Self defence
Pursuers may attack you;
that is unfortunate,
but the question is:
what can you do about it?
(I Ching)
Self defence
Self defence is not
fighting; it is the ability to protect yourself
from harm.
It is about doing whatever you need to do to survive an attack.
In our school, we aim to incapacitate the
attacker without causing them unnecessary injury.
A student should know how to adapt, change, improvise, yield and
strike.
You should be capable of handling punches, kicks, grapples,
multiple opponents and
armed assailants.
Classes
A
short course in self defence may provide a
measure of self confidence.
But can you really protect yourself when you need it?
For self defence to work you need
ongoing training.
Your body must develop the ability to
respond reflexively to all manner of attack without conscious effort.
To learn self defence, you need a long-term commitment.
Progression
Your self defence skills are explored through a series of stages:
Chin na leverage principles
Escapes
Basic grappling drills
- monkey paws
- pushing hands
- pushing legs
- yielding exercise
- yielding basic skills
- central equilibrium
- floor work
Shuai jiao (take down) basic skills
Small san sau
Dying ground
Silk arms
Yielding/chin na
Countering punches, kicks and grapples
Penetrating defences
Being hit
Gravity striking
Yielding/chin na & countering
Countering a knife
Escapes/knife
Entry methods
Finishing-off
Freeform
Freeform grappling
Yielding/chin na against a knife
Misplacing the bones
Improvised weaponry/knife
Projections
Disarming
Form application
Kuai jiao (Chinese fast wrestling)
Pao chui
Cavity press
Dividing the muscle
Sealing the breath
Tai chi
You cannot take the tai chi movements and
use
them in the same way as
karate, ju jitsu, kickboxing or wing chun.
The internal arts are unlike mainstream martial arts. They rely upon
softness, sensitivity, gravity,
neigong and change.
Conventional
strength is not used at all.
Patience
Tai chi self defence skills take
longer to learn than those in other arts
because the emphasis is different.
It is not enough to defend yourself. You must also simultaneously improve
your health.
Combining looseness, relaxation, composure and pragmatic self defence is
quite an endeavour, but very worthwhile.
If a person is learning tai chi with a view to
gaining self
defence skills it is essential to prove that these skills work when you need
them.
To obtain a black belt, every student must have certain
proficiencies and undertake a variety of challenges.
Appropriateness
In self defence, you must do whatever feels appropriate.
Some of your responses will have gaping holes in them, but others will not.
The more skilled you become, the more effective your responses will be.
Gauge the appropriateness relative to the effect:
Did it work?
Are you compromising yourself? Over-committing?
Was there any adverse feedback?
Did you allow for multiple attackers?
What did it do to your opponent?
Were they rooted when you struck/manipulated them?
Was it easy to perform?
Smooth or jarring?
Was it hurried and quick?
Were you calm and composed?
Be
honest with yourself and work on any weaknesses in your composure, body use and
application.
Versatility
Versatility is the key to good self defence.
Choices, options, variables, possibilities, opportunities and nuances offer you
creativity.
Self defence is not to be found in any form or drill.
They only represent material.
Your ability to defend yourself must transcend the lessons.
It must extend into your everyday life...
Page created 15 January 1999