There is No One Hapkido

By Scott Shaw

There is no one Hapkido.

            “Be true to your school, like you are to your girl.”  That’s a line from one of the fun Beach Boy songs from the Little Duce Coupe album released back in the ‘60s. It is not too different in the martial arts. If you ever speak with a martial artist, particularly one who practices a traditional style of the martial arts, more times than not, they will be very protective and sometimes even boastful of their style and their school.  That’s not a bad thing.

            Yesterday, I was pointed to this discussion with the founder of Hapkido, Choi, Yong Sool, that was posted on YouTube. It was a conversation that was conducted decades ago. I had first watched that conversation many years ago, but this is the first time I saw it presented with an English translation running along the bottom. Though the translation is not perfect, as few translations ever are, it does get the main points he was trying to make across very well.

            One of the main points he was discussing was how Hapkido, the art he had founded, has become so fragmented. It was no longer one cohesive art. Every school was teaching something different. That’s true, ever since I was a kid, and one of the early practitioners of Hapkido here in the U.S., with every school and with every teacher I encountered, Hapkido was taught somewhat differently. There was a similar essence, but, in most cases, it was very different. And, this was before teachers like Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee began to propagate the integration of the various martial arts into one expansive system.

            I understand his perspective, he created a style of the martial arts based upon his training in Daito Ryu Aikijutsu and he wanted that system of martial arts to remain pure and unaltered. But, it has not. If you look at other Korean martial arts, like say, Taekwondo, that art, and its teaching, is very formalized. From my experience, Hapkido has never been that way, however.

            In fact, even via my own life experience with the martial arts, I was initially a Hapkido practitioner and then studied Taekwondo.  So, virtually my entire martial art emersion has been one of blending.

            When I taught the martial arts professionally, I always taught my students both Hapkido and Taekwondo. But, I kept them separated. They learned both arts as they were meant to be understood. When they reached the black belt level, there were tested for the techniques of both arts. If they passed, the received two black belt certificates. One for Hapkido and one for Taekwondo. Though my students were exposed to both arts, they were tainted in the variances and the differences of each. The two were never combined.

            But, back to the point, from a historically perspective, Han, Han Jae, was one of the most, if not the most, influential practitioners of Hapkido. He was the man who set the evolution of the art truly into motion, adding the kicking techniques, many of the weapons, and the other elements to the system.  

            For me, this diversity in Hapkido is not a bad thing. For me, it is the essence of the art. For me, I believe that any system of martial arts must constantly evolve if it hopes to say relevant. Yes, you hold onto the traditional elements of the system, but as art must continually move forward if it hopes to remain useful and relevant, you must be willing to progress.

This is not to say that I have agreed with some of the additions certain teachers have added to the system. For example, some teachers have integrated forms training into Hapkido. But, simply by their very design, forms training goes against the true essence of the art. Hapkido embraces freedom of movement and energy manipulation, not overly formalized structure. Forms were never a basis for this system of self-defense. Thus, I never believed that they should be taught as a part of Hapkido.

            This being said, I believe that not only for the martial arts, but for every element of life, one must allow themselves to be free to evolve: to test, try things out, and become better. For if not, all life becomes is a replaying of what was lived yesterday.

            Here’s the link to that Choi, Yong Sool conversation on YouTube if you feel like listening to it.

 

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Scott Shaw.com

Scott Shaw Hapkido Taekwondo International

 

Hapkido and The Dynamics of Distance

 

By Scott Shaw

 

     At the heart of the Hapkido is your ability to successfully defend yourself against the onslaught of an oncoming attacker in the most expedient manner possible. With this as source point, an untold number of self-defense systems have been developed over the centuries by virtually every culture on earth. For some, these methods of self-defense involve elaborate techniques which involve numerous exaggerated movements. The proponents of these styles believe that this will ultimately lead to the defeat of an attacker. Anyone who has ever been involved in a street fight or watched a no-holds-barred competition on television, however, can attest to the fact that elaborate techniques do not work!

 

     When you find yourself in the midst of a physical encounter, to emerge unscathed, you must defend yourself in the most expedient manner possible. To this end, elaborate techniques must be discarded and replaced with those that are not only fast but effective, as well. 

 

     To come to a better understanding of the elements which lead to rapid and safe self-defense, some of the factors of physical encounters must first be defined. From this, you can rethink your self-defense arsenal and hopefully become a more fluid and competent martial artist.

 

Self Defense and Distance

     Physical confrontations commonly begin at one of two distances. The first is when you and your opponent are in very close proximity to one another. The second is arguably the most common start point for a confrontation -- one which begins when the two of you are at a distance from one another.

 

     Ideally depictive of this is the altercation which begins when an agitated opponent signals his intentions by calling you names, telling you that he is going to kick your butt, and so on. This style of initial confrontation is actually to your advantage, because at a distance there are many more viable ways of defending yourself than when your opponent has already accosted you and the two of you are face-to-face.

 

Keep Your Distance

     The first rule of distance fighting is to, Keep Your Distance. As long as your assailant is not close enough to hit or grab you, you will remain free from injury and not have to forcefully defend yourself by punching, kicking, or throwing your attacker.

 

     The question always arises, “How do I keep my opponent at bay?” In actuality, this is one of the most readily achievable forms of self-defense. The answer is, Keep Moving.

 

     As long as you keep moving, your opponent will not only have difficulty in closing the distance between the two of you. But, in certain circumstance, he may never be able to make offensive contact with you at all.

 

     How you move is essentially important, however, if you wish to keep your opponent at a distance. Your defensive movements should never be made randomly.

 

Circular Movement

     The first method of consciously keeping your distance from your attacker is to define your environment. Ideally, you will have several feet of space, or more, around you. In these cases, begin to pivot in a circular fashion around your opponent. Using him as your central axis, you should continue to circularly alter your location. From this, he will not have a direct path of attack.

 

     The reason you move in a circular fashion is this allows you to keep him off balance. As he is central to your circumference, he will be forced to pivot around in a very small pattern. This will often times cause him to not only remain off balance, but it may also cause him to trip over his own feet as he may become somewhat disorientated. Additionally, by moving in a circular pattern, you can slowly and consciously continue to move back and away from him, thereby, increasing your distance. As you do this, he will have to travel farther to actually attack you. Thus, you will have additional time to prepare your counter defense. 

 

     In is essential at this level of self-defense that you do not turn and take your eyes off of your attacking opponent at any time. If you do, this will provide him with an opportunity to charge in at you. As you may not see his approach, this could be devastating. Therefore, keep your eyes on your attacker at all times, as you continue to move.

 

Move and Deflect

     Though circular movement is a viable first line of defense, many times an enraged attacker will become agitated at his inability to simply come up and punch you. This is when he may simply run in at you to make contact. At this point, your first line of self-defense is to simply alter your circular pattern and rapidly step back or step to the side of his attack. Due to his momentum driven run, if you are quick, you will again have foiled his attempted attack.

 

     Of course, this style of defense will not necessarily cause you to emerge victorious from all confrontations. If your opponent persists, your next line of self-defense is to deflect your opponent’s attack when he rushes in at you.

 

     It must be understood, however, that your best method of self-defense is to never make contact with an opponent unless it is absolutely necessary. With no contact, there is no possibility of physical injury. The moment contact is made, the chances of injury are enormous -- both by being hit and by delivering your defense applications. Thus, actual physical contact should be your last level of self-defense when all other methods have failed.

 

     Your first line of deflective self-defense is to rapidly sidestep any rushing attack. The basis for this style of movement can be seen in football when a pass rusher charges in at the quarterback. The quarterback will wait until the last second before impact is made and then rapidly sidestep the onslaught, applying a little deflective push to his opponent. Possession of the ball is maintained and the individual who attempted the tackle is sent to the ground where he must get up from if he hopes to instigate another offense.

 

     The key element to remember in this style of deflective self-defense is to not move until the last possible moment.  If you move too soon, your opponent will see this action and have time to recalculate his attack -- perhaps making contact with you.

 

     Keep in mind, that your attacker is highly adrenalized. Thus, his energy is quickly expended. As long as you can keep him away from you, he will be burning excessive amounts of energy and you, remaining relatively calm, will maintain your energy surplus.  Thus, like the competent boxer who allows his opponent to chase him around the ring, you too can conserve your energy and counter attack only when you opponent is worn out.

 

The Room is Closing in On You

     You will not always be in a wide-open space when an assailant accosts you. When a large amount of space is not available, many instructors of self-defense teach that you should back yourself up against a wall.  This is especially the case if you find yourself in a room. The belief is that by backing yourself up to a wall, your attacker cannot come around behind you. Though there is a logic to this form of self-defense, the biggest downside to it is that once you back yourself up against a wall, your movement is highly limited and your attacker can close in on you and strike with multiple attacks. Additionally, your defensive blocking techniques are highly restricted, with your back against a wall, as you can only move effectively from side to side. If you attempt to push out from the wall, you must then meet the punches of your attacker head on. 

 

     For these reasons, moving against a wall should only be employed when it is absolutely to your advantage. This situation would occur when your attacker is rapidly rushing in at you. Then, simply by side stepping his attack, redirecting his aggressive energy, and guiding his face or body into the wall, you will have saved yourself the necessity of striking out at him, as you have used his own momentum driven force to cause him to powerfully impact the nearby wall.

 

     In virtually all other cases, it is to your advantage to keep moving if you find yourself accosted in a walled outdoor or indoor location. Even if your movements must be linear, due to the confined configuration of the space, your attackers will still need to chase after you to grab or to strike at you.

 

When Movement Fails

     Movement should always be your first line of defense. Deflection should be your second. But, movement and deflection can not always be your last line of defense. For this reason, you must be prepared to effectively defense yourself when you come face-to-face with an attacker.

 

     There are a few very basic yet very effective preliminary techniques you can employ when an opponent has closed the distance on you. The first, and perhaps most effective, is to deliver a powerful front kick to his groin, mid-section, or under his jaw just before he is close enough to make punching or grabbing contact with you. By kicking him in this rapid and penetrating fashion, not only will you have gained first strike advantage, but your surprise attack may debilitate him to the degree that he will not be desirous of or possess the ability to regroup with a secondary attack.

 

     In some cases, this front kick self-defense cannot be used.  Your next line of defense will then be you deflecting the onslaught of his shoving, punching, or grabbing assault. To do this you must first employ the basic rule of deflection -- get out of the way.  The most effective way to do this is simply sidestep the assault.  Then, once his initial attack has missed, you can take control over the altercation by delivering a powerful counter strike, such as a low side kick to his knee.  In other cases, you will want to dominate his movements and send him to the ground where he cannot effectively launch another attack.

 

     As you now understand, self-defense does not have to be two individuals going at it blow-by-blow, leaving only the one who delivers the most powerful punch standing. In fact, this style of self-defense is your least advantageous alternative. Therefore, whenever you are forced into a physical confrontation, use movement as your first line of self-defense, deflection as your second, and finally a well delivered counterattack as your third. From this, you will emerge unscathed from any altercation without ever allowing it to degenerate into a no-holds-barred grappling match fought upon the ground.

 

Copyright © 1992 –- All Rights Reserved

Scott Shaw.com

Scott Shaw Hapkido Taekwondo International 

 

How The God of High School Revealed the True, Weird History of Taekwondo

 Here's an Interesting article about Taekwondo that references some of Scott Shaw's historical research on the subject:

IN-DEPTH: How The God of High School Revealed the True, Weird History of Taekwondo

 

Scott Shaw Hapkido Taekwondo International

The Hidden Assailant

 

By Scott Shaw

 

As a martial arts author, I have written so much about defending yourself against the hidden assailant and/or what to do when you are unexpectedly attacked. It seems that in the physical realms of reality it is much more easily discussed what to do, when. When it comes to the other levels of life, when you are attacked, from an unexpected opponent, defense seems oftentimes more complicated. Why? Because like all unseen attacks, the coward is attacking you from a position of surprise where defense is never easy.

Think about a time when your life was shaken by someone coming at you and attacking from some unseen location. Maybe this was in some form of an insult, a lie, a harsh criticism, a false discourse, cheating, breaking your heart, you name it—the list of this style of attack is sadly very long. Why did they do it? In most cases, it was because they wanted to hurt you. In other cases, it is not so devious, it is simply because they did not really care about your feelings. They put their own feelings over yours and, thus, though the hurt they unleash may not be as calculated as someone who is intentionally attempting to damage you or your life, what they did painfully hurt, nonetheless.

Take a moment and isolate one of those attacks that came at you out of nowhere. How did it feel? Undoubtedly it damaged you.

There are some people, in fact many, who unleash this style of attack; who will claim that you deserved it. You had it coming. They do not like you or what you do or what you say so they attack from some hidden position. But, does their not liking you or being mad at you, (or whatever), give them the right to hurt you from afar? Of course, when you are on the receiving end, you will say, “No.” But, turn this around for a moment, what about when you did something like that to someone else? What was your motivation? Of course, you felt the same set of emotions of wanting to unleash hurt to that person. But, did you ever question the truth of your why?

Most people who behave in this manner easily find a justification for doing what they do, in the capacity of clandestine hurt. But, as in the case with all justification, the unleashing of hurt is only a very self-centered ideology, based upon a specific set of beliefs harbored and emulated from a single individual. Yes, what they do may spread to the minds of others, but does that make it true or right? Or, is it simply a selfish manifestations, instigated by someone who cannot see beyond their malignant self-doubt and/or self-hatred.

Hurt, especially the cowardly act of hurting from afar, is always unleash by someone who does not possess a sense of universal awareness. They do not hold empathy. Because, if they did, they would not stoop to the level of this style of attack. Think about that statement…

In life, there are really two levels of mindfulness: there is the selfish and the Self-Based, from which hurt and hatred is unleashed, then, there is that of caring. Here, empathy is born. This is where helping, not hurting emulates from. This is the home of the God-Mind. Where do you dwell?

You know, some people hurt, and they want to attach their name to that hurt. They want to get credit, fame, money, ego-stroking, or whatever else from unleashing the pain. Many/most do it from some hidden realm, however, where they can hurt but no retribution will find them. Those are the true cowards.

This being said, an attack, no matter from where it is launched, is still an attack. What do attacks lead to? We all know the answer to that: hurt, pain, counterstrikes, and war.

There’s this great line delivered by Mickey Rourke to William Hurt in the movie, Body Heat, “Hey now, I want to ask you something. Are you listening to me, asshole? Because, I like you. I got a serious question for you: What the fuck are you doing? This is not shit for you to be messin’ with. Are you ready to hear something? I want you to see if this sounds familiar: any time you try a decent crime, you got fifty ways you’re gonna fuck up. If you think of twenty-five of them, then you’re a genius - and you ain’t no genius. You remember who told me that?”

Many attackers, especially those who attack from afar, believe they can get away with it. They do it because they believe they can get aways with it. They do it just because they can get it done and hid their face and their name in the process. But, even on realms like the internet, finding out who did what, if you have the skillset, is pretty easy. Then what?

Now, I can say, attacking anyone, for some self-motivate reason, is wrong. We all know that. We all know that especially when we are on the receiving end. Then it’s all, “Boo Hoo. Why me?” But, what about when you’re doing it? Who are you thinking of? Who are you caring about? Who are you feeling for?

I can talk about deflection. I can speak about the proper techniques for the counterattack, as I have done in so many articles on the martial art. But, what life ultimately comes down to is you being the better person. You being the one who does no unleashing of pain. Can you be that person? Can you be that strong? Can you be the beacon of light in the sea of darkness? Or, can you only be the person who allows their Lower Mind to control them?

We all know what hurt feels like. But remember, the hurtful are always the ones who are ultimately looked down upon, no matter how much they hide their unleashing of their attack. The helpful are always the ones who become universally loved. Who do you want to be? The person who hurts or the person who helps?

Hurt never equals help. Remember that.

 

Copyright © 2023—All Rights Reserved

 

Scott Shaw.com

Scott Shaw Hapkido Taekwondo International 

The Hapkido Cane

By Scott Shaw

            I received an interesting email from a man who is sixty years old and lives in Detroit who is interested in learning self-defense applications with the cane to protect himself and possibly protect his dog from attacking hounds, as well. As the man had never trained in the martial arts and had read an article I wrote where I stated that the Hapkido Cane should only be taught to advanced students of the art he was curious if I had any suggestions about where he could gain some additional information because as he put it, “Cane defense information online is crap.”

            Interesting question. It set me to thinking. So, I thought I would answer it here so that other people who have wondered about Hapkido Cane techniques may gain some insight.

            To tell my story of training with the cane… When I begin training in Hapkido, in 1964, the art was taught, at least to me, in its purest, most original, form. There was no weapons training at all. It was all about hand techniques, throws, deflections, punches, and kicks. It was not until I begin working with my third instructor, in the 1970s, that I was exposed to Hapkido weapon’s training. I was already a black belt. I operated a studio with the man, who had just arrived from South Korea, so he was much more in tune with the new techniques being embraced in the art in Korea at that time. He taught me swords, (Kumdo), the short staff, and the cane. I had already been practicing, on my own, with the long staff and, of course, the nunchaku, which had become somewhat of cultural phenomena in my late childhood and early teen years.

            As we ran a school together, we begin teaching weapons to our students at the blue belt level. We felt that was an appropriate time, as they would then possess enough experience to understand the fundaments of body movement in association with a weapon. We would begin by training them with the long and the short staff as these weapons truly teach body/mind coordination. At the red belt level we would then begin their training with sword forms and cane self-defense techniques. As the movement associated with these weapons is much more advanced, we felt it was at the red belt level that the student could actually understand the subtlety of the physical movement necessary to operate these weapons from a refined perspective. Thus, as a teacher, I always felt it took at least a year of training for a student to actual comprehend weapons such as the Hapkido Cane with a cultivated understanding.

            All this being said, a weapon is a weapon is a weapon. And, anything can become a weapon. Any item you garb can become a useful weapon to defend yourself if necessary. This is also true with the Hapkido Cane.

            The cane is an ideal weapon for the trained or the untrained individual. All you have to do is swing it and it can become your weapon of self-defense. Though this is the case with the cane, as with any weapon, a refined understanding of how the weapon most ideal works, in association with how it best can be used in association with the body, helps in any applied self-defense application.

            The reason I believe that training in the fighting arts is important is that what they provide any practitioner with is an understanding of physical combat. Though combat in the studio may be limited to sterile sparing, physically interacting with a supposed opponent trains the body and the mind in how to remain calm during combat and react with precision. This is why I still believe receiving at least basic training is the fighting arts is something anyone should do if they hope to be a proficient self-defense technician. But, as in the case with the person who emailed me, this may not always be possible. Thus, any weapon one decides to employee, as a means of protection, must be understood as best a possible.

            As stated, the cane is a very natural weapon. One moment you can be using it to aid in your walking and the next moment, if you are attacked, it can be swung at an opponent. But, how do you swing it?

            Wildly swinging any weapon leads to limited results. Yes, you may get lucky and hurt your opponent. But, maybe not. It may only infuriate them. Thus, to understand self-defense with the cane, you need to study its self-defense applications.

            I really need to say this… Hapkido Cane self-defense should really be precisely studied over a long period of time as its self-defense applications are very subtle. In a pinch however, you simply need to understand the three elements of the cane that I discuss in the article I believe the gentleman has read. Here’s a link to it, The Hapkido Cane. There, you can find out a lot more precise information about the Hapkido Cane and its usage.

 

The three elements are:

1. The Length of the cane

2. The Shaft of the cane

3. The Hooking Handle of the cane

 

            In brief: The length of the cane gives you the ability to strike out at an opponent. The shaft of the cane can be used by the untrained user as a striking weapon. The hooking handle allows the person to not only maintain control of the cane but can be directed toward the attacker as a stronger, larger striking weapon. In addition, due to the fact that the length of the cane give you distance between your attacker and yourself, be it a person or a dog, simply by bringing the cane up and jabbing it into your opponent, you can use the tip of the cane to strike your opponent multiple times in a rapid manner.

            The main thing to kept in mind, whenever you plan to use anything as a weapon is, whatever weapon you choose, it is only as effective as your ability to use it in a precise manner. Thus, whether you are a long trained martial artists or a novice, you need to practice with whatever weapon you plan to employee. Meaning, yes, you can use anything as a weapon, but if you hope to use it effectively, you need to know how it moves and how it feels. Thus, if you want to develop the ability to use a cane as a weapon of self-defense: practice, practice, practice. Swing it in the air. Strike at objects. Experience how impact feels with the cane. Come to understand how you can best use it as an effective weapon of self-defense. Imagine opponents coming at you via various means. Develop the ability, in your mind, to understand how to best use the cane in each of those imagined attack scenarios.

            Though I suggest everyone, who hopes to become a competent self-defense technician, train under the guidance of a qualified instructor, this may not always be possible. If this is the case, and you hope to protect yourself with any specific weapon, the only way it can become truly effective is if you understand its mechanics. Meaning, you’ve got to practice with it. From this, you will hopefully come to understand how the cane, or any other object, can become your ideal tool of self-defense.

 

Copyright © 2021—All Rights Reserved

Originally from the Scott Shaw Blog

Scott Shaw Hapkido Taekwondo International

Hapkido Knee Fighting

This article was originally published in Martial Art Masters Magazine, September 1994

 

By Scott Shaw

            Close contact fighting has always proven to be one of the most complicated situations a martial artist can find himself in. The reason it is difficult to rapidly and successfully defend yourself, once your opponent has moved closely in on you and possibly taken a hold of your clothing, is because in close proximity your available counter strike techniques become very limited.  First of all, there is not enough distance between your body and that of your opponent’s to effectively kick him.   And, with the exception of the uppercut punch, your punching defense is limited to wildly thrown roundhouse punches which at best will make contact with the side of your opponent’s head.  There is, however, an effective method to close contact In-fighting which many martial artists do not fully investigate or develop.  That method is the use of the knee as a powerful striking weapon.

            The knee strike is an excellent close proximity fighting tool.  This is because there is not much space needed to make its attack effective. 

            A knee strike takes no advanced training to perform. There is, however, certain limitations to the use of the knee. Therefore, we must fully explore the science of knee fighting to first gain knowledge of what not to do, before we can understand what the knee can effectively accomplish.

            The knee is one of the most sensitive joints on the human body.  It is quite easily damaged. When you strike with the knee, it is very important you do so in the proper manner.  For if you perform a knee strike improperly, you stand the chance of injuring your knee instead of defending yourself successfully.

            Your knee should always be bent when you attack with it. By bending your knee, you not only isolate its impact point but keep it from bending unnaturally against itself; tearing your ligaments, cartilage, or in more severe cases, breaking your knee altogether. 

             A knee strike should never be delivered in a side-to-side format.  This is to say, never attempt to impact with the side of your knee.  The side area of your knee joint is very sensitive and your lower leg can easily be sent in the opposite direction of your upper leg if you incorrectly attempt to strike with it in this fashion.

            The part of your knee that should be used as a striking weapon is the upper part.  Reach down to your thigh and follow your upper leg muscle to the point where it meets the knee bone; this is the ideal strike point for knee attacks.

            A proper knee strike is accomplished by rapidly lifting your knee up and into its target. The power of the knee strike is initiated at the hip, and is driven forward with the muscles of the upper leg. 

  

            The first strike point most people think of when utilizing a knee attack is the opponent’s groin.  This is, in fact, a good location to aim for, especially if your opponent has grabbed you in a straight forward choke hold or similar frontal attack. In this type of attack, your opponent’s groin region is easily accessible and a powerful knee strike can make instantaneous contact and lead you to victory in the confrontation. 

            Though the knee can virtually strike any location on your opponent’s body, given the right set of circumstances, there are several location which are ideal knee strike targets; they are: the groin, the ribs, the kidneys, under the opponent’s jaw, and to a lesser degree, the inside of the opponent’s upper leg.  The time to strike at these various targets is only dominated by the type of encounter you find yourself in.

            One of the most important thing to remember when using the knee as a weapon is, you should never use your knee to strike at a location on your opponent’s body where you have to travel to.  This is to say that the knee strike is not an ideal long distance reaching weapon; as is the case with the various punching techniques and many of the traditional martial art kicks.  This is due to the fact that the very elements that make the knee an ideal close contact weapon, makes it inefficient in distance applications.  

            The knee cannot reach out as does the arm or leg.  As well, if you leave the knee in a “Cocked-to-strike” position and attempt to launch yourself, at a distance, in towards your opponent with the momentum you can gain from jumping off of your non-knee kicking leg, you not only leave yourself in an off balance position, but you will be leaving your body open and exposed to powerful attacks from your opponent, as well. Therefore, the use of the knee as a striking weapon should be limited to close quarter “in-fighting.”

            A well placed knee strike is dominated by two factors; one, is it an easily reachable target and the second, will the strike you make with your knee have the debilitating affect on our opponent you desire?  If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then that is the time to perform a powerful knee strike.

            Now that we understand the basics of the science of knee fighting, we can investigate the best knee fighting tactics in order that we may efficiently and effectively knee strike our opponent in each applicable situation. 

            As previously mentioned, when grabbed in a forward hold, a knee to your opponent’s groin is a very effective defensive measure.  But, what can you do in the few seconds before your opponent has actually taken a hold of you; especially if his intentions are obviously violent and he is moving quickly in your direction? 

            First of all, it is never a good idea to allow an opponent to grab a hold of you, if you have the option.  Therefore, when an opponent is rapidly moving towards you, this affords you an ideal opportunity to use his momentum to your own advantage. This is accomplished in one of two ways. The first method of achieving momentum advantage over your adversary, as he closes in on you, is by deflecting his arms outward, with an in-to-out knife hand block, once he is close enough.  After this deflection has been performed, you can maintain substantial control over his movements by grabbing a hold of his elbow region, once his arm has been blocked.  By first deflecting his arms outward, while allowing his momentum to continue forward, you have opened his body up for you to easily attack him with a powerful knee strike.

            Though this deflection leading to a knee strike happens in a second, with the momentum the two of you have gained by moving towards one another, you can powerfully knee strike him either in his groin, solar plexus, or easily launch yourself upward and deliver a very debilitating knee strike under his jaw.  

The second avenue we can take for an oncoming opponent, who is either attempting to grab or strike at us is to deflect his extending arm inwards, with an out-to-in forearm block. Once his arm has been deflected, you should maintain a controlling hand on his elbow, so he cannot perform a secondary strike at you with say a back fist.  By performing this type of block, you allow your opponent to continue through with his own forward motion. Thus, leaving his forward ribs or back exposed to an easy counter attack with your knee. 

            In this case, if it is most effective for you to strike at his ribs, you simply allow his motion to continue as you guide him down by taking control of his extended arm, as your knee powerfully meets his ribs.  If you choose to knee strike his kidneys you can simply deflect his arm and allow his developed momentum to continue him moving forward, slightly past you; thus, exposing his back to your powerful knee attack.

            As the key to all successful defense is to strike your opponent before he has the opportunity to strike you, knee fighting is no different.  Therefore, now that we understand how we can easily open our opponent’s body up for knee strikes, let’s evaluate how we can effectively maintain control over him, while we are accomplishing a debilitating knee attack.

            Whenever you are going to use your knee as your initial form of self-defense, in close contact In-fighting, you must do two things.  First of all, as we now understand, the knee is not a good weapon at a distance. For this reason we must keep our opponent from retreating or moving back out of the way of the effective knee strike range. The most efficient way to accomplish this is to take a hold of him in order to keep him from moving out of the range of your impending knee strike.  Secondarily, once you have set yourself up to knee strike your opponent, you must keep him from powerfully counter striking you in the process of your knee attack. To do this, there are three areas of his body you must become very aware of; they are: his arms, legs, and head.

            If you control an opponent’s elbows, you can effectively control his entire body.  Thus, as we have learned in the previous examples of deflecting any grabbing or striking attack on the part of our opponent, we should either leave our block in place at his elbow level or grab his arm so we can keep him from launching any secondary hand strike.

            As no rule holds undisputed for all fighting situations, maintaining an elbow block or grasp while continuing through with your knee assault may not always be possible.  If elbow control is not feasible, the secondary locations that you should concentrate your attentions on to give you added control over your opponent is his shoulder or wrist region. 

            By grasping at or leaving your arm in ready position at your opponent’s shoulder level, you can quickly foil any oncoming fist attack while your knee strike is in progress.  The same is true in the case of a grasp at or near your opponent’s wrist.     

            Not only by taking control of your opponent’s arm, once his initial attack has been deflected, do you control his ability to strike at you again, but by controlling his arms you also can effectively guide him to your desired knee strike location. This opponent guidance is accomplished either by using his own forward momentum and passively directing him to your desired knee strike or by forcefully pulling him downwards by his arms, powerfully onto your knee, once you have deflected his initial attack.

            Commonly, in professional kickboxing, knee attacks are launched to the inside of an opponent’s leg.  Though the legs of an opponent should always be monitored in a street altercation, there are two very serious problems with using your opponent’s legs as knee strike focal points. First of all, this type of attack does little debilitating damage to your opponent, so there is virtually no point in using it as an attack zone in a street confrontation.  Secondarily, by moving in that close to your opponent, if you have not taken effective control of his arms, he has the ability to powerfully strike you with his fists or elbows.  Therefore, this is not an ideal primary strike point for knee fighting.

            Finally, in controlling your opponent in order to effectively knee strike him, there is no better source of control than his neck and head region.  This region is easily accessible; especially in the case of close contact In-fighting as your two bodies are already in close proximity. 

            To effectively take control of your opponent’s motions is as easy as rapidly reaching in and grabbing him in a frontal grip by his throat. This type of grab will not only momentarily distract him as to your strategic intentions, but will allow you to maintain control over his movements long enough to powerfully knee strike him in the groin.

            Controlling your opponent’s head is equally easily accomplished. You should go for head control immediately after you have deflected your opponent’s arm out of its forward aggressive motion. At this second, your opponent’s initial attack has been nullified and he is most prone for a rapid and unexpected counter defense.  Once deflected, you can strongly grab a hold of your opponent’s head, with one or both of your hands, and shove it downward, in position, for a jumping knee strike to his face.

            Traditionally, martial art schools have advised that once your opponent has moved in tight on your body, you should attempt to shove him back in order to effectively kick him or deliver a powerful punching technique.  Attempting to utilize this type of defense promises limited results, however. This is especially the case if your opponent has already taken a powerful hold of your clothing or does so in the process of being shoved back.   As we have learned with the use of the properly placed knee, there is not a need to expend unnecessary energy, attempting to shove or grapple with your opponent. Simply deliver a well-placed knee attack and your opponent will be instantly injured.  At this point, if necessary, you can effortlessly continue with further counter attacks.

Copyright © 1993—All Rights Reserved

 

Hapkido Knee Fighting @ Scott Shaw.com

Scott Shaw Hapkido Taekwondo International

Finding Your Target

By Scott Shaw

In the martial arts, one of the primary things that the trainee focuses upon is developing the skill to accurately see a vulnerable point on their opponent and then deliver a precisely targeted strike to that location. Where as most people who enter into physical combat do so with a wild and undefined barrage of offensive techniques, the martial artist understands that style of combat is not only unreliable but also causes the person who is utilizing it to expend a lot of energy. For this reason, precise targeting is part of the primary curriculum for all schools of martial arts.

Life is not much different from this. Some people, for whatever self-defined reason, choose an individual and then focus a targeted attack upon that person. Look around, you see it everywhere. You see it in the news, you see it in conversations, you see it in internet posting, and you see it in bar fights. What is occurring in all of these cases is that one person has targeted another person and is attempting to overpower them via a precisely target attack.

The motivation for this style of attack can be wide-spanning but the one reality of it is that one person has decided that they should hurt and/or defeat another person. But, as we all understand, the definition of attack is based upon the concept of winning and losing. Just as no boxer or MMA fighter is the champion of the ring forever, this too is the case with the person who instigates attacks. They may win but they will eventually end up the loser.

In the martial arts, the true martial artist always avoids physical confrontations. They say nothing and do nothing to escalate personal conflict. From their training they understand that they posses highly developed techniques of self-defense thus they have nothing to prove. But, the world is not like that. Many people do not want to exist at a level where they understand that each person is their own person and defined by their own reality. Instead, they want to judge, they want to attack, they want to sucker punch, they want to hurt other people so that they will appear to be more than the individual they are attacking. But, are they?

As people living on the path of consciousness, we are the one’s who do not partake of that level of intoxication. But, again, it is all around us—there is no way to avoid it. So, what should we do when we witness it?

Though there is no absolute answer to this question, perhaps the best thing to do is to simply not participate. Do not allow yourself to be brought down to the level of the person who attacks. Do not encourage them. Do not cheer them on. Say nothing, do nothing; that would be the ultimate example of Zen. Or, if you have the ability, create a situation that completely alters the course of the confrontation and redirects it to a positive place. For in the martial arts this is the ultimate level of self-defense, not to fight but to not fight. Just as Bruce Lee so ideally stated in the movie, Enter the Dragon, “I call it the art of fighting without fighting.”

Ultimately, be more than the person who targets other individuals. Make the world a better place by not contributing to or participating in that style of attack. Exist in the space of understanding that each person is who they are and because they are who they are any attack on them is an attack of all of us. Thus, the person who is instigating the attack is doing nothing more then sending everybody who listens to them or is inspired or invigorated by their actions to make the everything worse for all of us.

I believe we all want our life to be better. I believe we all want the everything of the world to be better. How do we achieve that? Never attack.

Copyright © 2019

Scott Shaw.com

Scott Shaw Hapkido Taekwondo International 

Street Savvy Self-Defense

By Scott Shaw

      At the foundation of any method of effective self-defense is your own ability to read a situation, decide upon the appropriate action, and then implement successful self-defense techniques to keep yourself free from injury.  In your martial art school, you are taught methods of how to encounter the various types of physical attack which may befall you: be it a punch, a kick, or a body grab. It is far better, however, for you to never be forced into a physical confrontation at all.  To achiever this, “The most basic level of self-defense,” you must learn how to read physical and environmental situations and then take defensive action before a physical altercation ever finds you. 

Defining an Attacker

      Perhaps the most disconcerting level of this area of self-defense, especially for those who have been previously attacked, is that there is no one who can teach you a technique which will keep you safe from all physical confrontations. This is in no small part due to the fact that each person who would accost you possesses a different look, a different body language, and an undisclosed reasoning for why they would wish to instigate a physical encounter. Certainly, there are certain types of individuals who you may come upon, who look evil, speak to you with an intimidating tone, or act in a specific manner which you instantly know you must get away from.  In these situation, the decision to walk or run away is obvious. It is the less defined individuals who pose the biggest problem in knowing exactly whom to steer clear of.

      There are countless theories, and the word, “Theory,” is used because that is exactly all they are, about how you should behave if someone with ill intentions comes upon you. Some of these theories tell you to remain calm, in a non-aggressive mode and speak passively to the person, others tell you to be assertive and attempt to back the opponent down. Still others say you should scream or run. 

      When you are accosted, no theory will work. This is because of the fact that each attacker is completely different and motivated by their own set of irrational standards. As is the case with all areas of self-defense, you must confront every situation as it is presented to you, and react at your most effective possible level.

      There are standard rules of common sense which can hopefully keep you free from confrontation. For example, lock your doors and windows, avoid dark isolated locations, don’t place yourself in a dangerous environment -- if hostility is eminent, leave immediately before it has the ability to escalate, if an attacker come up to you in a public place, call for the help of others, and so on. All of these common sense rules can only be applied prior to a confrontation or when other people are in your presence. Often times, attackers will not come upon you in public situations. They will wait until you are alone. In these situations, absolute self-defense is necessary.  You can not think or be concerned about the injurious effect you are having upon your attacker, as they certainly are not concerned with your well being or they would not have accosted you in the first place.

Victim Mentality

      Being a victim is a state of mind. It is what we do with the experience of lose which determines whether or not you become a life-long victim.

      A victim is an individual who has lost an altercations and, thus, the rest of their life is dominated by that experience. Everywhere they go, they are scared and expecting a similar negative experience to again occur.

      The person who is not a victim, may have lost battles in the past, but they realize that life is a step by step process. Though they may not have like the experience of loosing, they have learned what they could from it, become stronger, and have moved on with their life becoming a better and more whole individual. 

Winning and Losing

      You can not win all altercations. Winning or loosing is all a state of mind.  If you learn from your seeming loss, you are, in fact, a winner as you have come to become a stronger, more complete individual. From another perspective, if you have won many confrontations and are constantly seeking to prove yourself in battle, there will eventually be somebody who can beat you. Thus, the conscious self-defense technician never seeks out battle.  If battle is forced upon them, they proceed in the most conscious and effective manner possible.

Remaining Conscious in Battle

      The question often arises, “How does one remain conscious in the randomness of battle?” There are two primary methods to achieve this: partner practice in your dojo and mental visualization. From partner practice you learn, through personal experience, the most efficient method to deal with each style of physical attack. Thus, if you are attacked, you have already worked through the scenario and know how to effectively deal with it. Through mental visualization, you detail in your mind the most effective method to encounter each type of assault, in various environments -- you run the battle scenarios on a mental level and are trained from your mental imagery.

      From these two practices you become a more secure individual as you consciously understand how to defend yourself in all environments and from all types of attack. Once you possess this sense of mental security, you project that mindset to the world. When people encounter you, they experience the inner power you possess. Therefore, they will not thoughtless challenge you to battle, as they know you can not be easily defeated. 

      Learn, practice, and master the techniques of self-defense. Then, project your inner self confidence to the world. This is your best first line of defense.

Environmental Self-defense

      The unfortunate reality about life is that you can be accosted by an attacker in virtually any location, at any time.  Each physical location is unique and possesses its own environmental constraints. Due to this reason, there is no singular method of physical self-defense which will universally protect you in all types of geographic locations. 

      For you to master environmental self-defense you must not only come to understand how to effectively encounter an attacker in each type of environment, but, more importantly, you must take precautionary measures before you ever enter any location -- from these, you will learn how to judge each environment by its own physical parameters and, thus, you will hopefully never place yourself in a situation where physical danger is eminent.

Inside Your Car

      To begin the study of environmental self-defense you can begin by viewing the defining factors of your car. As the car is a common place where confrontations take place, due to one driver considering the tactics of another to be less than applicable, it is a very important physical environment to master in your understand of environmental self-defense.  

      If an attacker rushes towards you and you are in your car, by attempting to get out, you leave yourself in a highly prone position to attack. Not only must you get up out of your seat and generally turn to face your opponent, in which case he can easily strike you to the back or the side of your head before you can confront him, but you also must open your car door and expose one or more of your legs, before you can stand up.

      With your legs on the ground and your body not yet standing, your attacker can powerfully smash the car door against your exposed extremities.  There is virtually nothing you can do to halt this type of attack -- except to hopefully overpower his superior positioning and either get out of the car or get your legs back into your car. By this time, you will probably be injured and your self-defense options will be highly limited. Therefore, it is very important that you fully evaluate your environment before you ever begin to leave your car in a pending confrontation. If your attacker has already rushed your car, do not attempt to get out -- lock your doors, roll up your windows, drive away, and forget the anger which lead you to this unsavory situation.

Entering Your Car

      If you are approached by a potential assailant as you are attempting to get into your car -- the car, itself, can be an impending factor to keep the attacker at bay.  If you see him approaching, keep the car between the two of you. If he begins to move around it, you move in the opposite direction. Though this may appear as a child’s game, by forcing him to remain at a distance, you can ascertain his intentions and hopefully call to your aid other individuals in the area. 

      If out of frustration he attempts to superseded your movement and jumps over the hood or trunk of the car, this is the ideally time to deliver a powerful first strike to him as he is coming off of the car. As he will be off balance due to his exaggerated movement, he will be ideally prone to your striking technique.

Outdoors

      In physical confrontation which take place outdoors, you possess a very important advantage for effective self-defense -- that advantage is space.  In an outdoor situation you can move if you are accosted. This does not necessarily mean to run, though this may be your best defense. What it does mean, however, is that you are not required to stay boxed in a stationary location as is the case with interior combat.

      An attacker rushes in at you -- by moving backwards or sideways, out of his path of attack, his initial offense is foiled. At this point you can launch a powerful counter attack or just quickly leave the site of the altercation altogether.

      The most important thing to keep in mind when defending yourself from an attack which has occurred outdoors, is to keep moving. Each time the assailant attempts to punch you, step back out of his path of attack. If he attempts to grab you, move away. If he does take a hold of your body or your clothing, immediately free yourself from his grasp in the most elementary way possibly -- usually just by consciously pulling free. Thus, he will not have the opportunity to substantiate his grasp.

      You must remember that any attacker is highly adrenalized. As such, his energy is quickly expended. As long as you can keep him away from you, he will be burning excessive amounts of energy and you, remaining relatively calm, will maintain your energy surplus. Thus, like the competent boxer who allows his opponent to chase him around the ring using up his energy, you too can conserve your energy and counter attack when your opponent is worn out and drained.

The Alley

      It is often detailed that you should back yourself up against a wall if you are attacked in an outdoor location. This is especially case if you find yourself in a narrow outdoor placement such as an alley.  The belief is that by backing yourself up to a wall, your attacker or attackers can not come around behind you. Though there is a logic to this form of self-defense, the biggest down side to it is that once you back up against a wall, your movement is highly limited and your attackers can close in on you and strike with multiple attacks.  Additionally, your defensive blocking techniques are highly restricted, with your back against a wall, as you can only move effectively from side to side. If you attempt to push out from the wall, you then must meet the blows of your attacker’s head on. 

      For these reasons, moving against a wall should only be employed when it is to your advantage. This situation would occur when your attacker is rapidly rushing in at you -- by side-stepping his attack, redirecting his aggressive energy, and guiding his face or body into the wall, you will have then save yourself the necessity of striking out at him, as you have used his own force to cause him to powerfully impact the nearby wall.

      In virtually all other cases, it is to your advantage to keep moving if you find yourself accosted in a walled outdoor location. Even if your movements must be linear, due to the confined configuration of the space, your attackers will still need to chase after you to grab or to strike at you. As the case with a more exposed outdoor location, if you are grabbed immediately pull free, if a punch is launched, step back out of its path -- keep moving until you are free.

Up Against the Wall

      There is the attack scenario when the initial altercation occurs when your back is already against a wall. In these cases, immediately strike to a vital point on your attacker, such has his knees. his groin, his throat, his eyes, his temples, and so on -- then immediately move off of the wall.  From this rapid style of self-defense, you may have foiled the attacker’s intentions. If not, additional self-defense can be employed as necessary. 

The ATM

      ATMS have become a very common place for individuals with ill intent to accost would-be victims. Though most ATMS now have video surveillance, this has not seemed to halt these attacks, as criminals knows it takes several minutes for the police to arrive. During this time, they can rob their victims and in some cases injure or kill them. Knowing this, you must be very cautious when ever you go up to a ATM. 

      The obvious first line of ATM self-defense is only go to ones located at indoor locations, such as in supermarkets, convenience stores, shopping malls, and so on. If this is not practical then use an ATM in a well lighted, highly populated outdoor location. 

      The second level of ATM self-defense, even at the previously described inhabited locations, is to check your environment thoroughly. Visually scan the area for shady looking individuals before you get out of your car or walk up to the machine. If you see an individual who looks out of place, you should never give them the benefit of the doubt, as it may cost you your life. Instead, leave the location, go find another, safer, ATM.

      At times, you may have viewed the area and surmised that there was no apparent danger. As you are beginning your ATM transaction, someone walks up behind you. 

      Many ATMS now have mirrors so you can see the approach of other people.  These are an important tool of ATM self-defense.

Face-to-Face

      One of the primary fundamentals to successful self-defense is to encounter an individual face to face. With this, you can quickly ascertain their intentions and see if attack is eminent. 

      If you are alone at an ATM and someone comes up behind you, immediately turn around to face them.  If it turns out that they are only waiting to use the machine, smile at them and all is well. If, on the other hand, they intend to rob you, then your self-defense can instantly begin and you will possess a more clearly defined ability to emerge victorious.

Your Money or Your Life

      An important factor to calculate into any self-defense scenario is that if all the person who has accosted you wants is your money or your jewelry -- give it to them. Too many people have needlessly died attempting to fight over a few dollars which can be replaced. Though being robbed is certainly not right, dying because of a robbery is never necessary.

      The other case to consider is that many attackers possess no value for human life and they may take your money and then injure you, as well. In these situation you must defend yourself to your utmost, defeating them by any means necessary. 

      As each situation is different, there is no method to define what a specific criminal has in mind. To this end, you must read any altercation you find yourself involved in, make your own judgments, and defend yourself as you feel necessary.

Bus Stops, Subway Stations 

      Many people travel by means of public transportation. Whether this is motivated by environmental consciousness or due to financial constraints, locations such as Bus Stops and Subway Stations have become a hot bed for criminal activity. This is primarily due to the fact that potential victims are there waiting. Thus, they are not only available for attack but are stationary targets.

      The obvious preliminary self-defense strategy at these locations is to check your environment before you enter it. If you are alone and there is a person or persons present who you feel look suspicious, leave the station.

      In is an important first step in environmental self-defense that when you enter a new location, you do so in a stealth mode. Do not flamboyantly walk in, see trouble, turn, and leave. For if you have entered and a criminal has taken notice of you, they may well follow your exit. For this reason, study an environment with each step you take towards it. See everything, before it has the opportunity to see you. 

      For obvious time constraint reasons you may not always be able to walk away from a location of public transportation once you have arrived. If this is your case, and you must remain even though you have taken notice of potential danger, stand back in a position where the suspicious person or persons can not see you. Once the bus or subway train pulls up, rapidly move towards it and get on. In this way, you have not given a potential attacker the time to formulate and execute their assault.

      When you are awaiting publication transportation placing yourself in a well lighted, populated spot is clearly your first choice. You must keep in mind, however, that many crimes take place while bystanders watch and do nothing. This is a sad fact of modern society. Though screaming and asking for help is appropriate, you must immediately launch into your own self-defense, if you are accosted, even in a public place -- as this may be your only chance to defeat an attacker.  

Environmental Determinants

      The savvy self-defense technician learns to use what ever environment they find themselves in to their own defensive advantage. Thereby, making all landscape and physical objects their ally and not a hindrance to emerging unscathed from a physical altercation.

Outdoor Determinants

      There are numerous environmental determinants which should be evaluated if you find yourself in an outdoor confrontation. For example, are you on a hill?  If you find yourself on a hill, it is to your advantage to place yourself in the higher stance, above your opponent.  From this, you will possess the superior positioning, where he must travel uphill to you.  Powerful, low level kicks can be effortlessly unleashed at him, from this position, with easy access to his head and upper body region. This upper positioning placement is also important if a confrontation is taking place on stairs.

      If you find yourself at the lower level in the encounter and exchanging places with your attacker is not possible, then your best strategy is to move downhill, away from him, and make him come to you. As he will be required to move in a descending fashion, he will be off balance.  You can take advantage of this by striking him as he moves in on you with a powerful punch to his groin, knee, or shin.  You can. additional, quickly take him from his feet by grasping his forward leg, at ankle level, and rapidly pulling it downhill towards you. Once he is on the ground, a secondary counter attack can be successfully unleashed.

Indoors

      A similar style of movement orientated environmental fighting can take place in smaller locations such as bars or rooms where you have space to travel. Though you are much more confined in these interior locations, by continually moving away from your attacker, not only does he becomes drained of energy, but he may become frustrated, as well. A frustrated attacker is easily disabled.

      If you find yourself engaged in a close contact indoor fighting situation and movement can not be your first line of self-defense, then immediately striking your attacker to one of his vital points is a viable first line defense. These strikes can be substantially aided by picking up any near by object, such as a bottle, a glass or anything with weight, and striking him in the head with it. Though this may seem less than sporting, if you are being attacked by an unknown assailant, your survival is the only desired outcome. Thus, protect yourself by any means necessary.

Available Weaponry

      One of the key factors to environmental self-defense is to use whatever is at your disposal to secure your victory in the confrontation. As you did not instigate the fight, there should never be a second though about this process.

      There are untold objects at your self-defense disposal if you are targeted by an attacker.  There is your back pack or purse to hit his with.  The hot coffee from you cup thrown in his face. There are your keys to put between your fingers to punch with, your credit or ATM card which can be used for slashing across an attackers face. Sand or dirt from the ground can be picked up and thrown in your attacker’s eyes. Doors can be closed on his arms. Doorways can be used to retreat behind, concealing your oncoming punch.  Nearby flashlights, lamps, pipes, boards, trash can lid can be used to block or strike with. Even a rolled up newspaper can be used to strike at an attacker, momentarily startling him as you launch a counter attack.

      In all self-defense situations, use the environment to your advantage.  Train yourself, as you walk down streets or enter unknown rooms, to study what elements are at hand and could be used to aid in your defense. See all landscapes and objects as a friendly helper to keep you safe.

Copyright © 2018

Street Savvy Self-Defense @ Scott Shaw.com

Scott Shaw Hapkido Taekwondo International