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How to Capitalize on Striking (Even for Non-Strikers)

July 5, 2009 | Author: Matthew | Filed under: Martial Arts,Opinion,Tips and Tricks,karate,self defense

Last weekend I had the chance to train in DaitoRyu Aikijujutsu. DaitoRyu is a branch of the jujutsu family and was developed by Takeda Sokaku. One of the most famous students of Sokaku was Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido.

During our training the instructor presented us with various self defense situations, and from time to time would ask us to show him how we would react. During each event I did my best to apply solid techniques as quickly as possible.

Eventually the instructor said to me, “That’s good, but you’re making a lot of assumptions aren’t you? You’re thinking he’s going to stand that still, be that loose, and let you do these techniques without a rough struggle? You gotta hit him hard. bang! Loosen him up, then apply your technique.”

At first I was a little embarrassed because an aikijujutsu instructor had to remind me, a karate guy, to do some hitting. But then I realized that he wasn’t providing advice from a stylistic perspective, but from real-life experience, having dealt with conflict most of his life through law enforcement in the Bronx.

The Value of Striking

The art side of martial arts can be a bit ensnaring. With a skilled, cooperate partner, it’s easy to come up with extremely impressive techniques. Over years of practice, we can develop an almost “magic-like” effectiveness as we learn the exact buttons to push on our fellow practitioners. Unfortunately, this cooperation also leads to bad assumptions about how violence and struggle actually takes place.

When dealing with true conflict, you can never be sure of the physical or mental state of an opponent. An assailant could have steely arms which make wrist locks useless. They could be tweeked on mind bending drugs, nullifying any pain-inducing techniques. Their nervous system could be just a bit different than you expect, making your vital point strikes inefficient.

In unpredictable situations, you want the most reliable and simple techniques possible – and in most cases those techniques are going to begin with hard striking.

Starting With Strikes

The problem with beginning your self defense with wrist locks, escapes, throws, or other maneuvers is that you haven’t done anything to disrupt the mental rhythm of your opponent. As you move, there is nothing stopping them from adjusting and moving with you. Of course, your technique might still work, but you’re relying on the inability of your opponent to cope rather than utterly stopping their ability to cope.

A hard strike to a vulnerable part of your opponent’s body will immediately shift their train of thought from attacking you to dealing with the injury you’ve inflicted. As their brain is being fed alert signals from the damaged part of the body, you can swiftly move into your jujutsu, judo, or aikido technique since the overall strength and tenacity of your opponent is temporarily nullified.

The Importance of Location

Striking just anywhere isn’t going to do it. There are some individuals who are in such great shape that you can slam them as hard as you want in the pecs, abs, arms, and thighs and they won’t be slowed down by it. Instead, strikes have to come quick and hard to vulnerable locations like the throat, eyes, ears, groin, and joints.

Even for opponent’s who are enraged or on drugs, a balance inhibiting box to the ears or blinding jab to the eyes will give you an immediate advantage.

A Practice Tip

When learning self defense, even at a beginner level, always utilize some sort of distraction. Even if you are trying to learn a specific joint lock or throw, start off with something that will freeze your opponent’s mental state. Good self defense comes from good practice, and if you drill distractions into your routine there is a much better chance they will be there when you need it.

For non-striking practitioners such as aikidoka or judoka, stick to your curriculum but try to learn from other styles that do utilize striking.

Perhaps next we can discuss the other weapons in the arsenal besides striking, and their place in the self defense cycle…

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This entry was posted on Sunday, July 5th, 2009 and is filed under Martial Arts, Opinion, Tips and Tricks, karate, self defense. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

S.Smith

Yep. Nice work Matt...strike before twist is good counsel. Sounds like a great class too.
Matt__A

Thanks steve - yea it was educational and no-nonsense.
Jackthestripper

Great post!! I just wish I had something to add to it :(
Matt__A

just happy you dropped by jack - haha.
Adam @ Low Tech Combat

Not only did Takeda Sokaku teach Morihei Ueshiba, he also taught Yong Sul Choi, who taught Ji Han Jae, the founder of Hapkido. Both of these arts have their origins with Takeda Sokaku and DaitoRyu Aikijujutsu. Im glad to hear you had a positive training experience with that system.

Indeed, in Hapkido the same thing is taught. When doing any defences or counters to grabs, a 'softener' is used to distract the opponent which provides that brief window of opportunity to apply the counter which usually involves some type of circular movement. Without that 'softener', the counter would not be possible many times.

Once again, great post Matt. It was very interesting reading.
Matt__A

I didn't know that adam, thanks for sharing that with me.
scotty Mc

very interesting reading and it's all logical. I train mainly female student (about 80%of our students) and distraction plays the lead role as they are ussually at a physical disadvantage. In our self defence drills the block creates the opening,the strike, the simultanious distraction Usually throat,groin and then the takedown or lock (we teach never to stay there with just the lock) it's use is to inflict damage and /or to gain a tactical advantage and then finally a finishing or major powerful attack to soft easily accessible targets once done,break off the engagement and head for safety. These routines are 1st taught with willing partners and once the student becomes confident with differing outcomes and different situations the rountines are then practicesed with suited (protected) unwilling Partners at about 80-85% . unforunately in the dojo I have not been able to find suitable protection to take self defence drills to 100% without a very high injury rate.
Matt__A

great system scotty. Distraction and soft-point striking is critical for women's self defense and it's good to hear you are taking full advantage of that.
Noah L

Interesting post, and very true! Being a karate and judo guy, I like putting the two together. There have been many times back in Illinois when our karate instructors would have us go work on self defense techniques against various attacks--punches, grabs, tackles, etc--and it would evolve. Our instructors provided a set defense that they know works, but we were also encouraged to think of our own methods, and sometimes I would start with a block or a simultaneous block/strike only to move in and sweep or throw the attacker. I personally think it's not only useful, but rather fun to do in class. Just as a fun drill, the haymaker provides a plethora of defensive opportunities to work from, and it really got everyone thinking--so this guy wants to take my head off with one swing, what can I do to him while he's trying? Good stuff!
Rick Matz

When I studied Yoshinkan Aikido under Kushida Sensei, he stressed the importance of atemi in every technique. If your atemi was effective enough, you needn't even complete your technique.
Neal Martin

I'm glad you brought this up. People often assume that these techniques work primarily on their own. They don't. You have to soften up your opponent first before you even attempt to apply locks or throws. Some techniques you can get away with doing without using distractions. Such techniques, like a figure four arm lock for instance, are most effective when immediately applied, before your opponent realizes what is happening. Even if they struggle afterward, it doesn't matter, you have control of them and you can strike them or take them down to the ground and pin them there.

Another thing to bare in mind when it comes to distractions. If you strike an opponent, especially in a very vulnerable area, their body is going to involuntarily react. They will either drop down or spring back or even fall to their knees. You have to then account for this change in position. You may have to vary or change your technique altogether. That's even if you get the chance to apply it. It's not unusual for a well placed strike to almost finish the situation, saving you the trouble of doing anything else.

The type of Ju Jitsu techniques that I practice are all preceded by strikes (sometimes multiple strikes) or distractions of one kind or another. Sometimes we won't even hit hard. Sometimes we just slap the face of an opponent with an open hand, giving him something to think about while a lock is being applied. Covering his eyes with your hand is another good distraction.

I personally make a distinction between art and self defense. Self defense is very often messy and brutal and hurried. The nice control you exert in the dojo rarely exists in such situations. I keep it simple for self defense and enjoy practicing the art in the dojo. The reality of most of these techniques is that most martial artists are not good enough or not confident enough or not experienced enough to really use them effectively on the street. It's just easier and less dangerous to keep it simple.

Nice post, Mat. Look forward to the next one.
Matt__A

excellent examples of distractions! And also good point about certain techniques utilizing the element of surprise.
dougis

Interesting post, I am an aikidoka in Kokikai Aikido and we have been talking a lot lately in our dojo about taking balance, emphasizing that we take balance NOW (at the moment of the attack).
This has a similar effect to what you are discussing with a quick strike (when uke is trying to stand up or figure out how to regain balance they have a hard time continuing their attack).
I think they are different paths to the same effect, stop the attacker and then deal with them.
Matt__A

Interesting concept dougis - if you ever write a full article/post on it let me know, i'd like to learn more about it.
Aaron Sher

This is absolutely true. I practice the sword primarily, which means that we're almost always striking - with the sword. As soon as you take that away, people don't think to hit with anything else. One thing I often do with my students when we're working on disarms is to just clamp down and not let them take the sword away. After they've struggled a bit, I reverse the situation and tell them not to let me disarm them. Just as I start to take the sword, I just tap them on the forehead with an open palm, and all resistance vanishes.

Amazingly effective, and it doesn't even have to disable them in any way, just take their attention. Obviously, a little tap like that wouldn't work in a fight, but a flick to the nose will cause quite a bit of pain, and will stop most people for a second or two - long enough to hit them a few more times and hopefully do something disabling.
Matt__A

As a fellow sword practitioner, I know exactly what you mean. There is a fixation on a particular goal that when interrupted can cause problems for the opponent. Thanks for the comment!