Tag Archives: first technique in martial arts

First Martial Arts Technique

Martial Arts Technique Number One

Hey guys and gals!
We’re into summer now
and I hope you decided to pick an art
and learn the whole darn thing before fall.
I mean,
why waste time?

I wanted to get into ‘The First Technique,;’
or ‘Technique Number one.’

I think I may have written about this before,
but it bears repeating.
After all,
nobody in the world understands this.
I’m serious,
nobody in the world knows what technique number one is
or why it is number one.
So, here we go.

A fly is buzzing in front of your face.
Do you do a high block?
Smash that fly with a high block?
Nope.
You swat it.
Simple.
Easy.
And,
in many arts,
and should be in all arts,
there should be a ‘preparatory’ slap
before you do the block.

That slap is technique number one.
Think about it.
You have NEVER seen a high block done in freestyle.
It’s a worthwhile block,
teaches all sorts of things about structure and timing,
but…
it is never used.
But the slap is used constantly.
It’s used in boxing,
jujitsu,
virtually every other art.
So the slap is Technique Number One.

After Number One you move your hand towards the block,
but before you actually block
you grab.
Grabbing is second.
Then, finally,
you block.
Blocking is the third technique.

Now,
it is important to learn blocking.
Like I say,
it teaches a little reality,
it teaches timing,
it teaches you how the body is structured
and how energy runs through the body.
BUT…
slapping is first.

oh,
you have various patterns,
and drills coming out the wazoo,
but EVERYTHING is based upon
that simple slap.

Now,
can a slap do damage?
Well, yes,
but that’s not the essence of Monkey Boxing.
If you put the steam on it,
you can break bones and even split skin with a good slap.
I especially advise people to learn
all about iron palm techniques
and how to slap the crap out of
a good, old bag of beans.

The purpose of the slap in Monkey Boxing
is not so much to do damage,
though that can EASILY happen.
The real purpose of the slap
is to guide the attack into a grab.

You see the slap is first,
but before you even start trying to to get to technique two,
or three,
you guide the attack into a simple grab.
A guy punches,
you slap softly,
so softly he doesn’t feel it,
and then he slides his arm right into your control.

You break, you guide,
you unbalance, you lock,
if you must,
you hurt him.

But try to control him before you have to hurt him.

So there you go,
a punch is slapped,
grabbed,
and finally blocked.

And,
you either try to stop something,
going man to man,
or you slip it,
guide it,
and control it.

And,
I have said it before:

While there is an art to destruction,
the true art is in control!’

And,
i would be sadly remiss,
and miss my chance for obligatory advertising,
if I didn’t tell you that there was a whole art
devoted to slapping?
It’s Monkey Boxing.
Yes.
And Monkey Boxing is completely taught
in the Blinding Steel course.

Here’s the Monkey Boxing Link…

4a Blinding Steel (Matrixing Weapons)

Have a GREAT work out!
Al

don’t forget to check out
Dale Gilliland’s great interview with me….

BTW
Have you checked out my novel?
Monkeyland?
It’s on Amazon,
but you’ll probably have to look for it.
Amazon tends to hide the good stuff.