Defence Variations

[Prostar]

There's no reaching for incoming attacks.

Don't ever reach to block anything.

Tallgeese, Prostar . . . Do you ever utilize "slapping down" your opponent's punches? I don't mean to the side, as when near your face, but slapping down to intercept the punch's motion, say about two-thirds of the way to you?

I don't see why not. The trick is to keep ithe reach to a minimum. Also, as long as you are doing things deliberately, you stand a much better chance than reaching out reflexively.

Also, also, be sure not to stand there and admire your handiwork; move offline. It wouldn't do to block a punch or kick only to have another come right behind it.

[bushido_man96]

Don't ever reach to block anything. Let it come to your block. Then with your hands still up and in tght, move in with a counter.

I see a lot of this from beginners, especially when doing one-steps. I make sure to point out to them that if they had to reach for it, then there was no need to block it in the first place. I use this as a way to help them learn to judge distance better. Its a good tool.

[JohnC]

Re. slapping down.

This presumes that the attacker is at the wrong distance. If the attacker is at appropriate distance (i.e. close enough to "punch through") then slapping the punch down simply makes him hit you lower down. Thus, I stick with slapping to the side. To me, if he IS at the wrong distance, moving backward in-line slightly to make the attacker overreach the punch is a better tactical decision as it leaves my defense in place and/or allows me to counter without wasting motion on the slap. However, much of my defense is based upon effective use of distance, maneuver and cover rather than active blocking / parrying.

[tallgeese]

The trapping motion in any direction does give you the advantage of temporarily occupying that arm giving you an open avanue from which to counter.

Any direction will do in my mind. I usually combine any type of trap with body movemnt. You can choose to move the incoming attack, your self as the target, or both. I try to get both done, so if one fail you still have a built in safety net.

[joesteph]

I don't see why not. The trick is to keep ithe reach to a minimum.

This presumes that the attacker is at the wrong distance.

The trapping motion in any direction does give you the advantage of temporarily occupying that arm giving you an open avanue from which to counter.

I brought this up because I did slap downs years ago, and when I took up MA again, I tested it out during sparring against a teenager. A quick kid, he was darting in, punching, and darting back--one of the few besides me to use punches in the dojang, I might add. I began slapping down his punches, but was admonished for it that it wasn't correct. It was shown to me that, especially since I use a high guard position like a boxer, I should be using my forearms (I'd say elbows, too, but his shots were all to my face). Because it's non-contact, none of his punches came close enough to my face for me to block that way unless I moved forward, chancing walking into a punch.

It struck me, though, that if someone is doing this darting in-and-out, then he may be punching from a "safe" distance as he sees it, and that I could use the slap downs. It also struck me that if I could slap his punches down, then (but it's not permitted in non-contact) I could do what I used to do with a friend in the past--go for a sieze. (BTW, I learned siezing from my friend who did it to me first. )

In considering trapping, I only did smothering in the past regarding the arms, but when I've done open hand against kicks, I've surprised some sparring partners by hooking the kick--which isn't allowed, and I think I've done it on reflex. I think that if I could go to the next step, I could "trap" (I believe that's what it'd be) by looping my forearm under the leg and take it from there.

What I like about the slap downs is that I think of them as the first step in what can come next.

[ShoriKid]

tallgeese covered the posture pretty well. Footwork to set and control the distance is another key thing. If your working circular footwork and cutting in with angles instead of closing straight at the center line, you are cutting off some of their weapons.

With 'reaching' or 'slapping down', there is a difference between the two. Reaching has you extending your guard more than a few inches and isn't done with a clear tactic in mind. "slapping down' or trapping as tallgeese is talking about, is done close to your guard, "leads" the direction of a strike and is meant to set something up to follow. Most people reaching seem to reach and black and then just reset. They haven't gained any tactical advantage. Someone trapping a strike is usually setting something up.

Sort of why retreating more than a step, or without an angle or cover is bad. Sure, you can quickly move back out of reach of the oponent, but your right back where you started as far as the fight is concerned. You have to re-engage, reclose the distance and set back up to counter. Sometimes you don't have a choice but to retreat because of preasure in order to gain that slpit second to regroup.

[bushido_man96]

Sort of why retreating more than a step, or without an angle or cover is bad. Sure, you can quickly move back out of reach of the oponent, but your right back where you started as far as the fight is concerned. You have to re-engage, reclose the distance and set back up to counter. Sometimes you don't have a choice but to retreat because of preasure in order to gain that slpit second to regroup.

This is a problem that I have in sparring, and have been trying to correct. Our sparring sessions are tough to get any trapping or slipping work in, because no head punches are aloud, and it seems tough to do this to body punches. I usually just cover and move in. Working the angles to get in comes a bit tougher for me, but I have been working to improve it.

[ShoriKid]

Eliminating head punches takes out a lot of slipping and trapping. You can off angle on body shots. Try working your jab with a 45 degree step solo both forward and back. Do it with striking pads with a partner. Then have someone yelling at you to cut your angles . Seriously, next time you go out to spar, concentrate on just your angles and closing the gap. Don't worry about anything else, just those angles. And have that person on the sides reminding you, because if your like me, you get caught up in the moment and forget to work the new things.

[bushido_man96]

Thanks, ShoriKid. That's good advise.

When you step off on your angles, do step with the front leg, or the back? For my sparring, I tend to step off with the back, cutting more foward than back (hopefully...). Its easy to do with round kicks, but side kicks give me the fits.

[tallgeese]

My slipping and angles can go either way, off the front of back with footwork.

I like using the lead to move to the outside of the cross or inside of the jab (assuming a closed type stance arrangment). I don't cut too much the other way, but instead circle and try to stay to the outside of the jab hand. This makes it harder to bring the cross to bear on me.

When I utilize the back foot, it's more of a circular motion. I cut this alot with joint manipulations. However, it can be real useful to change directions while moving as well. For instance, I too have the problem of moving straight back sometimes. What I got in the habit of doing was using the thrid backward step as mental cue to swing the back leg out and turn my facing about 90 degrees (just like you'll sweing that back leg in several aikido throws-something else i picked up from that cross training). Espically if the bad guy was pressing hard. This breaks my backward motion and reorients me agaist a charging foe. It's pretty useful and I've had a lot of luck coupling it with the off-line step with the front foot and circling.