What do you do when it’s dark? How do you defend yourself when you can’t see? This condition can be caused either by an injury or by a hostile opponent who blindfolded you. There are ways to train and enhance your ability to fight under such circumstances. The natural evolution of the Sticky Hands Drill Set is blind fighting. There are three stages to developing this combative skill.
Step 1: Low Light
Practice light sparring in a dark room with low ambient light. This sparring session should be slow and deliberate. Gauging in low light makes judging distances difficult. Take your time and don’t try to “win” rather invest in conditioning yourself to the environmental constraints. This step reduces the visual input so you can get use to using other senses for targeting.
Step 2: Blindfolded
In a dark room with blindfolds on, perform pushing hands, sticky hands or rolling hands. If the partners disengage, they must reset themselves without help. This step has no visual input, but you maintain contact to sense your opponent’s balance and momentum. It develops sensitivity further.
Step 3: Blackout
In a dark room with blindfolds, start at opposite sides of the mat. Slowly engage in very light sparring with an emphasis on take down moves and grappling holds. In short, the partners are groping in the dark until they can snatch something, then it’s a race to a takedown. This step has no visual input and it develops blind engagement. It heightens the use of other senses to target.
I doubt you’ll be as good at fighting in the dark as Gung Fu masters or Ninjas as depicted in the movies. The realistic goal of this training is acclimatize you to the environment. Stressful conditions get adrenaline running, which can cause you to stall. Familiarity reduces stress and hopefully allows you to defend yourself adequately.
That’s all I have for now. Whether you practice American or Hawaiian Shaolin Kempo or Karazenpo go Shinjutsu, these drills will make you a better fighter. Take time to digest and embrace the skills you have. Make them adaptable to various situations, not just a “single arm punch in.”
Have questions or suggestions? Let me know in the comment section.
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Just wanted to apologize for not getting any articles up in February. It was like a freakishly dry desert here last month. I was using the Mañana Method of article writing. Things have been busy around the work place, dojo and home. There are a few good articles in the funnel that should make March a better month for articles. While I’m working on new projects, now it a great time to suggest article topics you’d like to see covered. Or you can suggest other blogs and websites that are interesting.
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Doing kata in the traditional manner requires a calm mind and steady stance. There is a difference between the glitzy, acrobatic extreme kata and the older more sedate kata of old. The older kata do not require Olympic level flexibility and gymnastic ability. Rather, they require the elements that make an artist a warrior. Here are some tips to keep your kata looking more traditional.
- Stay relaxed in the motions and movements.
- Look before you move into the next step.
- Keep your movements crisp and sharp.
- Maintain great stances according to the kata’s requirements. Usually these are low and stable.
- Breathing should be smooth and even.
- Show power and fluid grace but do not strike too hard or else you’ll loose the essential flow
- Be balanced through your stance transitions
- Kiai at the right time with intensity
- Single leg stances should be held slightly longer than two-legged stances to demonstrate control
Two other elements for tournament competitors:
- Begin the kata before you step into the ring
- The kata doesn’t end until you’re dismissed
Do you have other tips for performing a traditional kata? Add them to the comments.
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There are three forms of Pushing Hands drills that we practice in Shaolin Kempo. The first is similar to but not exactly like the Tai Chi version. The second form (or the one we teach first) is called Sticky Hands. Finally, there is Rolling Hands. This family of exercise drills teaches us how to relax and flow with the opponent’s energy and momentum. It forces us to relax and not force our attacks and defenses. In gentleness there is victory. In overbearing strength there is loss.
Push hands drill of Tai Chi
The Pushing Hands drill works on uprooting your partner through fluid motion of push and pull. Doing this drill develops the familiarity with the wave of force generated with pushing and pulling. It also helps you learn how to redirect that force into your opponent or cause your opponent to flow with it thereby uprooting himself.
The Sticky Hands drill works on uprooting your partner by striking and blocking from a set position. The wrists must stick together, hence the name. Sensitivity to the opponent’s center of gravity and their balance is achieved by working this drill with your eyes closed.
The Rolling Hands drill works with applying locks and traps within this flowing dynamic. The goal is to get a wrist or arm lock on your opponent before they do, while avoiding strikes and being uprooted. In this drill the feet can move, usually to help your own lock or to slip out of one being placed upon you.
All of these drills work with maintaining contact to the opponent and sensing the stability of your opponent’s balance. The goal to resolving conflicts is to uproot or unbalance your opponent. This allows you to control their actions and end the fight. This is the third step of conflict resolution — defend, distract, unbalance.
What are other benefits of these types of drills? Elaborate in the comment section.
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Last night in class, we had a case of slippery socks. A student was cold, after all it is raining in San Diego, a cold rain. Slippery socks can be used as a training tool. Use it to adjust to slippery conditions of an unknown combat situation.
She retorted that she would just pick where to fight or defend herself. Alas, that is not an option in self-defense. The situation picks you regardless of the suitability of the terrain.
So when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When training gives you difficulties, make it a learning experience.
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I’ve followed the news on this story regarding the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti. There is massive loss of life to a devastating degree. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Haitians and to all the aid workers who are doing their best in tragic and difficult circumstances.
I ask all my readers to take a this opportunity to send donations to aid organizations. The American Red Cross is one and Doctors without Borders is another good org. You can also use Charity Navigator to find and evaluate other charitable organizations more along the lines of your personal beliefs or affiliations.
If there are any martial artist or dojos in Haiti that need help, this would be a great opportunity to show support to the martial arts community.
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“Gaseous Expansion is the concept of ‘filling the volume’ of the defensive situation at hand.” (Quoted from Advanced American Kenpo Concepts article on Gaseous Expansion)
It is the natural adaptations to the chain of events that occur once a defensive situation begins. By altering small aspects of your technique, you can adapt your reaction to the opponent’s reaction. You flow into the cavities of their reactions and counter-reactions to control them to your end goal. In our case, the end goal is immobilization, submission or destruction.
Your expanded awareness of the environment is just as important as understanding the biomechnical cause and effect of your techniques. In short, the gaseous expansion investigation is exploring many of the “what if”s of a confrontation. Having only read their explanation of the concept, I can not replicate their actual drills or methods for exploration. It would be best to seek out a seminar on American Kenpo Karate theories and application to learn more about this concept.
How does it adapt to our art? When we first learn a technique, it is done slowly, step by step. Then it evolves into a smoother version. Then the strikes and levers begin to make sense, making it run smoother on various body types. Then the uke moves “unconventionally” and we adapt. Then we expand the situation to engage and conquer, where we complete the technique by immobilization, submission or destruction — not just getting away. It is at this point that we investigate and flow further using “gaseous expansion”.
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Over the years, perhaps decades, I’ve notice a trend in marital arts uniforms. Back when I started training there were two choices, black or the white gi (karate uniform). The sleeves usually came down to your wrist and the pant legs stopped at the ankles.
For many arts, the traditional length of pants and sleeves are different from this manufactured standard. In our school we call it Hawaiian style. The pant legs stop just below the calf muscle — high water height. Sleeves stop at the mid-forearm — 3/4 sleeve or softball length. This is the classical look of many Karateka.
Recently, I noticed a lot of schools are allowing students to have their pant lets drag on the floor. The pant legs are so long they reach or pass the heel. Likewise, the sleeves fall to the mid-hand or knuckles. It makes students look as if they’re wearing their parents’ uniform. I’ve also seen uniform jackets without sleeves, exposing the upper arm.
The benefit of having high water pants and short sleeves is ease during training. When you kick, shorter pant length keeps the pants from catching on one’s foot. Shorter sleeves allow you to execute arm- and wrist-locks without catching on the long sleeve. It also helps those watching and learning to see what the instructor is doing to the joint.
At the end of the day, the individual must choose which style they like. It’s really a case of appearance over function. So are you a high water or carpet dragger?
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Last week, the entire school took the two-day belt test and all passed. Congratulations to everyone who are now higher ranks and thank you to those who helped make the test a success.
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In traditional Karazenpo go Shinjutsu (KGS), you bring your new belt and new uniform to the ocean. Soak them in the ocean water. Let the water saturate the belt and uniform. This blesses them with the spirit of the ocean and provides you with the strength of the seas. This is called the Hawaiian Blessing. It’s a wonderful custom that was forgotten by many schools and instructors.
Black belt takes time
Another custom of KGS is twisting the belt. Twisting of the newly awarded belt takes some of the newness out of it. Usually, they come out of the wrapper and into the hands of the recently advanced student. The belts are stiff and nearly untieable. The twisting or breaking-in of the belt signifies the efforts you put into training. It also represents the fact that you are not new even though you have a new rank.
During Black Belt ceremonies, there is a custom of breathing into belts. Breathing into the belt transmits the spirit of the Testing Board into the new belt. The master or grandmaster put a bit of their knowledge into your belt. The belt (also known as obi) represents your knowledge of the art and loyalty to the school. This custom links you spiritually to the lineage of your ancestral teachers.
Black Belts also have another custom issued by the master. Getting hit by the belt signifies the combat element of the art. It demonstrates you can take punishment and hardship. The ceremonial hit also symbolically tempers the spirit, forging your perseverance and reminding you of humility.
Finally, newly ranked Black Belts drink a shot of saki when the Testing Board presents it. This ceremonial drink represents camaraderie–sharing a drink with your fellow students. You are now a member of the Yudansha, the Black Belts of the school. You have earned the right to represent the school because of your diligence in training and skill in techniques.
These are some of the more interesting customs found in Karazenpo go Shinjutsu. There are undoubtedly more. Does your school have a custom? Tell us about it in the comments.
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