US Association of Martial Arts
Zen Beikoku Bujutsu Kyokai
                 全米国武術協会
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Vision & Mission
    • Board of Directors
  • Services
    • Training Seminars
  • Join USAMA
    • Individual Membership
    • School Accreditation
  • Blog

USAMA BLOG

Raising the standards of the martial arts

READ BELOW

That Would Never Work In The Street

4/11/2017

2 Comments

 
Author: Bret Gordon
Picture
When you're looking at traditional martial arts practice, many people offer the criticism that what is being practiced would never work "in the street." As a karateka and aikijujutsuka, I get this two-fold. It's fine, many people don't understand the intricacies and applications of Karatedo kata, so how can I expect them to understand the advanced biomechanics of aiki? However, more often than not, saying something isn't practical only shows your ignorance of what is being displayed. Not everything is as it seems, nor are they always meant to be taken at face value.

Now, I will clarify that there are certain things going on the martial arts that are just asinine. In no way am I going to even try to justify the "no touch knockout" groupies or the chi frauds that seem to be popping up all over the internet. To understand what separates true internal martial arts from chi frauds, click here. What I will do, or at least attempt to, is demonstrate to you the viability of certain drills and their practical application. If all you're looking for is the next big secret to cage fighting however, or the quickest way to be a deadly commando, this article isn't for you.

To understand why drills like kata are practiced, we must understand the origin of these martial arts systems. Many arts practiced today started out as, or are descended from, familial combative systems that were heavily guarded by the senior members of the clan. When an outsider would come looking for instruction, it was only normal (and necessary) to be skeptical of them as they might be under a false flag from a rival clan, looking to gain insight into your fighting strategies. As such, drills that were meant to mask the true application of what was being taught were developed so that the art can be transmitted without really being taught until the master decided to reveal it.

For example, without understanding the bunkai oyo, many people characterize Karatedo kata as nothing more than choreographed patterns somewhat resembling fighting techniques. Some people understand there is an application to kata, but they're not really sure what it is so they simply tell their students to imagine that they're fighting invisible opponents. However, very rarely is what you see in kata the actual technique being taught. Many techniques are concealed in the intricacies of movement - how you step, rotate the hips, etc. Often times, what looks like strikes are actually throws or locks. Your formal stances are actually finishing positions for techniques, hence why a zenkutsu dachi is not as mobile as a boxing-like fighting stance. It's not supposed to be.
Picture
Aiki Jujutsu and Karatedo have a lot in common. In jujutsu systems, kata are formalized paired techniques practiced from a specific attack and you execute a specific technique. In Aiki Jujutsu, we practice connection drills and balance tricks that have most people scratching their heads. Often times, these drills are commonly practiced from wrist grabs and the criticism is that in the street, no one is going to grab your wrist. While there certainly are situations where grabs happen, I'll concede it's not the most common attack between two grown men. But again, you're not understanding what you're looking at.

Aiki Jujutsu was originally called oshiki uchi and was taught to the Imperial guards. Within the palace, only they would be allowed to retain their swords. An intruder looking to do harm to the Emperor or Shogun would likely try to disarm one of the guards, so these wrist grabs are actually symbolizing someone grabbing the tsuka of your sword to remove it from the saya. Or they could be grabbing your opposite hand to stop you from drawing your sword while they use their free hand to strike you. Oshiki uchi techniques were designed to immediately off-balance the attacker so that they couldn't strike you or remove your sword, throw them to the ground and place you in a position to finish them off.

Today, no one is walking around with a sword (I hope) yet the lessons learned from these techniques still hold weight. I often teach these drills for firearm retention, as the principles are the same. Yet, there's an even broader application. 

What you're truly learning with these drills is how to manipulate structure. Using skeletal alignment and soft tissue manipulation, we learn how to receive the force of the attacker, ground ourselves and return it using small rotations within the body. These rotations circumvent the strength of the attack and place the attacker in a compromising position where they can be locked or thrown. We practice these drills from wrist grabs, but they are meant to be worked up to full-on strikes and even weapon attacks. When you understand how to effortlessly manipulate the body, applying locks or throws that affect someone's entire structure instead of the localized point of contact become much more effective.

Picture
So just like Karatedo kata, what is being demonstrated is not the lesson. You need to pick apart the individual drills like a blueprint and extract the principles from them. I hate the word technique, because in our Western mind we view it as something finite. "They do this, so you do that and this happens." That's not how the real world works. You're forgetting that the attacker gets a vote too. He's never going to move like your training partner in class, and if you focus solely on the presented techniques, you will get hurt or worse.

That's why I call them drills. You'd never question why a boxer hits a speed bag, or shadow boxes in the mirror. We know the speed bag doesn't punch back, so why practice hitting it? The obvious answer is it because it helps you develop your fundamentals. And what are fundamentals? Principles! Learning how to move, timing, angles, precision, distance. All of these can be learned through various solo drills before you even step into the ring with a sparring partner. Kata is merely another type of solo exercise used to enhance movement and form. Aiki drills are exactly the same. Yes, in the dojo there a small measure of compliance. Even when instructed not to, your training partners will give a little because they have no malicious intent toward you. They aren't enraged or trying to do serious harm to you. It is a simulated assault. Things will never work exactly as they do in the dojo which is why if you focus solely on the technique as it is demonstrated and practiced, it will fail. It will fail because it is meant to fail. 

Remember, the secrets guard themselves. You must take what is being taught, break it down and internalize the application. In Japanese arts, there is a concept called Shu, Ha, Ri. In the Shu phase, you are simply regurgitating what your instructor has shown you. When you reach Ha, you begin to understand the application of what you've learned. By Ri, you have completely internalized the principles of it and it is part of you. You have made it yours.

No, this is not the fastest way to learn how to defend yourself. This is definitely the long way around. It's a lot faster to go to the gym, get a training partner and just learn simple evasions and a few strikes that you know will be effective. However, keep in mind that there is no such thing as bare bones self defense. You can work the simplest, most effective techniques but unless you spend extensive time training the psychological aspects of an assault it isn't going to matter. 

The purpose of martial arts, however, is to develop advanced combative skills. Anyone can pick up a gun and pull the trigger. Anyone can punch someone in the throat. What separates you from everyone else? In the real world, anything you can pull out of your sleeve that they haven't seen before will give you an advantage. Principles won't save your life, that's up to you. Nothing is ever guaranteed but when you understand the intricacies of fighting and survival, you have a much better chance of coming home safely. 
Being a fighter is easy. Being a warrior takes time. Which one are you?

​
www.triomartialarts.com
www.clermontselfdefense.com
www.clermontselfdefense.wordpress.com​

2 Comments
Bret Gordon
4/11/2017 09:11:53 pm

A fighter merely tries to defeat an opponent. A warrior studies the intricacies of combat and tries to refine their abilities to the highest level. They learn how to adapt and survive in the real world. Fighting for your life isn't as simple as overwhelming someone with strikes (sorry Krav guys). There's a reason the samurai studied the bugei juhappan their entire lives before stepping onto a battlefield. You need a wide arsenal, and learning how to apply that arsenal takes time. There is no overnight solution to survival.

Reply
cage fighting link
9/14/2017 08:49:17 pm

Everything you ever wanted to know about mma.
the mma experts
http://themmaexperts.com

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015

    Categories

    All
    Associations
    Business
    Etiquette
    Healing Arts
    History
    Instructor Spotlight
    Interviews
    Martial Arts Principles
    McDojos
    Questions For Our Readers
    Rank
    Self Defense
    Sport Karate
    Weaponry

    Sponsored By

    Picture
    www.TrioMartialArts.com
    Picture
    www.AmericanYoshinkan.com
    Picture
    www.AmericanJidokwan.com
    Picture
    www.RyukyuTe.weebly.com
    Picture
    www.KonteiJudo.com
    Picture
    www.WaeKuneDoKarate.com
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.