In combat sports, it is often stated:

“Timing beats Speed”

In combat training, good technique is often confused with speed. To understand good fighting technique it’s important to divide speed into three parts:

• 1. Reaction time (how fast the body reacts to an attack)
• 2. The execution (or the time a technique begins till it ends), and
• 3. The pure speed that a fighter’s muscles and physique possess to execute an attack.

All students begin by learning how to minimize their reaction time to attacking and defending, by not wasting movements. Learning good techniques addresses 1. and 2. above and can take a dedicated fighter many years to master. Advanced fighting technique requires the skill of “timing”:

• Learn to read your opponent: Their movements, the techniques they use, the style they use. Do they telegraph their movements? Meaning, a little foot shuffle before kicking? Do they twitch before punching? Do they hold their breath before exerting energy? Do they load up on their punching, otherwise known as “cocking the gun”?Telegraphing can take on many forms – listening to the opponent’s breathing, watching them tense their muscles, observing needless movement before executing a strike. All of these signals giveaway an attack. Keep a poker face, and don’t give away your next move. The ability of a fighter to “explode” into an attack with minimal movement, no telegraphing, makes them faster.
• Learn to anticipate the movements of your opponent: Which movements or attacks do they consistently repeat? How can you exploit those repetitive movements? Repetition is good in training, but not good in sparring. In fighting, repetition leads to well-versed opponents using an opponent’s repetition to their disadvantage.

Does good technique make a fighter faster? To a certain extent – Yes. But speed is about reaction time and getting a fist or foot from their home position (in guard position), to the attack position (fully extended and connecting with the target). This is the third aspect mentioned above, and age, talent, and athleticism play key roles.

I teach students to attack with explosiveness and surprise as if they are catching a fly. Catching flies requires relaxing, exhaling, and then reacting without thinking. The fastest fighters learn to move without thinking because they have practiced that move thousands of times. When a fighter needs to think of their next move, their reaction time for their brain to tell their fist or foot to move takes time – especially in front of an experienced fighter who has the experience and muscle memory to execute the same move.

Martial Arts • Fighting Science Series

If you would like to read more articles in this “Yin Yang of Fighting Science” series, check out these posts:

• 1 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Power
• 2 • Yin Yang of Speed vs. Timing
• 3 • Yin Yang of Fighting Styles
• 4 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Instinct
• 5 • Yin Yang of Empty vs. Full Cups
• 6 • Yin Yang of Slow vs. Fast
• 7 • Yin Yang of Perception vs. Reality
• 8 • Yin Yang of Fear vs. Confidence
• 9 • Yin Yang of Threes
• 10 • Yin Yang of Burden vs. Privilege
• 11 • Yin Yang of Anticipation vs. Surprise
• 12 • Yin Yang of Compliance vs. Resistance
• 13 • Yin Yang of Attacking vs. Defending
• 14 • Yin Yang of Fighting 360°
• 15 • Yin Yang of Teachers vs. Students
• 16 • Yin Yang of Physics vs. Physiology
• 17 • Yin Yang of Vulnerability vs. Opportunity
• 18 • Yin Yang of Martial Arts vs. Combat
• 19 • Yin Yang of Sport vs. Violence
• 20 • Yin Yang of Rhythm vs. Random
• 21 • Yin Yang of Stability
• 22 • Yin Yang of Strategy vs. Tactics
• 23 • Yin Yang of Instinct vs. Reason
• 24 • Yin Yang of Unstoppable vs. Immovable

• Fighting Science • Fighter’s Curve
• Fighting Science • Fighting Zones

Bio

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Gabriel is a seasoned sales and marketing expert with over 25 years in senior positions at Motorola, VeriSign (acquired by Symantec in 2010 for 1.25 billion US$), SecureWorks (acquired by Dell in 2011 for 612 million US$), and Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013 for 25 million US$). He is a blockchain entrepreneur, with strengths in international business strategy.

Gabriel has a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from McMaster University in Canada and expert knowledge in crypto incubation, cloud computing, IT security, and digital video technology. Gabriel also runs his own company, Euro Tech Startups s.r.o.

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