COMBINATIONS

Trained combinations and natural combinations

Think of natural combinations the same as you would imagine walking. You step forward with one leg, then the other. That is natual… like this - left, right, left, right or right, left, right, left.

Trained would be left, left, left, or right, right, right. Or this example -left, left. Or this example - right, right. There is a start, stop, and restart element to trained combinations vs natural combinations which are more of a side-to-side approach.

Kicks and punches or combinations of them can be natural or trained. Trained combinations confuse the opponent. Natural combinations have a bit more power.

Natural combinations are intuitive. If we throw with our right side, we slightly pass center line and end up to the left of it. Now we must return to “home” or our guarded position by moving back towards center pivoting right. While pivoting right, we can launch a strike from the left side naturally or visa versa.

Listed are some natural and trained combinations.

NATURAL

1,2: Jab, Cross

1,2,3: Jab, Cross, Hook

1,2,3,4: Jab, Cross, Hook, Uppercut

TRAINED (same side or same hand)

1,3: Jab, Hook

1,3,3: Jab, Hook, Hook

1,3,5: Jab, Hook, Uppercut

Natural or trained, this concept can be utilized in all arts. Here are some examples,

Front kick, jab, cross.

Round house, lead hook, cross

Knee, elbow, shovel hook

Backfist, cross, lead round house kick.

Or trained - all same side - hammer fist, elbow, backfist, hook.

In the last example of all same side, you can see how the arts can blend. Angles are something the arts have in common. Making them fluid is up to the practitioner.

Training

Train combinations with a partner.

Have one person attack and the other defend.

Then reverse rolls. Start out simple. Start slow.

Once comfortable, increase the pace. You can increase the speed without increasing power. Control each move.

Once comfortable add to your combinations. Start with a 3-strike combination, attack and defend, then a 4 or 5 attack combination.

Now make it dynamic. Don’t just stand in front of each other, move., slip, half step, etc. Step left and right and don’t forget about the triangle theory.

Use different elevations (head, body and legs) within your combinations.

Switch rolls as attacker and defender. Attack with a 2-punch combination and have the defender block and return with a 4 or 5 combination attack.

Think of this as a dance. This exchange evolves. Vary the tempo from fast to slow and something somewhere in between.

In time, do not let your partner know what kind of attack is coming, this is free sparring. Do this is a slower more exaggerated pace until you are both used to the unknown variable and varying speeds. Work together. It is not a fight. You are developing as an artist and getting used to being touched (hit or kicked).

If you have the luxury of training in a school with multiple students, take advantage of it. Switch partners frequently. People are different sizes and prefer different techniques. The best way, other than simply practicing and sparring with one person is to practice and spar with different people. This helps prepare you for the unforeseen and unknown. Reach, power, speed, etc. It’s also helpful to have people to watch. Critique each other. Present the following:

1) What the artists did well.

2) Where the artists can improve.

We do this to help each other. MARTIAL ARTS IS NOT THUGGARY!!! We are as individuals and as a community seeking betterment.

Kicking

The list if kicks are long. But here are some kicks for self-defense that are probably, when compared to the rest, easy and quick to execute. They get the “job” done quickly. The Pianzhuan style of kicking is predominantly low gate kicking (mostly groin, knee and shin)

Front Kick - a front kick is a basic kick; it is useful as a kick to the groin. Most basic front kicks entail using the top of the foot or the ball of the foot. If you are flexible enough, it can be used as a kick to the face or under the chin.

Push Kick - just as the name indicates, this is a push. The height of the kick dictates what effect it will have. A push kick to the chest will make your opponent move backwards and one towards the center or hips will make their body and head jut forward.

Roundhouse Kick - for a buckling effect, use the front leg and kick the inside of the attacker’s knee. If time permits, use the back leg for more power.

Side Kick - the quickest side kick is with the front leg. Quickly picot your back foot (toe spinning back and heal facing opponent) and snap your kick directly at the knee for a break or slightly elevated to stop forward motion.

Shovel Kick - just like using your foot to sweep the surface of the ground, the shovel kick is executed the same way but targeting the shin. Turn your foot, toe out and heal in then strike your attacker’s shin. Very effective with shoes. The kick can be finished with a downward scraping motion (like a carrot or potato peeler) and a foot stomp.

Oblique Kick/ Stomp Kick - an oblique kick is a diagonal downward kick especially effective for knee and shin destruction.

I made mention earlier how some practitioners combine arts because of fluidity.  Sometimes it’s simply because of personal comfort of execution.  Sometimes it’s because of intention, time, space, etc.

Let’s take a moment to look at 1 kick in 3 different arts and how they execute a round kick or roundhouse kick.

In TSD (Tang Soo Do) you start by aiming your left knee towards the target.  We then extend the leg towards the target and pivot on the opposite foot.  This is a difficult kick to block, its executed quickly but is not the most powerful of round kicks.

In TKD (Taekwondo) the start of the kick is with the knee swinging out.  The leg then folds tighter then the TSD.  It the slowest of the round kicks but has more power then the TSD round kick.

In Muay Thai, the round kick has a lesser fold than TKD. The rate of speed would be second to the TSD kick. It has the most power but probably the easiest to block because the whole shin is the striking implement vs the foot.