The method I am about to tell you is supposed to have been originated by Bruce Lee, though I don't know whether he ever taught it in Jeet Kune Do. It was supposedly taught by Bruce to Joe Lewis, who became somewhat of a Karate legend back when point fighting was making the transition to full contact. Joe Lewis is supposed to have trained people in this method at various Kenpo schools, specifically the Tracy brothers, where it languished, and eventually disappeared from view.
This method will work, it will tell you what kind of a fighter you are facing, and help you create a strategy to handle him. However, there is a glaring weakness in the method. Still, it is important to know and be able to use this method if you are going to develop as a real fighter.
When you face off towards a fighter, fake a punch and watch what happens. Before we analyze what happens, consider the weakness of this movement. A fake is a wasted motion, and while you're faking he might go real on you.
If the fighter backs up, he is a runner, he is going to go away from you. This means that you are going to have to go after him and track him down. You are going to have to develop a strategy which backs him up, cuts him off, and sets him up for the kill.
If the fighter charges you, then he is an aggressive attacker. This means you are going to have to slip to the side or just downright stop him. You are going to have to take advantage of his tendency to over reach and develop a strategy which negates him, which slips his aggressiveness.
If the fighter makes as if he is going to block, then he is a blocker. This means he is going to stand his ground, and you are going to have to penetrate him. You are going to have to develop a strategy which interchanges darting with overwhelming, or whatever else it takes to penetrate his shields.
These three observable combat tendencies are excellent for establishing a structure within the chaos of combat, and highly usable. However, the glaring weakness of the method became obvious the first time somebody tried to use it on me. The fellow faked, and I moved with him, but did not flee nor charge, merely duplicated his motion such as it was.
I knew it wasn't real, and I was waiting for the reality, mirroring his actions, and finding a real time solution to whatever he did. Checking a response is not in real time, it is in fake time. Thus, this method falls apart when somebody lets The True Art move him and detail his responses. - 31373
This method will work, it will tell you what kind of a fighter you are facing, and help you create a strategy to handle him. However, there is a glaring weakness in the method. Still, it is important to know and be able to use this method if you are going to develop as a real fighter.
When you face off towards a fighter, fake a punch and watch what happens. Before we analyze what happens, consider the weakness of this movement. A fake is a wasted motion, and while you're faking he might go real on you.
If the fighter backs up, he is a runner, he is going to go away from you. This means that you are going to have to go after him and track him down. You are going to have to develop a strategy which backs him up, cuts him off, and sets him up for the kill.
If the fighter charges you, then he is an aggressive attacker. This means you are going to have to slip to the side or just downright stop him. You are going to have to take advantage of his tendency to over reach and develop a strategy which negates him, which slips his aggressiveness.
If the fighter makes as if he is going to block, then he is a blocker. This means he is going to stand his ground, and you are going to have to penetrate him. You are going to have to develop a strategy which interchanges darting with overwhelming, or whatever else it takes to penetrate his shields.
These three observable combat tendencies are excellent for establishing a structure within the chaos of combat, and highly usable. However, the glaring weakness of the method became obvious the first time somebody tried to use it on me. The fellow faked, and I moved with him, but did not flee nor charge, merely duplicated his motion such as it was.
I knew it wasn't real, and I was waiting for the reality, mirroring his actions, and finding a real time solution to whatever he did. Checking a response is not in real time, it is in fake time. Thus, this method falls apart when somebody lets The True Art move him and detail his responses. - 31373
About the Author:
Al Case has practiced the martial arts 40 plus+ years. You can see him make The True Art work, and see first hand what he is talking about in this article, at Blinding Steel. A Free ebook is available at Monster Martial Arts.
