Economy of Motion

You know a really important principle in Martial Arts - and in warfare in general - is "economy of motion."
This is what my instructor commonly calls "shortening the circles."

The above picture is of a Kenpo patch. I believe it's called the "Universal Pattern," though I tend to refer to it as "Kenpo Circles."
It looks really confusing at first, but when you have a good look you can see that it's actually divided into eight main divisions, and that everything on it gets smaller and smaller.

Shortening the Circles

Simply put, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line - so why would you add extra distance in?
The best philosophy on this that I have found is the Kenpo "Point of Origin" principle. Everything starts from where it is right now. You never wind up a punch or pull back to get extra power for a hit. Just strike from where you are right now. And then from there, hit again and again.

Of course, human instinct tells us to wind up. It's a natural thing. I do it, many great martial artists I know do it... and often they're still so quick that you don't notice. But those who don't wind up end up like lightning.

Actually that's the difference between life and death on the street. How long do you take to hit? To block? To hit and block (simultaneously)?

Pretty much every movie you've ever seen with martial arts in it has been dramatised. Even Bruce Lee dramatised his martial arts to make it look good - though it was still incredibly practical. A lot of them use big motions, cool-looking moves that are all fancy and require lots of time to strike. But they just don't work. Because in the time you've taken to wind up for that hit - you've already been hit!

Karate in MMA

This is a fascinating video on the usage of karate techniques in MMA.
Slowed down, it really shows how Lyoto Machida uses his karate origins to great effect.

Note how he draws back to the hip when he strikes. But note also the hands move around a lot (sort of windmill) when he and the others kick. Something my instructor always warned me against (that being said, it's being done with such speed that it might be hard to take advantage of such an opening).

These are very simple techniques that are quite effective as attacks that you can draw upon when attacking an opponent. In high-stress real-life combat situations, you need extremely simple manoeuvres that require little thought and as little movement or as simple movement as possible. Complex moves simply get lost in the rush.

It's also interesting that a lot of the strikes seem over extended and wild from a martial artist's point of view - and yet they're undeniably quick and very effective.

The Art of Trapping in Jeet Kune Do

What an amazing video.
This is a tutorial by sifu Paul Vunak regarding Jeet Kune Do Trapping.
For anyone unfamiliar with Jeet Kune Do, it was the martial art created by Bruce Lee, and which he discusses in the book "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" which means "The Way of the Intercepting Fist."
Funny enough, Bruce Lee later said he wished he hadn't named it that, because his style was best called, "The Style Of No Style."
That's a pretty cool philosophy - one I'll definitely be finding out more about. 

Practical Martial Arts

Welcome

Welcome to my blog on all things Martial Arts, combat, and even war.
This is a bit of a personal diary of my own learning of Martial Arts, and in particular, learning to use it with absolute practicality.
I have studied Martial Arts for some 19 years, and have found it of great benefit to all aspects of my life. But there have often been aspects of it that I have found lacking. Every martial art is strong in its own specialised area and often skips out training on other areas.
Furthermore, as actual warfare is no longer conducted with swords, spears and usually not fists (though it still happens on the street), martial arts can tend to drift away from absolute brutal practicality and into fancy, dramatic moves that look good as displays, because that is often what they are used for these days. Also, many martial arts are also sports, with rules that prevent certain moves (and with good reason). However, limiting these sorts of moves puts you at a disadvantage in a no-holds-barred fight, when your survival hangs in the balance. Even UFC is a sport, with its own set of rules, and its own artificial environment to fight in - though it may come the closest to an actual fight for survival.

In all these posts, take it as just my opinion, rather than an authoritative statement. I wouldn't say I'm a master of any martial art, though I am fairly versed in Tae Kwon Do and American Kenpo Karate (though I'm much better at the Tae Kwon Do). Again, this is my own attempt to learn more practical fighting techniques that suit me and possibly the friends I drill with.

There are many martial artists who have developed incredible systems, no doubt extremely practical. Bruce Lee is the foremost of these that I am aware, though there are many even dating back to antiquity. And I believe a lot can be learnt even from old texts on warfare (or perhaps I just enjoy reading them).

I'll be looking through all manner of videos, tutorials, texts, handbooks and whatever else I can find that is of use. And then I will see if I can learn and use it. Again, I'm only really interested in whatever I can directly use in a street fighting situation.

I hope you enjoy the journey. I know I will!