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.