The Way of Least Resistance

Here is a topic I've been meaning to address for some time. I hear a lot about how karate and other traditional martial arts "have lost the plot" with all "all their chest punches". Most commonly I hear the refrain: "Who does that anyway?" Disregarding the fact that body blows occur, it does seem a bit odd to see so many punches seemingly directed to the chest in forms, traditional two-person sparring etc. So what's it all about? I've heard every "theory" under the sun - "They aren't really punches!" (yeah right), "They're hidden/secret techniques!" (not that again) and "There are death points on the chest! (so why aren't people dying around the world?). I believe the answer is rather more simple.  It's all about training at the at the correct range - and accordingly making your training more realistic and practical - and doing it with reasonable safety from injury . But what ...

[Warning: this article contains a graphic image which might distress some readers.] Introduction In modern times it has become fashionable to regard the traditional martial arts as ineffective against knife attacks. And yet if you look at the techniques in traditional forms, I believe you will find plenty of realistic knife defences . This should not be surprising: traditional fighting arts are, after all, principally  civilian defence systems . And throughout history, in every culture, knife and dagger attacks have remained relatively common in civilian society - precisely because knives (or similar bladed tools) are so ubiquitous: We have used them in our daily lives for thousands of years, be it in hunting, skinning/scaling and gutting, cooking as well as general utility.  (There is a reason that the Swiss Army Knife is first and foremost a knife - not a screwdriver, saw or file etc.) At the same time, the knife has enormous advantages as an instrument of civili...

Master Wu Bin demonstrating the sinking backfist (image courtesy of Kung Fu magazine) Following my previous articles "How civilian defence grappling differs from sport grappling" and " Elbow locks: an introduction ", I wanted to discuss one particular technique that warrants special attention in both contexts: Many of you martial artists will be familiar with the movement depicted on the right (demonstrated by Master Wu Bin - one of China's leading wushu trainers, as featured in the Kung Fu Special Edition 2012 magazine): This is a technique that features regularly in Chinese martial arts forms (including the feng quan forms taught in the Chen Pan Ling system). But what in the world is it? One of its main applications, as often demonstrated to me by Master Chen Yun Ching , is not as a backfist strike , but rather as an arm bar  to the elbow. Why in the world would you ever want to do an arm bar in a low, cross-legged stance like this, you might a...

Introduction Recently I came across this video titled " A low block is not used to block a kick, that's ridiculous ". I couldn't disagree more, and I'll explain why. A video titled "A low block is not used to block a kick, that's ridiculous" I'll start with a fundamental observation that I have used low "blocks" successfully against kicks for more than 30 years. And yes, I mean full-force kicks that are in striking range (more on range in just a moment). Bear in mind that when I refer to "blocks" I principally mean deflections or parries, not "blocks" per se. As I've often said (see my article " Why blocks DO work "), I only use the term "block" out of habit. It is a bad translation of the Japanese term "uke" (which comes from the verb "ukeru" - to receive). "Blocks" in kata can indeed be literal "stops". But more often than not, they intercept and...

"Southern fist, northern leg" It was at the very beginning of my martial arts "career" that I first heard the expression: "southern fist, northern leg". The concept, as I understand it, is that southern Chinese martial arts emphasise hand techniques rather than leg techniques, while northern systems have the reverse emphasis. This is not to say that southern systems do not use kicks or that the northern systems do not use hands; it is just a matter of degree. And more to the point, it has less to do with the use of actual body parts, and more to do with range . What I take the saying to mean is this: southern Chinese martial systems are designed for fighting in close quarters, while northern Chinese systems are designed for fighting at a greater range. It is important to note that by "greater range" I do not mean to imply "distance fighting". Distance fighting is commonly seen in sports combat - where fighters will predominantly la...