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It makes no difference if you are a seasoned veteran of the martial arts or a novice beginner, every martial artist must learn to look beyond techniques to uncover the fundamental principles of martial science that lie underneath. A deep understanding of these principles will dramatically boost your martial art skills. More importantly, your survival on the street depends on it.
Undoubtedly, excellent footwork is the foundation of any effective martial art system. If you look at the most dominant boxers, the greatest football players, or the most exceptional dancers, they all have phenomenal footwork. Developing good footwork with your martial art will allow you to deftly evade lethal knives and larger stronger attackers who may outnumber you. If your footwork is weak not only will your evasion and survival skills fall apart, but your punches, kicks, joint locks, chokes, and throws will suffer greatly as well.
You must focus on immediately unbalancing your attacker. If your assailant has his balance he can overpower you. If you quickly take his balance he cannot fight you and fight for his balance at the same time. Taking your opponent's balance is a quick and effective martial arts tactic for ending confrontations swiftly.
Peripheral vision or wide-angle vision must be utilized for street combat. It can empower you to see multiple opponents at the same time and enable you to use your surroundings such as stairs, chairs, or rocks as potential martial art weapons. If you train properly peripheral vision can even allow you to see your opponents moving in slow motion.
It is important not to rely on blocking to defend yourself in street combat. Blocking can work well in the dojo or in martial art tournaments, but when baseball bats are being swung or a 400 pound man is attacking a 160 pound man or a 90 pound women it no longer makes sense. Blocking a knife is a fast way to get cut or killed. It is usually wiser to learn to pass, redirect, and keep the attacker?s energy going to more efficiently counter him without subjecting yourself to harm.
It is crucial that you learn to be a creative and adaptive martial artist. If you only memorize techniques what will happen when someone attacks you in an unfamiliar way with a weapon that you never trained against? You can learn to nurture your mind's creative eye and your ability to instantly adapt to any situation once you learn to spot the underlying principles of martial science. Once you learn to see principles you will be able to create in the midst of combat by inventing your own techniques and counters.
It is critical that you learn to defend yourself from all possible scenarios. The majority of martial artists learn common techniques against strikes and grabs while standing or on the ground. What about learning to defend yourself while sitting in a chair or car, standing in a phone booth, elevator, or stairwell, or defending yourself while both your arms are held or bound? In the street there are no worst-case scenarios just realistic scenarios and you better be prepared.
Undoubtedly, excellent footwork is the foundation of any effective martial art system. If you look at the most dominant boxers, the greatest football players, or the most exceptional dancers, they all have phenomenal footwork. Developing good footwork with your martial art will allow you to deftly evade lethal knives and larger stronger attackers who may outnumber you. If your footwork is weak not only will your evasion and survival skills fall apart, but your punches, kicks, joint locks, chokes, and throws will suffer greatly as well.
You must focus on immediately unbalancing your attacker. If your assailant has his balance he can overpower you. If you quickly take his balance he cannot fight you and fight for his balance at the same time. Taking your opponent's balance is a quick and effective martial arts tactic for ending confrontations swiftly.
Peripheral vision or wide-angle vision must be utilized for street combat. It can empower you to see multiple opponents at the same time and enable you to use your surroundings such as stairs, chairs, or rocks as potential martial art weapons. If you train properly peripheral vision can even allow you to see your opponents moving in slow motion.
It is important not to rely on blocking to defend yourself in street combat. Blocking can work well in the dojo or in martial art tournaments, but when baseball bats are being swung or a 400 pound man is attacking a 160 pound man or a 90 pound women it no longer makes sense. Blocking a knife is a fast way to get cut or killed. It is usually wiser to learn to pass, redirect, and keep the attacker?s energy going to more efficiently counter him without subjecting yourself to harm.
It is crucial that you learn to be a creative and adaptive martial artist. If you only memorize techniques what will happen when someone attacks you in an unfamiliar way with a weapon that you never trained against? You can learn to nurture your mind's creative eye and your ability to instantly adapt to any situation once you learn to spot the underlying principles of martial science. Once you learn to see principles you will be able to create in the midst of combat by inventing your own techniques and counters.
It is critical that you learn to defend yourself from all possible scenarios. The majority of martial artists learn common techniques against strikes and grabs while standing or on the ground. What about learning to defend yourself while sitting in a chair or car, standing in a phone booth, elevator, or stairwell, or defending yourself while both your arms are held or bound? In the street there are no worst-case scenarios just realistic scenarios and you better be prepared.
About the Author:
Sensei David Weinberg is a 3rd Degree Black Belt and Instructor of Freedman's Method Ketsugo Jujutsu, a Reiki Master, a Certified Personal Trainer, and an Integrative Flexibility Specialist. To learn more about Freedman's Method, visit the official jujitsu nh site or the official jujutsu nh blog.
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