Skeptical about destructions

[Menkyu]

Hey everyone,

I am very skeptical about destructions to on coming punches such as jabs and crosses.

What are your opinions.

James

[SD fma]

Hi Menkyu,

Shall I assume that you are practicing Filipino-type of destructions? Destructions are good and should not be discounted. In FMA we position our arms in front in a boxing type of stance-while having our hands moving forward and back. This way, it is easier to guide/parry a strike into my opposite elbow. This closes the distance and then I can work into cadena de mano techiques. I've tried adjusting my arms like a Muay Thai fighter like some JKD instructors teach, but then I have to aim more with my elbows-too much work! I'd rather guide it in-and that is for jabs and crosses.

Don't get me wrong-if it works the way JKD fighters do it, then it is a good technique.

SD fma

[thekuntawman]

i can understand why you doubt how it will work in the fight. can i suggest that you FIGHT with the technique instead of DRILL. i think you might come up with a different kind of limb destruction than how you learned it.

i know they work, but it can be how you learned the technique if you will appreciate it or no.

[Evilution]

When I use this destruction it's from a mix of the boxing and the muay thai gaurd. I have my elbows in and hands by my face, but my lead elbow will bounce back and forth between it's place near the hip and a point directly in line with my face, the area where a punch would be thrown. When my elbow comes up, I move my rear hand next to my elbow and my lead wrist on my temple. This way I can guide the strike into my elbow, or failing that pat away a jab with my rear hand, or cover up with my lead hand. I've used this technique to create a pretty effective shield for my face.

Be aware that raising your elbows leave you open to a body shot, which is why I always shift between low lead elbow and high lead elbow using different rythyms to keep your opponent guessing as to where the openings will be.

[Menkyu]

Thankyou for your comments, I hadn't thought about guiding a punch into my elbow, I will give that a try.


James
Institute of Martial Arts and Combative Sciences S.P.E.C.S.

[sikal]

Originally posted by Menkyu
Thankyou for your comments, I hadn't thought about guiding a punch into my elbow, I will give that a try.


James
Institute of Martial Arts and Combative Sciences S.P.E.C.S.

Yup. The elbow-to-hand gunting is one of the most misunderstood things that I've seen. When I show it to people, their first response is always, "You can't do that at speed. No way can you consistently hit their fist with your elbow."

But when they realize that it's a "guiding the fist to the elbow" they begin to see. If you can parry a punch, which most people can consistently do, and if you can slap your own elbow, which most everyone can consistently do, then parrying it and guiding it toward your elbow just takes a little practice :-)

A drill that my instructor used when we got more advanced was for one of us to put on street hockey gloves and spar at full speed, half power. The guy with the gloves is trying to hit the guy without the gloves and the guy without the gloves is trying to get elbow guntings ... isolate this first with a single elbow (i.e.: a vertical elbow) then with variations (i.e.: knuckle rap to the back of the incoming punch, diagonal up, diagonal down, horizontal elbows, guiding the punch to other parts, etc.). One of my most commonly used tactics is to guide a punch into my upper chest (pectoral area). I know I can take a lot of punches there ... especially if I pivot a little so that it mostly glances off ... but their tactile sense says, "Hey, I just hit him." After guiding the hand in with my left hand (for instance), I then rail right back up his arm with my left hand and catch him hard in the face. Sometimes he's still extending ... when I time it well, he's retracting his punch which adds even more energy to my punch because I ride his retraction straight to his face. Also, by "body contouring" the strike comes in at a very oblique angle which is hard for him to visually perceive.

Mike