The Ease...Or Difficulty Of Hitting Targets

[MJS]

The eyes are a great target even if they are wearing specs.
Now, I only say that in the context of injury. I dont see the point in picking a target such as the eye(or any target for that matter) as a distraction or a time purchase. I personally have a 1 minimum, regardless if its a claw or gouge. If you want an eye, take it but dont tip tap that sheet and expect any good results to come from really band people...

If you take an eye yes you will have time, plenty of time to take other things... but not if what you do to that eye does not mean some sort of medical attention for the person afflicted . If you lacerate a cornea with a thumbnail they will at the least jerk thier head away and reach for that eye...you can wait for his hands to get to the eye before you start breaking other stuff or get there as it happens to make his trip even worse.

Agreed. Of course, what I find interesting, is when people say that hitting the eye is a) not easy and b) that people still keep going despite the eye injury. IMHO, if you're training to hit it, it shouldn't be that hard, and second, every hit to the eye that either I've taken or seen someone else take, has stopped them long enough so that if follow up strikes were to be delivered, it would be fairly easy to acomplish that.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Agreed. Of course, what I find interesting, is when people say that hitting the eye is a) not easy and b) that people still keep going despite the eye injury. IMHO, if you're training to hit it, it shouldn't be that hard, and second, every hit to the eye that either I've taken or seen someone else take, has stopped them long enough so that if follow up strikes were to be delivered, it would be fairly easy to acomplish that.

I remember a while back where a mma fighter got a finger in the eye in the octagon. (ufc) He was immediately on the ground and of course unable to continue. Reminds me of the time twenty plus years ago when I was competing in Traverse City and a fellow competitor thumbed me in the eye and I was done and off to the hospital as soon as I got home. I have also personally witnessed a few other blows that hit some ones eyes and they were done as well. (mostly in a fetal position) The target is pretty easy to hit and some times you hit it when you are not even trying.

 

[BLACK LION]

Agreed. Of course, what I find interesting, is when people say that hitting the eye is a) not easy and b) that people still keep going despite the eye injury. IMHO, if you're training to hit it, it shouldn't be that hard, and second, every hit to the eye that either I've taken or seen someone else take, has stopped them long enough so that if follow up strikes were to be delivered, it would be fairly easy to acomplish that.

Precisely.

Me and my bujinkan buddy went over the eye thing on saturday becuase he brought up the "rake" as a vialble option. I raked his eye(actually, I just shut his eyes for him by suprise)and it bought me a second.
When I stepped in and took his eye by penetrating into the orbital fissures he gave up not just a mere split second, but everything.

 

[tshadowchaser]

After my workout last night I realised just how often I do eye shots when I am being attacked by someone holding a weapon. Even knowing that I was most likely not going to get cut I found that i instictivly went for eye shots to distract or disable my opponet ( not that I was actualy hitting the eyes but the intent was in the movement even if pulled)
we actualy had to back off on the speed we where woking out at because things started getting a little to real at times

 

[OzPaul]

The fence can be very good to use. For an in depth look at the application check out these two videos by Geoff Thompson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FGLhlakkUk&feature=related
6:40 onwards on this video is a great speech.
Regards

 

[chinto]

hay i like strikes to: eyes, groin, throat, neck all the vitals, get in a good one and most fights end, and even if you do not put him down, it will tend to distract and delay him so you can finish.

we have a man who teaches BJJ at our dojo, he said something to me when I commented that I thought he was braver then I am.

I told him i would hesitate to shoot because well i would tend to instinctively put my knee into some ones head who did that to me. ( or at least make a real effort to do so.)

his comment to me in reply was " I would not roll with you as you train for SD. you would gouge my eyes and bite and all kinds of nasty things on instinct!! " so yes they do not let you gouge eyes or strike groin or a lot of things in cage matches for FIGHTER SAFETY. In SD use all the things they don't!!

( we are talking SD here, not sport of course! so no rules but be alive at the end.)

 

[bushidomartialarts]

I got badly eye-gouged in a wrestling match once. I was unable to continue the match, and pretty much out of it for two days what with the pain.

And it was an accident. The guy's finger was in just the wrong position when I shot for a double-leg.

Eye strikes -- and other precision shots -- are possible and effective. You just have to be experienced enough and have practiced enough to think to use them.

 

[ATACX GYM]

I really like the eye-jab, particularly as a preemptive strike off a "fence" position as you mentioned. One reason is that it is a technique that does not require you to generate power via your base so you can throw it while moving in a manner that would make other shots ineffective. It is also extremely fast because the hand can remain almost totally relaxed throughout the complete technique.

Another reason is that it does not necessarily have to make contact to achieve the desired effect. Obviously if we make contact, we're going to get a reaction. However, the flinch response being what it is, even a near miss will probably cause some distraction and open the door for a power shot with another weapon.

I teach my students EXACTLY THAT,KenpoTex. It's an extra bad day for the BG when he finds himself on the receiving end of a Snake Strike/finger jab to the eye applied with the unique Kenpo "body whip" method which allows the infamous horrific blizzard of Kenpo strikes blocks checks kicks sweeps etc. to explode into the BG with amazing speed and power...too much speed for 90% of people untrained in the method to HOPE to keep up with it.

 

[OKenpo942]

Ah, I get it. Like this?

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Don't think that was quite it Bill. Loved the clip though. Very funny.

I teach my students EXACTLY THAT,KenpoTex. It's an extra bad day for the BG when he finds himself on the receiving end of a Snake Strike/finger jab to the eye applied with the unique Kenpo "body whip" method which allows the infamous horrific blizzard of Kenpo strikes blocks checks kicks sweeps etc. to explode into the BG with amazing speed and power...too much speed for 90% of people untrained in the method to HOPE to keep up with it.

I love striking at the eyes in this way. Very effective even if it misses the target.

I like your explanation... "the infamous horrrific blizzard of Kenpo strikes". Couldn't have said it better myself.

James

 

[puunui]

If you don't wish to actually poke the eye but rather just want to distract your attacker, then we have a technique from Hapkido that might work for you. What we do is brace the ring and index finger up against the middle finger on the palm side. We then brush the hand across the eyes, the index and middle fingers acting as guides or rails for the middle finger, which actually makes contact with the opponent's eyes. People are very sensitive about their eyes and any sort of contact with the eye ball, no matter how light, is enough to disrupt them for an instant, so you can do something else, joint lock, whatever. The effect is magnified if they are wearing glasses or even contact lenses. You don't have to poke their eye out like White Eyebrow in Kill Bill to make your point. There are other alternatives.