Effectively apply any fighting technique: 4 tips

What are the most important characteristics of an effectively executed fighting technique?

How should a fighting technique be performed so that it can achieve its purpose? Is there something that we can do to improve the quality of any move? Yes, in our school we identify 4 rules that:

  • Can be applied to all the possible combat interactions (read also A scheme to quickly learn any kind of technique)
  • Make the difference between the theory and the practical application
  • Can, in many cases, cover an eventual gap between us and our opponents

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

The 4 rules for a perfect execution

In a real scenario, the elements to be considered for a successful execution of a fighting technique (from the simple punch, read How to punch (simple explanation), to the most complex joint lock, read for example Chin Na technique: twist the elbow) are 4:

  1. Unpredictability – Our opponents must not be in a condition to easily read our next move (read 10 errors of intermediate fighters: solutions); in a clash with an even only intermediate-level fighter, we should never forget the fact that his / her experience will lead inevitably to imagine the actions that we can perform in the current context (due to our body structure, our position in the environment, etc., read How to study an opponent); as in the chess game, to strategically plan our moves and use deception (read Self-defense: the power of deception) must be a priority and a natural behavior (eg. we have to hide our real targets and show the false ones)
  2. Aggressiveness – We have to understand that we cannot use the training pace, we need to implement the right level of intensity (a real multiplier of the effectiveness of any technique); “aggressivity” does not mean acting instinctively or with anger (that would be counterproductive) but with extreme determination (read for example Advanced concepts: the Persistent Movements); the idea is to always apply the correct amount of speed, power and will; the more decisive our action is the more unstoppable it will be, the faster / more powerful we are and the more difficult it will be (for the opponent) to react correctly and timely
  3. Accuracy – The speed at which we apply our combat system is subject to the minimum accuracy needed to ensure that our techniques sort the desired effect (read The most important skill in combat); it is useless to hit at the speed of light and / or with the power of a Tsunami if we miss our target or its core activator principle; we must aim to train every day with the goal to increase our accuracy and our speed of (effective) execution (read Speed and quickness); the more we train accuracy, the more we will be able to achieve small, hidden and crucial targets (even in the most complex scenarios); in proportion to our technical background, it is mandatory to condition our body to an adequate level of dynamic precision, otherwise all the rest of our preparation will be totally useless (read Why martial arts do not work: 5 reasons)
  4. Strategic decision – In our system, a fight must always be governed by this hierarchy, the single big strategy (decided during our training with slow and profound reflection), the interchangeable tactics (decided in real-time with what we call “quick reasoning”) and the smaller interactions (activated instinctively, almost “without reasoning”); substantially a strategy is made by many adaptable tactics, a tactic is made by many rapid micro-interactions; but it does not end here, there can be a fourth smaller step, 6 Dragons Kung Fu provides (in some cases) the opportunity to alter our moves ahead of infinitesimal variations of the scenario and the possibility to transform a technique even during its execution

In the absence of even one of these key points, our fighting level will simply not be at the level of a real martial arts practitioner.

A note by Master Kongling – Regarding the last point, it must be said that the fourth step has nothing to do with the will to act or with the choice between techniques at the beginning of the execution. When we activate an attack or a defensive movement, we can no longer have doubts: being insecure about the execution of a technique A and a technique B means failing to do neither one nor the other. Our mind has to unambiguously choose what to do before starting but at the same time, must be aware of the potential changes or adjustments of trajectory.

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

  • In many martial arts courses (and often also self-defense) these principles are neither taught nor trained; the consequence is that the student is left with a vague theoretical knowledge that in times of need will never be truly at his / her disposal (read Why and when self-defense does not work)
  • The 4 rules we have listed are valid during the combat as at its beginning; in particular, in self-defense (if we are truly forced to fight, read Personal defense: the S.A.F.E. method), the fact of exploding unexpectedly, with extreme intensity, precision and a ration precise goal can be a crucial advantage to prevail, as we said even against an adversary that normally would certainly beat us (sometimes, not always, the combination of these 4 factors can catch even an expert unprepared)
  • We have to train ourselves to plan our future moves while we execute the present ones and at the same time, to prevent the opponents’ possible reactions, how? Speeding up our minds with dynamic practices (in fact, being fast means substantially slowing down the time, read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///)
  • In conclusion, it should be stressed that if on the one side, it is true that the skills we have listed can give a considerable advantage even to the beginner, on the other it must be specified that, to achieve their excellence, serious and systematic preparation is needed (in particular for accuracy)

In the next articles of this series, we will deepen each of these 4 topics.

In-depth video courses

In-depth articles

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

  • In your opinion, what is the harder rule to implement in a real scenario?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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