Martial Arts Theory

Theory and essence behind any martial art

A complete martial art has a theory basis – which includes the:

1. Definition and Conception of the battle/fight.

2. Strategy.

3. Tactics.

4. Technique

5. Method of training and assimilation

Definition and Conception of the Battle/fight –

Are we in the army? Mass fighting? With weapons, what kind? Armor? What is our range of fighting? Are we in the boxing ring, and can only use our punches? Are we on the street, where biting and throwing objects is allowed? Are we in a mma cage, where hitting on the back of the head and kicking of the groin is not permitted?...

What are the physical boundaries - Human or other? – A punch has a shorter range then a kick; A person with a broken limb cannot continue to effectively fight; A person on one leg has less balance then one on two legs; A soft metal knife can cut into flesh, but not hard armor; Newton’s third law of physics - The power that I give is exactly the same and in the opposite direction as the power I receive…

And the third part – What is victory? – What are our goal in the fight – Killing? Controlling?, To knock unconscious? Do we want or are willing to cause permanent damage?

“We should ask these questions and know their answers in order to proceed to the next stage.”

From the definition of the battle/fight comes the –

Strategy – This will be based on the conclusions from our definition and conception –

If our opponent will have a sword, better we first train the sword (or buy a gun… get a better weapon).

If he has armor protection, it will be less effective to give body shots, maybe we should concentrate on locks, choking and submission holds.

If we’re going to fight on the streets, we might want to avoid the ground fight as much as possible, because there we will not be able to respond effectively to more then one opponent and we’re more vulnerable to bites and groin attacks?

If we’re in the boxing ring and we know we cannot be taken to the ground, we can “allow” ourselves to throw a punch with all our body weight?

In general - What are the limitation that result from our battle\fight definition and conception? And what would be the best situation for us to give ourselves maximum opportunity to win?

From the strategy we conclude the –

Tactics

For example: In boxing if we’re facing a taller opponent, our tactics would be to get to a closer position so that our punches can easily reach him, but his are less effective, and of course vice versa, if we're taller.

If we want to take an opponent who is heavier then us to the ground our tactics might be to make sure we are on top of him when falling on the ground;

If it’s mass fighting, our tactics might be to get to a position where the majority of our guys are fighting their minority (their narrow side) - If there is a door entrance attack the people just as they are coming out;

If we are fighting a very agile and quick fighter on the street, maybe we should try to force him into a corner, so that he cannot move as much..

In general – What ever we decide to do in a specific situation before the actual contact.

From everything we draw up our –

Technique –

How do we move in a manner which anables us to control our opponents movement? – For instance “cutting the way”.

What kind of weapon do we have for close range fighting – Elbows, uppercuts maybe to bite, and how do they need to be delivered so that they can be most effective?

How do we take a larger opponent to the ground?

How do we make an effective arm lock?

If we have a sword, the kinds of cutting and stabbing techniques that we have to our disposal, and the way of execution.

How do we control the fighting distance?

And much much more.

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