Month: October 2012

Categories
Phillosoph

Jet Li Bagua: How to Beat Yourself Up.

For various reasons yesterday was a bit of a cruddy day, so when I got home I downloaded the Jet Li movie “The One” as some much needed diversion.
The plot involves Li fighting a bad version of himself from an alternate dimension. What was interesting was that the good Li used Ba-gua (Pa-kua) as a fighting style, while the bad version uses a more linear punching style that I think is Hsing-I, but might be something like Leopard style, so apologies if I get that wrong. There is a rather nice moment in the final showdown where good Li has been trading punches with bad Li and decides to switch to Ba-gua. Here is a clip of the sequence:
Of particular interest is the move around 2:11. This “under the arm” move utilizes the motion I describe for the turn from the closed step as detailed in my book, a move similar in principle to the Kuk Sool Won technique against wrist grabs (also in the book)
Categories
Phillosoph

Knuckle Duster Variations

Since I am close to my scanner today I thought it might be interesting to look at some of the more unusual knuckle duster type weapons. The first three are all from Serge Mol’s excellent book “Classical Weaponry of Japan” and are (not surprisingly) Japanese.

First is a weapon called a Tesshō. The spikes can be used to strike or to improve the grip while grappling. What is interesting here is that the design would make conventional punching techniques difficult. This weapon would mainly be used for hammer-fist and back-fist strikes.

Second weapon is known as a Mussahi Kaiken or Nago Ryŭ Kaiken. The more common use of the world Kaiken is a type of dagger without a handguard, commonly associated as a weapon for Japanese women.

Story is that when the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi retired he stopped wearing his swords and carried a walking stick instead. Many of Musashi’s victories had been won with wooden weapons so he was hardly harmless. Even old and retired there were still young bloods who wanted to make a name beating Musashi so he also carried a variety of concealed weapons. One was this weapon resembling an axe blade with a hand grip. This was carried wrapped in paper and tucked just inside the fold of his jacket.

The third Japanese weapon is the Nago Ryŭ Tekkan or Bankokuchōki. This is a heavier and more substantial weapon than most Tekken (“Iron Fists”) and is claimed to be designed to be effective against enemies wearing armour. In that light it is perhaps surprising that there are no apparent features to concentrate force.

Indian knuckle weapon called a “hora”. Made from horn.

Some interesting variations in construction. The wood version looks particularly useful.

Some Okinawain Tekko were made from horseshoes. These are obviously not designed with concealment as a priority. The horn-like projections could doubtless be used for defence against longer weapons.

A horseshoe inspired keychain. Very practical.

Categories
Phillosoph

Improved Knuckle Duster

Following my previous post on shortcomings of the most common design of Knuckle Duster it was inevitable that I might amuse myself trying to improve on the design.
I learnt last night that knuckle dusters are legal in France, but require the user to hold a licence, which seems reasonable. Since in most parts of the world they are still illegal my improved design will probably remain a theoretical exercise in engineering and stay only pixels. For those that are interested, here is my first attempt, knocked out in about ten minutes.

The two finger hole design may be a little quicker to put on and more forgiving on varying hand sizes or wearing gloves. Several variants are possible on this basic design, with four oval finger holes or more rounded points.

Categories
Phillosoph

Knuckle Dusters

This blog, and research for the book often take me off on some odd and interesting tangents, and this might be considered one of them!
I came across some interesting comments on knuckle dusters, which lead me to do some research. In many countries knuckle dusters are highly illegal. In some places being caught carrying one will get you in more trouble than carrying a loaded gun. I’m not going to discuss whether restrictions on inanimate objects rather than the use of them is a valid approach, this post is about engineering, and fashion!

Run a quick websearch and you will see that there are numerous uses of the knuckle duster in the fashion industry. Jewellery, belt buckles, handbag clasps, coffee cup handles and even high heels? There are also a large number of knuckle duster shaped paperweights for sale as “conversation pieces”. While there is considerable variation in knuckle duster design, the majority are of the same basic shape. This is particularly true of the fashion and conversation items. To look like a knuckle duster it must meet preconceptions of what most people think a knuckle duster looks like.
Let us consider actual functional knuckle dusters for a moment. To judge a weapon we need to actually view it in context. I’m going to work on the following assumptions:
The knuckle duster will be used for strikes that include, but are not limited to, punching.
The knuckle duster will be used as a concealed weapon. It will be carried hidden in normal clothing and should be capable of being brought into action quickly and smoothly.
The knuckle duster is intended as an intermediate force weapon. I am assuming that if the intention is to kill a weapon such as a knife of larger club would be used instead. This is probably the weakest of the three assumptions. Many knuckle dusters have spikes or sharp points and even the blunt basic models can inflict serious and even fatal wounds with relative ease.
There is a school of thought that knuckle dusters should not be used for conventional punching. “Invisible Weapons” by Jenks and Brown suggests what they call a raking motion. In the photos this looks like you are using your knuckles to rap on a door.
Don Rearic suggests “punch in a tearing and glancing manner and not necessarily straight on. In other words, you would hit with something similar to a vertical, rolling punch instead of something like a reverse punch.” While this is doubtless sound advice, many users will attempt to make conventional punches and a well-designed set of knuckle dusters should allow this option without injury to the hand. Knuckle dusters should also allow the use of kongo-type techniques too. In the Jenks and Brown book the inward rake would be followed by a backhand hammer fist type strike. Jenks and Brown’s book suggest carrying a knuckle duster inside the waist band, a few inches from the belt buckle. The first finger hooks into the top ring and pulls the weapon out so the rest of the hand takes hold. Knuckle dusters will also be carried in various pockets.

In light of the above, let use have a look at the "traditional" knuckle duster (above). Most have a T or π shaped part known as the brace. This transmits force from the palm of the hand to the target. In a properly designed knuckle duster the fingers and real knuckles play not part in actual striking, serving just to keep the weapon in position. If you consider the shape of most braces you will realize they feature unnecessary projections that are likely to get caught on pocket linings or other clothing when an attempt is made to draw the weapon. The design below seems more logical.

Let us look at the finger rings. I am told that well designed knuckle dusters have oval rings. Circular finger openings are more likely to injure your hand. What is the point of using a knuckle duster if you are still likely to hurt your hand punching. On that topic, we need to consider the mechanics of punching. In his book  Jack Dempsey notes that the line of force when you punch aligns with the knuckle of the little finger. Since this is quite a small delicate body part fighters are trained to hit with the larger knuckle of the ring finger. Many other fighting styles also train to hit with the lower two knuckles of the hand. Karate hits with the second knuckle or first two knuckles but this is because turning the fist horizontal shifts the line of force.
Many knuckle duster have projections or even spikes to concentrate force, yet generally they have these aligned with the fingers rather than the gaps between. It seems logical to me that there should be a point between the third and fourth and first and second fingers as well? And you might as well put one in the middle as well. If we look at this photo of a knuckle duster we see a lot of airspace between the rings that could be more usefully filled without compromising the envelope of the weapon. Possibly the protections on the first and last fingers should be angled to reflect these parts might be used for glancing blows.
Punching isn’t the only technique that can be used with knuckle dusters. The hammer-strike can be very effective but the design of most knuckle dusters necessitates the impact being made with the edge of a finger ring. As a long time advocate of the kongo I would prefer a striking area more in line with the palm as would be the case when using empty hand and Kongo techniques. I do not think extending the brace area to project from the hand would greatly hinder the overall concealability of the knuckle duster.

This is a photo of a typical pattern of tekko, and eastern equivalent to the western knuckle duster. Obviously concealment was a lower priority in the design of this weapon but it will be noted that it is effectively a kongo/ yawara stick with a knucklebow. Note also that the three studs align with the gaps between fingers rather than the fingers.
Categories
Phillosoph

Friday's Funny.

            I really dislike that is has become acceptable to prepare for Christmas earlier and earlier each year, so I rather enjoyed this.
Categories
Phillosoph

Punching

I came across an interesting theory the other day. The gist of it is this:
If a fist is improperly formed it will have a space within it. At the instant of punching with that fist energy will be wasted compressing this space. More importantly, this space will break the continuity of between the fingers and the larger bones of forearm, so more of the energy that the fist absorbs will remain in the hand, increasing the chance of injury. If you are holding something within your fist, such as a roll of quarters, a flashlight, a kongo or even a rolled magazine this airspace is eliminated and energy can more freely be transmitted from arm to hand and back.
I can’t see any majorly obvious flaws in this theory. The same source advocated that properly designed knuckledusters transmitted force directly from the palm of the hand to the target, the fingers only serving to keep the weapon in position.

Categories
Phillosoph

Peripheral Vision.

An aggressor is before you and there is no place to run. He has a knife or broken bottle in his right hand. Where should you be looking to gauge his next move?
An obvious answer may seem to be to keep your eyes on the weapon, since that is the bit that can harm you. In truth many other parts of his body can attack you and some foes will use the weapon to fixate your attention so they can land an attack with another body part. Watching the eyes “the windows to the soul” may seem logical but some fighters will use these to feint, distract and deceive. In the Bando section of the book the technique of looking at one part of the body and attacking another was described. Some Asian martial arts include mesmerism techniques, tricking the foe into a staring competition to make him vulnerable.
To attack with his hands a foe must first move his elbows and shoulders. He may first move his feet to change position or balance. He may or may not look at his intended target. To kick he may first move his shoulders to shift balance. Which body part do you watch?
The answer is, as many as possible. A foe may feint with his eyes but if other parts of his body indicate he is going to do something different his true intentions are more likely to be ascertained. How can you view areas as remote from each other as the hands, eyes, elbows, shoulders and feet all at once? The solution is to make use of your entire visual field.
The visual field can be divided into your central vision and your peripheral vision. Central vision is your high resolution colour vision and the part of the visual field you use to look at anything you are interested in. It is the part you use for reading, watching television, appreciating paintings and checking out member s of your preferred gender.
What is interesting is that your central visual field is only about 13° of you visual field, with you foveal only about 3°! If you are unfamiliar with how the eye and the visual processing system work this may seem hard to believe, so go ahead and do some background reading on the subject. Vision is a fascinating topic. While the central vision takes up only a small part of your visual field the fovea alone uses something like 50% of the nerve output from the eye.
Peripheral vision is the rest of your visual field. For each eye it is about 60° on the nose side and 100° on the temporal side of the eye. The shape of your face will affect this field at different angles so the visual field of each eye varies from 135-160°. Since most of us have two eyes side by side we have a total visual field of about 200°. Try this out for yourself. Keep looking straight ahead, hold your hands out to the sides of your head and wiggle your thumbs. You can see the movement.
Your peripheral vision lacks the high definition of your central vision. Most of the photoreceptors responsible for the peripheral vision are the Rods, which cannot see colour. If you move a coloured light into someone’s peripheral vision some people will first see it as a white light, and only be able to identify the colour as it moves further into the field. A more practical application is that if you want to see something in dim light, looking past it can often make it clearer. This brings the more light-sensitive Rods to bear rather than the more daylight orientated Cones that predominate in the part of the retina used for central vision.
Another thing that peripheral vision is quite good at is motion detection, which is brings us back to the subject of this blog. Centre your vision on your foe’s upper chest and learn to use both your central and peripheral vision to detect movements of the rest of his body. If a foe attacks you do not look at the attack, then deflect or avoid it. You react as soon as any part of your vision detects it, then change your focus as you counter attack. With a little practice you will be able to make defences and attack just using your peripheral vision. By looking at his chest you can detect telltale shouder movements and are less likely to fall for tricks from his eyes. Also helps keep your chin tucked in against uppercuts. Next time your girlfriend complains you talk to her chest just explain you are practicing self-defence!
Practice using your peripheral vision more in everyday life. Pick things up without looking at them directly. More challengingly, put them down. At the crossing, operate the button without looking directly at it. Word of warning though. Your colour perception is not so good at the periphery so don’t use it to see if the lights or crossing sign have changed!
Here is the late, great Erle Montaigue talking about peripheral vision. 

Categories
Phillosoph

Press-Up Woes

Researching for my book lead me to discover many interesting things.
One of the things that I discovered was that the traditional push-ups we were made to do in school are not very good for your health.
If you think about this a little, it will soon be obvious why this is true.
Bend you hand back as far as it can comfortably go without assistance and you will see that it does not form a 90 degree angle with the forearm. 
Putting all your body weight on it to make it do so is not  a good idea.
Push ups are a good way to build upper body strength, but if you do them, invest in some push-up handles or use some asymmetrical dumbbells that you can grip without them rolling away.
Not only do push-up handles keep your wrist in a more natural position, you can exercise your grip at the same time.
Alternately, perform your push-ups using clenched fists, which will help configure your hands for closed-fist punching.

Today I came across this article in the British Medical Journal. A 23 year old kickboxer was performing a form of reverse press-up putting pressure on the backs of his hands. Not sure what the intended benefit of this variation is, but the result was he ruined a tendon along the outside of his forearm and needed reconstructive surgery and a transplant.

Very nasty, and his competition days are probably over for a few years if not permanently. 

In my book I caution against the common but dubious practice of punching with weights.

There are a lot of other exercises out there that can cause you more harm than good, so be careful.

Good exercise improves your condition, not reduces it.

Categories
Phillosoph

The Battle with My Terrible Enemy Continues!

….or in other words, I still have my cold. Actually it seems to be on the way out. Most of my colds in recent years have been mercifully brief, which I suspect may be due to the protocol I adopt. Since this blog is about keeping you out of harm, I will pass on what I have learnt:
“Feed a Cold” really is good advice. Recent studies seem to indicate food increases levels of gamma-interferon, which is useful in fighting viral infections.
Eat foods containing vitamin C. That taking vitamin C will prevent you getting colds is total bunk, but once you have a cold vitamin C will help you fight it. Usually I would caution you against drinking a lot of fruit juice since they are a way to take in lots of calories without feeling full. If you have a cold calories and vitamin C are what you need so go get a carton. Get some fresh fruit too for deserts and snacks.
Eat curry. Chilli and garlic are both very effective against colds. Turmeric has useful properties too and the onions are even a good source of vitamin C. I’ve been eating curry since this cold hit and it is already on the retreat. A high intake of garlic does seem to have some properties in preventing colds, but use a good deodorant too.
For those really nasty infections that hit your throat, take honey and garlic. Buy a pot of honey and a bulb of garlic. Peel, crush and chop the cloves and place in the honey. Keep in the cupboard until needed. Both honey and garlic have antiseptic properties so take a spoonful when you throat feels bad. It doesn’t taste as bad as you might think and is actually nicer than many throat medicines. Also can be used as a great glaze for grilled chicken, which is why it is in the kitchen and not the medical cabinet!
Oil of Olbas. This is fantastic stuff and a bottle is a permanent part of my travel kit. Sniff the stuff to clear your nose, but make sure it does not touch your skin directly, this is potent stuff! Sprinkle some on your bedcovers and pillow at night. A few drops on the dressing gown when sitting around. Run a hot bath and add a few drops while the water is running
Categories
Phillosoph

Quadrants of Parrying II

My apologies if the last post on “Quadrants of Parrying” was below the usual standard. I was in the early stages of a cold and that is not the best time to try and wrestle with explanations. Some further thoughts on the topic, hopefully a little more coherent.
Which defensive technique you use against an attack will depend not just on what quadrant  it comes from but also from the relative position of the hand you intend to use. It will be recalled that the original description was in a book on knife fighting and the assumption was that the defender would start in the recommended knife-fighting stance, which for that author had the hand in line with the elbow that was the hypothetical intersection of the quadrants. You may not be in a perfect stance when you have to use your hands to defend yourself, so let us look at attacks from the four quadrants once again, this time with some consideration of where the hand begins:
High Outer Attacks. Most High Outer Attacks can be dealt with by the various high outward parries. The Karate Outside thrusting parry was mentioned previously and more circular parries such as the “wave” or “window wiper” can be used too. Parries with the radius side of the arm, such as the Wing Chun Tan Sau, using the hand in a palm up position can also be used. An inward parry might be used if the hand started in a low outside position but it is likely that to achieve this you would need to step back and would have avoided the attack anyway.
High Inside Attacks. High Inside Attacks can be dealt with by any of the inward parries mentioned in the previous post. If you hand was positioned well to the inside, such as near your opposite shoulder then an attack in this quadrant might be deflected with an outward parry.
Low Outside Attacks. Attacks to the low outside quadrant are dealt with by low outward parries. Very low attacks may be parried outward with the leg instead of the arm. As with all attacks, evasion and avoidance are better than contact.
Low Inside Attacks. The Low Inner Quadrant is occupied by a considerable proportion of the body. How to parry attacks to this quadrant will depend on the relative starting position of the hand.  If the hand is by your side then low attacks such as to the stomach or groin are deflected by the low inward parry. This is effectively twisting your waist so your forearm swings across, removing the intended target and knocking the attack across the inside gate to empty air. If the attack is at a slightly higher level then the Bong Sau type technique is used with the elbow raised and the hand hanging down. What is interesting about this is the bent elbow allows the arm to fold on contact, absorbing force but still redirecting the attack. If the hand was above the elbow when an attack was made to the Low Inner Quadrant then a low outward parry can be used to sweep the attack out into the low outer quadrant.