Some raw thoughts
Some things from my notes that I've been thinking about lately - unfinished, unpolished, but perhaps interesting. It appears that there are only about four kinds of footwork – the opponent can:
- scoot toward me
- scoot away from me
- step toward me
- step away from me
If he tries to sidestep or circle and I open or close the distance between us then he reverts to those previous four.
In self-defense, only "toward me" motion matters. He can't really hurt me running away from me (disregarding weapons) and if I hit him when he is going away it is probably not self-defense, it is probably pre-emptive or revenge.
6 comments (leave a comment):
...only "toward me" motion matters.
Oh, I don't know. What if you need to stop a fleeing rapist, as I once needed to do?
Tha's a bad situation to be in, and a good thing to be able to do, but catching a fleeing rapist is not self defense.
When you say "scoot towards you", do you mean like a Tsugi Ashi type step?
yes. The only ways that come to mind for someone to advance toward you would be tsugiashi (scoot) or ayumiashi (step).
or attack you with a kick or lunge punch?
A kick isnt really stepping towards you is it?
What about stand still? Thats outside of your four options, and I dont really get why moving sideways is suddenly dismissed?
:-)
Thanks, Phil. That's why I wanted to publish these "raw thoughts" so maybe people would challenge my assumptions. One assumption I was working under but not stating was that you see the attacker coming from at least outside of touching distance. (maybe a good assumption or maybe not, but we all assume some things in our martial arts...)
anyway, from outside engagement distance it doesn't much matter to me if the attacker stands still or sidesteps or circles because he is not changing the distance between us. he has to close the distance in order to touch or kick or punch or grab or use a knife or anything else.
and a lunge punch, by definition is a step combined with a lead punch - so yes, a lunge punch is a step. So is a kick.
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