Have you ever noticed that fights in movies don't look anything like real fights? It took me many years of studying martial arts, even functional ones, and participating in and watching fights to figure out why. One day it came to me- "Fighting is sloppy!".
Why is fighting sloppy? In a fight, speed, adrenalin and pressure to win make it hard to execute the "proper" technique in a flawless manner, at just the right time. Also, the combatants are not perfect, the environment that they are fighting in is not perfect, the techniques they are using are not perfect and they're working against each other (unless they are practitioners of Aikido). Sloppiness also comes about when a skilled martial artist in the ring or on the streets suddenly realizes the crap that he's studied for the past 10 years doesn't work. Now, he has one tenth of a second to figure out what he is going to do! What ever it is , it's NOTgoing to be pretty. When you add it all up, 1+1+1 does not equal 1,000. There are just too many variables that make it impossible for a physical confrontation to turn out looking picture perfect.
You can see examples of this sloppiness in combative sports. Both Boxers see an opening or try to create one and they punch at the same time. Wrestlers shoot simultaneously and bump heads or both go for a hip throw and wind up butt to butt. One karate competitor anticipates the others punch or misinterprets his movements, he jumps the gun and blocks. His opponent sees his arm move, believes it to be an attack and he also blocks. They just slap each others hand.
3. Their escapes are perfect! How often do you see that? Usually, at best, IF a fighter knows a counter, it still requires a little bit of work (squirming, violent flopping and a whole lot of pounding the aggressor) to make it happen.
What do I mean by sloppy? There is a noticeable lack of neatness, order and precision in the techniques and moves. There is also no cadence setting a beat for a back and forth match where each person takes turns. In the movies one person throws a reverse punch, the other upward blocks and with the same hand downward chops. His opponent then outward blocks and front kicks. Every punch either lands squarely or misses completely always because the opponent evades, not because the attacker is just too pumped up or poorly focused. You can easily tell one technique from the next. There is a definite start and finish to each individual move.
What can you do about it? For the most part, the fighting is going to remain sloppy. However, you can study arts with concepts and techniques that are better suited for dealing with this fact. Obviously certain martial arts have overcome this dilemma better than others. Arts that I recommend are: Thai Boxing, Boxing, Catch Wrestling, both Collegiate and Greco Roman Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, any Filopino stick and knife style and to a lesser extent Kick Boxing, Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Judo. These all have certain things in common:
1.The techniques are as simple as possible. The simpler the moves, the easier they'll be to perform under stress. You will also be able to get more repetitions in per training period. If you have studied any of the above styles and think that they are difficult, try Tae Kwon Do's jumping and spinning kicks ,Capoeira's break-dancing-like moves, or some of the more complex Kung Fu systems, you will change your mind.
2. Most of the time, they are practicing with another REAL LIVE HUMAN BEING! Just say no to Tai Chi! Having a training partner will help you develop a sense of timing, distance and when and how to respond to the stimuli of an attack. What am I talking about? You're never going to learn to deflect or dodge a punch if you have never had one thrown at you. Likewise, you'll never hit a moving target, like a human, if you've spent years only flailing your arms about in the air. Even if you're not always striking directly at your comrade, he can hold a heavy bag or focus mitts, and occasionally swing them at you (simulating the stimuli of an attack). Why is this important? For those of you who are Karate Kid fans (don't lie to me , I know you all saw it!) let me say this; In reality, The Cobra Kai Kid would have thrown a punch, broken poor Daniel-san face, and a fraction of a second later, Daniel would have performed an absolutely flawless wax-off block. Why? There was a problem with his training method. Mr. Miyagi was correct in having his student do many repetitions of blocks. The repetition was good, but it lacked the realistic stimuli of an attack. The car he was waxing, the fence he was painting, and the deck he was sanding NEVER took a swing at him. Therefore, even after all of that practice, in a fight, his brain would not have recognize that there was a fist coming at him and then countered until it was too late. There is a lot of wasted time in Kung Fu and Karate doing partnerless forms and standing in a horse stance, throwing punches and blocks at nothing! Another plus to having a training companion is that these styles practice what they preach. Generally, if you see a Boxer fight, he looks just like he does when training in the gym. The same goes for the other styles that I have mentioned. In these systems they learn the moves by performing them in a manner identical to what they would in heat of battle. Wrestlers actually pick people up and slam them into the ground. Thai Boxers knee other guys in the face. They learn by doing. A training partner is as important to learning functional martial arts, as water is to learning how to swim!
3. They all frequently use some form of competition. Whether it is a match for a trophy, or just sparing and wrestling in class. Don't just stand there! Throw punches at your partner while he's practicing shooting on you. Put up friendly resistance proportionate to your partners skill level when he's working for an arm lock. This will teach you that techniques aren't always going to go your way, and neither are your opponents. Remember, some thug in an alley isn't going to be working with you. Competition will also teach you to deal with stressful situations, how to absorb impact, take pain and use an adrenalin rush. When your veins are loaded with adrenalin, your fine motor skills will be nullified and you will have to use gross motor skills (adrenal effects are a big part of why fighting is sloppy). The fact that nobody likes to lose is also of great help. When your ass is on the line, the fluff tends to fall by the way side. For example; In the Dojo, you may see a student practicing jumping and spinning kicks. You generally won't see practitioners of that same art trying those moves in the ring while Kick Boxing. So competition will also help keep techniques simple and therefore effective.
4. Combinations and chaining techniques. Usually, when you hear "combinations" most people think of Boxing, "Givin' 'em the ol' 1-2", but any art can have them. In grappling arts it's commonly called "chaining". The best comparison in traditional arts would be katas. Combos and chains are employed for many reasons:
b. To create an opening- Left hook to the head and when his hands come up to protect his face, right then left hook to the body. Often NHB guys will practice jab-jab to bring their adversary's hands up and make them lean back and off balance, then shoot on the legs for a takedown.
c. To take advantage of your target being stunned by attacking again and again before he can recover both physically and mentally- I rang his bell with a left hook to the head, and without giving him time to recuperate, I landed two knees to the body. Furthermore "One shot-one kill" is a great concept for snipers, however, your arms and legs don't pack the power of a 7.62mm bullet. A single strike might not bring Goliath down. The human body can be very tough. In addition, things like beer, coke, and adrenalin have incredible enhancing effects. So you may have to drill his ribs and chin a bit or break an arm and then a leg before it's Miller Time!
a. A plan of attack- Most often your best and/or favorite techniques linked together. A grappler might always go for a double-leg takedown, move into the mount and finish with a figure- 4 shoulder lock. If this is a chain of techniques that he practices often and uses in competition, he knows that he will most likely be successful.
d. In case your attack doesn't go according to plan. My training philosophy on this is "Practice to screw up, because you WILL!" For instance; My opponent and I are in close. I throw a killer right elbow at his head and he fades back so I miss. Just like Casey at the bat, I almost twist myself into a knot. So I change levels by dropping down, I wrap my right arm around his front leg, and pull his foot out and up into a single-leg takedown. Most martial arts and techniques are practiced in a manner that would make you believe that you are always going to win and it will take little effort. You should be prepared for the times when you're not going to get it right the first time (which is most of the time). You should also count on your opponent countering or at least making an attempt. Often, making the attempt is all they'll have to do to foil your attack. Often in class I'll see a student make a mistake. They generally throw their hands up with a "Doh!" in self disgust. What they should be encouraged to do is go with it, correct the mistake from there and carry on, just like you would in a real confrontation. On top of that, combinations and chains should be set up to fail on purpose.
1. Their techniques are perfect. They're never short and choppy due to the adrenal rush or a fighters lack of confidence. No one ever slips and falls on puddle of spilt beer, or winds up grappling in a position where neither one is exactly sure of what to do.
Published and copyrighted by Rik Stardy Jr., June 16TH, 2004
2. Their techniques are complicated. The reason being that they look cooler and therefore are more entertaining. A flying inward crescent kick will sell more tickets at the box office then a reverse punch with a heel palm.
The lack of sloppiness can also be use to tell if fights are worked (fake or choreographed). There are many Shoot Wrestling styled events and other Limited Rules Competitions that are choreographed. Chances are, you've seen one and don't even know it. What is it about movie fights and "Pro Wrestling" that doesn't look real?
6. Obviously the length of a real fight is much shorter. In combative sports the match goes on longer than a bar fight because both competitors are more or less equally prepared. Also, there aren't bouncers, friends or police to break it up. In the movies it's not over with one punch because it's hard to sucker-punch someone when they have read the script too. And once again, one-punch fights don't fill seats with people who pay $5 for a bucket of popcorn.
5. Another hint that you may have noticed is that often in a fake match, the fight is even-sided and back and forth. One combatant will get a leg lock, his opponent will escape and secure an armbar, and so on. Even in Boxing and NHB fights that are well matched, one player is often dominant. Maybe he's in the Zone that night, the other guy is ill or he gets the better of his opponent who is just never able to recover.
4. As a rule, fixed fights aren't boring. In Boxing you will see bouts with a lot of dancing around and a few mediocre punches being thrown here and there. In No Holds Barred you will constantly see two men lying in the guard, trying to take a deep breath and figure out what to do next. But in "Professional Wrestling" or on the Big Screen, it's all action, all of the time.
e. Techniques can also be chained together as a counter to an attack. Your opponent has mounted you. You trap his arm and leg on one side of his body, lift your hips all the way up into the air, and roll towards the side that you've trapped and immediately turn to the side where you just came from, and step with one leg over your opponents body, turning him over and trapping his leg in a step over toe hold. This is much like "c." but instead he is the aggressor. You are defending and then taking advantage of your momentum, both physical and psychological. This has a great stunning effect on your opponents psyche, when you are suddenly able to counter out of a move and smoothly slide right into a lock or choke or position reversal.
I hope that no matter what arts you study, this article will be of some value. You may agree with some or all of it. If not, then the hell with you! It was free. Until next time... Wear your seat belt, wear your condom and don't smoke crack and for God's sake; be careful out there!!!
