Kumite Tips #1/Kumite Tips #2/Kumite Tips #3/Kumite Tips #4/Kumite Tips #5/Kumite Tips #6/Kumite Tips #7/Kumite Tips #8/Kumite Tips #9
Funakoshi's 13th principle of Karate..."Victory depends on your ability to tell vulnerable points from invulnerable ones."
This principle is fairly self explanatory...
...a good example is a young supple tree, maybe a few years old compared to an old oak tree.
In a stiff wind, the young flexible tree will bend almost in half and will bounce back into shape after the wind has subsided...
...conversely, a very old tree with hardened and stiff branches will break and splinter against the might of the wind.
In Kumite, you must become like the young tree, fluid and ever bending in response to an attack, and always trying not to tighten up and becoming stiff like an old tree.
The harder you are when you get hit, the more the damage that will be inflicted on you.
Of course, martial artists are well trained in the vulnerabilities of the human body...
...knowing full well that an attack on those sensitive areas will result in severe permanent damage or even death.
It may be necessary to use lethal force on someone who is attacking you or your family on the streets...
...but it should never to be used in Kumite or in tournaments.
Sometimes it requires a judgment or an assessment of a situation...as an example, do you really want to be responsible for blinding some drunk with a spear hand shot to the eyes in a bar, who made some rude comments to your wife...or would it be better to simply kick his knee out with a roundhouse kick or a hard thrust kick?...
...sure he's going to need surgery to repair his knee, but at least he'll have his eyesight...
The martial artist has a responsibility to use his skills wisely...
...and part of that wisdom is to win, or at least to hold his own in a physical confrontation.
Knowing what areas to attack are crucial for ending an altercation early...
...so make sure you practice hitting those areas in your training...
...that will ensure that you can hit them, when you absolutely need too...
RJF
