The principles of your art

[tallgeese]

Another post got me thinking (and for the life of me I can't find it now) about the different responses we all have to various situations. It made me wonder what the guiding principles of everyone's art form are out there. Not just the different movments and tactics we apply, but the bigger picture behind all of those.

Call it the priciples of your art, or a grand strategy, or whatever, but it boils down to what your system is at it's core. How would you describe what your system is about, in a relitive nutshell, to someone else. I think it would be really interesting to see everyone's take on this, from style to style and probibly from school to school within styles.

So in an effrot to hear everyone else's I'll kick us off with the thoughts that I grew up in the arts with:

Everything should work out of principle rather than technique. The technique is not a programmed response to a single attack, but a movement option that fulfills over all stratgy of principle. This limits the amount of thought needed for dealing with an assult situation.

Our primary principles-

1- Evade.

Get out of the way of the attack. Either by parry, block, redirection, or footwork.

2-Stun.

You hit him, take his mind from the fight. This can be through any kind of striking or other movement. Not only do you attempt to physically destroy his abilty to hurt you, but you also try to take away his will to fight.

3-Unbalance.

Take his center. This could be by simple destablinzing movements, sweeps, or even up to takedowns. This again helps to keep him from launching an effective counter attack to your movements.

4-Control.

Of the attacker and the situation. This can be as simple as an armbar from standing positon or holding the guy down with a knee in his throat up to some form of submission. If a wepon was involved it may mean using against the attacker if needed. This is the end game of the fight.

These prinicples are kept fluid and can overlap. A movement used for one may, in fact, satisfy two aspects of the principles. And example would be the hook punch used to stun may actually concuss the attacker enough to control him via knockout. Or a joint manipulation used to destabilize may also control him if the joint breaks and leads to enough pain that he is unable to continue. stop hits may indeed serve to both evade and stun.

If one engranes these priniples, one spends less time trying to match technique x to attack y and as such reacts to the changing enviornment of the fight better.

Ok, there is the basic idea of what I do in a nutshell. Next up on the principles? Any thoughts?

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

Ours is very similar:

1.block/evade in basic terms...don't get hit!

2. quickstrike...or stun something simple quick, key is on quickness not strength or power.

3.off balance...bent over, take down, wrist lock

4. kill, once they are on the ground or vulnerable from your offbalance(all offbalance techniques should make them vulnerable) go in for the final kill technique.

very similar to yours, sir and then of course we have our philosophical principles, nine virtues and ten creeds.

[bushido_man96]

Nice, tallgeese. I would love to check out your classes.

Our school, unfortunately, doesn't proclude anything really like that. Our school focuses a lot on basic and technique, then we move into our one-steps, which are our "self-defense techniques." Personally, I think we can do better than that, but it isn't my call, either.

However, I also practice with a partner on Defensive Tactics and Combat Hapkido, in which we focus on controlling the situation so that we can restrain an individual, which usually ends up in a cuffing situation. We work on this now, and I need more work, too.

[tallgeese]

Thanks for the kind words bushido man. They are appreciated.

I see alot of schools that focus on one steps and such. I don't think it's a bad thing, and certainly it establishs a great set of core movements around which to build a response system.

I've no ticed you mention your DT training a couple of times. Does your dpt. have an "open roll" time or such to practice your DT? That would make me very jealous, I've wanted something like that for our interested people for years. We only recert once a year and we all know that's really not enough. I'd like to see an entire overhaul of the program, but that's another subject .

[Zanshin]

Hi tallgeese,

Very nice topic. Whilst Wado karate uses many of the principles of Okinawan karate, in the most part they are based on the same "tenets" of engagement utilised by the samurai.

As such there are physical aspects along with mental ones;

Any way, rather than claiming credit for it myself, this is probably the best list of Wado Ryu Principles:

http://www.sannoya.com/principles.htm

Z

[tallgeese]

Thanks for the reply Z. That was an excellent link, just the kind of thing I was hoping for when I started the thread.

It's nice to see such a focus on the mental aspects of defense. Having a series of systemized mental goals that would coincide with the physical training is great, and they are ceratinly well deliniated.

I hadn't realized that Wado had such a stong connection with samurai philosphy.

[bushido_man96]

I've no ticed you mention your DT training a couple of times. Does your dpt. have an "open roll" time or such to practice your DT? That would make me very jealous, I've wanted something like that for our interested people for years. We only recert once a year and we all know that's really not enough. I'd like to see an entire overhaul of the program, but that's another subject .

You are most welcome, tallgeese.

As for our deptarment, we don't have a free-rolling time. Just me and another guy from the PD like to get together and work on it. My partner is certified in Hockheim's system, and we work on that and some other stuff. My partner has been trying to put together a program for the departments, but it keeps getting pigeon-holed.

[Zanshin]

Thanks for the reply Z. That was an excellent link, just the kind of thing I was hoping for when I started the thread.

It's nice to see such a focus on the mental aspects of defense. Having a series of systemized mental goals that would coincide with the physical training is great, and they are ceratinly well deliniated.

I hadn't realized that Wado had such a stong connection with samurai philosphy.

Well for me, true MA is about "managing" conflict. Avoid it at all costs and know how to manage the situation in whatever level it escalates to.

I think its fair to say that most good systems / dojo of MA cater for the physical, but you have to look harder sometimes for the ones with the teachers that can transmit mental level of understanding.

What I like about Wado is that it has an "Omote" (or surface) level way to learn an MA movement, but through its pracitice you develope / sharpen the mental side of things.

As my little tagline says "saya no uchi de katsu" - Victory in the scabbbard of the sword. (One must obtain victory while the sword is undrawn).

This has several levels of understanding. 1. Avoid conflict 2. Be ready for it but do not provoke 3. Make ready your escape plan, or in other words be prepared to attack before its too late. All of which are "mindsets" rather than techniques.

[unknownstyle]

really depends as my system contains both Matsumura and Shorinji princinples. both are what i call "quickkill" systems it just the means in which you get to that outcome that differ

[armanox]

Ok, let's see...

1 - Block/evade - avoid getting hit and move while doing it. Either outside (diagonal, not back) or in

2 - Attack - come in w/ strong strike(s)

3 - Throw/Lock/Takedown

4 - Final attack - end it.