i lost contact with a friend from Pittsburgh area. anyway, a few yrs back, he mentioned something to me which stuck. not sure about it across the board for any IMAists and also not sure now if it's still valid.
but he and his buddies were all internal MAists and he said they did it for health. but when it comes to real fighting, they are taking up krav maga. this was around the time, when KM was the new hot MA.
so my q to any internal MAists (excluding SHOOTER, i know your answer, actually scratch that, it would be nice to read what you have to say about this again if you see this post): if the crap hit the fan and you really had to defend yourself, what would you do for emptyhands techniques. my friend back then said KM and Hillbilly probably will say boxing/wrestling, etc.
not sure if he fell into the KM marketing trap. the KM that is official here, seems like glorified tae bo. from my understanding (which obviously can be wrong), the KM in Israel is nothing like the KM that made it over here.
Although the bulk of the CMA I know is External, if the shit did hit the proverbial fan, whoever is in front of me had better be able to eat a big over hand right(or left depending on how I am standing at the time) and if in a clinch, a few knees into a throw.
TCC's basic tactical response is stick, follow, link, adhere.
I've liberally embellished on these ideas and list them as; Stick like glue. Follow like a shadow. Link like skin. Adhere like a tornado.
The main strategy of TCC is to get close and either control, yield, or repel.
Depending on the type of attack, a step is a kick and a punch is a throw - a kick is a step and a throw is a punch. Basically, there are no techniques in TCC, so the player closes with the opponent and uses the opp's actions as their own. This is called, "blending".
My own TCC is as much a method of studying the tactical and strategic aspects of h2h as it is a study of the mental/emotional component. The neutrality principle applies to these things as a whole rather than as separate portions in a given situation.
How familiar the player is with the realities of viloent conflict, and how comfortable they are with the chaotic nature of it, will determine their ability to deal.
Ultimately, it depends on how well the player has been trained to apply their TCC under real pressure.
shooter, do all of your TCC students "spar" for lack of a better term? Do you teach a specific TCC form, then the applications and the the students play with them?
tjmitch,
in most of the "realistic self defense"-suit up partner in a body armor-and-have at it type of "styles", they teach that the most common attack is the right haymaker/overhand right.
SHOOTER,
excellent post as always!
re: "a study of the mental/emotional component" & "the realities of viloent conflict" - personally, if not for instructors/coaches like Tony Blauer et al, i would still be living in my fantasy world thinking i know "self defense".
SG, my point is that you better be able to defend a simple direct attack. I have thrown 1,000's of if not more punches at live moving targets, so the timing/distance is easy for me to judge. It is also easy for me to judge if it is going to connect or not before it does. So this would be my first insticnt in a fight. If the guy started to move or react like he has some idea what he was doing, I would have to go to plan B, but simple is good. I always try to stress this to new guys when sparring, or working on "traps" it is great you know a 4 trap combonation. But the whole point is to hit the guy, not to trap. Start by just trying to punch him in the face. If he doesnt block that why bother with anything else. If he does block it, make note of how he blocked it, then try to punch him in the face again, and when he blocks( almost always the same way he blocked your first attack) then you can try a trap. One trap...not some fancy combonation...and try to punch him in the face. simple, right?
In a real fight i`m a dirty mo fo and will do whatever it takes, as I`m also getting long in the tooth, so when the shit truly hits the fan I`m going for a weapon (if I have time/a chance).. I also don`t like breaking my hands, so even though my primary striking style might be boxing, I try to hit with an open hand..
I`ve trained alot of different kinds of fighting styles/movement over the years as I`m sure you guys have, so my personal fighting style really isn`t owed to one particular type of training/school..
We also fight all out at the TCMA school I train/teach at. We spar alot of different ways from spirit hand (free form push hands) to grappling (my "addition" to the school..lol).
tjmitch,
ah yes, the compound trap.
Hillbilly,
"I`m also getting long in the tooth, so when the shit truly hits the fan I`m going for a weapon "
i have carried a spyderco delica for about 6 mos or so. just got used to the idea and feel of it as my EDC. prior to that, i had pens/pencils, and various "non-weapon-looking" weapons. but part of it is, can you deploy your weapon in time for the crap hits the fan? sometimes you can't. of course there are the issues of: what if you dropped weapon, what if attacker uses your weapon against you, etc. btw, this is a general comment and not meant to single you out.
tjmitch, yes, everyone does all kinds of sparring and pushing. Beginners start with full-contact/full-resistance and slowly graduate toward soft chin-na and shuai-chiao over a period of a few months.
I want players to develop honesty in their personal development - what failure feels like. This is the best way for them to learn solid recovery skills based on the principles and methods. TCC by necessity.
I don't teach Tai Chi form until a player has spent at least a year learning the basic fighting method.
shooter, that is very interesting. if they start sparring right away, what techniques so they use? Or are you just trying to get them to understand how thier body moves in realtation to another, and how to keep thier balance?
tjmitch, no techniques are taught in the training.
I try to get people comfortable with being spontaneous and relaxed under pressure. We practice converting natural defensive responses to pro-active movement and thinking.
Balance happens as a natural course of the chi kung and the sparring.