The line between fancy and effective

[Karate Kid]

Those of you with a respectable amount of fighting experience, I have a few quick questions.

 

What is the 'fanciest' (to elaborate, generally complicated or very specific) technique you have successfully used in a confrontation?

 

Do you focus on attempting the aforementioned techniques or do you simply react with them?

 

I was just contemplating where the line between fancy and effective (hence the title) is drawn as I practiced a few techniques a day or two ago. Any relevant input will be most appreciated.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Those of you with a respectable amount of fighting experience, I have a few quick questions.

 

What is the 'fanciest' (to elaborate, generally complicated or very specific) technique you have successfully used in a confrontation?

 

Do you focus on attempting the aforementioned techniques or do you simply react with them?

 

I was just contemplating where the line between fancy and effective (hence the title) is drawn as I practiced a few techniques a day or two ago. Any relevant input will be most appreciated.

 

By confrontation, I'll assume you mean a real fight, not sparring or tournament. The "fanciest" technique I've used woudl probably be a backfist. I nailed the guy alongside the cartilage of the nost..possibly breaking it...I'm not sure, but he sure screamed like it did.

 

Did I focus? Maybe..I don't remember. I saw it was wide open and I took it. I'm sure there was a certain amount of focus, as I hit him exactly where I wanted to hit him, and it had the desired effect.

[Karate Kid]

Fascinating. Are there any other details you would care to type up? I am focusing now on differentiating between tournament safe attacks and those that would be effective in real life confrontations. After all, I would hate to be taken down when I executed a spinning hook kick at an inoppurtune moment.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Fascinating. Are there any other details you would care to type up? I am focusing now on differentiating between tournament safe attacks and those that would be effective in real life confrontations. After all, I would hate to be taken down when I executed a spinning hook kick at an inoppurtune moment.

 

I hate to state the obvious, but here it is anyway.

 

1. Tournaments have rules..the street doesn't.

 

2. Tournaments are one against one...the street isn't necessarily.

 

3. Tournaments have referee's and judges that can stop the fight...the street doesn't.

 

4. Tournaments are one trained fighter of the same approximate size and skill..the street isn't.

 

There are probably others..but you get the idea. Do NOT EVER confuse success in a tournament competitiion as being the same being capable of defending yourself on the street. They are entirely two different things.

[Vito]

most fancy thing ive ever done in a real situation was a thai kick. well, i suppose some grappling things might be fancier, i dunno.

[White Warlock]

Hehe, kinda hard question. Most of my fanciest stuff was grappling related. I suppose one of my fancier ones was open hand slapping of their face (shock), and leaving my hand there (blind and control) just long enough for me to manuever myself to end up halfway behind them, taking my opposite arm over their shoulder, across their neck and under their opposite arm, then using my momentum to throw them against some of those cheap cafeteria-type furnishings, then charging up as he's attempting to get up, and parking my knee in his groin, as a warning for it to end.

 

The action described above was from san soo.

 

Grappling related ones, were me gaining control of a person's ankles and standing up with both of them stuck in my underarm, ridge of my forearm digging into their achille's heels if they resisted, and kicking them in the tailbone if they tried to rise up. This was done until others could come to secure him (mental hospital work... assailant was a sane, but violent patient).

 

Another one would be a guy swinging around a belt, keeping everyone at bay. On the apex of his swing, i charged in to his side and swung behind him, using his own body as a pivot point, and locking both his arms out, which allowed the rest of the persons to charge in and take him down (again, mental hospital work).

 

I don't know dude... this is an odd question. I think part of the reason i think it is odd, is because everyone has a different perception of what is fancy. I mean, my personal take on fancy... is that it doesn't work. So i'm having to stretch my perceptions for these discussions, and include things that 'look neat,' as opposed to just fancy.

[Humble Novice]

I know the fanciest ( and in my vocab, fancy means cool looking, hard to do, and/or just downright awesome) move in Hsing I Chuan is the Dragon Whips his Tail. It would be difficult to describe over the net, but its an aerial inside crescent powered by the non-kicking leg jumping and spinning. Its designed to break necks. Also the motion of the non kicking leg can distract the opponent and make them look low when the attack is coming high. You usually do it when the attacker is behind you.

 

I would think that would be doable in a real fight/confrontation, but those of you with more experience in real conflict than me (ie any) would probably know more.

 

So what do you all think. Could the dragon whip his tail in a real fight.

[longarm25]

I hate to qoute the rouge warrior but

 

KISS

 

Keep It Simple Supid(No Offense Meant Just a saying)

[White Warlock]

Humble Novice, i would say... umm... no. Not unless the practitioner was really really good AND the opponent was not.

[Karate Kid]

Just to clarify, what I mean by 'fancy' is something complicated or very specific in its means of execution, ie., a crescent spinning hook kick combination as a basic example. It relies essentially on the opponant still being in range after the crescent and that they cannot react fast enough to take advantage of your momentary disadvantage. The difference between 'fancy' techniques and basic techniques would be essentially the brief combination described above compared to a three step attack consisting of a jab, reverse punch, and front kick.

 

Also, Shorinryu Sensei, I realize the difference between a fight and a point match (thank you for the advice anyways), and my question is what is the extent of the complicated attacks you may (or have) attempt(ed) to perform when one mistake could result in your being taken to the ground?