From Distance.
Shift your weight to the rear leg. In one motion, lift your lead
foot off the ground (Figure 1) and whip the side of that foot
into your opponent's shin (Figure 2). Immediately retract while
maintaining distance (Figure 1). Follow up as the situation
dictates: "tactical retreat," change attacking line, etc.
|
| Figure 1 |
|
|
| Figure 2 |
|
In-Fighting Range.
Distract your opponent with a high section technique. In one
motion, lift your lead foot off the ground (Figure 3) and whip
the side of that foot into your opponent's shin (Figure
4).
|
| Figure 3 |
|
| Figure 4 |
Instead of retracting,
however, scrape the side of your foot down the shin and land in a
foot stomp (Figure 5). Follow immediately with a strike to the
head; here, the defender uses the "Fairbairn chin jab" (Figure
6). Finish with repeated strikes.
|
| Figure 5 |
|
| Figure 6 |
There are multiple
variations of this kick. You can kick with the lead leg or the
trailing leg, and with a little practice you add a pivot and kick
in any direction.
To practice the Fairbairn
kick from distance, use a tall, free-standing heavy bag as a
target. Practice pivoting and changing directions, and
repositioning after retracting the kick.
When practicing the
Fairbairn kick from in-fighting range, it's probably not a good
idea to use a free-standing bag, as the base will keep you from
stomping straight down. For best results, have a partner hold a
heavy bag body while you practice the full sequence.
Be sure to put a target
pad or body shield on the floor in front of the heavy bag body
when you practice the "scrape-and-stomp" sequence so you're not
stomping the bare floor. Your knees will thank you.
All photos © 2011 Martial Arts
Spectrum; all rights reserved. Models: David Willits, Bob
Blanchard.
Date Published: May 18, 2011 - 11:00 pm
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