As we have outlined in the previous post, understanding an Advanced Concept comes from starting with a single
technique and exploring many different characteristics of that given technique. This may be an analysis of the collected Um
and Yang characteristics of a given technique (push/pull, tension/relaxation,
upswing/downswing, etc.), could focus on the areas of greatest strength and
weakness of the technique, or may delve into varying applications of a single
technique. For the purpose of this
initial example, we will choose the following Advanced Concept:
One Basic Technique may have a nearly infinite number of possible applications.
In order to better
understand this, we will use the following verbal device, which students will
repeat, in order to convey this concept:
“A block is a strike
is a trap is a lock is a throw.”
By using this device,
we begin to get our students to think beyond the limiting basic terminology to
which they have been exposed, and allow them to begin thinking of their
techniques not only in their simplest defensive forms, but as offensive and
immobilizing tools as well.
We start to deconstruct this
Advanced Concept with the first part of our verbal learning device:
a block. For the purposes of this thesis, we will
assume that a “block” refers to any use of a technique that stops, deflects, or
redirects an incoming attack but does not immobilize the attacker or inflict
damage to a traditional vital point. It
is important to note that while blocks can and do inflict damage, they can be
differentiated from strikes in that they are both primarily defensive in nature
and do not typically directly attack the main vital points of the body. The typical “low block” then, as it is
taught to a white belt, is explained as a technique that uses a downward
swinging and rotating arm in order to stop or deflect an oncoming attack with
the Ulnar side of the defender’s forearm.
The typical example is one in which an attacker executes a low to
mid-level kick, and the defender intercepts this attack with the forearm, as
depicted below:
Limiting
the application of this block to one single attack is somewhat shortsighted,
though. When we begin to examine the path of the low block, we see that it can
be effectively used against not only a variety of oncoming kick attacks, but
also against striking hand attacks and grabs.
When we begin to stress the properties of hip twisting and initial hand
positioning prior to the execution of the block, this becomes even more readily
apparent.
Example: Basic application of Low Block
against a frontal double-hand grab
So,
through a very quick analysis of the motion of the low block, we are already
shown a variety of uses for this “block.”
When we push deeper into our analysis, though, we find that this is only
the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
We must move on to stage two of our
verbal device: “a block is a strike.” For the purposes of this thesis we will
define a strike as any technique that
is used to intentionally inflict damage by attacking a traditional vital point.
When we look further at the motion of the low block, we can easily extrapolate
that it can be used not only to stop an oncoming attack, but also as an attack
itself. By simply extending the range of
the technique in relation to an opponent, we will find ourselves making contact
with the fist, rather that with the forearm.
The so-called “low block” has now become a technique with which black
belts will be familiar: the hammer fist. While a hammer fist may not traditionally be
held in this downward and side-oriented fashion, the effectiveness of the
technique as a strike cannot be questioned.
It can be used to strike the inside of the knee, the shin, the ribs, the
kidneys, the jaw, the throat, and virtually any other accessible vital point.
Example: Application of “low block” as a
hammer fist strike to the jaw/throat
Again,
though, we are merely scratching the surface.
By breaking down the arc of travel followed by the low block, we begin
to see additional striking applications take shape. The rising and falling action of the arm used
to execute this technique yields a variety of elbow strikes, during both the
initial preparatory upswing, and on the downswing, both of which become
particularly useful if the opponent moves from a mid-range to close-range
distance.
Further analysis will continue to yield an even greater
number of possible strikes. For example, when taken to an advanced level, one
low block may contain all of the following strikes, while assuming that the
left hand is executing the “low block”.
Targets for each strike are dependent upon both the opponent’s reaction
and the relational angle between you and the opponent.
- Moving into a standard “crossed arm/one arm up, one
down” starting position, start by using the right hand to execute a punch
to the opponent’s ribs, kidney, or solar plexus.
2. Immediately following this initial punch, the
opponent’s head will begin to move forward. Execute a left handed uppercut punch
across the neck, jaw, or temple.
- On the upswing described in step 2 above, also
execute a rising elbow/ forearm strike with the left arm to the opponent’s
armpit, elbow, neck or jaw.
- Use the “chambering action” of the right arm to
strike with the thumb knuckle, finger knuckles (backfist) or Radial side
of the forearm to the opponent’s ribs or kidneys.
- As the left arm begins to descend into the low block,
use the back of the elbow to strike the opponent’s philtrum, nose, eye, or
jaw. Note: Photo is shown from opposite side for best view.
6. Finish the left hand downswing into “low block” by
executing a hammer fist to the opponent’s nose, philtrum, jaw, neck, or
temple.
While
it is not suggested that this exact sequence of strikes will all be landed on
an opponent, the progression of strikes does teach a very valuable idea: If one strike is blocked, the next strike
should already be on its way. Working
on this drill with a partner may reveal even more striking opportunities, but
even in this one exercise, we have now identified six new characteristics of
the “low block” which many black belts may have never considered. We are now starting to see with black belt
eyes, but there is still more to discover.
Both the blocking and striking applications of the low
block reveal more about the technique, and as we progress into the six-step
striking drill listed above, we begin to uncover a vital characteristic of the
technique that is often incorrectly ignored: Both hands must be considered when identifying applications for a given
technique. This idea leads us into
step three in our exploration of low block: A block is a strike is a trap. A
Trap will be defined as a technique
that catches or ensnares any of an attacker’s extremities by compressing it between two bodily
surfaces. While not precluded from doing
so, a trap does not automatically inflict pain; nor does it automatically
immobilize an opponent. Traps usually come in one of three varieties: Leg
traps, arm traps, and head/ neck traps, which are usually referred to as
chokes. How does the low block become
a trap? We must not only consider the
use of both hands at this stage, but also the again reexamine the “starting
position” of the technique. Typically, a
low block will be executed from one of two starting positions, each of which
can be found in the pages of the Mooyae Dobo Tongji.
1.
The crossed arm/ one
arm up, one arm down position
2.
The raised X position
Either
of these starting positions can serve as an ideal trap. The first of these two variations lends
itself best to several different leg traps:
- Hook the rising arm underneath the attacker’s kick,
while simultaneously pressing downward on the top or side of the leg with the
descending arm.
- Using both forearms, bring the descending arm to the
inside of the leg, while using the rising arm on the outside of the leg to
compress the kick between each arm.
- From position 2 above, pull up with the downward arm
to the “chamber” position, while simultaneously grabbing the leg. Use the other arm to swing down into the
standard “low block” position and trap the leg.
Similarly,
when we look at the raised X starting position, we see that it lends itself to
trapping the attacker’s arm, which is compressed between each of the defender’s
forearms. This trap can be executed
easily from either an Inside Line or Outside Line defense.
- Inside Line Trap
- Outside Line Trap
Finally,
by examining the traps we have outlined above for both the leg and arm, we can
easily extrapolate these applications into traps of the body, neck and throat,
which can serve as effective immobilizing or choking techniques:
For the most part, though, when we look at the trapping
applications of the “low block”, we find that we are only using a portion of
the technique itself. If we truly desire
to apply the entire technique, we must again move up an additional level in our
original verbal device: A block is a
strike is a trap is a lock. For our
purposes, a Lock shall be defined as
a technique that immobilizes the attacker by applying pressure to a specific
joint or series of joints in a manner that will hyperextend the joint beyond
its normal range of motion, usually, but not always, resulting in pain. There
are a diverse number of different types of locks; some straightforward and
relatively simple in their execution, and some more esoteric and
difficult. Fortunately, the low block
lends itself to one of the most well known locks: the arm bar. An arm bar typically in some way grabs the
attacker’s wrist, while applying pressure to and hyperextending the elbow, the
shoulder, or both. To apply the low
block as a locking technique, execute the following steps:
1. Start by blocking the
attacker’s arm with the “Raised X” starting position for low block. This can be done from either the Inside Line
or Outside Line.
2. Grab the wrist with
the “chambering” arm, pulling to extend the attacker’s arm straight, while
simultaneously using the elbow of the “blocking” arm to lock the attacker’s
elbow joint.
3. Bring the “blocking”
arm down in the standard arcing fashion to execute a low block, while
continuing to pull the “chambering” arm in towards the ribcage. As the “blocking” arm descends, it should
maintain pressure on the attacker’s elbow and/or shoulder.
While the above application of the low block as an arm bar
is probably the easiest lock to execute for this technique, it is far from the
only lock one can apply to low block.
Remembering that a lock applies pressure to a joint or series of joints
in order to hyperextend these joints and cause pain, we may pick a different
set of joints to lock. In this case we
will choose the elbow and the neck. Here
with proper execution of the low block, the elbow is hyperextended and
immobilized by applying pressure with the defender’s body, rather than using
the arms, while the neck is rotated to the side and locked by applying pressure
with the descending arm along the jaw line.
Note here that the spine may also be considered a joint, and that by
further extending the “low block”, we can lock the spine against the defender’s
front leg/knee.
We are
starting to truly utilize all parts of the low block as we delve into these
locking applications, but there is still one more kind of application to explore:
A block is a strike is a trap is a lock
is a throw. A Throw will be defined as any technique which both garbs and
releases the attacker in one continuous motion, while disrupting the attacker’s
balance causing them to fall to the ground.
Once again, there are numerous different throwing applications for the
low block, but we will only examine one in detail here. For this final application of the “low
block”, we will utilize a chokehold attack from the rear, in this case with the
attacker placing her right forearm across the defender’s neck :
- The defender will bring his right arm
upward to grab and rotate the attacker’s wrist, thereby freeing the
airway:
- The defender will shift his left leg
behind the attacker, while beginning to drive the left elbow back into the
attacker’s body. Simultaneously, the defender will begin to use the
“chambering” action of the right arm to pull the attacker’s arm off the
shoulder, thus avoiding the possibility of being pulled down himself.
- The defender will pivot his hips to the
left, while maintaining pressure on the attacker’s body with the left
elbow, and will begin to swing the left arm down into the low block
position, sliding the arm along the attacker’s body toward the head, knocking
her backwards.
- Finally, the defender will continue to
pivot his hips forward while applying downward pressure on the attacker,
driving her to the ground.
While it is difficult to convey this application using
static photographs, when it is executed at speed, it is a dynamic throw that
quickly lifts the attacker off her feet and sends her sprawling to the
ground. Astute black belt students may
even notice that this technique directly correlates to other techniques they already know. Reflection upon this will
help them to build bridges towards even more Advanced Concepts.
Concepts,
Not Techniques?
At this
point, the reader may be asking, “Isn’t this really just teaching a bunch of
new, albeit more advanced, techniques?”
This is actually a difficult question to answer. From a certain point of view, yes this is
true. We really can’t escape from teaching techniques to our students if we
wish them to learn how to apply their art.
However, as Obi-Wan Kenobi says in The
Empire Strikes Back, “many
of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." It is equally accurate to say that all of the
above applications are encompassed within only one technique. The difference is really one of both focus and scope. The focus, or area of concentration is
shifted away from the memorization and repetition of these techniques. It is
instead centered on the concept that
one technique has many different uses, functions, and applications. By focusing
on the concept rather than the techniques encapsulated within that concept, we
find that the students’ retention of the drills actually increases, and that
they are able to now improvise by applying the same ideas presented to new
techniques, which brings us to the subject of scope.
The scope of this curriculum is
actually beyond our ability to document and categorize. Throughout this chapter, we have touched on
only one technique. Students must now be
asked to reflect on the presented drills for low block, examine their level of
Understanding of the material presented, and identify some of the concepts
discovered. In so doing we actually
discover that the verbal device we have used throughout our exploration of low
block is actually an Advanced Concept itself:
A Block is a Strike is a Trap is a Lock is
a Throw
When we analyze,
deconstruct, and then reconstruct this concept, though, we also learn that:
A Strike is a Trap is a Lock is a Throw is
a Block
A Trap is a Lock is a Throw is a Block is a
Strike
A Lock is a Throw is a Block is a Strike is
a Trap
A Throw is a Block is a Strike is a Trap is
a Block
Even this does not
cover the concept adequately. What we
really begin to see is not possible to depict in words or pictures, but perhaps
this comes close:
Once
students begin to display even some Understanding of this Advanced Concept,
they can then begin to Apply the drills we have done for low block to another
technique such as high block or inside to outside block, and in so doing will
then begin to Improvise entirely new applications and drills of their own,
while keeping in mind that along the way, we tend to discover Basic Concepts as
well, such as:
- If one strike
is blocked, the next strike should already be on its way.
- Both hands must
be considered when identifying applications for a given technique.
The
Conceptual Model: Conclusions
Once our black belts begin to embrace the Conceptual Model
for a new Curriculum, they can begin to
move closer towards the Ideal Concept.
What is the Ideal Concept of Tang Soo Do? It is, of course, our ultimate goal: to become one with nature. Perhaps this means something different to
everyone, but it does not make it any less ideal, and I think that even when
exploring the Ideal, we do some away with some universal truths. One of these is that in order for our
techniques to truly become natural,
we must move away from the idea that everything we do must somehow be
categorized, classified, and compartmentalized.
We must instead begin to realize that in truth, everything we do in Tang
Soo Do is directly related to, and inextricably linked with, everything else we
do in Tang Soo Do. In other words: It’s all the same. Everything we do is actually the same as
everything else we do, whether this is techniques in drill, performing hyung,
practicing one-steps, or sparring. It’s ALL the same.
Getting
black belts to really understand this, though, is no easy task. For this reason, we must continue to
deconstruct the Ideal Concept into easier to understand Basic Concepts (most
useful at the Gup Levels), and the more difficult, but also more valuable
Advanced Concepts that are crucial to the black belt’s development. We have previously in this chapter defined a
concept as it relates to Tang Soo Do as an idea of a technique formed by mentally
combining all its characteristics or particulars; the conjunction of all the
characteristic features of a technique.
We must move beyond even this definition as we continue to
move forward. It is time to start
substituting other areas of our curriculum for the word “technique.” We actually must start with:
An idea
of ______ formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars;
the conjunction of all the characteristic features of ______.
We must
fill in the blanks with whatever subject matter we plan to explore. Perhaps we use “hyung”, or “dae ryun”; “ho
sin sul”, “kyuck pa”, or “il soo sik”. The
possibilities, and therefore the concepts, are limitless.
Kick. Punch. Easy Stuff.
