#1. As I said, the attacker is stepping and throwing the punch at a range such that if the defender did nothing and stood absolutely still, the attack would end up 1-2 feet short of contact at full extension.
Training against an "attack" that is this far out of range affects everything. It affects timing. It affects angling. It affects footwork. It affects what defenses will work.
For example, look at the first sequence. The defender parries the punch with a crescent kick that connects at a point when the attackers arm is almost completely extended, yet the fist is about 2 feet short of the supposed target. If the attacker had been in range, that punch would have already connected with the defenders face (timing). The kick would have been at the wrong angle to connect with the punching arm. The follow-up side kick would have been at the wrong angle and range to connect.
Sequence # 2 has the same issues, but in addition the step forward to apply the final hand techniques is unnecessary, because the opponent would already be at close range. Same with sequence #3.
In sequence #4, the defender has to make a big step forward in order to connect with the attackers arm on his block/grab. If the attacker had been close enough to connect with his punch and the defender made the same step forward with the same timing, then the x-block would have connected with the attackers ribs while the attackers fist landed on the defenders face. The arm grab would definitely not be happening.
I have no problem with simplified exercises like one-steps. I have no problem with practicing moves at less than full speed and power. (Not always, but it has its place.) I have a big problem with practicing using incorrect distancing. Distancing is one of the most important aspects of combat no matter what the context.
Distancing is in no way limited to sport fighting. If you can't reach me, you can't hurt me. That's a fundamental reality whether you're in the ring, on the street, or on a medieval battlefield.
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Wow, that's a long reply. Let me say @ the outset you are more technically concentrated than I. I focus more on principles. So there is a different in thought process...
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Tony, thanks for that detailed description OF #1. I'll try to respond directly.
#1A. As I said, the attacker is stepping and throwing the punch at a range such that if the defender did nothing and stood absolutely still, the attack would end up 1-2 feet short of contact at full extension.
Training against an "attack" that is this far out of range affects everything. It affects timing. It affects angling. It affects footwork. It affects what defenses will work.
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Reply to #1A: Yes, I stipulated as to practicing for actual contact, that working objective was NOT met by the attackers form.
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And yes, it affects all the physical dimensions of the physical confrontation. In particular, iT will affect what will work. I think the first advantage I SEE TO THIS 1-step exercise, is just as you noted, the opponent is too far away to do any actual damage. That principle is made plain by the attacker's failure to close properly.
This is one of the great lessons of 1 steps....
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So, If I as the defender am paying attention, I really don't have to do anything.... do I?
#1B. For example, look at the first sequence. The defender parries the punch with a crescent kick that connects at a point when the attackers arm is almost completely extended, yet the fist is about 2 feet short of the supposed target.
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If the attacker had been in range, that punch would have already connected with the defenders face (timing). The kick would have been at the wrong angle to connect with the punching arm. The follow-up side kick would have been at the wrong angle and range to connect.
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Reply to #1B: You are saying the attacker has thrown the punch too soon. I got that. However, isn't the point, not to jump to your next sentence, to execute the kick so it blocks the punch? The defender does that. That is the technical working objective of defending against the strike first. The defender did that and so did accomplish that working objective. The problem of the attacker being out of position to hit..Still a problem from a contact standpoint... I can see that. From my view,
the technical block-defense of the punch got achieved, we still have the attacker punch thrown "too soon" for realism re a competent punch.
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Here's where I get what you are saying. That once we fix attacker from throwing the punch from out-of-range, he's in too close for the distance & the timing of the crescent kick to work. I can see the problem. I could agree that a crescent kick might not be the best technique here.
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My comeback is the larger working objective is, given the structure of the exercise technically, to block a hand strike with a kick, here a crescent kick. The working objective is to develop the ability to block an incoming punch with a crescent kick. So, the problem statement becomes how do you make the adjustments to do that? Here the attacker cooperated by stopping short of striking distance. Criticism aside, that then is the correct zone in which to kick. So the proper striking zone identified so was accomplished. That's what I learned.
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If the opponent had closed to punching contact distance, then I would be faced with another KIME. What to do, how to adjust to pull off, according to the structure of the exercise, a successful crescent kick. That's how i would look @ the exercise.
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On the follow up kick, of course it will be wrong under your scenario. For the technical working objective of the exercise, on how to actually block a punch with a crescent kick & follow up, it will be technically right.
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CONSIDER: There might be scenarios where a punch is thrown outside of contact range. Instead of getting fixated on the exact form of the attack, presumably a punch to the face as you noted, why not look at it as a striking motion on the part of the attacker. It might be a feint. It might be a hand waving with a stick or club. It might the grappler reaching forward for that takedown so many here have said is unstoppable (not in my book). Of course, it could be a mistake in timing & distance on the part of the attacker. It could be a distracting jab to be followed by a straight punch combo. that's how i look @ it. in a dynamic KIME way. So by the overriding principle of KIME, the physical attributes fall down in ranking and the exercise is still valuable.....
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So under KIME, we have some realism problems with the exercise as precisely shown. Attacker throws the punch outside of striking range. Several other working objectives, however, are met, if we think of 1-steps as KIME. I'll propose a solution in my next post....
