Martial Arts • Fighting Science • 11 • Yin ☯ Yang of Anticipation vs. Surprise

Before an attack, any motion will signal an anticipated action. Each twitch, shuffle, dance, inhale, or blink, will give away a fighter’s intentions. This is called telegraphing – when a pre-action gives away an anticipated action. Throughout combat training student’s are taught to remove any evidence of telegraphing.

One technique to achieve a successful attack is to maintain eye level with your opponent. For example, if the fighter’s eye level suddenly elevates, then it may look like they are hopping into the attack. If eye-level dips, then it will look like they are is preparing to leap forward.

Less telegraphing means more surprise. Some students confuse this with faster motion since the fighter is unable to anticipate the move. They interpret the strike as being fast when in reality, the opponent’s latency is decreased because all signals that an attack is about to happen were removed. The attack’s execution is restricted to core movements only. Nothing more.

Not every student may have talent and speed,
but every fighter can learn to
Reduce any technique to its essential elements.

The goal is to surprise the opponent by your attack. This is sometimes referred to as learning to be “explosive”. In the case of punching, by maintain eye level, and focus on swiveling the hips for a jab or cross then the physiology of the body is optimized for maximum power.

Furthermore, it’s important to realize that power originates from the floor. Beginners often punch from their shoulder, which significantly restricts its effectiveness. Punching power originates from the foot’s anchor point, and this force travels through the hips, into the shoulder, and then to the fist. In many punches, the shoulder’s role is merely 20% of the striking power. 80% of the power comes from the anchor (foot) and the hips.

Putting this into practice, boxers will lunge forward with their front foot off the ground, and back foot digging into the floor (see the “Boxing Power” figure above). This turns them into a rocket, by using the ground as leverage. It’s a hard technique to master because beginners have a tendency to move forward putting weight on their front foot, turning their attack into a human teeter-totter. This stems from the fact that walking uses the same technique, but it doesn’t work for fighting. There is no power in this attack, although it’s often used in point-fighting tournaments because it’s faster. A boxing strike requires leverage that is more like skating, which requires digging into the ice with your back foot to move forward. Except, in this case, the fighter digs into the tatami with the front foot to move forward. In boxing this is called “shuffling”, and it’s how the strongest punches are achieved.

Kicking is a different beast altogether. Beginners have a tendency to lean back when they kick because they don’t have the muscles to raise their leg without bending their torso. Nor do they have the elasticity to stretch their muscles for a high kick. The best kickboxers are able to keep eye-level with their opponent when striking with their foot. Only their hips and legs are used to delivering the kick, and they don’t allow their upper torso to telegraph the attack. This also prepares them for counter attacks after kicking. The best kickboxers can separate their upper body from their lower body.

About the Author

Gabriel Dusil has been a practitioner of Martial Arts for over twenty years. Originally he trained in the traditional style of Shotokan Karate. Gabriel has also trained under Sensei Martin “Sonic” Langley in the United Kingdom and currently trains with Karel Ferus in Prague at the Ferus Fitness Fight Club, fffc.cz. More recently he focuses on circuit training, strength & conditioning, and kickboxing.

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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

• CEO • Strategist • Entrepreneur • Speaker
• Photographer • Designer • Creativist • Writer • Blogger
• Teacher • Trainer • Geek • INTJ • Father

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.

Hobbies include photography, video production, motion graphics, digital graphics, photo restoration, carpentry, martial arts, traveling, blogging, and trying to be better than yesterday.

2 thoughts on “Martial Arts • Fighting Science • 11 • Yin ☯ Yang of Anticipation vs. Surprise”

Mason Smith says:

August 24, 2020 at 16:46

My daughter is getting into martial arts right now and she wants to learn from a professional. It’s great that you touched on how your power starts on the floor so you need to learn how to move properly. It would be great if we could find an online teacher that she can learn from right now during the pandemic.

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1. Gabriel Dusil says:
  
  August 24, 2020 at 17:10
  
  Hi Mason, I hope your daughter gets a lot out of her martial arts journey. Unfortunately, due to the Covid19 pandemic it will be tough to do online, but once the pandemic subsides I hoe you mamage find her a good club, with a culture and phylosophy that fits her personality.
  
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