The First Rule Of Martial Arts Is . . . “Don’t Get Hit!”

Staying out of the way of getting hit is the first line of defense.  My teacher used to say “first, don’t get hit”.  Makes sense to me!!!

One of the primary keys to that is footwork.  So many fighters these days go straight in and straight out.  While that seems effective on the surface, in the long run the fighter might get hit a lot more than one who understands the proper use of footwork and angles.

To use angles effectively, the fighter needs to develop a defense mind.  This is the mental position that your offense physical action is based on:  it is defense positioning knowing full well you are going to attack at the right moment.  Attacking from an offense mind-set or attacking from a defense mind-set are both attacks but much, much different in nature.

Angles help you get out of the way:  they help you shift and dodge the opponent’s attack and assist you in getting into a good offense position to make your move.  Part of being a great fighter lies in the chess game of  acquiring a better position than the opponent.  Excellent footwork can immediately and perfectly shift you slightly closer or further from your opponent.  It can do it in such a subtle way the opponent might not readily pick up on it.  Now, that’s an art…. and just a simple example of what I’m addressing here.

Body weaving is a kind of footwork.  It allows you to slip punches and attacks.  But, actually moving your feet to angled positions from where you were in regards to the opponent will also help you slip attacks as well as position you into a better place to wage your own powerful offense.  Stationary weaving and physical angling combined inspire better positioning which gets you hit less and sets your techniques up to work more effectively.