SWORDDUELING.COM

from http://thestrikingpost.blogspot.com/
So one of my brown belts comes to class and says, “I have good fight story for you!” Randy is a plumber and on the job site tempers can flare as the days get long; and, well, they definitely did that day.

Two of Randy’s co-workers had decided to settle their differences with a little fisticuffs. The morning had started poorly and by the afternoon the little verbal barbs had escalated into full-on “F-bombs” going both ways. It had become personal and the fight was on. In one part of the client’s back yard the two squared off; on one side of the small patch of lawn there was Ed, a fifty-year-old U.S. Navy veteran, and on the other side, Don, a twenty-one-year-old buck just ready to go.

Randy said they squared off fists up like boxers and Ed threw the first blow: a steel-toed construction boot kick to Don’s right shin. Don went down as Ed just stood there and let the twenty-one-year-old get back to his feet. “That’s not fair! We’re boxing!” yelled Don. “OK,” said Ed, “We’ll just box now.” They squared up again, hands held up ready to box. Pow! Ed delivered the first strike again: another steel-toed boot to Don’s same shin. Don went down and didn’t get back up to continue the fight.

Ed, the fifty-year-old U.S. Navy man could have jumped on Don when he was on the ground, but he didn’t. There was no point in doing that; Ed had made his point and order was restored on the job site.

Ed had lied to Don, and Don foolishly believed him.

Rules…yeah.

the yellowneon are security. good job guys.
“hey, hey you. stop kicking her in the head. yes you. hey. oh, bye.”

Yuen Woo-Ping must get up every morning and cry because he’s 64 and can’t brawl daily. The man clearly loves fighting. Just look at this scene he choreographed for Fist of Legend, where Jet Li reprises Bruce Lee’s role from Fist of Fury:

It starts out in a pretty standard Chinese mode, both opponents loitering well inside striking range, checking each other’s arms and doing block-punch one-two (in between all the showy aerial techniques). But once Jet Li gets serious, he switches to a Western-influenced style — dancing in and out of reach, sniping at Chin Siu Ho with long punches, and throwing boxing combinations. Look at the double right jab to left cross! This is Bruce Lee’s fighting method: lead with the strong side, and “use the longest weapon to strike the closest target.” There’s more textbook Jeet Kune Do technique here than there was in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.

The last fight in the movie is even richer:

I could practically call out page numbers from the Tao of Jeet Kune Do for every few seconds of this scene. The combat’s not realistic, but it’s full of real things: Boxers do get cut and bleed into their eyes. Chinese martial artists do use light attacks to open you up for heavier ones. Bruce Lee did like double and triple leads (page 198!) and disrupting opponents with that finger-flick to the eyes (Page 74!)

The scene is even better if you watch it after reading up on Jeet Kune Do principles. A lot of the stuff behind that link applies to the sword, as well — which is fitting, since Lee studied western fencing for principles to apply to his unarmed fighting. It’s about timing and psychology, rather than specific techniques.

Around the 4:45 mark. That kid can throw down!
& check the foxy lady boxin’ at 8:50. Fine work.

So Miles mentioned 52 Blocks to me. Fascinating stuff. A truly American martial art. Combines the basis of boxing with the defensive tricks of Wing Chun (trapping hands/blocks), Silat (elbow destructive/”defanging the snake” techniques), Bagua (circling, a number of techniques I see mirror moves from the Bagua 64 Straight Palms set), Drunken boxing (random unpredictability/ openings as feints), etc.

One interest “origin” I heard was the development of the techniques in prison, like tight cell spaces for when you have handcuffs on. Particularly the handcuffs thing makes alot of sense as the elbows get thrown alot and 52 really seems to use them as the basis for defense and close-in offense. Powerful stuff.





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