Control Zone Awareness In Martial Arts

[Alan Armstrong]

Do you know your control zone?

This "Control Zone" is where you do things according to your capabilities and not someone elses.

We do need to understand our control zones and that others have theirs also.

Staying or stuck within one's own control zone can also be considered "The comfort zone"

On the contrary, those that like to take chances and to learn new things are progressive but over reaching without understanding their own control zone, often lands them in trouble, especially when hitting a makawara board for the first time.

Zones also refers to boundaries that are visually invisible but nonetheless are still there.

We as martial artists do need to push our boundaries, eventually it bcomes a force of habit.

Yet this control zone, like all boundaries has its limits. Some have limited stance depth when doing katas and others having high kicks, are just a few examples of many.

Pushing the boundaries too quickly can lead to unnecessary accidents.

With time, a martial artist (consciously or unconsciously) will sense these zones in other people. The information gathered instantly to your brain will be something like; win, loose or draw. As you are matching your capabilities zone with the opponent(s)

There are thousands of minor zone reflections happening constantly during the day for everyone; animals included.

If this control zone miraculously disappeared, we would all become simultaneously accident prone.

Mindfulness of ourselves and others capabilities can be misleading. Example a martial artist that for instance trained in grappling will have difficulties in stand up fighting and the same applies to stand up fighters that start to learn grappling.

Two different disciplines yet both are martial arts; it would be very easy for one to knock out the other, as the other would go for a choke.

There is no real starting or stopping point to this topic, only that to be aware that these "Control zones" exist.

Go easy when training with someone for the first time; looks can be deceiving; good sparring partners don't usually want to come back especially after being damaged.

Many sport fighting events start off with this "Control zone awareness" in the beginning rounds... by feeling the opponent out!

This topic could also be about knowing one's own strengths and weaknesses and those of the opponent.

This topic of zone awareness control, is like a big umbrella, that covers many topics, I've touched on only a few; the rest is up to you on how good yours stands up to others.

To psyche out an opponent, also falls in to this category, as your zone awareness control, can decide a fight, before it starts.

[bushido_man96]

We use "zones" specifically in Defensive Tactics. The red zone is where you are face to face with an attacker, and both can bring all their weapons to bear. The yellow zone is when you are flanking the opponent, and you can bring your weapons to bear on him, and he has a tougher time, usually with just one side he can employ, but will likely have to move to engage. The red zone is when you get their back, and have all the offense to offer, and they very little defense. This, obviously, is the optimal place to be for us in law enforcement.

I'm sure I can branch out on some of the other topics you are speaking of, too, but this is the first that comes to mind for me.

[sensei8]

Do zones need to be protected or are some zones self sufficient??

For me, the only zone I'm concerned with is the 5ft zone that surrounds me; my personal space/zone. The other zones are less important to me, and in that, they can be changed whenever necessary.

[Alan Armstrong]

Do zones need to be protected or are some zones self sufficient??

For me, the only zone I'm concerned with is the 5ft zone that surrounds me; my personal space/zone. The other zones are less important to me, and in that, they can be changed whenever necessary.

Do zones need to be protected or are some zones self-sufficient???

Good question sensei8

My chosen base style utilizes zones in many ways for both attacking and defending.

To simultaneously defend one's own zones and attack others zones is an intelligent strategy to build upon.

In the past castles or fortresses were build for this very reason, to attack and defend (zones) simultaneously.

Over time, due to better weapons and strategies, castles become more vulnerable. Catapults and waiting outside of a castle (doing nothing) while those inside began to starve due to being cut off from supplies.

These ideas and strategies changed castle designs, having wells inside castle walls and tunnels, so secret escape routes could be utilized.

Strategies and zones are important fundamentals in the art of war.

For martial art porpoises, if an opponent is pinned, standing or on the ground, and defenseless, whereas the other opponent still has weapons such as fists, feet and elbows to attack with, then zones and strategies become very important to understand and very useful knowledge to have.

We all have zones and we all have weaknesses, finding one's own weakness and fortifying them is advisable and find the opponent's weaknesses and focusing on them and capitalizing on them also are winning strategies.

A chess board is divided in to zones and the same can be done with the human anatomy.

The game of chess has moving parts in pairs and some important parts are singular. Same applies once again with the human anatomy with moving parts legs and arms and the king is the brain.

All the talk about martial arts and chess games are intended to develop this mindset. Being always two moves ahead of the opponent.

Controlling the centre of the board. Castling escape routes. Simultaneous attacking and defending.

Positioning is another chess piece strategy that needs to be introduced to this topic.

Wherever my opponent is that is were I want to be. In other words, take away the opponent's space by occupying it.

If you need to move in a fight, place yourself in a better position to counter attack.

Attack with the weapon that are closer to the opponent's unprotected areas.

Battle zones and strategies need to be understood by the generals of a war to win battles.

Generals are named for their generalizations in strategies in times of war.

Battalions are the groups in battles that do the fighting.

We as martial artists do make many generalization all the time also, about stand up fighting and ground fighting, this is the general in our brain that is working out battle plans; this is necessary.

Each side in a battle should be trying to capture the opposing side's generals, in our case as martial artists, it is to knockout or chokeout the opponent, to capture and control the opponent's "general brain"

In chess, it is to capture and control the king or brains that moves the army on the board or checkered zones.

[sensei8]

To violate any of my concerned zone, one has to come to that zone, that's when I'll intercept your intentions, and this is when I'll deal with the invasion one way or another, and I hope when the dust settles, I've not been eliminated for cause. I'm very comfortable with that!!

Aha...chess...my most favorite game of them all...I'm very comfortable with that as well!! So many MA mindsets live on and through a game of chess!!

[Alan Armstrong]

To violate any of my concerned zone, one has to come to that zone, that's when I'll intercept your intentions, and this is when I'll deal with the invasion one way or another, and I hope when the dust settles, I've not been eliminated for cause. I'm very comfortable with that!!

Aha...chess...my most favorite game of them all...I'm very comfortable with that as well!! So many MA mindsets live on and through a game of chess!!

Especially chosen for you sensei8

These three videos are diversities of the same style concerning zones when defending and attacking; hopping that they will stir up some healthy controversy.

This first video wouldn't link for me so perhaps you could google it first to make it work.

Wing Chun High Skill Natural Fighting youtube

[sensei8]

To violate any of my concerned zone, one has to come to that zone, that's when I'll intercept your intentions, and this is when I'll deal with the invasion one way or another, and I hope when the dust settles, I've not been eliminated for cause. I'm very comfortable with that!!

Aha...chess...my most favorite game of them all...I'm very comfortable with that as well!! So many MA mindsets live on and through a game of chess!!

Especially chosen for you sensei8

These three videos are diversities of the same style concerning zones when defending and attacking; hopping that they will stir up some healthy controversy.

This first video wouldn't link for me so perhaps you could google it first to make it work.

Wing Chun High Skill Natural Fighting youtube

Why were they chosen for me??

[Alan Armstrong]

To violate any of my concerned zone, one has to come to that zone, that's when I'll intercept your intentions, and this is when I'll deal with the invasion one way or another, and I hope when the dust settles, I've not been eliminated for cause. I'm very comfortable with that!!

Aha...chess...my most favorite game of them all...I'm very comfortable with that as well!! So many MA mindsets live on and through a game of chess!!

Especially chosen for you sensei8

These three videos are diversities of the same style concerning zones when defending and attacking; hopping that they will stir up some healthy controversy.

This first video wouldn't link for me so perhaps you could google it first to make it work.

Wing Chun High Skill Natural Fighting youtube

Why were they chosen for me??

Had an idea that they could interest you; if not; no harm done!

[sensei8]

Close Ranges are one of the staples of Shindokan; we thrive in close ranges.

Btw, thanks for starting this thread because you've made some great points on this subject; I know I've enjoyed this thread!!

[Alan Armstrong]

Close Ranges are one of the staples of Shindokan; we thrive in close ranges.

Btw, thanks for starting this thread because you've made some great points on this subject; I know I've enjoyed this thread!!

Thanks for the thumbs up sensei8 of this topic.

Also thanks for the positive rebounds.

Looking at the subject of chess once again, there are similarities to the a Yin/Yang, Bagua and I Ching.

With the Black and White pieces, also the checkered board, relating to Yin/Yang.

The Bagua connected to 8 and the 8x8= 64 that correlates with the 64 hexigrams of I Ching

Trigrams and hexigrams from the l Ching are also known to have fighting strategies associated to them in a type of code, denoting zones, also attacking and defending combinations.

The stop clock in chess is also an important element in the strategy of battles. As strategists like to use the term "Timing is everything"

Everything changes over time and because of time (I Ching is the book of changes)

Everything in our known universe can be explained in terms of Yin/Yang, martial arts has cleverly adopted this symbol, control zones awarenes of defending and attacking concepts can be played out on a chess board or in a dojo.

The Olympic games, why isn't it called the Olympic sports?

As in our known universe, everything is being "played out" in every conceivable way possible that is known to man, devoid of any sportsmanship interference from nature.

Those that play or gamble against nature ultimately loose and those that go with nature, that learn to harmonizes are rewarded by the simple joy of association.