# Atacx gym,sword and hammer pt.1



## ATACX GYM (Jan 1, 2012)

This is how most people teach the tech:






This is how I teach it: (Part 2 is forthcoming)


ATACX GYM SWORD AND HAMMER PT. 2


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## Cyriacus (Jan 1, 2012)

You know what I approve of in this?
When You get around to doing the Strikes after turning around and getting at the Grabbing Arm, even if that Grabbing Arm isnt there, Youre in a position from which to do stuff. As in, if the Attacker where to Grab > Punch > Let go, it wouldnt make much difference. And Youre ultimately going to be facing Him, whatever You do.


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## ATACX GYM (Jan 1, 2012)

Cyriacus said:


> You know what I approve of in this?
> When You get around to doing the Strikes after turning around and getting at the Grabbing Arm, even if that Grabbing Arm isnt there, Youre in a position from which to do stuff. As in, if the Attacker where to Grab > Punch > Let go, it wouldnt make much difference. And Youre ultimately going to be facing Him, whatever You do.




Thank you very much for your comment and for being so very perceptive! You pointed out one of the most vital points of this tech as I teach it...you're in a position to counter with the specific counterattack that I teach no matter what your opponent does and you'll be facing him in every circumstance.There are 2 more major categories that I found happen and round out the 4 major categories of action/reaction when in this scenario.From years of sparring/stress testing/scenario training/whatever you wanna call it,I note that:


3) We'd be hit,stagger and fall toward our opponent,initiating an instinctive grapple counter.The Sword and Hammer as I teach it deals with this reality with literally the first response,the simultaneous deployment of both Sword and Hammer.In close? Oftentimes an instinctive grab accompanies the simultaneous blows,and you essentially have initiated what in Kenpo is called Collapsible Deflection and which Tony Blauer calls THE SPEAR...which allows you to recover from being stunned,smother your opponent's offense for the most part,and launch your counterattack.

4) We can be hit and dropped by the surprise attack.We'll land either on our flanks,on our face/chest/front of our upper torso or on our butt/back/rear of our upper torso.If we're not TKO'd,we have to instinctively know what to do and respond correctly,no matter how badly our bell is rung.We know that laying prone in a SD situation can be tantamount to getting fitted for a body cast or a casket.Therefore we train while disoriented to both defend ourselves and deploy SWORD and Hammer from the ground to a standing opponent or a grounded (but still in a generally superior position and in generally less damaged) opponent who fell on top of us or just followed us down to the ground to do us further damage (or for whatever reason).How do we do this? Simplicity itself.I make my students apd up first.Then I select a student and command him/her/them to spin in a circle (like little kids trying to make themselves dizzy) for 20 seconds to their right,and then nonstop spin 20 seconds to their left.They must complete no less than 10 spins in either direction before the timer goes off.This results in them being slightly disoriented due to vertigo.Right after the timer goes off and the student is semi-dizzy,I have another randomly chosen student attack instantly (the dizzy student doesn't know which person or persons I've chosen to play the role of BG)...and there ya have it.Safely emulated disorientation followed by immediate attack that closely resembles the disadvantages inherent in Sword and Hammer.


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## MJS (Jan 1, 2012)

Well, first off, thanks for posting this in the general section Ras.  IMO, its good to get the feedback of some non-Kenpo people. 

As for the clip...well, I've commented already on YT, but I'll echo what I said there....its good stuff!!  Its good to take the typical way of doing a tech, and how shall I say it...supercharge it a bit.  I take flak for doing stuff like this, God knows you do too Ras, but ya know what....by doing stuff like this, IMHO, THIS is what will help to keep the Kenpo flame alive.  People will say, "Well, the reason you're changing things is because you don't understand the art."  Sorry, it shouldn't take 20yrs. to understand something.  Sure, its nice to see the textbook techniques, but its also nice to see the other side of them as well.

As I said on the clip...there are so many things that you can do from this point, ie: going to another tech, which in this case would be Crossing Talon.  You could also transition to a number of locks and takedowns.

Good stuff!!


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## Yondanchris (Jan 2, 2012)

Thanks for sharing Prof Ras! 

Position recognition plays an important role in your videos as well as functionality. Those I believe are the two things that are showcased in your presentation. 
Some food for thought:
What is the target audience for your videos? 
Are you reaching that audience? 
How can you include other potential viewers?
...the list can go on forever

Chris


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## MJS (Jan 2, 2012)

After reading the comments about this tech. over at KT, I started thinking a bit more about this tech.  IMO, I think that alot of the time, (and this is probably a topic for another thread) people aren't willing to look at anything other than the textbook, original way of doing something.  God forbid you change something, well, you must be wrong, you must be lacking understanding.  I call BS on that, because everything changes.  Everything is updated.  Nobody can possibly tell me that the way cars are built, a house, medicine, computers, anything in life....has stayed the same.  Just doesnt happen.  So back to the tech....

It seems to me that one of the reasons why people ***** about the way this tech is done by Ras, is because it doesnt look like the standard version.  IMO, what I think people are missing, is that the same ideas, concepts and principles are there, but just in a different order.  This is more of a "what if" the other version doesnt work, type of technique.  IMO, the other tech wont work, if the defender is grabbed with the left vs. the right, such as we see with Ras' clip.  However, this is what people should be doing.  I dont think that we should have to have yet another tech to the hundreds that we already have, to address a left grab.  Why can't we just expand on the original tech?  We just make subtle changes.

The initial footwork is the same minus the pin.  You're still in a good position to blast with the handsword to the face.  Of course, due to body position, you're going to have to do something different, but again, the basic idea of the original tech are still there.


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## Ken Morgan (Jan 2, 2012)

Hey Atack,
  Any iaido videos to share?!!


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## ATACX GYM (Jan 2, 2012)

MJS said:


> After reading the comments about this tech. over at KT, I started thinking a bit more about this tech.  IMO, I think that alot of the time, (and this is probably a topic for another thread) people aren't willing to look at anything other than the textbook, original way of doing something.  God forbid you change something, well, you must be wrong, you must be lacking understanding.  I call BS on that, because everything changes.  Everything is updated.  Nobody can possibly tell me that the way cars are built, a house, medicine, computers, anything in life....has stayed the same.  Just doesnt happen.  So back to the tech....
> 
> It seems to me that one of the reasons why people ***** about the way this tech is done by Ras, is because it doesnt look like the standard version.  IMO, what I think people are missing, is that the same ideas, concepts and principles are there, but just in a different order.  This is more of a "what if" the other version doesnt work, type of technique.  IMO, the other tech wont work, if the defender is grabbed with the left vs. the right, such as we see with Ras' clip.  However, this is what people should be doing.  I dont think that we should have to have yet another tech to the hundreds that we already have, to address a left grab.  Why can't we just expand on the original tech?  We just make subtle changes.
> 
> The initial footwork is the same minus the pin.  You're still in a good position to blast with the handsword to the face.  Of course, due to body position, you're going to have to do something different, but again, the basic idea of the original tech are still there.



"Martial Arts should be made to suit the individual and not the reverse.Each practitioner should learn to alter moves so that they produce maximum results for HIM...Great Grand Master ED&#65279; PARKER
(Infinite Insights into Kenpo 1 )"

There is no doubt that I catch flack for every reason that you stipulated in your above 2 posts,MJS.But also? The flat out fact of the matter is that 99.9% of the TRAINING PLATFORMS AND MODALITIES of Kenpo (and too many other TMAs) are flat out unworkable nonfunctional and garbage.Almost anybody who teaches a tech like Sword and Hammer the way it's shown in the so-called IP (I say "so-called" because not only I but Doc Chapel have called into question the entire base of misunderstanding that forms the misapplication of this phrase in the first place) has either NEVER fought or sparred with it or they fought or sparred with it...against a BOB or someone with the equivalent combat ability.There is absolutely no way...no way...that anybody who's actually trained the tech contextually with any form of vigor could POSSIBLY use the tech EXACTLY as it's most commonly shown.

You're right,MJS.I keep the essentials of the tech.I simply functionalized both the attack and the response...which is what was supposed to have been done from the gate,and deliberately WASN'T done.Now so many people have taught made money with and personally invested in the craptacular IP version of this and every other tech that when remonstrated with about the obvious obsurdity and unworkability of the presentation and attending training modality of almost ANY tech you care to name in Kenpo...they push back.Their financial livelihood,self-image,and personal egos are on the line.Put bluntly,many of them are too stupid to realize that they'd get heaps more healthy servings of each if their stuff was functional and in the same breath provide the proper context for SPORTS like MMA.Trained functionally? TMA has it all over MMA and forever will.Period.MMA is only the modern sportive version of TMA.TMA is the big dawg on the block.But ONLY if trained functionally.Otherwise MMA>TMA all day every day.

As I said to one of my detractors on KenpoTalk when he said:



godlikeskill said:


> Wow! I see nothing has changed here. Haven't been on the site In Awhile but atacx is still up to his same trix ( silly rabbit) using a wall of text to make up for the lack of Kenpo and real world knowledge/ experience. And changing techs to your variant without elaborating or corresponding with the original attack thats referenced in S&H.
> 
> But keep it up one thing I can say at least your consistent. Btw the sucking power was awesome &#57431;





ATACX GYM said:


> You're right.Nothing has changed.I'm still right,you're still wrong.Let's skip passed all the BS and get directly to brass tacks.Real talk? A flank attack is likely to succeed,and oftentimes has the advantage of surprise to boot.If you don't train for it? You're gettin your hat handed to you,with your bruised *** and ego still inside it.So all that yakkity yakk of yours and anybody who agrees with you flies right out the window in the real world and in a real scrap.Sooo...If you're called upon to fight,the situation looks like THIS
> 
> SUCKER PUNCH
> 
> ...


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## ATACX GYM (Jan 2, 2012)

Ken Morgan said:


> Hey Atack,
> Any iaido videos to share?!!




Hey Ken! Yes I do have some ideas about iaido and some functional things that I do and have done for some years now but my iaido sensei--my uncle/Grandmaster--has positively forbidden me to share anything specifically iaido thus far.I will show some videos with blade stick bokken and knife work though.Will that be acceptable?


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## Ken Morgan (Jan 2, 2012)

ATACX GYM said:


> Hey Ken! Yes I do have some ideas about iaido and some functional things that I do and have done for some years now but my iaido sensei--my uncle/Grandmaster--has positively forbidden me to share anything specifically iaido thus far.I will show some videos with blade stick bokken and knife work though.Will that be acceptable?



Always interested in what others do!!


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## ATACX GYM (Jan 31, 2012)

Ken Morgan said:


> Always interested in what others do!!




Somehow, I missed this response of yours, my good friend. I'm firing up the video for some bokken work so expect to see something soon. I can either send it to you directly to your email or I can post it here onsite for you...your choice.

I'm surprised someone hasn't come in here yet yelling about how useless sword training is in the modern world...


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## MJS (Jan 31, 2012)

ATACX GYM said:


> "Martial Arts should be made to suit the individual and not the reverse.Each practitioner should learn to alter moves so that they produce maximum results for HIM...Great Grand Master ED&#65279; PARKER
> (Infinite Insights into Kenpo 1 )"



LOL....yup, and its amazing how many seem to forget that.  Go figure.



> There is no doubt that I catch flack for every reason that you stipulated in your above 2 posts,MJS.But also? The flat out fact of the matter is that 99.9% of the TRAINING PLATFORMS AND MODALITIES of Kenpo (and too many other TMAs) are flat out unworkable nonfunctional and garbage.Almost anybody who teaches a tech like Sword and Hammer the way it's shown in the so-called IP (I say "so-called" because not only I but Doc Chapel have called into question the entire base of misunderstanding that forms the misapplication of this phrase in the first place) has either NEVER fought or sparred with it or they fought or sparred with it...against a BOB or someone with the equivalent combat ability.There is absolutely no way...no way...that anybody who's actually trained the tech contextually with any form of vigor could POSSIBLY use the tech EXACTLY as it's most commonly shown.



Well, if I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone say that the IPs DO work....its just that we don't understand them, thus the need for change.  Whats interesting, is if thats the case, then why is everything always shown static?  Never with any resistance.



> You're right,MJS.I keep the essentials of the tech.I simply functionalized both the attack and the response...which is what was supposed to have been done from the gate,and deliberately WASN'T done.Now so many people have taught made money with and personally invested in the craptacular IP version of this and every other tech that when remonstrated with about the obvious obsurdity and unworkability of the presentation and attending training modality of almost ANY tech you care to name in Kenpo...they push back.Their financial livelihood,self-image,and personal egos are on the line.Put bluntly,many of them are too stupid to realize that they'd get heaps more healthy servings of each if their stuff was functional and in the same breath provide the proper context for SPORTS like MMA.Trained functionally? TMA has it all over MMA and forever will.Period.MMA is only the modern sportive version of TMA.TMA is the big dawg on the block.But ONLY if trained functionally.Otherwise MMA>TMA all day every day.
> 
> As I said to one of my detractors on KenpoTalk when he said:



This is what I've been saying all along.  As long as the ideas, concepts, and principles are there, we should be able to alter the moves, but again, according to some, doing that is wrong....again..go figure...lol.  Ex: Attacking Mace.  IP we step back, inward block and punch.  Technically, I should be able to step up and block, and still punch to the ribs, punch to the face or drive an elbow to the ribs.  Technically, by the book, is that AM?  No, because **gasp** I did something different...lol.  However, I'm still using the same ideas, just in a different fashion.


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## Sanke (Jan 31, 2012)

ATACX GYM said:


> I'm surprised someone hasn't come in here yet yelling about how useless sword training is in the modern world...



There's enough sword people on these forums that saying that would be like shouting 'star wars is better' in a trekkie convention... 


Sanke on the move.


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## Gemini (Feb 1, 2012)

ATACX GYM said:


> I'm surprised someone hasn't come in here yet yelling about how useless sword training is in the modern world...


True story. Being assaulted with a knife, my friend picked up the stick, but instead of holding it like a club, went straight into his kendo stance and waited. It apparently freaked the guy out cause he just swore at him and ran away. That's not useless, that's priceless.


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## Yondanchris (Feb 1, 2012)

Basicly all Ras is asking for contact resistance training methods and a clear understanding that the techniques of a system are not set in stone, that in a real confrontation we are expected to use the syntax of our martial languages: letters, words, and paragraphs and that it becomes a monologue not a dialogue.(heavily borrowing from Mr. Parker) 

Am I not correct In my analysis?


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## ATACX GYM (Feb 1, 2012)

Sandanchris said:


> Basicly all Ras is asking for contact resistance training methods and a clear understanding that the techniques of a system are not set in stone, that in a real confrontation we are expected to use the syntax of our martial languages: letters, words, and paragraphs and that it becomes a monologue not a dialogue.(heavily borrowing from Mr. Parker)
> 
> Am I not correct In my analysis?




You are dead on correct, Sandanchris...and it's not a surprise that you seem to easily grasp the obviousness of many basic things that seem to wholly elude too many others. Well said and well done, sir.


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## ATACX GYM (Feb 6, 2012)

Sandanchris said:


> Thanks for sharing Prof Ras!
> 
> Position recognition plays an important role in your videos as well as functionality. Those I believe are the two things that are showcased in your presentation.
> Some food for thought:
> ...



My target audience would be anyone interested in these matters or tangential subjects, whether they agree with me, disagree, or have a wholly different perspective. I'm interested in what they say. I know that no matter what I can and will grow from the interaction, and I hope that they will too.

As usual, you are correct Professor Chris. Position Recognition is absolutely vital and indispensable visavis functionality. The primary lesson learned first and most importantly in each tech is how to successfully thwart the attack said tech is purported to defend against. Functionally thwarting the attack takes precedence over and is a mandatory prerequisite for any and all other benefits that flows therefrom in both our martial journey and our practical lives. The benefits of better technical expertise, understanding of motion, the impact and purpose of techniques applied to specific parts of the anatomy at specific points in a confrontation, the WHY of the selection for particular techs for particular situations, HOW to improve on all of the foregoing, training of a single response like Sword and Hammer to deal with multiple attacks, the confidence and personal development and all that other stuff that comes from our martial journey...can ONLY come if we FIRST successfully thwart the attack.

Simply put, ALL BENEFITS COME FROM FUNCTIONALITY. Functionality is the ship...all else the sea.

Oh yeah...if you're functional? You thwart the attack and stay healthy and alive long enough to pursue your martial education and experience your martial journey. If you're NOT functional? You die...or you hide in areas wherein you won't get called out to show and prove against real resistance. And you lie about what you can do...to yourself, or maybe your audience, or worst of all: both.


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## chinto (Feb 7, 2012)

they are simple basic techniques that most arts teach. we have similar things in several Karate styles.  I would however suggest you point out to your students that a hard strike to the front of the throat is likely to end in mortality.  ( and lots of time with law enforcement personnel, lawyers and courts.)  such a strike is considered deadly force.  but then I see a lot of grapplers not understand that their chokes are considered deadly force as well.  how ever I like the combination, and have used similar myself.


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## ATACX GYM (Feb 7, 2012)

chinto said:


> they are simple basic techniques that most arts teach. we have similar things in several Karate styles.  I would however suggest you point out to your students that a hard strike to the front of the throat is likely to end in mortality.  ( and lots of time with law enforcement personnel, lawyers and courts.)  such a strike is considered deadly force.  but then I see a lot of grapplers not understand that their chokes are considered deadly force as well.  how ever I like the combination, and have used similar myself.




Okay, anybody who quotes the single author who got me into sci-fi the most--Robert A. Heinlien--is automatically a guy that I like. 

I completely agree about the importance of making students aware of potentially lethal strikes and their legal moral emotional and ethical ramifications. I actually specified the point about there being a difference between being a fight with a guy and "doing graveyard level damage to him" because you're pissed off. I specified that I won't tolerate or teach anyone who's of the ilk of the latter. It's in my Sword and Hammer 1A video...the second video taken at night but this one was in a park. Kinda difficult to see all the nuances of that video so I shot Sword and Hammer 2. But 1A still has important components including the areas that you mentioned.

I'm glad that other people have done similar techs. I knew that they must have done so. That means that others stress tested their techs like me and have come up with similar conclusions...just as different groups would come up eventually with the most workable shape for a tire being the ROUND tire. Now one tire may be Michellin, the other may be from Japan's Toyo Tire Company. There may be differences within the quality and purpose of each tire, they may have different colors and sizes...but they work and they're round.

Thank you for your post, man.


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## Yondanchris (Feb 8, 2012)

ATACX GYM said:


> As usual, you are correct Professor Chris.



Close but not quite, I still have lots to learn before I feel worthy of the title Professor. There are many out there such as Clark Cole and Dr. Dave Crouch that deserve that honor before myself! But that you for the compliment!


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