Self defence tips | ||
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Martial art
The difference in quality between Chinese
martial arts and fighting arts is measured by
effect.
A martial art has to render the attacker incapable very quickly; no locks,
no holds, no taking turns, no negotiation.
Speed and power is everything.
Time
Martial arts like tai chi have one significant drawback - they take much
longer to learn than fighting arts do.
Also, a deeper understanding of
principles,
strategy etc is necessary.
Modernity
To a martial artist (e.g.
Sifu Waller), self defence is about deciding
which applications to use to avoid being
put in prison.
It is like fighting with one arm tied behind
his back.
Much of the syllabus is too risky to use in
modern society.
Protecting yourself
To an untrained person (e.g. a student) self
defence is about seeing what we can actually pull off in
unrehearsed combat.
To facilitate this, the training must be 'natural'
seeming and draw upon our developing physical
strengths. Technical skill is lacking, so self
defence needs to be functional and practical, not
elegant.
Objective
Martial arts are offensive.
Self defence is defensive.
The aim of a martial art is to maim and/or kill. The aim of
self defence is
to avoid being harmed. Make sense?
Tips
These tips are from experts in self defence.
If you want to read more, we recommend that you buy their
books:
One of my friends studied judo for years and years. She was waiting for a
chance to use it, but for a long time nobody tried to attack her. Then one
day somebody grabbed her in a parking lot - and she slugged him with her
purse!
And then she thought, "Oh! What happened to my judo?"
She must have been practicing judo as if it were an isolated thing. We
should always practice to let the immediacy of the moment come through. Then
you always have a sense of what you are doing now.
(Chungliang Al Huang)
You can do forms and visualise and all that kind of stuff - that's really
good when you train on your own. But when you are with other people
practicing techniques, it gives a 'live' quality to the training.
(Tim
Cartmell)
The sword, which has now become his 'soul', no longer rests
lightly in its scabbard. Thus it may be that he avoids combat with an
unworthy opponent, a cockscomb who brags about his muscles, accepting the
charge of cowardice with smiling indifference.
(Eugen Herrigel)
It is essential to see both sides without
moving the eyeballs.
(Miyamoto Musashi)
Be still, when attacked by the opponent, be tranquil and move in
stillness; changes caused by my opponent fill him with wonder.
(Song of the 13 methods)
When fighting an opponent who feints, stay calm, don't
respond. If your opponent is in range it doesn't matter whether the attack
is a feint or not, just step in and attack.
(Lau Kim Hong)
The correct rhythm not only gives you maximum power, it helps you
conserve energy so you know when to use force and when not to.
(Tim Cartmell)
The word seriousness is elaborated on by the saying "One aim with no
distractions".
(Takuan Soho)
The body should respond immediately to the requests of the mind. The less
the gap between the two, the more efficient the action will be (in medical
terms this is called 'reflex').
(Vanda Scaravelli)
Without understanding where the opponent's weaknesses are you cannot borrow
their strength to use against them.
(Cheng Man Ching)
Shock is a result of your own resistance to an external force.
When you allow this force to come into you and spin around with
you, you can have fun with it. This is an example of being vulnerable, of
not being afraid to be flexible, and open to receive.
(Chungliang Al Huang)
When you fight in the street, there is only one goal in your head and that's
to escape. It's not your job to punish them, that's the court's job. If a
guy attacks you and you can duck, push him down and run out of the alley or
out of the bar, and get in your car and go, you can escape unharmed. They
might call you names, but that was smart.
(Tim Cartmell)
Follow the opponent and not your own inclination. Later your body can follow
your mind, and you can control yourself and still follow the opponent. When
you only follow your own inclination, you are clumsy, but when you follow
the opponent, then your hands can distinguish and weigh accurately the
amount of his force, and measure the distance of his approach with no
mistake. Advancing and retreating, everywhere the coordination is perfect.
After studying for a long time, your technique will become skilful.
(Li I-Yu)
If the essence of the person is weak and fearful, he may put on a
gentle act, but the reality he manifests is hard. A person compensates for
internal weakness by becoming aggressive and defensive. A transformation is
required, one that cannot occur when a person sees tai chi as an empty
dance or a shoving match.
(Wolfe Lowenthal)
It is essential to make sure that obstacles are to the rear of your
opponents, then chase them into an obstacle any way you can. When you get
opponents to an obstacle, in order to prevent them from observing the
situation, press your attack without letup so that they cannot look around.
(Miyamoto Musashi)
Try, whenever possible, to wait for your attacker to throw the first punch
for this is the moment when he uses the greatest amount of strength and so
you will have far more force to 'borrow'.
(Lau Kim Hong)
If your opponent is bigger than you or using strength it should be to your advantage. Use four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds and then borrow his strength.
(Cheng Man Ching)
Every encounter is unique, and the appropriate response should
emerge naturally. Today’s techniques will be different tomorrow. Do not get
caught up with the form and appearance of a challenge.
(Ueshiba)
Discerning the rhythm when the time comes, one strikes spontaneously and
naturally scores.
(Miyamoto Musashi)
It is necessary to be continually mindful; to whatever part of the
body is touched the mind should go. You must discover the information by
non-discrimination and non-resistance. After a practicing for a long time,
the opponent will be controlled by me and I will not be controlled by him.
(Li I-Yu)
You must not allow the opponent to put any force on you.
(Cheng Man Ching)
When I'm throwing you, you don't feel a lot of force, you don't
feel a lot of anything; we're kind of moving around and suddenly you fall.
That's internal.
(Tim Cartmell)
When attacked you should always 'slip' the attack. Never meet
force with force, or your opponent will be able to borrow your strength .
(Lau Kim Hong)
Generally the body goes on the offensive first,
followed up by the stroke of the sword.
(Miyamoto Musashi)
There are also tempo opportunities when the opponent makes
conscious movement, that is, he steps forward, makes an invitation, etc. In
such and similar cases,
the moment for attack is when he is executing the movement because until he
finishes it, he cannot change to the reverse.
(Bruce Lee)
Tai chi at its highest level is one touch and your opponent is unable to
do as he wants.
(Cheng Man Ching)
When you want to attack, you remain calm and
quiet, then get the jump on your opponent by attacking suddenly and quickly.
(Miyamoto Musashi)
If you want to live in peace with yourself, leave others to live
in peace. Do everything in your power to prevent or reduce violence whenever
you can, and avoid perpetrating it yourself, whether physically, emotionally
or psychically.
(Barefoot Doctor)
If the qi is dispersed, then it is not stored and is easy to scatter. Let the qi penetrate the spine and the inhalation and exhalation be smooth and unimpeded throughout the entire body. The inhalation closes and gathers, the exhalation opens and discharges. Because the inhalation can naturally raise and also uproot the opponent, the exhalation can naturally sink down and also fa jing him.
(Li I-Yu)
Never think of pushing your opponent far away - just taking them off-balance will do.
(Lau Kim Hong)
Anybody that's done a combat sport like boxing, wrestling or jujitsu knows
that the first person who loses his wind loses the fight, regardless of
skill level.
(Tim Cartmell)
Mood is a thing
for cattle or loveplay, not for fighting.
(Dune)
Stopping an opponent's attack at the initial onset, not letting him follow through, is the sense of 'holding down the pillow'.
(Miyamoto Musashi)
In fighting always try to control one of your opponent's arms
while attacking with your other arm. Cut down his options while increasing
your own.
(Lau Kim Hong)
It is elusive and evasive, yet it does manifest itself.
(Lao Tzu)
When adversaries are excited and evidently
are in a hurry to act, you behave as though you are completely unfazed,
giving the appearance of being thoroughly relaxed and at ease.
(Miyamoto Musashi)
The fastest, most powerful hand movements are the ones that use no strength.
(Cheng Man Ching)
It is essential that you follow what he does, not letting him relax for a
moment.
(Miyamoto Musashi)
Always aim to upset your opponent's balance.
(Lau Kim Hong)
Manipulate their attention, making them think confusing thoughts about what
you are going to do. It means finding a rhythm that will fluster
adversaries.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
In all the martial arts the critical foundation that must be cultivated by
the student is mindfulness.
(Ron Sieh)
The idea is that when you close in on an opponent, you get in there quickly,
before the opponent strikes, without putting forth a hand at all.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
An inflexible army never wins a war. A rigid tree is ready for the axe.
(Lao Tzu)
To subdue the enemy without
fighting is the supreme excellence.
(Sun
Tzu)
When you inflict pain on part of his body each time an opponent makes an
aggressive move, his body will weaken by degrees until he is ready to
collapse
and it is easy to beat him.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
In tai chi there is no one-two. Only one. The source of power is
in the waist, with the root in the foot.
(Cheng Man Ching)
Vulnerability does not mean losing or going weak or that its time to give up. It is the source of our information. We are always vulnerable. Everything can hurt us. To feel deeply demands courage; to stay awake and open under duress gives us the opportunity to effectively change our circumstances.
(Ron Sieh)
The state of mind should remain the same as normal... let there be no change
at all - with the mind open and direct, neither tense nor relax, centering
the mind so that there is no imbalance, calmly relax your mind, and savour
this moment of ease thoroughly, so that the relaxation does not stop its
relaxation for even an instant.
(Miyamoto
Musashi)
It is inadvisable to punch unless you are sticking to your
opponent, except when your move is a feint.
(Lau Kim Hong)
You began to notice how people stand or walk, movements that make
them vulnerable to this or that attack. You started to see the gaps in some
people's sitting and standing postures, and how these people tend to go
through life blindly in terms of their awareness and personal safety.
(Dave Lowry)
But then, I'd rather be a killer than a victim.
(Blade Runner)
Page
created 1 September 1994
Last updated
16 June 2023
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