There Is No Advantage in Striking First in Karate

[Taiji Rebel]

So are spiders.

Spiders are predictable. Premeditated attacks are not in their nature. They do not attack in gangs, nor do they use weapons. You have chosen a rather strange comparison to street violence on this occasion Mr. Bear.

 

[Fungus]

It can also mean 先の先 (Sen no Sen) – "Before the before."

perceive an opponent’s intent before it fully manifests, allowing them to act preemptively.

Seems quite in line with how I think Kreese would have interpreted it

"Strike first, strike hard, no mercy"

So where does something really "begin" and "end"?

So if we reduce strike + counter, to the case where "the first strike" is rather "the last strike", have we reduced violence?

 

[Big Pat]

"Beat it, Meet it or Eat it"-SGM Chuck Sullivan.

This is from his recently published book-My 64 years in Kenpo. Good read for Kenposits or others interested in early marital arts.

Big Pat
EKP RIP

 

[drop bear]

Spiders are predictable. Premeditated attacks are not in their nature. They do not attack in gangs, nor do they use weapons. You have chosen a rather strange comparison to street violence on this occasion Mr. Bear.

They don't need gangs. They have 8 legs. They are their own gang.

 

[Taiji Rebel]

Yes, a street fight is no place for playing around with fancy tactics; it is not sparring. I would not want to slug it out with a street fighter as my first choice of strategy. That's why I'd prefer to control the distance/angles to evade the ferocity of his initial attack and let the attacker create my opening then strongly counter with multiple strikes until the opponent is finished.

If one is of a mind to initiate the attack the same simplicity is required; one's attack must be as direct as possible. When I mentioned guard and set-up, it has to conform to this rule. A "quick" (the term I used in my post) initial feint and then explosively move in, blasting/stuffing his guard to overwhelm the opponent with multiple strikes.
Most untrained fighters don't put much attention to their stance, leaving their leg vulnerable to an initial set-up attack.

Simplicity, directness and aggressive fierce commitment I would list as the key factors no matter which approach is used. This does sound like the street fighter's strategy as well - one must fight fire with fire. The MA guy gets the edge with efficient trained technique and eye. An experienced street fight with some technical training? Oh boy!

Street violence is a more accurate term. You are still speaking in terms of a contest akin to a competitive match, sparring or even partner drills. A martial artist could have an edge if they train in the correct manner. In the military you are trained and drilled as close to reality as possible. And even the most realistic training pales in comparison to the reality of combat. Soldiers can still freeze when the contact with the enemy begins, even with the best training in the world. Traditional martial arts school and sport martial artists are not participating in realistic self-protection training sessions.