One-Step Drills versus Reality

bagua self-defense self-defense Sep 04, 2007

I was reading a bagua book the other day, and there were photographs of a sequence showing one application against a jab. The person throwing the jab put his fist out there and held it while the defender went through a couple of techniques including a strike.

If you've ever fought someone who uses a jab, you know that they don't just hold it there for you. It flicks out quickly and then returns out of your range. It's very difficult to do very much in that short amount of time.

Too often in class, we do "one steps" in which the attacker does a punch or kick and lets us have our way with him (or her). And that's okay to learn concepts, but it isn't going to work in a real fight.

I was watching a video clip of a real "Bagua" fighting match in a Chinese tournament. There was very little Bagua happening. It was mostly using muscle to throw someone or using fists to hit their chests and stomachs.

There's a reason for that. Bagua is extremely difficult to use against a moving opponent who is motivated to hurt you. What works in class, all the pretty spins and joint locks and throws, doesn't go very far in a real fight.

A guy emailed me a week ago and asked if Bagua could be used in a street fight. My reply was that a street fight would be a life or death situation. You don't worry about walking a circle at that point, just as you don't worry about moving properly into the kua or whether your posture is perfect. You react by instinct and match the situation with the most powerful, effective technique you have.

In my classes, I encouraged people to use their internal arts techniques in sparring against partners that didn't cooperate. It's a great way to see what works for you and what is more "art" than reality.

I'll show a couple of simple techniques that work, and why, in upcoming posts.

--by Ken Gullette

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One-Step Drills versus Reality

Try Two Weeks Free and Get Step-by-Step Training in Taiji, Xingyi and Bagua from Basic to Advanced Skills with No Mystical Mumbo-Jumbo

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