Properly Defend By Attacking

Properly Defend By AttackingFiled Under: Instruction, Local, Resources, Uncategorized

“If you aren’t attacking, you are defending, and if you are defending, it means that you are losing the fight at that moment.” – Marcelo Garcia

Instead of blocking, you can counter with your own attack. In boxing, it’s counter-punching, in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do it’s stop hitting, in European épée fencing it’s a counter thrust.

In fact, the basic idea is well described by the translation of Lee’s Jeet Kune Do – “way of the intercepting fist.” Instead of trying to deflect a punch when it arrives at it’s target, begin intercepting the strike from it’s conception and initiating your offense at the same time.

To start simply, try “poking” an incoming punch with your elbow, as seen in the video below. The last part of the video is a little Hollywood for my taste, but watch how the guys raise their hands to their heads, creating a triangle and use the point of the elbow to jab into the oncoming fist. Depending on the hand protection, it can break an opponents hand.

If your opponent is in “striking mode”, make sure to circle and when he throws punches, you can either try to slip/parry and punch through them or strike right at his arm using stop hits or bunting punches. This can be particularly effective when he’s using the jab as a feeler punch trying to get his range – as soon as his jab has been initiated, side step and chop towards his his arm with a strike.

Another solid counter comes from Muay Thai kickboxing. When an opponent throws a low kick, punish him with a straight cross to the chin. When the opponent tries to land a jab – cross combo of his own, give him a brutal low kick with your shins. You’ll take a little impact, but if you angle right, most of the force of the strike doesn’t connect.

It’s natural to huddle up towards the fetal position when we get hit, so it takes some time to re-wire our brains, but it’s worth it.

Here are some quotes, mostly collected by Sidney G. Martin from from Bruce Lee’s The Tao of Jeet Kune Do, regarding intercepting attacks:

The success of a movement, defensive or offensive depends on whether we perform it at the right time or not. We must surprise our opponent and catch the moment of his helplessness.
Essentially, a stop-hit arrests the opponent in the development of his attack. It can be direct or indirect. It may be used as he steps forward with a kick or punch, when he is pre-occupied with feinting, or between two moves of a complicated combination.
A stop-hit is more often useful and successful against attacks that begin with a step forward where the margin of time allowing for success is greater than against attacks not preceded by a step. We can therefore say that generally the stop-hit is the stroke chosen to deal with the stepping preparation.
Counter-time is the strategy by which an opponent is induced or provoked to attack in tempo, with the object of counter-timing or alternatively taking possession of the opposing hand or detaching it and executing a subsequent attack or riposte. It lies not so much in drawing the stop-hit as in correctly timing the parry which deflects it. The speed of the opponent’s reactions will have to be found and his cadence judged.
Distance must be judged correctly to minimize the danger of being hit while within reach of the opponent in order to land the final movement of the counter-time sequence (the riposte).
To reach me, you must move to me. Your attack offers me an opportunity to intercept you.

There are tons of techniques that enumerate the concept but the main idea is that as far as it goes, the best defense is a good offense.