Steve Grody Self Defense

Thanks to Dean Franco for the enjoyable interview he did with me and Dwight Woods on FMA Discussion. Follow Dean and see the many interviews he has done. This is ours: https://www.facebook.com/100027505567754/videos/687393872187459 Among topics were The Functionalizing Process; old school V new school; the individual V the system.

Options for kick delivery according to distance

This is a #JKD video to supplement my recent post on a comparison of the traditional "eight gates" in Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do and alternatives.

Finishing up this piece on Alternative Gates... The suggested alternative for the downward parries is the forearm parry (fig. 33 & 34). The form is pretty much the same as the fook sao in Wing Chun sticky hands training, but the fook sao, often translated sensing hand is not generally thought of as used against incoming low jabs or crosses to the midsection, but rather, in crashed contact. Properly done, the forearm pushes slightly forward, and the hand does not drop do...wn at all, cutting the trajectory of the strike (fig. 35). If you need to guard lower, then bend the knees rather than dropping the arm, which would make the high line more vulnerable than necessary. The advantage of this over a downward parry as pure defense is that your hand is closer to striking a target or going to a high-line defense if needed. The alternative to the low corner blocks are essentially boxing covers (figs. 36 & 37), but as with the modified high cover, instead of just riding with and defending against the strike as in traditional boxing, we are looking to get in a short-range finger jab or strike to the eye or throat unless we feel the need to monitor the opponent’s rear hand (fig. 38). Boxers do not generally think about simultaneously striking while doing a low cover because you cannot really put you body fully into the strike, but you don’t need full body mechanics to make an eye or throat strike have a decided affect. Notice how much closer the low cover puts you toward covering the high line if needed, and the hand of the cover is in a good position to shoot forward (fig. 39). These two series of defenses should not at all be seen as exclusive to each other, as they mix very comfortably, for example corner blocking a wide hook and then covering if a hook from the opponent’s second hand comes in too late or tight to corner again. As always, there are many if-ands-or-buts relative to how this material might be followed up or countered, but if you work with it, you will find that it is a solid body of skills to add to your base training.

Okay, continuing on! I think it gets more interesting now... Alternative Gates To be clear, the above are all workable defenses and counters, but there is a critique to be had, as there is for anything. The general difference between the traditional eight defenses above and the alternative presented here is that the alternatives actually use a smaller range of motion, need less precision of timing, and, we feel, are more structurally robust as we will explain. The first two ...defenses, the right and left high cross parries are the same. The alternative defense against the high-line hooks is a modified high cover: the wrist is braced just behind the head, with the elbow slightly out (no more than 45 degrees) and between eye and nose level, with the shoulder hunched up, while moving slightly in towards the opponent (figs. 24 & 25). The idea behind this is that you form a very strong structure that that dissolves the force of a hook (fig. 26) because you are not giving it a surface to bite into like the telephone cover which is part of Jun Fan Kick Boxing curriculum. Also, it is very unpleasant to receive a hook to the traditional cover especially without gloves (fig. 27) and the neck is still too potentially exposed (fig. 28). The first critique of the modified cover by people that like the traditional telephone cover from boxing, is that they feel the ribs are way too exposed to possible follow up or a faked high hook dropping to a low hook. But we feel that in most street situations, hooks are straightforward (not fakes), that the comfort of the cover is worth the possible risk, and importantly, that it is not a problem to drop into the low cover should you feel that what you feel that what you read as a high hook turned out to be a low hook. Another critique is that by having the elbow slightly out you are exposing yourself to a hook that slips inside of the cover (fig. 29), but that is why you always slip a bit forward to make sure you are inside the hook line. This cover stands up very well to tight or wide hooks, whereas the high corner block is not as efficient against a tight hook (fig. 30). Furthermore, in traditional boxing, the cover is generally done purely defensively with a slip or sidestep away from the force of the blow, but with the modified cover, it is very easy to simultaneously deliver a short finger jab (fig. 31 & 32) or to monitor the free hand. (fig. 33). It’s worth mentioning that it is not unusual to see kick boxers using a cover in between these two discussed so far. The cover is similar to the modified cover except that the elbow is pointed straight forward out of concern for strikes that might slip inside the cover as mentioned. This is a very workable cover but is done primarily just as a defense without a simultaneous strike, and you still are presenting a surface that takes the brunt of the force rather than dissolving it, which is fine unless you are not a big burly guy. See more

Continuing on with the last of the classic eight gates before going into the alternatives in the next post. The low inside and outside corners for countering hooking lines to the body cut forward and out like the upper corners (figs 20 & 21). Also like the upper corners, they are never shown without an accompanying strike. The main problem with this block is the vulnerability it creates for a high hook, especially if the low hook drifts up on the half beat (figs. 22 & 23). In theory, the arm could be raised to a high corner, but in real time that is very difficult, and the defender doing the low corner tries to block with his right (punching hand) then he opens himself up to the straight left. The simultaneous strike is thought to be the main prevention to the high hook, but it is too easily countered.