B A S I C S

Thursday, 20 May 2010 10:49

By Pendekar Scott McQuaid

'Excellence is the mastery of the basics.'

The martial arts have always had a higher power stigma attached to them, an array of enlightenment and cosmic force whilst preaching the balance of yin and yang.

There are countless techniques and training excises within these arts that lead us to believe that we can become a super being. With Chinese whisper stories of the dim mak (death touch) and exaggerated examples of chi (body energy), the practicality of studying martial arts can often be lost.

The reasoning behind any combative studies is for protection, self defense against an attacker, to be able, level headed and confident to defend yourself under intense situations.

For those that look for that greatness they see in the movies, a supreme master that can float on air and cause internal damage to the body with a single finger jab will no doubt be disappointed after training at their local dojo for a couple of years only to find themselves still mortal.

Unfortunately there are instructors that not only play on these super powers they are meant to harness but genuinely believe in this theory despite the lack of any real hard evidence. This can come from their previous instructor's teachings or a natural want to believe in something beyond human combat.

The fact remains that this was not why these systems were created and developed. The physical and mental aspects of learning a martial art is to prepare yourself to fight.

The very term martial arts translates to arts concerned with waging war. There was no mysticism behind the styles, it was merely fight for your survival.

Today's mystic elements in the fighting arts are less blatant but there are still instructors who  sell the higher power angle to the novice.

The karate guys that break boards with their hands have not captured a super power from meditating in a cave in Japan. They are using physical body mechanics and science to achieve their goal.

The standard boards used in demonstrations are wide pine boards with no knots; they break with the grain using dry wood. When breaking more than one board, spacers are introduced between the boards to make the breaking easier. For example, when you break four one-inch boards stacked on top of each other, it is roughly the equivalent of breaking one 4-inch board. However, when spacers are used, you are breaking four 1-inch boards, one at a time, which is much easier.

The basic principle of board or brick breaking is motion. The more momentum an object has, the more force it can generate. This is not to take away any creditability or skill from the practitioners that perform these demos. It is to note that knowledge gained in body mechanics and selecting the materials is a human trait and not one of a higher power.

The kung fu practitioners that acrobat into the air are prolonging the inevitable conflict of battle. A back-flip is nothing more than a back flip; although the fluid acrobatics will no doubt contribute to the martial artist’s flexibility, it is merely window dressing and holds no worth in ending the fight.

True enlightenment within any combative system comes in the knowledge of being in the fight, of knowing how to counter your opponents' attack, to divert your approach in a single moment without hesitation. These are the real higher power aspects of your martial art - to control your reptile instinct in the now of combat, hopefully controlling the outcome of your survival.

There are 713 pressure points of the human anatomy documented. Science shows that many of these pressure points will show some effect of pain, but this doesn't always mean they will work. A fighter would have to hit the exact target with the right amount of force without their opponent twisting or moving away during the strike. Also the human body differs from one another, in height, weight and pain threshold. Sometimes a hold, lock or pressure point strike just simply doesn't work on a particular person.

The raw basics are the backbone and key to staying alive. We can practice and use pressure point applications just make sure that it is always followed up with something real - an elbow or a fist. These are the very tools that have been tried and tested by man since the dawn of time.

In all the many varied techniques you may learn in your preferred martial arts system, you will only use a handful in a fight. The core basics of footwork, deflecting and striking are all the tools you need to get the job done.

When a fight breaks out, punches are thrown wildly with speed, and wrestling type tactics come into play if the opponents get close together which will happen should neither person back down. Scrapping on the ground in a dog fight is where the fight will inevitably end up.

Your basic footwork of evasion, parrying and positioning is vital, stepping off the firing line. A deflection or misdirection can open the opponent up, creating an opportunity to deliver your attacks.

This is the lesson, to use the primal basics. The other techniques will be seen but they will be raw and their shape may appear different from when practiced in the classroom. However, we learn all the follow-ups and grappling to better our chances should we need to call upon them.

The recent transition in general public interest from the spiritual approach to the more reality based fighting is apparent with the popularity of MMA (mixed martial arts). Asia's shroud of mysterious combat no longer holds weight in the life threatening world of today. Competitions such as UFC and K1 show the brutality of combat, although even these events are limited by the rules of the ring. All martial styles taught today work in their most basic format, but it is how the art is evolved and utilized which will be the factoring difference between it being effective in a fight or just a classical mess.