# "Defanging the Snake"



## Guro Harold (Apr 11, 2006)

What skills are needed in order to properly execute the "Defanging the Snake" technique? How do you develop the stealth, timing, speed and distance necessary to execute it effectively?


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## HKphooey (Apr 11, 2006)

Defanging the Snake is more of an attack philosophy.  I think full contact training with full gear is one way to help you understand how difficult it may be to use many FMA techniques you may already now.  Getting inside a full speed attack can be problematic.  It also helps to sense what a shot may feel like when you miss your counter.  To lock your opponent is one thing.  Once you have them what targets/strikes will best to wear them down or take them out?  I like working on lower body attacking. Sometimes we concentrate too much on the sticks and hands, we forget about the vulnerable lower body strikes.  I like working my stick strikes on a heavy bag and incorporating knees and elbow strikes.

I am a beginner to the FMA&#8217;s (but used the sticks in my kenpo training) &#8211; so my thoughts/ideas may be off the mark, but that is what I have learned about the subject so far.


Mr. Anderson (if you are watching ), didn't you write a book on this?


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## MJS (Apr 11, 2006)

Palusut said:
			
		

> What skills are needed in order to properly execute the "Defanging the Snake" technique? How do you develop the stealth, timing, speed and distance necessary to execute it effectively?


 
Practice, practice and more practice!  Like anything, I feel that this is an area that needs to be progressively built upon.  Starting off slowly, getting the feel for proper placement of strikes is important.  Putting on some protective gear and testing this at a faster pace, is IMO, the best way to see if these strikes can be pulled off.

Many of the disarms and certain strikes have been modified for safety.  Blocks are done on the stick and certain pokes are done slightly off target.  This is fine in the beginning, but IMHO, once the advanced ranks are achieved, training more on target is important.  

Mike


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## Datu Tim Hartman (Apr 11, 2006)

The most important thing to do is to spar. Sparring will help you develop timing and accuracy which are the key elements for a technique like this.


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## Rocky (Apr 13, 2006)

I think the proper term is defanging the serpant, becasue a serpant can be many things and have many heads or fangs, where is a snake only has one set of fangs. Ex. a Tae Kwon do man will use his kicking ability therefore his primary fangs are his feet, however his hands cans still strike too. A Tai fighter used feet knees and elbows, so you see an opponent may have many fangs. First you must familuarize yourslef with all the fangs that can be a threat to you, and slowly work your counters for each one. But remember to take away an opponents fist does not mean you have to counter his fist, you can often attack his legs or base, which means he can no longer move towards you to utilize his fist, given of course you have enough room to move out of his range once you take out his base. Of course their is a lot to be said for disconecting the serpant from the drive, in other words as humans we only have one thing that controls our body and that is our brain, you disconnect that and you don't have to wory about the fangs. Try applying some of you counters in real time sparring and try sparring with the minimal amount of gear, stay away from the full body armour stuff it leads to big mistakes.

HAve fun

Rocky


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## Brian R. VanCise (Apr 13, 2006)

Rocky said:
			
		

> I think the proper term is defanging the serpant, becasue a serpant can be many things and have many heads or fangs, where is a snake only has one set of fangs. Ex. a Tae Kwon do man will use his kicking ability therefore his primary fangs are his feet, however his hands cans still strike too. A Tai fighter used feet knees and elbows, so you see an opponent may have many fangs. First you must familuarize yourslef with all the fangs that can be a threat to you, and slowly work your counters for each one. But remember to take away an opponents fist does not mean you have to counter his fist, you can often attack his legs or base, which means he can no longer move towards you to utilize his fist, given of course you have enough room to move out of his range once you take out his base. Of course their is a lot to be said for disconecting the serpant from the drive, in other words as humans we only have one thing that controls our body and that is our brain, you disconnect that and you don't have to wory about the fangs. Try applying some of you counters in real time sparring and try sparring with the minimal amount of gear, stay away from the full body armour stuff it leads to big mistakes.
> 
> HAve fun
> 
> Rocky


 
Good post Rocky!

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com


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## Morgan (Apr 14, 2006)

Palusut said:
			
		

> What skills are needed in order to properly execute the "Defanging the Snake" technique? How do you develop the stealth, timing, speed and distance necessary to execute it effectively?


 
Practice, practice and more practice.  First you have to learn the basics of disarming.  Then you practice disarming with a cooperating partner.  Then you start slow speed sparring and try to disarm your partner who is still in a cooperative training mode.  Next the sparring speed is increased and your partner is no longer acting in a cooperative mode.  Practice, practice and more practice; however my instructor believed that disarming was a "fool's paradise".  If it is there you get it, but it is far better, in his opinion, to hit the hand, forearm and elbow.  Of course he was referring to a non-padded confrontation outside of the sporting arena.

Morgan


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## arnisandyz (May 23, 2006)

Morgan said:
			
		

> Practice, practice and more practice.  First you have to learn the basics of disarming.  Then you practice disarming with a cooperating partner.  Then you start slow speed sparring and try to disarm your partner who is still in a cooperative training mode.  Next the sparring speed is increased and your partner is no longer acting in a cooperative mode.  Practice, practice and more practice; however my instructor believed that disarming was a "fool's paradise".  If it is there you get it, but it is far better, in his opinion, to hit the hand, forearm and elbow.  Of course he was referring to a non-padded confrontation outside of the sporting arena.
> 
> Morgan



"Defanging" can be both...many people like to think of disarms as strips, banana peels, etc..but hitting the hand is safer and in some cases easier. Would you rather pull fangs out of asnakes mouth with pliers or wack it in the head a couple times with a long shovel until the fangs fall out?

Back to the original post...attributes needed (assuming its a largo mano "hit the attacking limb" disarm). Good judgement of range. Understanding timing of yourself and your opponent. Understanding proper angulation to intersect. Use of baiting to draw an attack out into your striking range...and FOOTWORK to put it all together.


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## Jimi (May 23, 2006)

I agree with that last post, and I also have learned that defanging the snake principle can also be apllied to empty hand, as someone has already touched on. A gunting can take away an oppoents hand/arm weapon as well. I like a lot of the responses I have seen here. Thanks guys. PEACE


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## Phadrus00 (May 24, 2006)

My expereince is that "defanging" techniques are often complex motions that involve coordinating multiple movements in perfect orchestration.  Gunting for example requires you to step out at the appropriate angle, block with one hand and strike witrh the other and it has to happen simultaneously AND as a reaction to your opponents attack.  Oiy!

Repitition of the core movements will teach your body to move these elements in unison and not as a series of things to consciously remember (step..now block..now hit..) but it does take time.  Ultimately as many have suggested you will need to drill it in sparring to really make it work.  But you can do that as a staged progression.  Try this, on a night you want to really work Gunting say, decide that you will always do the technique on all crosses.  Spar lightly so you have the opportunity to move and play a little bit.  By repeating the motion over and over in a more dynamic situation you are reinforcing the core movement and adding in realistic muscle memory of using it against the opponent.  Step up the intensity over several sessions until it starts to feel comfortable.  now try and slip it in in your regular sparring and see if it flows more easily.  I think you will be surprised how quickly your body can absorb a set of movements and execute them effectively.

Rob


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## Touch Of Death (May 24, 2006)

Study obscure zones.
sean


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## littlebadboy (Jun 12, 2006)

if i may ask, what's "defanging a serpent/snake"?


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## Bob Hubbard (Jun 12, 2006)

A disarm and/or limb destruction.  Idea is, if you take the opponents weapon away, you have "defanged" the "snake".


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## monkey (Jun 13, 2006)

To defang the serpent. Proffesor took us through many ways to drill for speed-timeing & cordination.We start slow-palis palis or other drills of such-when you are comfortable -Strip the wepon down 1st-then try to the left side -to the right & squarts will be the final.
Bringing the drill palis  palis up to speed-go threw the diferant directions.When you feel comfortalbe with that-now do the palis palis & try useing differant parts of the body to disarm.The shoulder-the forarm-the shins- the hips ect.Now bring this up to speed & mix in some of the 1st to add flavor.
When you feel realy good with the strips as such -now go to destructions.The punyo will aid in the strip & do some detructions-the elbow-the back hand smash.(These are basic level from the era 1975-78!)
Maybe some time I can share some more advanced & highly advanced defanging.  Mabuhay!


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