When and When Not To (part 1)

You’re seven years old and it’s recess.  You and your friends are just hangin’ around when the school bully walks up to you.  He’s bugged you in the past and you’re sure he’s going to bug you again, especially since he’s in a “wedgie phase.”  You’ve had enough.  You have taken some martial arts and you are finally going to stand up to him.  He walks up and you throw a punch at him.

WRONG.

How wrong is this?  Well for starters:

• You started it.
• You hit him without warning.
• You probably missed.
• You both got hurt.
• Others may have gotten hurt.
• You both ended up in the principal’s office.
• You misused your martial arts.

“But . . . but . . . but . . .”

No “buts” about it.  You were wrong.

A responsible and respectful martial artist uses their art to keep themselves and their loved ones safe and healthy.  Period.  End of story.  No more questions.

But how can you tell when the use of force is necessary?  Not all situations are as cut and dry as a bully hitting you.  And how do you avoid becoming the bully yourself, as in the example above?

Youth Intermediate Class at True Martial Arts Overlake

And . . . how do you teach it to others?

There are many reasons people take up the martial arts.  Some do it for fitness, personal growth or to challenge themselves.  Others do it to be safe.

Be safe?  What is it to be safe?

Being safe is different things to different people but it usually involves a lack of fear and having piece of mind for yourself and those you care for.  That’s still pretty broad but most people know when they’re safe and when they are threatened.  They also have a good idea when they themselves are threatening.

To put it just into words, you should do just enough to keep safe.  Knowing what that limit is can be very easy or very difficult and making sure that younger students know what that is is the responsibility of the instructor and parents.

We have a simple method we teach if someone grabs you.  As you progress through the ranks the grabs get more complex but the foundation is pretty much the same.  It’s a three step method:

1. Release – get out of the grab, usually by moving the arm through the open fingers of the grab.
2. Yell “No!” – get attention to yourself.  “No!” creates interest where “Help!” may cause avoidance.
3. Escape – get to a safe person or place.  Not just away, but to a place of safety.

You’ll notice that there was no striking or attacking involved.  The idea is to be safe, not escalate the situation.  While this method is useful for all, it is most important for kids.  The odds just are not with a kid if they try and fight an adult.  It can also lead to a violent reaction, even if that wasn’t the original intent.

One of the most important aspects of teaching this type of drill is to make sure the students take it seriously.  Usually the younger they are, the more you need to stress this.  I’ve taken a fairly excited class and stopped it cold to make a point about not giggling during a self defense drill.  I’ll need to get the tempo back in the class but for that one moment it needs to be real.

When do you use force?  Should you avoid force at any cost?  Personally I do not believe that you should avoid using force at all costs.  There are too many instances where you cannot guarantee being safe while avoiding force.  Too much is in the hands of the bad guy.  The trick is knowing how much to use and not to cross the line into being the aggressor.

Be safe.  If that means escaping then you escape.  If it means controlling the bad guy then do so.  If that is not an option and in fact there are no options then you need to finish it.  You need to be safe.

Part 2 – safety in confidence and confidence in safety.

Breakthroughs (yes, it’s a pun)

I have to admit it, there’s something immensely satisfying about breaking a board with your own bare hands, or feet, or other handy body part. 

There’s actually a lot behind a successful board break.  And also a lot behind an unsuccessful one if you take time to think about it.

To begin with, why you are doing it is important.  If you’re doing it to show off then you’re probably don’t have the right mind set.  Breaking a board simply to impress someone else, or yourself isn’t the purpose of a board break.

There’s a quote from Enter The Dragon by Bruce Lee at the beginning of his first match in the tournament.  His opponent breaks a board on his head and Lee simply responds, “Boards do not fight back.”  Breaking a board on your head just before you are about to fight someone may not be the brightest move in the world. If you’re doing it to intimidate your opponent then you probably have your priorities mixed up.

Breaking a board is used to demonstrate technique, power and focus.It is commonly done at seminars, tests and public demonstrations.  They may appear easy to some but a person can create a good number of barriers between themselves and a successful board break.  Completing one is quite an accomplishment.

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Conner Goan Performing a flying sidekick board break.

Conner after the successful break.

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There are three basic types of breaks, each with their own unique challenges.  Difficulty can be increased by breaking multiple boards or combinations of breaks.

• Power Beak – Using raw power to perform the break.  Examples of this are a simple hammer fist or knife hand through a board or boards supported by cinder blocks.  It is interesting to note that breaking multiple boards without spacers is much more difficult than breaking more than one board separated by spacers.
• Speed Break – While speed is important in all breaks a speed break relies solely on speed and good technique.  The student substitutes speed for power, going through the board fast enough to break it.  The board is unsupported and can even be dropped or tossed.
• Chi Break – Possibly the hardest break to understand, the chi break uses energy built up inside to explode out of the body and break the board.  The hand or foot rest lightly on the board, supported by blocks or holders and when they are ready allows their hand or other weapon to break through the board.  This break requires the ability to focus and direct your energy.  It may sound strange but I have done the break and the board did break.

Obstacles that prevent a student from breaking aboard other than the board itself are primarily internal.  There are instances where the student doesn’t have the physical aspect to break a board – they lack the strength or have not developed enough to properly perform a certain technique.  As one would guess this is usually in the younger students and it is the instructor’s responsibility to insure the students safety.

Distractions, fear, doubt, over confidence are all factors that can contribute to an unsuccessful break.  Before a student performs a break I will ask them a simple question, “Are you going to break this board?”  If the answer is anything other than “yes” the student and I take time to insure the student knows they can perform the break.

As an instructor I try not to let my students attempt breaks I know they cannot perform.  This isn’t to say I know every break a student can and cannot do, but after doing this for over ten years there are certain breaks that I know are simply beyond certain people at certain periods in their training.

The student attempts the break and if everything comes together and if all goes well, the board breaks.  If not, well the best that can be hoped for is a little embarrassment on the student’s part.  Worst case is an injury.  This is why any break should be performed with appropriate supervision.

The student practices the break, they bow to the teacher and . . .

“Crack!”

They’ve triumphed over fear and doubt.  They have taken what they have learned and demonstrated it to themselves and others.  It is immensely rewarding, especially if the break has been one that the student has been unable to do in the past.  Even those watching can feel the exhilaration and triumph.

And you now have kindling for the winter months.