The Role of Anger in Fighting

Fear and nervousness are both natural and positive safety reactions to combat. Anger, however, is not. Anger is not rooted in the primal need for self-protection. It is an emotion of conflict and the inability to deal with a given
conflict. Very few skilled fighters use anger to prepare for a fight.

Although anger is often the impetus for a real life confrontation, it has to be dispelled as the first blows are exchanged if you want to succeed. Anger destroys your emotional balance and prevents clear thought and judgment. It leads to an uncontrollable level of arousal.

If you feel angry with your opponent, channel that feeling into a more positive desire to win or to survive.

If the anger is rooted in something other than the combat situation, try to remove it, or at least control it, before you engage the opponent.

When to Use a Joint Lock in Self-defense

Joint immobilization techniques are those movements that cause hyperextension of one or more joints. Joint immobilization techniques tie up the opponent’s limbs and create such pain that he becomes unable to respond. Pain is created by pressing or twisting the joint in a direction in which it does not naturally move. For example pressing the finger backward or twisting the elbow.

Joint immobilization is useful in close to medium range combat and in ground combat for locking up or pinning an aggressor. The key to applying a joint locking technique successfully is to keep intensifying the pressure on the
hyperextended joint or transforming the technique into a more effective one by moving continuously. This allows you to control the opponent’s movements and avoid giving him an opening for an escape or reverse.

Fighting Mindset

But what is the difference between beating the opponent with an emotional attack or beating him with a well composed mind? The results are the same. Each method will make the fighter victorious if he has the physical skills to apply. But what if he doesn’t? What if he faces a highly skilled or physically superior opponent? Anger alone will not carry him to victory.

When the opponent is superior in any way, the untrained fighter will have great difficulty in defeating him. The skilled fighter will have a dramatic advantage, allowing him to overcome his disadvantages and turn them into
advantages. He will coordinate his skills to attack the most vulnerable parts of the opponent and defeat him with a minimum of effort.

This is where combat becomes harmony within conflict. Harmony inside oneself and harmony with one’s surroundings. The skilled fighter trains not to oppose his opponent, but to flow with him. This does not mean that he is passive. He has a set strategy for fighting, but he is not confined by it. If he finds a better way, he can adapt any time. He does not resist the rhythm and flow of the fight itself.

The skill of harmonizing in combat is one that is acquired through practice and experience. It does not come from practice alone. Practice can prepare you, but only experiencing the reality of engaging another person in physical conflict can lead you to understand the intricacies of combat.

Psyching Up for a Fight

The final key to psyching up effectively is mental conditioning. In combat, there is often little time to prepare for what might happen. You must be able to reach your optimum level of intensity any time. This is beyond just psyching-up. Instant intensity comes from consistent daily training. To improve your mental condition:

1. Practice every skill and movement with full intensity.
2. Make each repetition better than the previous.
3. Follow your plan with consistency and determination.
4. Live life with the same alertness you fight with.

Maintaining your peak intensity throughout a bout is the result of conditioning plus endurance. If you get distracted by pain, fear, your opponent, your environment, or other external factors, mental conditioning will help you to refocus on your original goal. Without a strong mind, your focus can easily be distracted by nonessential external factors. Mental conditioning helps you to psyche-up quickly and improves your mental endurance.

In a match of two equally skilled opponents, the one with greater mental endurance will prevail. Mental endurance allows you to be persistent and reach your goal, despite the blocks your opponent puts in your way.
Mental endurance will give you an aura of toughness and aggressiveness

that is intimidating to opponents. There is no opponent more intimidating than the one who attacks consistently, no matter what you do. He is impervious to your attacks and seems determined to fight until he prevails. This is the result of strong mental endurance.

Mental conditioning is related to the toughness of the fight and mental endurance is related to the length of the bout. With a combination of both conditioning and endurance, you will develop a determined, indomitable warrior spirit. Warrior spirit gives you the guts to attack, the patience to wait for a better opportunity, and the persistence to finish the fight though you are exhausted. Among the most highly skilled combatants, warrior spirit is all that separates the winners from the losers.

Directional Principles of Striking and Throwing Combinations

A directional classification defines your movement in relation to the position of your opponent. Direction is an obvious and external quality of a combination. We can easily see it and it is rarely deceptive. There are two types of directional classifications: lateral and planar.

Lateral Combination
Lateral combinations are those that attack the sides of the opponent alternately or randomly. They are primarily combinations of circular movements including striking, kicking, throwing, locking and takedowns. They can consist of any combination of high-low, foot-foot, hand-foot or hand-hand attacks.

Lateral combinations work well for fighters with good mobility and speed. Their randomness confuses and frustrates opponents, especially those who are big or slow. When forming lateral combinations, include variety in the type of skills, and the height and direction of approach.

Planar Combination
Planar combinations are combinations that attack the opponent on a single plane running through his body from front to back. A plane can run directly through the center line or at a slight angle to the right or left. The only requirement is that all movements are consistent in their line of approach.

Planar combinations consist of penetrating and thrusting linear attacks to the center line of the body including punching, jabbing, linear kicks, knee thrusts, back fists, and tackling. Planar attacks are meant to do serious damage by aiming for vital targets such as the face, spine, groin and internal organs. Create quick techniques and develop total body shifting to take advantage of and penetrate openings on the center line.

Planar attacks also can be combined in groups of high-low approaches with foot-foot, hand-foot or hand-hand skills.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Combinations in Fighting

Advantages of Combinations:

1. You can capitalize on your physical and mental momentum without interruption.
2. You don’t have to wait for another opening to appear.
3. The opponent is forced into a defensive posture.
4. The opponent is confused, allowing you to control the rhythm of the fight.
5. You can achieve a powerful finish.

Disadvantages of Combinations:
1. You have to be agile and skilled in attacking.
2. An experienced opponent can escape by stepping back or to the side or jam by stepping in.
3. You can easily lose your balance when shifting from one technique to the next.
4. You can lose control of the distance between yourself and your opponent.
5. You need stamina to attack strongly until the final movement is completed.
6. You become vulnerable to counterattacks.

Combat Assimilation Practice

Beyond technical, tactical and strategic training, combat training requires combat assimilation practice. In assimilation practice, replicate as closely as possible the conditions under which combat might take place. If your training is for competition, secure the necessary equipment and people to help you create a competition-type atmosphere. If you train for spontaneous combat, such as self-protection, try to estimate the climate of such combat and recreate it within reason.

Safety is the only limitation on what is practiced in assimilation training. If your anticipated combat is full contact, practice full contact fighting within the confines of safety rules and equipment. For full contact fighting, prepare
yourself to deal with the pain and fatigue you will experience. Both fatigue and pain can cause unexpected reactions if you are not familiar with them. Practice training through similar levels of discomfort to prepare.

When you practice assimilation drills, fight with the same mental and physical disposition you would in a real confrontation. Practice reaching and maintaining your focus under pressure. If you feel comfortable with assimilation training, move to over-assimilation training.

In over-assimilation, the realities of combat are exaggerated to make training more challenging. Fight against bigger, stronger, and more experienced opponents. Train with a weight vest or other physical impediment to your movement. Give yourself disadvantages such as using only one type of skill or bodily weapon. Over-assimilation uses anything that exceeds the normal stresses of combat.

What is Fighting Strategy

Strategy is a plan or method for maximum utilization of power through long range planning and development to obtain a specific goal such as security or victory. Strategy begins long before the confrontation. It begins with your first day of training. If you train well, with a goal in mind, your strategy is already being carried out.

By seeing training as a part of your overall combat strategy, you conserve time and energy. You will be well conditioned to perform the movements required to implement your strategy. You also will have confidence in adapting your training to actual combat, because your training has been modeled after real combat all along.

Strategy is long range and intricate. It takes careful consideration and purposeful planning. Strategy allows you to maximize what you already have through skillful execution of your best weapons. Strategy should not be confused, however, with tactics. Tactics are the actual deployment of the physical skills you have prepared. Strategy is the map and tactics are the vehicle you use to navigate the course you have plotted. One without the other is like being lost without a map or having a map without viable transportation—useless.

When to Block a Strike

A block is a movement that forcefully interrupts the opponent’s attack, thereby extinguishing it. Blocking is an aggressive, initiative action that requires commitment. It is most useful against evenly matched or smaller opponents because in blocking, force is met with force and the stronger person will likely win.

Because blocking naturally creates opposition by the opponent, immediately follow a block with a series of finishing blows. If you fail in initiating a quick secondary response, you risk an aggressive counterattack by your opponent. Blocking, like parrying, is often done with the hands and forearms. Blocks are described by the section of the body to which they are applied (high section, low section, and middle section) or by the direction of the application of force (inward, outward, upward, or downward). They also can be classified as straight or circular.

Leg blocks are useful for stopping attacks to the legs and lower trunk, however, they require speed and anticipation. Beyond the commonly practiced arm and leg blocks, there are several uncommon but highly effective blocks such as the V block.

How to Draw your Opponent into a Trap

Drawing is similar to baiting the hook in fishing. The fish sees only his lunch, not the hook that lies inside. To bait your opponent, intentionally expose a target for him to attack. This can be done by three methods. The first is to assume a vulnerable stance that leaves an opening. Try this in the beginning stages of the fight. Once you have shown your true stance, the opponent is unlikely to believe that it will change. The only exception to this is if you appear tired or hurt.

The second draw is to expose a vital point such as your head, and let the opponent come in for an attack. When he commits to a high attack, evade and respond with a counterattack to his low section. Use this formula for high-low, right-left and back-front attacks.

The final case is to step back and let your opponent step forward. As soon as he begins to step in, go in suddenly like a tidal wave, and overwhelm him. Drawing, like feinting, requires practice and deception to be effective.

How to Practice Fundamental Fighting Skills

When practicing fundamental skills, strive for perfection in every step of the movement. Break down the movement into its most basic components and practice each stage with careful attention to detail. Every movement has five stages:

1. Preparation is the action you take to ready yourself for the movement.
2. Execution is the initiation and path of the movement as it advances to the target.
3. Impact is the culmination of the execution when you deliver the total force created by your weight and momentum to the target.
4. Follow through is the action that follows the impact to complete the path of the movement.
5. Finish is the relaxed and natural withdrawal of the body part used in the movement.

Practice each skill in the fundamentals section according

Real Distance: Fighting Ranges

Real distance is the distance from the end of the aggressor’s longest viable weapon to the nearest part of the defender’s body to which that weapon can be applied. If your opponent’s longest weapon is a stick and your nearest exposed body part is your front hand, the distance between the end of the stick and your hand will determine the combat range.

However, a stick does not pose as serious a threat to your hand as it does to your head, so you also have to consider the vulnerability of the exposed target. Similarly, there is a high degree of danger when the opponent is in grabbing range of your hand because grabbing presents more of a threat to your hand than striking does. This is where relative distance will begin to blur the lines of real distance.

In real distance, there are four ranges: neutral, long, medium and short.

Ready for a Street Fight?

When spontaneous combat (a street fight or assault) occurs, you will need to be prepared mentally and physically. Spontaneous combat can arise from a dispute with an acquaintance or a physical attack by a stranger. It can happen anytime, to anyone. There are two levels of spontaneous combat: psychological and physical.

The former often leads to the latter. To prepare for the mental and physical realities of combat, practice maintaining a calm mind during training. Every human conflict arises from emotion. Controlling your emotion is the key to controlling the course of the conflict. If you become controlled by your emotions, you have a greater chance to make errors in judgment which will lead to your defeat.

To prepare for spontaneous combat, design a training program that blends your mental and physical strengths. Combine psychological and physical tactics to defeat the opponent on both levels. In fact, if an opponent is psychologically overmatched, he may back down out of fear. Being well prepared will enhance your capability to assess the circumstances and implement a workable strategy to establish your advantage.

How to Use Feinting as a Fighting Tactic

Feinting is widely used, not only in personal combat, but also in large scale war. The main idea of feinting is to give an empty or false movement, make the opponent respond and take advantage of the opening that his reaction creates. This opening can be anywhere including the front, side, back of the trunk, legs,  arms, head, etc. Be prepared to respond to any opportunity, not just the one you logically expect to appear.

The most common way to create a feint is to make a quick jerky motion with the hands or feet as you attack. The opponent will be distracted by the motion, assuming it is the point of initiation. While he focuses on your feint, launch your real attack.

A similar method is to use your eyes to feint. Look high and attack low or look low and attack high. This works only if the opponent is watching you intently and is therefore deceived by your eye movement. Don’t depend on this tactic too heavily, use it sparingly.

A lesser known feint is to move unusually slowly and then speed up when your opponent tries to adjust. Create an atmosphere of slowness through your movements. The opponent will assume you are checking his response and will respond in kind. When you see he has psychologically adjusted to the slow movement, attack quickly and without hesitation. Another slow feint is to start a technique slower than normal and then accelerate as you near the target. Experiment with different combinations of speed and distance.

Finally, there is the psychological feint. Trap your opponent into making an incorrect assumption about your condition. If you appear to be tired or injured, he will assume you are defeated and will attack with less than full speed or power. If you look distracted there will be one of two possible responses by your opponent Either he will take your distraction as a chance to have a momentary break or he will attack. If the former occurs,

Deception as a Fighting Strategy

analysis. Your opponent will not allow you to win. So strategy draws the situation into your favor by deceiving your opponent into thinking he can win where he cannot. You give him an apparently favorable situation when, in fact, you have set a trap to defeat him.

Deception has many aspects. It can be small scale or large scale. It can be obvious or unseen. Sometimes the most obvious deception is the best. Imagine an opponent who rushes into the fight without any apparent plan or apprehension. He appears to be nothing but a wild bull on a rampage. Immediately you think, What a fool, I can effortlessly defeat him. He has no skill or strategy. I can outsmart him easily.

But maybe you have already fallen victim to his strategy. Perhaps making you think that he has no strategy is his strategy. While you plot how to defeat him, he will overwhelm and immobilize you. His strategy is to make you overconfident. While you are thinking, he is fighting.

This is the ultimate strategy; one that is not apparent until the fight is over.

Assessing an Opponent or Assailant

When you face an opponent, ask yourself these questions:

1. Ability
What is his level of physical ability? How much has he trained? What are his favorite skills? How is his skill level compared to mine?

2. Instinct
Is he prepared with many set combinations or does he go with the flow of the fight? Is he able to make quick decisions when confused or surprised? Are his movements loose and fluid, without hesitation?

3. Strategy
What style fighter is he: in-fighter/out-fighter, tall/short, strength/finesse, left handed/right handed/ambidextrous, aggressive/defensive, etc.? Is an initiative attacker or a counterattacker? Does he use conventional tactics or unconventional skills? What are his primary and secondary vital openings?

4. Determination/Stamina
Is he mentally determined to win? Is he focused or distracted? Is he emotional or calm? Does he tire quickly or is he able to respond to your strongest attacks with equal strength?

5. Physical Condition
What is his physical condition like? Does he appear fit, strong, quick, agile? What are his strong and weak areas of conditioning? How can you exploit his weaknesses?

6. Efficiency
Is he making many unnecessary movements? Does he conserve energy by flowing with you or does he expend energy for resisting? Are his movements focused or underdeveloped?

7. Adaptability
Can he easily adapt to your changes in tactics and strategy? Is he locked into one style? Is he vulnerable to counterattacks because his style is one dimensional? Is he psychologically sensitive to your changes in tactics?

8. Experience
How experienced is he? How does he approach? Is he calm or nervous? Is he evaluating you or busy with himself?

You may or may not be able to answer all or any of these questions, but they will give you some guidelines for assessing your opponents. After studying this book and practicing with a variety of opponents, the ability to analyze opponents with a minimum of conscious thought will develop.

Fighting on an Inclined Surface

Inclined spaces can be either confined such as a stairwell or open such as a hillside. In either case, the strategy is the same, always try for the higher ground. Make the opponent attack upward and retreat downward. His attacks will be slow and require more strength. His retreating will be treacherous and always at risk of tumbling backwards down the incline.

By taking the higher ground, you open up his upper targets to attack more easily and your back is protected from a steep fall. You also have a better view of the surrounding area from your high perch. If you cannot gain the highest position, try to topple the opponent by attacking vital points on his lower body.

Beyond Style in the Martial Arts

In combat, preformed concepts are not enough to meet the demands of the anything-goes reality of fighting. Don’t be confined by styles, rules, forms, favoritism, or even common sense. Thinking only one way is apt to lead you into a trap. This way, that way, low way, high way, straight way, round way, slow hit, fast hit. There are so many ways to choose from. No way includes every way. That is what Junsado stands for—free thinking, no limitations, freedom.

This is not to say that you should throw all convention out and train randomly. The ability to think freely comes from understanding the basic conventional concepts that lie within a system. For example, without knowing the numerical system, how can you learn how to add and subtract, multiply and divide? And without learning basic numerical functions, how can you perform simple daily tasks like calculating your change in a store?

When you learn to add, you practice by adding specific equations under the guidance of a teacher. Through this tutelage, you learn the principles of addition. There is no way for you to practice and memorize every numerical equation you will ever need in life. Once you master the principles of addition, you are able
to add whatever sum is presented to you without difficulty.

The addition you practice is not the end product of your learning, it is merely one step on your way to mathematical competency. However, the rules of adding remain constant in every country throughout the world. Everyone adds different equations, but all use the same rules.

In combat, you begin from learning how to make basic physical movements of attack and defense, similar to learning how to count. You then learn how to combine these movements in arranged applications, like learning the rules of addition. Once proficient in applications, you are able to apply your skills to many situations according to the demands of the situation, like adding your pocket change or calculating how much your grocery bill will be. Each step requires following the system until you learn and master its principles. Once you master the principles, you are free to apply them in many ways.

Addition and subtraction each have their own important function. We cannot say addition is better than subtraction or vice versa. Each is important in its own merit. Therefore, Junsado incorporates many types of skills. Sometimes you will need kicking and punching, sometimes grappling, sometimes a combination of
both. None is any better or worse than the other. It is a matter of appropriateness. Add when you must add. Subtract when you must subtract. Kick when you must kick. Throw when you must throw. Through the system of Junsado, you will come to understand the appropriateness of each skill, so you can adapt a
strategy and fighting style that is most fitting for you.

Fighting Instinct

Instinct is an intangible quality that gives you the edge in decision making. Instinct is the sum of information collected by your senses that is not rapidly obvious to your conscious mind. It often produces a “feeling” that something is wrong or right without a logical explanation. When you are uncertain what to do next or how to handle an opponent, rely on your gut feelings. The more experience you have in combat, the more reliable your instincts will be.

Elbow Strikes in Close Quarters Fighting

The elbow is an excellent weapon to use in close range combat because of its proximity to upper body targets. It can move in many directions and still deliver a powerful strike because it is backed by the twisting force of the shoulder and hips. While commonly used for striking, it also can be used for pushing in combination with a takedown.

The elbow moves on a horizontal or vertical plane. When traveling on a horizontal plane, force is created by twisting the body. The forearm or upper parts of the elbow are used for horizontal impact. When traveling on a vertical plane force is maximized by using gravity and body weight. The vertical strikes concentrated into the bony point of the elbow to create a precise and painful impact.

In both cases, the force of the elbow strike is originating from the large triangle created by the fist, elbow and shoulder at the start of the movement. As the elbow strike is executed, the triangle becomes smaller and smaller until it is tightly formed at the point of impact.

For example, when starting a horizontal hook, you open your shoulder and angle your elbow at about ninety degrees. As you approach the target, your shoulder begins to close and your fist and shoulder come closer together. By the time you reach the target, your fist and shoulder are touching and your hips and shoulders have rotated one hundred and eighty degrees.

This process uses many forces (elbow, shoulders, hip and fist) in conjunction with each other to make the elbow a devastating weapon.

Environmental Elements of Self-Protection

Once you have determined the type of opponent you are facing, consider the type of terrain on which you will fight. You may be indoors or out, on a hill or flat land, on stairs or in a confined area, on slippery or wet ground, etc. Every terrain requires special consideration. Some will give you an advantage, some will cause you difficulty. Train in an assortment of places, to improve your adaptability to varying terrain.

Similar to terrain is environment. The combat environment may be confining or treacherous. Fighting can occur any time, anywhere. Training in a cushioned, well-lighted, spacious training hall will not prepare you for fighting
in the dark, the rain, a closet, a car, a stairwell, a steep hill, a river or an icy street. Use environmental simulations to prepare both mentally and physically for disadvantageous environments.

The final factor to prepare for is the availability of weapons to both you and your opponent. One or both of you may enter the fight with a weapon, or there may be environmental weapons available to whoever is wise enough to use them. If one of you has a weapon at the start of the fight, adapt your strategy accordingly. If you see something around you, a heavy or sharp object that you can use to gain an edge over your opponent, grab it and use it before your opponent gets the same idea.

Do not depend on a weapon for your strategy. Use any weapon as an enhancement to your plan. Every weapon can be lost during the fight or can be taken and used by your opponent. Therefore, it is important to know not only how to use your weapon but how to defend against and neutralize it as well.

Becoming a Balanced Fighter

Combat is a series of visible and concealed maneuvers whose goal is to destroy the opponent and bring victory. The visible maneuvers include planning, practice and the physical actions you take to attack the opponent and
defend yourself during combat. The concealed maneuvers are the psychological preparation and the covert strategies and tactics you employ in the fight.

A combination of both concealed and visible maneuvers is necessary to defeat an opponent. If you are physically very strong and well conditioned, but uninformed regarding fighting strategy, you will defeat unskilled opponents easily though brute force, but you will be outwitted by skilled tacticians. Conversely, if you have a brilliant tactical mind, but spend little time for perfecting your physical weapons, you will have trouble implementing your brilliant strategy.

In both cases, unbalanced training leads to defeat. To be successful, combine the tools of combat skills and physical training with a blue print of well-planned and adaptable strategy. Imagine having a blueprint for a beautiful house and not having any tools or lumber with which to build it. All you have is a drawing. It
has no practical function unless you act on it. Or what about having many tools and materials without knowing where to begin building. The chances of ending up with a dream house are small.

The same is true for combat skills and strategy. Know where you are going, how you will get there and what tools you will need along the way.

Fighting a Stronger Opponent

By nature, an opponent will rarely be both extremely strong or extremely quick. Assess which characteristic is predominant in your opponent. If he relies primarily on his strength, counter him with speed and smarts. Avoid his full power attacks by evasion, deflection and intelligence. Frustrate his attack by striking in sudden unexpected ways to soft, weak targets like the eyes, groin, or throat. Make him doubt the effectiveness of his power by avoiding his blows and hurting him with quick, sharp strikes. When he is surprised or confused, use
your best attack and commit to finishing the fight immediately.

Key points against a stronger opponent:
1. Use speed and smarts to avoid power blows
2. Frustrate with sharp, surprise attacks

Transitioning from Offense to Defense

The second segment of the combined response is a transitional movement that connects the primary response to the main technique of the secondary response. The transitional movement capitalizes on the neutral balance of power created by the primary response.

There are several ways of using the transitional movement:
1. To unbalance the opponent: pull, push, grab or strike the opponent to make his stance unstable
2. To confuse the opponent: feint an attack to cause your opponent to commit to a futile defense
3. To intensify your next technique: initiate a line of force (circular, opposing, unified) to set up your main
attack

The goal of the transitional movement is to create a bridge between establishing neutrality and establishing control of the fight. Use it to soften up or weaken the opponent for the main attack.

Offense and Defense as One

There are several types of defense. The best defense is one that does not give the opponent the opportunity to attack, thereby avoiding any chance of being hit. The second best defense is one that can block, evade or cut any attack the opponent launches while incurring little or no damage.

The first case is the ideal goal of your training. In the best type of defense, defense and offense become one. There is no thought about which movements are defensive and which are offensive. Every movement is so well executed that the opponent has no chance to launch an effective attack. You give him neither a vulnerable target nor a chance to attack.

This is an underlying principle of Junsado. Every movement is executed to attack perfectly without providing opportunities to the opponent. For example, imagine an assailant attempts to punch you in the face. The conventional strategy of offense and defense dictates that you first block his punch and then counter attack. While you are blocking, you leave yourself vulnerable to attack.

Punches and Hand Strikes

Hand skills are used most frequently in self-protection because human hands have highly developed capabilities. With the capacity to grab, the hand is superior to any other anatomical weapon for self-protection. Without the ability to grasp the opponent, throwing, choking and locking skills would be virtually impossible.

The hands provide the quickest, shortest route to the opponent’s vital areas, especially those on the head. Hand attacks are used in short and medium range combat. Obviously, the opponent should be located slightly beyond arm’s length when you launch a hand attack. Practice speed and deception in hand skills.

In addition to offense, the hand provides a natural defense due to its position at the end of the arm. If you drop or raise your arms naturally, you will find that they easily extend to cover all your vital points including your groin, internal  organs, throat and head. Easy mobility, maneuverability and natural proportions make the hands and arms unique weapons.

Fighting Stance

The stance is the foundation from which every technique is launched. It creates the firm ground for strong attacks and the agility for speedy attacks. But it is not a fixed foundation.

In free combat, the stances of the combatants are in constant flux. To identify a specific stance in the flurry of action is almost impossible. There appears to be a ceaseless combination of transitional movements as the fighters struggle for the advantage.

Junsado training recognizes both the need for transition and the need for a strong foundation by categorizing stances by type rather than fixed positions. At the most basic level there are two types of stance: half stance and full stance.

Range Fighting: Using Relative Distance

Real distance is determined by the absolute measure of distance from one point to another. However, this objective measure works only in a world where all people are physical and mental equals. Since this is untrue, you cannot rely on real distance alone to determine your combat strategy.

Relative distance is used to account for the many mitigating factors. In addition to considering the actual physical distance consider these elements in terms of both you and your opponent:
1. Skill level
2. Mental toughness
3. Speed
4. Size
5. Types of available weapons (bodily and other)
6. Vulnerability of targets exposed
7. Type of techniques available

Components of Combat Skills

The outcome of any physical confrontation is determined by several interconnected factors. The most important and controllable factors are those qualities that make up your combat skills:

1. Ability
2. Instinct
3. Strategy
4. Determination
5. Physical condition
6. Efficiency
7. Adaptability
8. Experience

Each of these elements can be cultivated through consistent and effective training.

Rhythm vs. Timing in Fighting

Rhythm and timing are often used interchangeably by novice fighters. Timing is a specific action that takes place at a specific point in time. Rhythm, on the other hand, is a sustained pattern of actions over a period of time.

Rhythm is established by creating a pattern of regular and irregular movements through a combination of strong and weak pulses. Normally, the rhythm of attacking is strong and the rhythm of withdrawing is weak. By checking the attacking and withdrawing pattern of your opponent, you can determine his rhythm. He will use a similar method to find your rhythm.

To confuse his perception of your rhythm, practice attacking very aggressively, like a hurricane. Before he realizes your intention to attack, initiate without hesitation. Then withdraw like a squirrel, swiftly with only the goal of retreating in mind. This will prevent him from finding a pattern of weak and strong beats. When you have established a strong/strong pattern, occasionally use a strong/weak sequence to create an irregular pattern in your attacks.

Sensing the opponent’s ability to make or break the weak/strong pattern is very important in establishing the rhythm of the confrontation. When you disrupt your opponent’s weak/strong pattern and make your rhythm the rhythm of the fight, you will dominate. This is sometimes called “ring generalship” in boxing. When you have the dominating rhythm, speed becomes secondary and you can attack at will without hesitation.

Offensive Strategies: Direct Attack

The best method of attacking is to use a direct attack from the beginning of the confrontation. When you see an opening, attack. This is the most basic principle of combat. It is also the most bold and risky type of offense.

A direct attack prevents your opponent from studying you and preparing an attack. Once you initiate a direct attack, do not allow any chance for recovery. Continue attacking until you finish the fight. The direct attack is used to stun the opponent into inaction and create openings to finish him.

The best time for a direct attack is before the opponent has a chance to launch his preferred offense. When he is planning to attack, hesitating, or trying to figure out your style, take action immediately to prevent him from getting the initiative.

Best time for a direct attack
When the opponent is:

1. Hesitating
2. Planning his attack
3. Studying

Evasion: Emptying the Space

Evading can be thought of as “emptying the space” between you and your opponent. It is the surest way of maintaining your safety zone and it should always be your first choice. Evading is the most natural response to an unwanted intruder. You use it all the time, even in social situations. Imagine yourself having a conversation with a business acquaintance. The acquaintance leans too close to you and you instinctively step back. Though you do not perceive a physical threat, the invasion of your personal comfort zone puts your subconscious on alert.

Your comfort zone differs from one situation to another. In your home or among friends, your comfort zone is relaxed or nonexistent. In familiar but high pressure environments like school or work, it is an active barometer of
whom to trust and how much trust to place in them. In unfamiliar or threatening surroundings, the comfort zone is buffered by a larger safety zone. Anyone crossing into your perceived safety zone is seen as a potential threat, therefore you unconsciously move to put them back outside your safety zone.

Evasion occurs every day on many levels. Evading is based on instinct and judgment. In combat, your initial reaction should be to evade the confrontation entirely. When this fails, try to evade the physical blows of the aggressor. Evasion must be total to be successful. Partial evasion will result in some damage to you and superiority for your attacker.

The Need for Realism in Self-defense Practice

There are several categories of combat among humans. Combat can be arranged such as in boxing, wrestling, or martial arts practice. It can be spontaneous, as in fighting and self-protection. The difference lies in the imposition or lack of rules and the level of conflict between the contestants.

Arranged combat is a common way of testing combat skills. It can be among friends or rivals. It can be for fun or high-stakes. It can be with strict safety rules or anything-goes type matches. Most often, however, it is contested with the safety of the contestants in mind and the outcome is secondary.

Arranged combat is a good method of practicing skills within a framework of safety rules. For optimum results, it should allow the widest range of attacks and defenses possible. If you train for the possibility of a  life-endangering encounter, you should not be limited by unnecessary rules and gear that will not exist in the anticipated attack.

For example, a woman who trains for self-protection would not gain much by putting on boxing gloves and sparring according to boxing rules. She is unlikely to face an attacker who will give her the room to punch and she is at risk of seriously damaging her hands in a barehanded attack. A more realistic approach for her would be to engage in simulation training in which she is faced with an attempted assault and practices thwarting the attacker.

Arranged combat should closely model its goals. If its goal is sport, train for sport. If its goal is self-protection, train for realism with a minimum of rules and a heavy dose of reality.

Transcending the Tactics of Fighting

To master the tactics of combat, go beyond the conscious act of the tactic itself. When you no longer need the tactic, you have mastered it.

Beyond Conflict: Harmony in Combat

At its highest levels, combat is comprised of two forces moving not against each other, but in harmony with each other. They are not compelled by emotions or fears. They are in full control of their actions and understand the actions of their opponent. Like a physical game of chess, they plan many moves in advance and estimate their opponent’s actions and reactions based on training, experience, and intuition. This combat is beyond the combat of conflict.

Conventional Fighting Strategies: Outdated?

There is no absolute formula for victory in combat. There are conventional and unconventional strategies that have been tested and used for thousands of years, but none of them is fail-safe. Conventional strategies are the most proven, but they are also the best known. They are susceptible to counter tactics by skilled opponents.

However, you must understand the conventional strategies to prepare for combat. Begin from the conventional and adapt your own style and character to create a unique style that is suitable for you.

This is not to say that you should totally dispose of the conventional tactics and strategies of combat. They are very valuable and will make up the foundation of your training. They are not, however, the sole means by which victory may be achieved.

There are endless variations on conventional skills that can be created and used in unique ways by individual fighters according to their own personal strengths and weaknesses. Every individual is unique and should look for the advantages that their uniqueness presents.