Isshin-Ryu Fighting Movement
For Defense
Over several decades I have attended countless tournaments, often refereeing the matches. You can’t get closer to the action than that, without hitting the participants myself. As we set up the match, the opponents turn to face the Sinban and bow. The chief referee then has them face each other and bow they are than told to get ready and then told to begin the match.
Oddly, since the official has asked them to face each other at the beginning of the match, they seem to go strictly into that mode, moving straight in, on each other and eventually clash, trading punches. To my way of thinking, having been trained by Sensei Don Nagle, I was taught that movement was my friend and not just circling around the opponent. Many of the new students, as well as, their Sensei's believe that you circle the opponent and attack, often both at the same time. In my estimation, this is no better than a bar fight, involving two drunken people who can’t use their wits, beyond clashing, swinging wildly, with both people taking punishment. Often the winner looks like the loser and both require medical intervention. That is not Isshin-Ryu. Remember that what the older Sensei's were taught, the use of logic in fighting according to Shimabukuryu Soke’s Eight precepts.
The precepts that are applicable here are first and foremost, “The body must be able to move in any direction at any time.” This does not simply mean circling the opponent in one continuous direction. This allows the opponent to gauge your movement pattern and can choose his method and time to attack you. Movement here is twofold, in that you use movement for a defensive action. Never simply move backward when under attack, since the opponent will barrage you with punches and kicks until you are hit, go out of bounds, are trapped in a corner or the worst reaction of all, turning your back and ducking the body, with arms protecting the head. In H2H Combat, the man who does that is dead, in seconds.
When facing the opponent, you wish to stay just outside of the opponent’s reach, changing direction often circling outside his perimeter. If he attacks, you spin in the opposite direction or stop, allowing the opponent to throw the first punch or kick. Use directional blocking to redirect the blow outside your body, while simultaneously sliding to his side and toward his back. Then you strike from the side into the side of his face, neck, or kidneys.
If you are circling near the perimeter of the ring or area of the fight and the opponent is in the middle of the ring, he will eventually move toward you, you should change the direction of the circle. He has to adjust his scuffle toward you and probably changes the manner of facing you and probably his stance. This is what you want him to do, since eventually when he has come just outside striking distance and you change direction again, he will again begin to change stance and direction and that is the opportunity to strike. Rush in quickly, firing kicks and punches toward the areas he has left vulnerable while simultaneously changing his direction and stance. He also will step closer, but in disarray, since he is in the middle of total change, which he is not initiating, but grudgingly, because you are running the match.
If you are not in shape for skipping around the ring (which is not a good signal that you are training hard at the dojo and at your home) you can simply take a step back after the Sinban shouts to begin, giving you space and making him move toward you. Relax and allow him to throw the first blow. If you are relaxed your hands will move faster and whether he throws a kick or punch put the palm of your hand on his wrist or ankle, depending on the attack. Put pressure on the part of his body, where you have placed your hand and it will guide the attack to the side, causing the attack to cross his own body, cutting down on his ability to use his weapons from the other side, since his body is twisting away from you. While this is taking place, you should be sliding your feet toward his side. This gives you the choice of targets, take advantage of that, immediately. These are not done, in a step-by-step manner; the moves slide one after the other, almost happening simultaneously. It should flow, with one move taking place on top of the last, giving the opponent no time to think or act.
Remember, if you can hit someone for a point, in a match, you can hit him again, while keeping your mind open to defense. The opponent is allowed to hit you.
I have developed the scenario of circling and changing direction, until the opponent gets frustrated and makes a mistake. This can be used when you have an entire ring to work with, but I train my students not just in a twenty by twenty ring, but inside that I chalk a five-foot by five-foot area. That is how real fights start, in each other’s face, with little area to maneuver.
Never drop your head or eyes from your opponent. When Shimabukuryu Soke made the precept that, “your eyes much see in all directions,” he meant not just the eyes but awareness. Which you should practice at all times to be safe, no matter where you are. Fight with intelligence and intuitively.
Arcs, Slides & Spins –
Circling or circles per se are simply made up of continuous arcs. Circling is a strategic plan of attack, which requires the ability to use space as part of your fighting stratagem. Arcs are tactical maneuvers, for close in fighting (as inspired by the Okinawan Masters) and used to evade an immediate attack by removing yourself from the opponent’s target area, causing him to be placed in a vulnerable position. Such an instance would be against the French fighters who happen to be in vogue, at the moment. Master Adler has stated to me that they are inspired athletes first and karate-ka second. Their method is to be absolutely tensed and ready for explosive action, once they have finished the bows to the Sinban and each other. Upon Hajimae they are blindingly fast, in closing upon the opponent and firing either a punch or kick straight into the opponent. The combatant that gets to his target first and is therefore ready to deliver will strike first and win. However, I don’t believe that method should work well against a formally taught karate-ka. Their method would work if two people were standing face to face and one of them wanted to execute a sneak punch, while talking with his target, he would be successful, in most cases. I say, in most cases, since I was taught by Sensei Nagle, whose awareness was at the limit of ten out of ten and he would avoid the attack and strike faster than the attacker could recover. In the type of French fighting skills lunging speed is the core of their skill. Somewhat like an excellent wide receiver with blazing speed, who can catch a ball in full stride and still be moving at the same speed. However, if one of the opponents is an excellently trained Isshin-Ryu artist, he would wait calmly, body relaxed and at the last moment, thrust off with his right foot, moving his body to the left outside of the attack, simultaneously using your right hand to grasp the thrusting wrist of the opponent and fire a round house kick to the solar plexus (or use the flat top of your foot across the chest causing deprecation of lung function. I have used that move many times to stop otherwise excellent fighters. That technique would fall under the slide category, but in effect is a powerful thrust of the right foot, propelling you forward and to the left side, out of reach of the opponent’s thrusting right hand, which could be changed to strike a back fist to his right side. When the right foot thrusts, the left foot leaps toward the line you have chosen. Grabbing the wrist allows you to control the opponent and the tension it creates aids your balance, as it upsets the foe’s balance. In the 50’s I never had to throw another technique since this puts people down.
In the same type of attack, an arc can be used as you redirect their thrust. If it is a right hand thrust your left hand is quickly placed just below the mid-forearm, applying pressure and using the power of the attacker’s punch, his punch will be redirected across his own body, which also removes his ability to attack with his left arm. As you are doing this you can use an arc in two ways, both of which give you an unassailable positioning. The first, after redirection and grabbing control of his wrist, your left foot slides to his right side and to the back and simultaneously, slide your right foot to follow your movement. You will be beside his right side and slightly toward his back, still controlling his thrusting wrist. When you first grasp the wrist, squeeze tightly and turn the wrist away from you. This causes an imbalance, as you perform the rest of the move and according to Soke’s Eight Precepts, imbalance is as a weight. That gives you an edge in any battle. The other use of an arc, in the same attack, is to grasp the right wrist, turning the wrist, as before and this time, you spin backward by pushing off your right foot and spinning on the ball of your left foot. His forward movement will aid your spinning arc, placing you toward his back, still controlling the wrist and drive your right elbow into his back horizontally or vertically to the spine, or use the upper-back of your right arm into the back of his neck.
A quick technique is to slide to the side, control his thrust holding his wrist, placing you to his right side and fire a right hand snap punch with focus just under the ribs, causing damage to the internal organs and seizing the liver, temporarily paralyzing the opponent. It has an effect similar to a strike in the solar plexus.
Arcs, slides and spins are your way to avoid attack quickly, giving you a momentary advantage to strike vulnerable area of his body. However, I was taught to double up in any attack so I will normally throw a second strike to another area. Getting used to this will keep you from back pedaling from an attack, which is suicidal.
Ed McGrath, Ju-Dan
Grand Master, Isshin-Ryu, The Art