Long-Range Stickwork for Training Empty-Hand Self-Defense.

[arnisador]

A JKD instructor with whom I work out on occasion likes to use the stick to help improve empty-hand skills. I'm not talking about an "it's all the same" approach to learning stick/sword/knife/weaponless fighting through stick techniques, or even familiarity with the stick as a weapon that might be used against you on the street; I mean that he feels that even if all you ever wanted to learn was how to fight empty-handed, doing stickwork would help and should be part of your training. Of course, stickwork is still a relatively minor part of his empty-hand training.

His philosophy seems to be based principally on two ideas. First, proper stick technique helps you learn how to get your body into your strikes, which carries over into things like your straight punch. Doing figure 8 drills with your hip getting into the strike improves the uppercut punch, and so on. Second, using the stick helps you learn about changing ranges and changing conditions in a fight.

As an example of the latter, he does a drill where you both start with a stick in your hand (and padded glove on it), and a knife in your belt. You start by stick-sparring. On command, you both drop the sticks, draw the knife and knife-spar (thereby changing range and conditions). On command, you drop the knives and gloves and spar empty-hand (often semi-sparring, e.g. one person is the designated attacker and may only punch, while the defends by blocking then countering with a technique like clinch-and-HKE, release, resume). On command, each tries to take the other down and grappling begins. On command, both must stand up safely and then either the drill ends, or both must regain their knives and begin working backwards.

It's an interesting drill. One must constantly adapt to changing conditions. It definitely gets the heart rate up if both are taking seriously, and most of it is free-sparring so that is indeed the case.

Still, I wonder how much I gain in terms of empty-hand skills by stick-sparring at longer range. (It's his philosophy that one should stick-fight at long range whenever possible and use defang-the-snake, closing only if forced. Hence, in this drill we're mostly doing long-range wittiks/abaniqos/hiradas in the stick phase.) At middle-to-close range I get much empty-hand value from stick-fighting; it's greatly improved my ability to use both hands independently, to release a grip quickly and continue fighting, to trap the opponent's hands, to abort a strike and redirect it, to feel comfortable against a fast opponent, and other things. But at long range, while it helps my mobility (which is something I have always needed work on), I see less direct empty-hand value. While it's true that in this drill I must change ranges, how I do that in dropping a knife and drawing a blade as my opponent does the same is quite different from how I'd close (or manage) the range if we were both unarmed. The drill itself has definite value for me in terms of raising the intensity level and forcing me to deal with changing circumstances, but I don't know how essential the stick is to it.

Do others feel that long-range stick-sparring is valuable to their empty-hand self-defense?

[arnisador]

On a related note, where I am training temporarily they really emphasize the stick-as-sword most of the time, whereas in Modern Arnis I generally treat the stick as a stick most of the time. This has caused my son occasional confusion, as techniques he works with me at home need slight changes at the class. One big difference is that in Modern Arnis we often use a basic stick-on-stick block that cuts through followed by a live hand check, whereas at the class it's usual to throw up a block as a shield that meets rather than sweeps through the attack, with simultaneous check to the hand. (I know what I mean, but I fear that description makes both techniques sound ineffective. It would be easier to demonstrate!) He's started adjusting, and of course both I and the instructor each do it sometimes one way, sometimes another, so it really is a matter of emphasis.

But my son has really been getting into the sword lately. He likes the sword applications from class, likes playing with the wooden bolos at home, likes watching shows on swordwork (like this one (http://fmatalk.com/showthread.php?t=361) that we just watched), likes the fake swordwork they're doing for a play he's in, and so on. He has come to strongly prefer the sword to the stick. He never was overly interested in knives, which I strongly emphasize (more than most Modern Arnis players, I believe), but swords apparently are different. Perhaps size really does matter!

This has gotten me thinking...I train him, and take him to others for training, for a variety of reasons, including that it's a father-son thing we do together that we both enjoy. But in his case, learning self-defense is something I feel is very important. I don't expect to be attacked anytime soon, but he'll be going to college in 2.5 years. There, getting into an altercation is of course a possibility--bars, parties, being out late, working grungy jobs, etc. He is homeschooled and so hasn't been fighting with bullies and such at school (unless you count his younger sister :)) so he lacks that experience. This is both a plus and a minus.

We practice empty-hand self-defense in arnis and also study JKD to bring it out further, but in Modern Arnis we consider, as with most FMAs, that our stick and dagger work applies to and greatly improves our empty-hand skills as well. As he gravitates more and more to the sword, I ask myself if that provides as good a basis for empty-hand fighting as the stick does. I have a stick bias, so I see the stickwork in comparison to the swordwork as being more practical for empty-hand: You're closer with the stick, can grab anything, don't have to contort to avoid the blade touching you or reach in particular ways to get to the hand and avoid the blade, can work chokes with the stick that often translate to empty-hand chokes, can stick-grapple, etc. With the sword I worry that the greater emphasis on maintaining a safe distance much of the time, on assuming that even a small cut can provide a safe opening for entry, on drawing through the target rather than striking for impact, and so on, may provide less benefit than focusing on the stick.

On the other hand, not only do I know many FMAers whose art focuses on the sword but who are very effective without it--I think here of Jerson Tortal of Dekiti Tirsia Siradas, for example, who uses sword-like techniques for his empty-hand and is amazing at what he does--but learning to be able to manage the opponent from a safe range has obvious benefits, the speed and mobility are excellent attributes, the cutting motions can get some good hip-habits built into the body, and of course one never knows when a knife will come out in what one thinks is an empty-hand battle so it's good to be prepared.

As a father I think that I must, for any number of reasons, let him follow his interests, so I'm not planning on trying to discourage him. But, with my stick-bias I do find myself worrying if I'm sacrificing some of his empty-hand fighting skill in favor of letting him develop a skill which, in its strict form (sword-on-sword), he's unlikely to ever use. I strongly believe that weapons training improves empty-hand self-defense and that the "it's all the same" philosophy is valid, but for empty-hand development I prefer the knife or the stick at shorter range (http://fmatalk.com/showthread.php?t=346) best of all.

[arnisador]

Well, for better or worse my son seems to be developing a strong interest in the staff! Once again, while I want to encourage him, I have some concerns that, "it's all the same" or not, the stick and knife at closer range give a person more empty-hand self-defense development than does the staff. Oh well!

[kroh]

I am going to chime in on this one as this is a fun topic and the posts on this thread have been both a pleasure to read and well thought out.

I have been doing the FMA's since about 94. Throughout this training I have always been into and practicing the Japanese martial arts as well (since I was young). There is a principle that a lot of Japanese martial arts (the ones from Japan and not from America) use that allows you to use various forms of weapon combat empty handed. The best example of this is in Aikido where all of the movements are based off of the sword and the four foot stick. The human body moves only in so many ways and by thinking along these lines the training becomes pretty universal. If you were to take the four foot stick and hold it like a spear toward the bottom, you can execute a movement where you duck the stick under a thrust from a similarly sized weapon to knock it out of the way (circle out motion) and then strike down horizontally hard right against the neck. Take the stick away and do that empty handed you have an outward sweeping block followed by taking the same hand and "riding" down the opponents arm and smacking him in the skull. Same motion...same intent...different execution.

The big staple of this point is range. One method of redefining the range so that it works from one to another is to train the different ranges through a pyramid weapons scheme ( no amway toothbrushes here ). This is very similar to the above mentioned drill (stick, knife, hand, grapple...great drill by the way). Start with a weapon like the four foot stick. Then move into a three foot stick (cane afficionados...that one's for you). Move into the Baston from there. Then work the way into a long knife and short knife and then to the empty hand. You are still working the same movement over and over again to build into the muscle memory just altering the "intended range."

Hope that helps....
Regards,
Walt