Snake vs Crane

THE SCIENCE OF IN-FIGHTING

Greg LeBlanc On The Wooden Dummy

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I remember the first time I saw someone “playing” the Muk Yan Jong (aka Wooden Dummy).   This guy was visiting Oakland from Germany and had come by my old school (before Greg) to do a little training.  He didn’t want to  train with any of us – he just wanted to use our equipment, which he was allowed to do.  None of us (not even the Sifu) had learned the complete dummy set, so it was a kind of mysterious tool which we’d only seen used fully in the movies.  We had only learned to use it to train the Gan Sao and Kwan Sao “hands” (“in the ballpark,” as Greg would say, of what we see in the video below).

The dummy is most often associated with Wing Chun but variations on this tool have been used in many Chinese styles of Kung Fu.

The German visitor was learning some style of Wing Chun but the way he trained was quite different from what I later learned from Greg.  He pretty much beat the crap out of that dummy and his goal seemed to be to make a show of force and the insensitivity of his arms.

There is an old story I heard from Gary Lam about his teacher Wong Shun Leung.  A zealous student was hitting the dummy so hard he broke one of the arms off.  He took the broken arm to Sifu Wong and said proudly, “Look Sifu, I broke it!”  Sify Wong took the broken bit of arm, knocked the student on the head with it, and said, “Now I have buy a new one!”

I was trained as Greg demonstrates here, that working the dummy should be done with precision and controlled power.  That the dummy is a training tool which teaches position, structure, and an approach to footwork.  The footwork aspect is the least of it, as the dummy doesn’t move and requires the practitioner to step broadly around the arms and enter and exit and reenter, unlike real fighting, where the entrance is much more direct with a much tighter angle, and probably never that wide 45 degree entrance you are taught as a “training mistake” (i.e., a mistake you make in training that allows you to train but isn’t how you will fight, like training with both arms simultaneously in Chi Sau or developing footwork with a jump rope in boxing).  The main thing the dummy teaches, if memory serves, is angle and structure and “chasing center.”

Ten Years Equals A Belt

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“Every 20 pounds equals a belt…and every 10 years equals a belt.”
Rener Gracie

And you know what a big deal a belt is in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

There are many fantasies and delusions people bring to martial arts, most of them fed by the movies, but also by word of mouth mythologies.  This is where we hear about “dim mak” (death touch) and about some guy taking out three or four people effortlessly because they are a master of this or that fighting art.  You can even see some videos of such feats, so its not completely delusional.  But its mostly delusional.

I can tell you from my experience and the experience of my friends and teachers, many of whom are very highly trained.  Weight matters.  Strength matters.  Youth matters.  These are all qualities an opponent can bring to a fight that will put a big “thumb on the scales.”  Martial arts training is one factor among many in any fight.  An old martial adage says, “First courage, then power, then skill.”  Courage means you don’t run.  Then power.  Now, their algorithm isn’t exactly correct, in my opinion.  I think there are many 30 and 40 year olds who are stronger than 20 year olds of the same size and fitness level.  I think this is even scientifically accurate (not just observation).  I’ve heard strength peaks somewhere between 25 and 30.  But the idea is sound.  Martial arts skill is one arrow in the quiver.  Its an equalizer, but not a magic bullet (or wand).

 

Movie Fights: Mads Mikkelsen vs Laurence Fishburne

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Movie fighting is usually (probably always) very different from real fighting.  By real fighting, I don’t mean in sports or in “challenges.”  I mean in the real world where one person attacks another and death and serious injury are possible.  As far as I can tell, real fights are over very quickly.  Real fights will often involve predatory behavior (see Rory Miller, Geoff Thompson, Mac MacYoung).  In real fights, again as far as I can tell, based on what I hear and read and infer, the fear of death throws a lot of chivalry and fair play out the window.  People will prefer to use tactics to improve their odds as much as possible.

Ambush.  Weapons or numbers advantages.  Distraction, subterfuge, dirty tricks.

For one famous historical example, look as Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.  He used all sorts of sneaky ticks to get the advantage.  Put the sun in their eyes.  Show up late to piss them off.  Not to compare them, but consider Billy the Kid.  Apparently preferred to shoot people in the back.  In war, armies are always trying to get the element of surprise on their side.  They set traps (such as IEDs – improvised explosive devices) so they are not even present for the violence.

In this movie fight, we see a lot of this sort of thing.  They both try to launch a surprise attack.  They both pick up weapons to try and get a weapon advantage.  And we see a big mistake – Fishburne’s character stops the attack and stays in range before his opponent is dead or immobilized.  If the opponent is conscious, they can still attack.  This mistake gets him a knife in the neck.  You gotta be careful!  In real life, the best strategy is to avoid the fight.  The second best is to run when it kicks off.  The worst strategy is what we see – a fight.  And as the sages said, both are wounded.