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“Keep Those Hands Down!” – An Unusual Tip

March 11, 2009 | Author: Matthew | Filed under: MMA,Martial Arts,Tips and Tricks,karate,self defense,sparring

When it comes to sparring, one invaluable piece of advice is to keep your hands UP. When the hands are up, they can protect against quick strikes to the head and can be dropped quickly to guard the body. Keeping the hands up is common sense to anyone who has gotten clunked in the cranium, and is the go-to stance for boxers and mixed martial artists.

That being said, there are also times when it is acceptable to keep the hands down. Why would you want to do such a crazy thing? The answer is simple – deception.

That’s right – chicanery. misdirection. good old fashioned martial arts mind reading. Keeping your hands down during a combative engagement can open the door to all kinds of possibilities…if you’re shady enough to utilize it.

‘Hands Down’ From A Sporting Perspective

One of my favorite movie quotes comes from Spaceballs, directed by Mel Brooks. In it, Evil Dark Helmet is fighting the hero Lone Star and he exclaims – “If there is anything I despise…it is a fair fight.” Have truer words ever been spoken?

Even in the sportive realm of sparring we are constantly trying to get a leg up on one another through speed, power, and technique. But just as important as physical prowess is mental dexterity. Think of it like a mental chess match. Some of the best fighters I’ve ever encountered were great “chess” players. I’m constantly reminded of that whenever I spar my instructor Bruce Heilman. He makes the whole concept of sparring look easy because he manages to stay one step ahead of his opponents. Distancing, timing, and strategy allow him to beat punks like me all the time.

One of the tactics he and other well-honed artists utilize is mental suggestion. For example, by keeping your hands down, you send a subtle signal to your opponent that you are open and undefended in the head region. On top of that, humans have a natural instinct to strike toward the head first (it’s a primal target, like when dogs capture each other by biting and clamping down on the back of the neck). These instincts and signals create the impulse to attack, and since you are aware of that impulse, you can have a reactionary concept already prepared.

Of course, you then need to consider who you are sparring. Is it someone who is likely to know about your tactic? Will they intentionally preempt you by faking high and striking low in an effort to stay one step ahead of your trap? If so, you’ve managed to stay ahead of their strategy again.

Think of it this way -

The Princess Bride is my favorite movie of all time. I say that without hesitation or remorse.

The layers of mental positioning can get quite complex, but luckily mushin can help quell the problem of over-thinking. Tactics like keeping your hands down and the possible outcomes of that setup can become instinctual, and when that happens, it can be an effective concept indeed!

When Fighting Isn’t A Sport

Sparring with your hands down can be a clever way to outmaneuver a sparring partner, but it can also serve a much more useful purpose.

Outside “in the real world” there are few occasions when we find ourselves with our hands up in a guard position. Whenever we are at work, out shopping, at home, taking a walk, etc. we move around with our hands down. We might even be carrying something. In these situations, if we are attacked, it won’t be preceded by bowing and gauging ma-ai. Even if someone gives us the evil eye or starts mouthing off (indicating a potential for escalation), we don’t drop back into a combative posture.

Wouldn’t it be wise then, to do some training out of the stance we would likely find ourselves in?

A lot of people think of fighting as something that happens gradually with some warning. In reality, violence tends to happen quickly with some sort of sucker technique. If you ever see two guys square off against each other, there may be chest puffing or shoulder pushing, but eventually one guy hauls off and tags the other in the face. The days of two gentlemen putting up their dukes is long gone. By taking some of your sparring time and practicing your reactionary techniques from a hands down position, you are effectively teaching your body how to react when an aggressor makes his move.

Learning From Kata

Did you ever notice that kata start with the hands down? I’m just saying.

Other Casual Stances

If you get the chance, try to pay attention to other natural stances you utilize throughout the day. This will be a good way to gauge what kind of postures you might need to react from in a hurry. For example, most people fold their arms. But the real question is how do they do it -

Do you know which habit you are in? The left picture is preferable because the hands are completely free to deflect attacks without a moments hesitation. The right picture, while certainly not an undefendable position, suffers from a moment of tangle. Furthermore, both arms in the right picture could be compressed or seized with a single hand from the opponent, leaving his other hand free to do whatever.

Keeping the hands down gets a bad rap because a lot of people do it for the wrong reasons. High kicking, lack of tactical understanding, and sheer laziness all result in the kind of ‘hands down’ sparring that gets people thwacked in the head. But, if you know why you are doing it and how to utilize the potential outcomes, you can manipulate hand positioning to your advantage.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 and is filed under MMA, Martial Arts, Tips and Tricks, karate, self defense, sparring. 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.

jessecrouch

I recommend the non-aggressive stance as well. The folded, but un-crossed arms stance is great.

One hand across the body and hand on the chin like you're thinking is good too. It puts your hand closer to your head which is where a lot of attacks start.
Dj

U should neva put ur hands in a fight, sparring, even wen u practice. Keep ur hands up teaches u 2 keep ur guard thats wat makes it harder for ur oppent 2 get 2 n u can parry n get into ur targets space n fight back. Keep ur hands once ur in allows u 2 make faster n more powerful strikes cuz he couldnt get 2 u then u have him
Matthew

BBM: Haha, yes that is a particular disconcerting tactic of his.

Chris: You're definitely right, it can be risky. That's why I wanted to start off this post by saying - hey, learn to keep your hands up because it's a good idea. But...there are other things you can do.

As for kata, it's not that it teaches you to keep your downs - it recognizes that the hands are down in a natural state.

That's awesome about the beard. If I could grow a half decent one, I would totally do that.
Chris Littlefair

I agree with you that it's best to be able to control the fight and luring the opponent to specific areas is part of this. I was chatting to a cage/MMA type bloke the other day and he said, "Fighting is deception", so I'm with you on that.

Lowering your hands in combat or sparring is a risky tactic though. If you're inviting your opponent to have a go at your head they might just succeed. I prefer to drop the lead hand slightly to invite a technique but I don't want to leave myself too open.

Yes, we do start forms from a ready stance and this is good practice- getting into an active state from a passive/ready state as quickly as possible but personally I don't think that the kata is *teaching* us to lower our guard deliberately.

You also make a great point about readiness or alertness when in natural stances. Geoff Thompson has a lot to say about what he calls 'fences' or the ability to create a barrier around oneself. Check out 'Dead or Alive'.

Over the winter months I had a large, bushy beard and I couldn't help myself stroking it with one elbow propped against the other folded arm. Doshin So, the founder of Shorinji Kempo (http://www.newsfinder.org/site/more/doshin_so_k...) had a beard and I'm told adopted this pose (there's a statue of him in this position) as it was a 'natural' fence.

My advice: grow a beard.
:-)
Black Belt Mama

Regarding Hanshi, you forgot to add his cheshire cat smile as one of his techniques. Smile, smile, WHACK! It's very disconcerting. For the record, how you feel when you spar Hanshi is how I've always felt when I've had to spar you (and Hanshi). The only difference is that with you, there's no smiling, only mental calculation as you pick your opponent apart. Equally disconcerting.

I have crossed my arms differently ever since I heard this tip from either Hanshi or Kyoshi Hayes last summer. It's a very good one!
Matthew

Noah: Haha, falling for those kinds of tricks always adds a little insult to injury. I know it well.

Foxy: Sure, although I'm not sure if I have Spaceballs around on DVD.

Rick: Yes that's definitely an important concept, but I believe there is room to explore other things as well. This tactic of high and low for example. In fact, the two can (and should) be combined.
Rick Matz

In both Yoshinkan aikido and now in Taijiquan, protecting the centerline seems to have the priority, rather than up or down.
Foxy Citrus

We should watch Spaceballs and The Princess Bride this weekend. You know, for self-defense purposes.
Noah L

I definitely agree on using deception. My sensei back in Illinois liked to spar pretty casually, then rush you once and start breathing hard and lowering his hands a bit after that, sometimes even resting one hand on his leg. That made you think he winded himself rushing you, and cause you come at him, which is generally a bad plan :P
Matthew

Mark: I like the lead leg tactic, I think that's another useful tip for readers.

B: Thank you! I don't know why I was on a movie kick for this post - it just kinda happened.

Bob: I agree, relaxation is very important for quick movement from a hands down position. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Bob

If your arms are down, they should be relaxed. This allows for quicker reaction time. You do not have to disengage muscles that are holding up your arms. (Yes, with training you can become relaxed and very quick in a boxing stance.)

Try a simple drill to see. Defend against an overhead strike from a hands up position and a hands down position. You will be faster from hands down.
B

You are both an amazing blogger, and you have excellent taste in movies.
markstraining.com

Of course, the concept of drawing an attck to a target which you expect your opponant to go for so as you can counter is a great strategy which many martial artists do not employ enough. Occasionaly dropping your hands for a few seconds invites your opponent to attack high so you can counter his/her high attack. I also like drawing an attack by extending my front leg a little extra to what im used to. Usuauly this draws in a low kick which i am waiting for and ready to counter.