Karate Fighting Footwork
Man,
what a gorgeous day!
Got up at 6,
worked out at 7
and everything gets better.
Hey,
a work out ALWAYS makes everything better.
So there are lots of footworks in the martial arts.
Karate has lots of footworks.
Unfortunately,
the forms don’t usually show them,
so the student doesn’t get the real education.
Usually he gets a straight forward step,
or a spin to the rear,
or something like that
which has little relationship to fighting.
There are two specific footworks
that we used for fighting at the Kang Duk Won.
One is in the forms,
but you’ll never recognize it.
Been hidden pretty good.
The other one is not in the forms,
but we used to use it all the time.
One footwork is the ‘Switch Step.’
The other is the ‘Triangle Step.’
The switch step you bring your front foot back
so it is next to the rear foot,
then step forward with the foot that was in the rear.
Now,
this is a tricky one
and requires exquisite timing.
but it real works.
The opponent thinks you’re moving,
but you’re really just setting your legs
for the attack and…
BAM!
You move in…and with the other side,
a side he’s not set up for.
It is best used for making small
forward and back movements.
Subtle movements when you don’t want to reveal
directions and intentions.
It really messes with his anticipation of distance and timing.
The triangle step is your side to side movement.
the specific triangle might have your right foot forward.
You bring your right foot back and to the side,
and move your rear foot to the position
previously occupied by the right foot.
The problem is that people start moving
their feet forward and back,
and don’t realize it is a side to side movement.
The switch step we just used,
no drills or forms illustrated it.
We just watched our instructor,
that’s what he did,
so we did it,
and it worked.
The triangle step is actually in the forms,
but it has been obscured.
The last move of pinan four,
for instance.
Don’t step forward or back,
or switch feet…
do a triangle step,
and suddenly that move
will reveal fighting potential in a form.
Now this is a bare hint of the things
I’m writing about in the book I’m working on.
There’s a lot of this stuff
as I lay out the forms
in a manner that is different,
and yet illustrates a core workability
that is often missing,
disguised, and obscured
in most classical karate systems.
Of course
you’re going to have to do the forms.
You‘re going to have to compare and contrast
the old with the new
to understand what is happening.
I’ll tell you right now,
this is not a book for people
who want to read about
and not do the work.
This book is only for people
who want to wade in,
get lost in the pages,
scratch their heads,
kick and punch the alligators swarming in their own heads,
and come the other side of the swamp.
One thing I will tell you, though…
there is matrixing in this book
and if you haven’t studied it,
the basic course on matrixing
will save your bacon.
It is ten times easier to study the classical
if you have studied matrix karate.
I have always told people,
do matrixing,
but DON’T put the classical aside.
There’s gold in those forms,
and hopefully,
with matrixing and this forthcoming book,
you’ll find it.
Probably a couple of months now
until I publish.
And say a prayer for poor Ted,
he’s right in the thick of 400 pages,
well over a thousand illustrations.
As soon as he’s out of the swamp
I’ll throw the rest of you guys in.
Here’s the obligatory ad for Matrix Karate…
Everybody…
HAVE A GREAT WORK OUT!
Al
And don’t forget to check out the interview
https://anchor.fm/dale-gillilan/episodes/S1E10—Al-Case-e12e3np
BTW
I’ve got nothing but five star reviews on
The Science of Government.
It’s really nothing more than applying matrixing to politics.
Politics is the justification for insanity by a group.
Here’s the link…
