Theory of Motion
Are we able to find all our movements on a pattern? The Kenpoists think so and to a certain degree so do the FMA folks. In the Black Belt levels of SJK, you will be required to work in and explain these patterns of movement. My power versus your power is an argument that has been around for years and will continue to muddle on for quite a while. In the arts we that we study, the student learns that there is always someone stronger than you, so trying to muscle your way through a technique won’t work.So how do we defeat a stronger opponent or sometimes just a stronger attack? When using the motion pattern you can always put yourself into the opponents opposite pattern or position him to be in your strong side pattern (which ever way you prefer).
By positioning yourself you are able to break his balance without using a whole lot of body movement.How do we do that? If you are face to face with an opponent in a clinch postion, you are both at an equal advantage. If you move at a 45 degree angle to either your left or right, you have just broken his balance. That’s using an angle to get into a strong position where you can strike or take down the opponent. The same principle also applies if you move forward 45 degrees as well. We have just made an ” X ” by moving at the 4 mentioned 45 degree angles. In a striking situation you always try to put yourself in a position where you are able to strike the opponent with all types of body weapons but he is only able to respond with one. When we work against punch attacks, we always move inside/outside or back to avoid the strike.
Imagine your opponent in a diamond or two mated triangles, one facing north the other facing south. If he is in the center of the diamond, that leaves the diamond shape itself for you to work with. Start by moving up and down the diamond along the lines. Interesting how you just walked around the opponent at a very close range.
When you block, think about the motion pattern and how it is directly relating to your opponent or his strike that is entering into your defensive movement pattern. Take a parry and strike combination. If you parry across the centerline and hit below that line, you begin to separate the halves of the opponent’s body. If you use the triangle footwork and penetrate past the opponent as in several of the SJK one steps, you can even take your opponent down by separating the halves of his body and forcing the fall.
Stick evasions or blocking use shapes also. In the FMA, we can use the palasut as an example. We meet the attack at a reduced angle to lessen to blow. Then we attach our stick to theirs and roll around it to our strike. Another example is the basic meeting block. You are standing in front of your opponent and he is holding the stick at position one for angle one. He begins to cut or strike down, you move to your left or maybe your right or maybe you decided to step back and clear the length of the cut. What if you step forward and cram him up from being able to move? So lets see, you can move straight, left, right or back….This is an example of the plus sign in the motion pattern.
Using the motion theory patterns for throws or takedowns are interesting as well. Imagine you have an opponent standing in front of you, feet are square at the shoulders. A triangle has 3 points, keep this in mind. So if we are to imagine the attacker to be a triangle it would work like this: his left foot would be one point, his right foot would be the second point.
Now, lets find point 3, if one and two are side by side then the third must be in the middle of both points but slightly forward or behind him ( remember we are using a triangle) Stand with both feet shoulder distance apart, now lean forward till you have to step to get your balance so you don’t eat the floor. Did you see where your leg moved? That was the third point of the triangle.
Gives you food for thought.
