real fights, trapping and straight blast

[bartjam]

OK this topic is a "popular" (or "infamous") one.... but still I think it's interesting to read your opinions.
The thing is that fast and accurate trapping, as well as straight blast, works very well in the gym... but how many of you successfully used it in a street situation against a thug or some kind of non-cooperating, angry opponent?
I personally have got more confidence in a straight blast (including headbutts, knees/elbows) than in fine trapping...as this latter involves fine motor skills very likely to be vanishing while under adrenal dump

[Benjamin Dover]

I have NEVER seen advanced trapping work in a street fight. I have seen a few parries and 1 step trapping. But, I have yet to see 3-5 step trapping!!! Straight Blasts - works extremely well on the street and sparring (as long as your partner wears a helmet, LOL!)

[Uber_Tap]

I saw a guy check his opponents lead hand downward which pulled the guy forward and left him open for a right cross, but that's about the closest thing to trapping I've ever seen work.

[El Mastero]

There was a similar thread on another forum about trapping. A JKD guy named William Holland wrote this.

"If he expects a blast give him a feint. If he expects a feint, blast him with a combination. If he expects a combination, trap his butt and then blast him. It ain't astrophysics!"

That sounds cool as heck. Anyway, I'm no expert but people that swear by trapping in self defense say that the primary goal is to strike your opponent and that trapping is only used to clear an obstruction that prevents your initial strike. Trapping for the sake of trapping is not encouraged.

[tekshow]

i've used some... i think you just have to work it so much into the muscle memory that it goes "off" by itself.


someone through a jab at me once, and i trapped the fist with an open left handed parry and pulled their knuckles into my right elbow, then left elbowed the tricep and put the guy in a figure four and threw him.


i think it does work, however i agree with what another poster said about 3-5 step trapping. that's what the drills are for, you take these long combinations and you may only use a piece of them in actual fighting before you transition to the next movement.


take oobid loobid for example, it's a three step trapping drill with a nice flow that goes back and forth. but there's no way i'm going to use the whole routine in an instant during a fight.


just like lock flows. you practice this series of like 25 lock flows during a drill for the sake of what? not so you can do all 25 in a self defense situation, but so that they are in the muscle memory and if you see your opponent gives you an opening for one you take it, and hopefully that leads into something else you've trained, and so on...


cheers,
joe

[Jun Fan]

I used to wonder about the same thing. When we practice in Wing Chun, we always try and keep the arms trapped as we strike, in drills and in Chi Sao. But when my instructor (Sam Kwok) shows us street application, you see that in 99% of situations you won't need to keep the trap, simply because you've initiated the straight blast, and they're already fading.
The other factor is because of the nature of the Wing Chun/JKD centreline punch, you can actually keep arms pressed without intending to do so.
It's great to practice pinning the ams while trapping, but on the street it's simply not necessary most of the time, so I wouldn't worry about it....

[seany85]

does anyone know of a site that has a video of the straight blast on

[SWhittier]

Try the boxing blast. This is a version of the same technique but is based off a tight boxing structure. It is much safer, just as fast, and allows for more power delivery than the regular straight blast.

[Rudolphuss]

I suggest saving up some money and either booking a private session with Paul Vunak in Southern California, or coming out to my school (shameless plug) for some work in the same vein. I'm not as good as Paul, but I'm cheaper.

Do you have a website I can check out?

Also, what is a straight blast? Is it an extended Boxing right cross? Does someone have a picture showing a straight blast? If not, can someone please describe how to throw a straight blast?

[Thai Bri]

But, don't forget, a few people have questioned his professionalism. Insofar that you pay up front and then don't get as much training time as promised. I havent had first hand experience of this, but have seen it a couple of times on the net. A supporter of his showed up in the discussion, but even he ad to admit that Vunak could let himself down.

Don't get me wrong. I reckon he's a top guy. But he's been off the mark and I don't want you throwing a couple of grand down the toilet.

[Thai Bri]

Mike, I don't mean to bad mouth the guy. But people must get what they pay for, or the credibility of the seller is gone.

No offence intended.

[kengar]

For the first time I've seen a few to Vunak's tapes and he seems to be a bit of an odd character, though in a good way. If I had teh money, I'd be interested in training with him.

Mike, where are you located?

[Thai Bri]

I honestly don't think that the forum owner would mind. Other people have publicised their stuff, and I have never seenthem criticised for it. Why not email him and ask?

[Thai Bri]

Thanks mate. I may just do that.