I've been around the martial arts for quite a while, and in the process of my evolution, I've found myself adding less and less to my arsenal, and actually stripping away more and more.
So what techniques did you use/rely upon, that you no longer use?
Here's a list of mine:
1) Stepping side-kick: this was my bread and butter up until my instructor Armando showed me that a simple coup de pied bas will counter it and make you look silly. But before that, I was kicking air shields, using it for sparring, MAN that was THE kick for me. Long gone now...replaced it with decalage/chasse median j'ambe avant. Hits the liver nicely.
2) Upa: if the guy is blue-belt and above, I don't even bother with this. Too much exertion, and easy to counter or defend. I feel much more comfortable with the elbow-knee-escape. Easier to recover with this technique, if you keep your elbows tucked.
3) Disarms: I used to do this A LOT...until a savvy kali practitioner yanked his stick from my snake disarm. YOWWWCH!! Left a heck of a rug-burn on my arm. Now I just punyo when I'm inside. More deadly, and more fun. :)
4) Spinning kicks: I sometimes still pull them out during assaut when I'm up against a beginner, but forget it if the savateur is experienced! I use faking and decalage/deplacement to mess up their footwork and set them up for the strike.
5) Backfist: yes, LAUGH AWAY, I used to use this when I was a teenager, but hey I was FAST with those! LOL!! Turns out they were great for tournaments, but they only pissed off determined opponents. I've since replaced it with a double-jab (increased shoulder rotation gives it more power).
This is a short list of what I've stripped away. The more I look back, the more I understand that I had LOTS of technique, but only a notion of strategy. The more cohesive my understanding of strategy and mechanics, the more streamlined my collection of techniques became.
what have you stripped away over the years?