Vol 4 No 5 - 2015 Newspaper Propagating the Filipino Martial Arts and the Culture of the Philippines Martial Blade Concepts Learning the Rhythm of Styles By Michael Janich (Knife at a Gunfight) Article By Mustafa Gatdula fighters work in combination on quarter and Knife Stopping Power By Michael Janich I would like to introduce you to a third-beat burst. Yet in Wing Chun, fighters concept that few fighters understand, but work with single strike attacks and react to Article many great fighters use to their advantage. attacks in a STOP-WAIT-TRAP/COUNTER. It is There is a little-known characteristic difficult to describe in writing, but imagine a A Microcosm of of fighters that few fighters are conscious block against a punch (stop), attacker follows Knife Fighting By David E. Gould of, which is the rhythm of styles. A system’s up or defender counters, then the defender Article rhythm owes itself to a variety of factors: traps/checks and strikes simultaneously. • the culture of the system or the system’s These two rhythms make for different results founder (or teacher’s own culture) and have their own advantages and disadvan- • the preferences of that system’s founder/ tages. The boxer can make himself difficult to About ... school’s teacher block. However, he would miss more of his Past Events • the physical attributes of that system’s attacks–while the Wing Chun fighter is more Health & Safety founder/school’s teacher accurate with his attacks. One is not superior Discovering FMA • the specialties utilized in that particular to the other and in order to be used properly, The Goat Locker style or school the correct rhythm must be learned and ap- Tid-Bits Notice that I did not discuss the sys- plied for the techniques to be more effective. tem’s students or fighters. This is because I The above example explains why many consider the rhythm of a system to be a sep- self defense experts speak about boxing not arate characteristic of a particular fighter–al- being effective for self defense, while the mar- though the one can affect the other or not tial arts would be more appropriate. At the be influenced by the other at all. This idea same time, many MMA fans would say that is very complex, so I will try my best to ex- boxing is more effective because its rhythm plain it as best I can in less than 1,000 words. is more applicable to the octagon than Wing We all know that rhythm is almost syn- Chun. In a self-defense situation, like upon onymous with timing and speed, but there entering a car, in a stairwell or elevator Wing is something else that defines rhythm. It is Chun’s rhythm applies better–unlike a parking a pattern that the mind thinks in that mani- lot brawl versus a wrestler in mutual combat. fests itself in movement and reactive tim- Likewise, when a Wing Chun man ing. One often finds this rythm in dance, but tries to box, he may not be using those tech- it also shows itself in speech; think of how a niques in the correct rhythm. Or if a Kara- stereotypical New Yorker may speak faster teka attempts to box, his rhythm is off with than the southern drawl of a rural Virginia exactly the same techniques. This is one of dweller or someone from Mississippi. While the mistakes that many cross training mar- we may limit our understanding to simply tial artists make. Too often we scrape the speech, as a Filipino and as a martial artist surface of an art with little regard to the true I find there is also a varied level of patience essence of that art, as if the only difference and in other places such as culinary styles…. between styles are the techniques and pre- in the Southern American cooking, dishes are arranged sound bites so popular with cross prepared with a slow simmer, stews, smoked trained artists. One needs to learn more than meat, etc., where New England dishes are just moves and techniques and drills. Just as made quickly–like how they cook lobster, or you cannot learn a foreign language by only a 20-minute pizza or 5 minute cheesesteak. memorizing phrases–the mistake martial art- This may seem like a stretch, but I also notice ists make is to reduce an art down to a few it affects the learning of its martial arts stu- catch phrases… a drill here, a defense there, dents (in the region) and their taste in styles a takedown or disarm over here. When you www.fmapulse.com and philosophies (such as one style schools only know how to say “Hello”, “Goodbye” and vs schools offering many add-on styles). “Where is the bathroom”, you cannot say that Visit the FMA Informative Group In fighting, different styles move, think you speak that language–even if you know on Facebook and react differently. In boxing, for example, 50 such phrases. In the martial arts, we have Click Here 2 FMA Informative Vol4 No5 2015 Vol4 No5 2015 FMA Informative 3 men who have memorized Over time, the opponent Understanding this dif- new skills and methods will sive knife use. these phrases, combos and slows from pain and fatigue ference will help you apply be revealed to you. It cannot As my training in the Filipino arts progressed, I had the opportunity to compare and contrast various styles of Eskrima, drills–and it enhances neither and then the fighter moves in new arts properly. As an Es- be learned simply by scrap- Arnis, and Kali. I also had the rare privilege of befriending and train- their native tongue/art nor for the kill. The point fighter in- krimador, you cannot box like ing the surface of arts in a ing with some of the true modern masters of knife craft, including their knowledge of the new stead will move and force you an Eskrimador until you have seminar, or by copying skills Master at Arms James Keating. Through these influences and literally language/art. So in this light, to follow him, he will change learned to box like a boxer. learned through observa- hundreds of hours of analysis and experimentation with my private a Wing Chun man still think- direction or feed you fake at- As a Tae Kwon Do fighter, tion. Conversely, you cannot students, I refined and expanded my system of knife fighting into ing like a Wing Chun fight- tacks, he will sit further away you cannot kick like a Muay fully understand how to fight what I believe to be one of the most comprehensive yet easily learned er–throwing single punches and make you reach to hit him, Thai fighter (or vice versa). My those stylists by merely ob- programs in existence today: Martial Blade Concepts, or MBC. and learning defenses from and when you miss–or when grandfather observed years serving or having one or two The most important element of MBC is the logic behind it. Like only jabs, crosses and one- your technique falls short–he ago of my own Kung Fu train- matches. This is a concept that any other potential “solution,” its value is based on its relevance to the two combos–will never cap- flies at you faster than you can ing, that one reason he liked is very deep and has an infi- problem it is intended to address. And that relevance can be compre- ture the essence of boxing to get away and he lands his at- my teacher was that we were nite number of lessons. One hended only through an in-depth understanding of the problem we put that knowledge to good tack before you know what hit not Kung Fu men who only could cross train for 20 years face: the defense of your life and the lives of your loved ones against use. And when he boxes, he you. It isn’t speed, it’s rhythm. knew how to fight Kung Fu and only skim the surface of the types of attacks that occur in today’s world, using the tools you fumbles around like a body- The point fighter needs range people. If you look around at many styles and really learn can actually carry on a regular basis. builder in a dance contest. and distance. The Muay Thai the traditional martial artist, nothing, or one could study With this guiding principle in mind, let’s take a look at the logic The rhythm of the vari- fighter needs to be close to you may notice that many of and train intensely and gain of MBC and what I feel is really needed if you want to be prepared to ous arts will control how you you. At the distance a Klitchko us treat combat as if everyone another world–or one could defend yourself with a knife. apply their attacks and coun- fights, Roy Jones doesn’t have in the battlefield fights the refuse to cross train altogeth- Step 1: Accept the fact that you will fight with the knife (or knives) ters. Some types of defense room to apply his weapons. way we do. And if they want er and learn to use his art to you actually have with you when the attack happens. Many knife “experts” have pontificated on the requirements for the ideal rely on a broken rhythm. For At the distance and tempo to simulate other styles, they adapt to the various rhythms fighting knife, waxing eloquent about blade lengths, crossguards, handle materials, etc.