Techniques- how many would you need?

Sounds to me like another case of someone confusing a training drill with self defense applications. Nobody is going to stand there while you hit them 5 or 6 times, especially if you're doing it right. This is a drill, to teach mechanics, position, distance and flow.

I my style of aikido we have 50 classical techniques, that is 50 techniques that are done from a statict position in order to learn the mechanics of the technique. Multiply that by the number of applications that you can do for each technique and there are hundreds. When we test for black belt, which requires us to defend against 150 attacks, some multiple some with weapons, I don't think I've ever seen anyone use more than 6-8 techniques during the whole test. Same with self defense line, in which anything goes and attacks are given with varying degrees of speed and power depending on the rank of the defender.

I have been involved in a few real life altercations and don't think I've ever used more than a handful of techniques to get myself home safetly.
 
I study kempo and in our class my shihan will actually hit the student a little bit harder to show the reaction of the attacker (it hurts a some, but worth the knowledge). After that, you see where he may be for the next part of the technique. He always stresses adjusting to the situation. If a right or left punch comes, then you act accordingly. If I can get in a couple of good licks and send him to the floor with a take down or kyusho maneuver, then I can step back and reevaluate the situation. Done properly, you should only need one technique.
 
I If I can get in a couple of good licks and send him to the floor with a take down or kyusho maneuver, then I can step back and reevaluate the situation. Done properly, you should only need one technique.

Two points...

First -- in a real self defense situation, unless it's your job to subdue and arrest someone, there's no real time to "step back and reevaluate"; if you've got him down, you need to either finish him or run. And that's not going to be deliberation; you're going to know which option you can take.

Second -- if it WORKS, you only need one technique. If it doesn't work, 10,000 techniques aren't enough. Or, as my teacher used to say, it's not how much you know that matters, it's what you can think of IN TIME.

The reality of combat is that you won't really be able to do complicated, long techniques. Instead, you want simple, direct, and to the point techniques that you've drilled to the point that you do them without thought.
 
Done properly, you should only need one technique.

It only takes one technique to end a physical confrontation, it's getting to that one technique that could prove to be problematic.
 
Hello, There are endless technques one can use....and flow it?

Is there any you feel that does not make sense or will work for you?

This is techniques use in a REAL STREET FIGHTS...NOT sparring classes.....is there some you question of it's effectiveness on the streets?

That was taught in class?

We practice one step , one attacker throws a punch and we counter with numerous techniques that flows (hit them 4-10 times)...but the attacter is just standing there? ...would this happen in real life?

or we take them down and hit them numerous times while they are lying there?... will this happen in real life?

Most of us would not stand there after one block to our punch and not move away (in or out)...and as for takedowns...most of us would try to escape and get back up...and NOT take the numerous hits or get ourselves trap in an armbar?

This is a part of our Kempo training.....doesn't make sense to me...but then again we could stun the attacker and get those mulitple techniques in? never saw anything in the MMA world of fighting? or any tournaments of any kind? that resembles this training? (maybe against UNtrain fighters)?

Have you got stuffs you have questions about in your training?

Aloha ( there will always be better ways of learning) to read, write, and ....)

PS: One day toilets will be waterless and so will our showers....toilet papers? ...maybe forever! pass the towel please..i mean paper!


From one student to another,

I do not know Kenpo. I have friends who study the art, but all are out of state and I do not see often enough. So I will not speak to specifics of an art I know little to nothing of. I will speak of generics that might help you.

To learn a technique with body isolation is good for beginners, and even advanced to give them a new technique. This allows the person to see the technique and understand in a very controlled environment the places where you have control or where the opening for you or the opponent are. Of course when learning a new tech it mostly about your body placement and or timing of the strikes. Later or on your own if look into what if's or when the person reacts how does the technique change. Or how does the persons reaction take you to a different technique.

As to direct street application, boxing works great, so does wrestling and so does just a trap and punch and so does sucker punch, and so does, etcetera, all at the right time against the right person. I have seen some who wrestle and no one else got involved. I have seen some wrestle and have the opponents friends all jump in.

But here is the point. If you have never seen something then you are pretty much gaurenteed that you will never be able to pull it off. If you have seen something, now comes the training of recognition at real time and executing the technique. Another but here. But, if the instructor just walks up to you and uses his/her timing and always beats you then how do you get a chance to learn. Yet if the instructor slows down and breaks down the technique then you can begin to grasp the idea or principals behind the technique and learn. Some systems require the individual to make the applications while others work you to a point via sparring and controller rules. It takes a lot of trust and a whole lot of cooperation from people to give resistance that is gradual som people can learn and feel when to react. When to counter and when to attack and when to move. As the resistance increases so does the speed in general. Speed and timing are not the same thing. Speed is just that speed. Timing is knowing when to go. So to learn timing at a slower speed allows a person more reaction time to see and react. And as the person increases the speed slowly the timing will also improve.

If you system/school does not give you the resistance but you really enjoy the instructor and the learning environment find someone you trust and can work with. Understand that that you will set up the technique almost movie like at first. You say ok you will start with this, and I will counter with this other tech. This way everyone knows what is going on and no surprises. Then as they move in the middle of your series of moves, you then have a prescribed technique to deal with new attack or counter in the area/window/quardrant. Go slow, and think about it. You will make mistakes. You will say can I have that again, and try something else. It is nto wrong to see that wow this does nto really work here as it leaves me too open but this other one keeps me in the fight and defended.



*****

As to techniques how many would I need? I need one more than my opponent. ;) :)
 
"The fox has a hundred tricks. The hedgehog has just one. One good one."
--Archilocus, seventh century BCE soldier and poet
 
No, no, wait. The best technique is MY MIND!
Right!?!

But seriously, I used to think I knew what techniques you could pull off or not, until I pulled off the dreaded Bujinkan Ganseki Nage TWICE on the same guy. Now, when people talk about the X-block being useless, I think "Maybe the 'X-block' you're doing is useless, mine works great!"
 
I don't think that you should limit yourself to how many techniques you should learn. I think the better questions is when should you learn more techniques.

Being great at a few moves is better than being familiar with 200 but never having learned to use them in realistic situations.
 
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