Archive
You Should Always Have a Teacher
I’ve been training for over 40 years now. I still have several teachers, and am always trying to learn from anyone I train with. If you train long enough there may come a time when you have to travel great distances to train with the teachers you need. If you have the teacher you need living close to you, you are lucky indeed.
I train different systems with the various teachers. While most of my teachers have learned, and teach multiple systems from multiple teachers, I want to focus on learning what each does best. The insights and understanding of each teachers core system, will be evident in all other systems they teach anyway.
I look at learning from different teachers in a similar manner to learning different systems. They each have their strengths, and perhaps weaknesses. Often times I find that each teacher teaches the same principles but, with a different interpretation and training method. The same can be true of systems as well. Sometimes it helps to have different perspectives, so that you can more clearly understand what is being taught. It can help and accelerate learning as you peel back the layers of the onion.
I would however caution you that you can try to learn too many things at once. So you must be careful not to try to learn too many systems, or have too many teachers at the same time. If you do you could end up with a confused mess, and make very little progress. In my opinion you only need one teacher at a time but, could possibly benefit from having two or possibly three. That is as long as what they teach isn’t in conflict. Over a course of a lifetime you could certainly have many more teachers.
Another reason to always have a teacher is to keep you on the right path in your development. It is easy to get off on tangents when off on your own. While you can certainly continue to learn and grow on your own, it is also possible to misunderstand something and go down the wrong path. The longer you are on your own the more you may change things. Your memory of things may also change over time. You can fool yourself into thinking you have a deep understanding of principles, concepts, or a system but, truly only have a surface level understanding. Worse than that if your understanding of a core principle etc. becomes increasingly flawed over time, it can have a ripple effect in all you do.
Having the right teacher can help you progress much further then you will ever be able to get on your own. While I’ve specifically been talking about martial arts here, the same is true of all paths we take in life.
Mike Murphy
Never Attack Where the Opponent is Strong
Never attack an opponent where he is strong, only attack where he is weak. This is a universal concept used by internal and external martial artists alike. It is also common sense for people who have never trained a martial art. Trained martial artists each use it in their comfort zone, and at the distance they train to fight at. I have however seen some forget this concept when they are fighting at a different range then they normally train for. To me that means a deeper understanding of the concept is needed.
For example taijiquan practitioners spend a lot of time training push hands. They use this practice to develop lightness and sensitivity. Whether practicing single hand, double hand, fixed pattern, or free style, they always start with the gap closed and they are already touching.
When doing push hands two people face each other and make contact feeling their opponent. One will initiate movement, normally seeking the opponents center. The defender will yield and deflect the attack. If the attacker puts to much tension/ power in the attack or over extends, he makes himself vulnerable to counter attack. If the defender stiffens using strength to defend they will expose a weakness the attacker can exploit. They push back and forth looking for this opening. Sometimes in order to create this opening one might tense push or pull a little hard momentarily at a point to get the other person to commit his weight and strength to defend that attack. The side they are strong on is the full side, their opposite side goes empty to balance the full side. The empty side is weak. Attacking their empty side gets the best results.
When you ask most taiji practitioners how they close the gap to touch their opponent in a fight, the most common answer is that you creep in until you can touch them. I’ve heard some say you just have to be willing to take a shot to close the gap if necessary. I’ve also heard this same thought process from Judoka, Juijitsuka, and wrestlers. To me that means they don’t understand how someone that is primarily a striker would apply the same concept.
When opponents square off, they will have some form of on-guard position that puts their strongest defense and offensive tools toward the opponent. Unless you are much bigger, stronger, and faster then the opponent it would be unwise to attack them head on at their strongest point. They also start outside of each others reach, and must close the gap to strike in a real fight. When you are in transition/moving into the range where you can hit each other you are vulnerable to counter attack.
To attack the opponent when and where they are weak external martial artist move around their opponent toward a weak side. The opponent has to adjust to bring his strong side back to facing his opponent. They will have a full side as they move making the other empty. Anytime they are in transition they are weak as well. They use different footwork, feints, fakes, broken rhythm attacks, etc. to set up an opening to attack the weak/empty side. If you can see how they are breathing at the end of their exhale they are empty and weak. They have to inhale and become full before they can move and defend. Time your attack to coincide with the end of the exhale. These methods are how they will close the gap.
Once the gap is closed and the first strike has hit, their mind goes to where they were attacked, leaving other targets empty and easy to attack. That is way you work up and down the body. That is why you work the various combination. You always want to be attacking the empty weak side.
Strikers that specialize in fighting at a distance need to be careful if they end up in a clinch, they don’t forget the same concepts they use at a distance. They then need that same understanding that people trained in Taiji, Judo, Jujitsu, and wrestling have of this idea.
Mike Murphy
Is Lineage Important in Martial Arts
People feel very strongly about this topic. There are many reasons for this. Obviously those that believe they have good lineage think it is very important. Those that don’t, think it is unimportant.
I think having a good teacher is very important. Without the right teacher you are left with only your own knowledge and experiences to draw on. Books, video, and training with peers can only help you so much. By having the right teacher you have two peoples lifetime experiences and knowledge to draw on for your training. Each teacher has had his own teacher or teachers as well. Each generation you add is a multiplier for the available wisdom and experience you can benefit from in your training. However if you learn from a teacher with poor lineage or no lineage, there are other potential problems. Without good lineage you could be learning something that isn’t effective, or worse something that could get you injured or killed.
When looking for the right teacher you should keep in mind, that having a great teacher doesn’t mean the student will ever be great. Therefore you can find teachers with good lineage that don’t have the knowledge and skills of their teachers. If they don’t have a true understanding of their art and can’t demonstrate it, they might not be the best person to learn from. Another thing to keep in mind is that even if they have the true system, they may not be passing it on to you. Many teach an outdoor version to the masses, and only teach the real system to a few indoor students. This is one of the reasons for the decline in popularity of traditional systems.
On the other hand if you learn from someone with questionable lineage, or bad lineage for a system you have other issues. They can’t possibly have a true understanding of the system being represented, so couldn’t pass it on to you correctly even if they wanted too. Now this doesn’t mean that they might not have as much or more to teach you, then a person teaching the same system with good lineage. They might even be a far superior martial artist. It just means that they can not be true to the system they claim to represent, unless it is a system they created.
I look at learning from an indoor student of a system compared to someone that learned as an outdoor student, or via other means like this. If you go into an Italian restaurant and order lasagna and they bring you spaghetti instead. It isn’t what you ordered, it may have mostly the same things in it and be as good, but it isn’t lasagna. Someone with no lineage might be telling you they are serving you steak and maybe they are but, then again you might get a hamburger. People have to decide for them selves if that is important.
Mike Murphy
Should you do Iron Hand Conditioning
Iron Hand or Iron Palm as it is sometimes called, is a form of conditioning that seems to be controversial. There are certainly pros and cons to it. It was certainly more common a century ago when someones skills to defend themselves was of more concern, then the person living in what is considered civil society today. So the question is, is it necessary today, and/or is it of enough value to warrant training? Do the pros out weigh the cons? I think that each person has to decide for themselves if it is right for them. So here are some perspectives that might help you make the best decision for yourself.
Iron Palm is generally practiced by practitioners of what is referred to as external martial arts. Though many internal stylist also practice it. Many would also say that men fight with weapons, steel weapons come harder then you will ever make your hands. Developing iron hand takes time and practice. With those things in mind there might be different answers to the question for different people, as to train it or not.
Practitioners of external styles are inclined to train body conditioning and hardening exercises, but they also may modify their techniques to get around a lack of serious conditioning. For example they may tend to use closed fists more then open hands to strike. They might also sometimes modify what part of the body is used for a strike. An example of that might be to move in a little closer and replace knife hand, and ridge hand strikes with forearm strikes. Then of course you can be more selective of your targets and focus your strikes on soft body parts. If you do those types of things you can be extremely effective without Iron Hand.
Internal stylists tend to feel that Iron Hand is unnecessary because of their method of hitting. One way to explain the difference is to think of an external stylist hitting with their fist. Their fist is like a hammer that you strike the target with. While the hand of an internal stylist is more like a chisel you place on the target while they generate the power or the hammer from their feet through their bodies to the hand. In this manner their hand doesn’t have to absorb all of the impact the way it would, if the other power generation method was used.
So if it isn’t needed is there still a reason to develop it? Well in my pre-Iron Hand days, I had broken my hand once, and a finger here and there sparring. these were accidents. They happened either when I was countered, or when I was just off fractions of an inch in a defensive movement. Since taking up iron hand training, I haven’t broken anymore bones in my hands. Now this isn’t to say that your hands and fingers can never be broken, because they certainly can. However it certainly reduces the likelihood of it happening, while making your hands a better self defense tool.
Some people have the misconception that your hands become deformed and mutilated through Iron Hand conditioning. This is a myth. If your hands become this way it is from improper training methods. If you train properly using the correct herbs your hands actually will have increased sensitivity. There should be no visible callouses or deformities. yet your hands become very strong, and hard as iron when you strike. I would caution anyone thinking of training Iron hand to seek out a qualified instructor before attempting any training. If you do learn a proper method, training will make the bones in your hands denser, and your hands stronger. Anything that does that has to be good for you.
You can take your training to different levels. A basic Iron Hand training method could take about 30 to 45 minutes to do, while a more advanced training method might take 90 minutes to do. Training daily gets the best results, and is a must for serious Iron Hand development. Once you have achieved the level of hand conditioning you want, you can reduce the number of days a week you train to maintain the development you have. If you train two or three times a week, you will certainly receive some benefits. Training once or twice a week will maintain the level you previously developed.
With the above information you should be able to determine if training Iron hand is for you. Remember to seek out a qualified teacher if you do decide to pursue this training method.
Mike Murphy
Thoughts on Why I train Multiple Systems
I’ve talked about this topic before, but I had a shift in my training routine again this morning. I’ve learned and practiced many systems over my lifetime so far. Each one was the right one for me at the time. So the question became what to keep and what to throw away (if anything). So I have two systems that get most of my attention and two others that are right behind them. This means I spend a minimum of an hour a day on each of these. Other systems I have I dabble in from time to time, depending on who I’m training with or teaching. I might run through them one to three times a week.
Anyway practicing each for me helps peel back layers of the onion for the other systems. Each time I gain a new insight in one system, I revisit the others to see if it holds true to them as well. It has been said that truth is in the similarities, and ego is in the differences of the arts.
In my youth I did a lot of weight training. In weight training you workout using the same routine for about 4-6 weeks, then you change your routine. This does two things for you. First it keeps your body in shock so it is growing muscle mass to keep up with the changing demands being placed on it. The second thing it does is keep you from getting bored with your training. People that get bored eventually quit training.
So at the very least if you don’t change things up from time to time your progress will be slower then it needs to be. If you get bored and training isn’t fun, you may not train with the intensity needed to make great progress. That is if you just don’t quit all together.
To become good at anything, requires constant hard work over a long period of time. Make it fun!
Mike Murphy
Light and Sensitive
There is a difference between “Light and Sensitive” and “Soft and Relaxed”. The first is found in nature. Look at an insect as its antenna brushes against something. Watch a praying mantis, it is a perfect example of “Light and Sensitive”.
To become too “soft” is to become too “yin” and lack balance. It is to become weak. Weak does not survive in nature.
People start out to “Yang”. They use to much power in each movement, they are stiff and have too much tension. They don’t feel, and can’t adapt very quickly to changes their opponent makes. They tend to over extend and put themselves off balance unnecessarily, and for longer then needed. This makes them easy to manipulate. They lack “Yin” to balance their “Yang” , so emphasis in training is often about seeking to develop “Yin” in order to have proper balance.
So one of the first things they are taught is to relax, and not use any muscle tension that is not required. This is an important skill to develop. It is developed through proper training and repetition.
Softness is a term used often in conjunction with being relaxed and sensitive. Many work to be as soft as they can.
Some systems use various methods of push hands to develop softness and sensitivity. This is a great training method, and should be used in some form by anyone training in a martial art.
However many get caught in the trap of working to ever become softer and more relaxed, even to the exclusion of normal exercise. They lose all aspects of Yang.
People that follow this path think they are developing higher levels of skill that may take 20 or more years to develop. They rationalize in their own minds that pursuit of this goal will eventually make them the superior martial artist. This is even while they continue to lose any confrontation with an opponent. If you’ve been training a system for a number of years, and you can’t defend yourself against an untrained attacker, you are practicing fantasy martial arts.
Training properly in an internal style, you will continue to develop higher levels of skill and understanding throughout your life. However if you aren’t learning how to use it from the beginning, and you are intentionally making yourself weak to improve softness and relaxation you’re going down the wrong path.
You must maintain balance between yin and yang to be an effective fighter, and to maintain your health at the highest level. So with this in mind, I suggest you should be thinking “Light and Sensitive” instead of “Soft and Relaxed”
Mike Murphy
Blocking in the Martial Arts
Various martial art systems approach the concept of blocking from different perspectives. Some systems teach very basic blocking concepts, and progress through different approaches as the student grows in knowledge and skill. Some systems use a single method that they believe to be the best approach. Many say that blocking doesn’t really exist, there is only striking. Many also consider moving out of the way to be the equivalent of blocking. Some systems don’t really think of what they do as blocking at all.
The lowest level is the hard blocking system that is seen in most Karate, Kempo, Tai Kwon Do systems taught. It is what would be taught to beginners.
The idea with a hard blocking system is to break what you block. Therefore the block is really seen as a strike.
The next level of advancement for this approach would be to use the block to set the opponent for a following strike. You could think of it as using your block like a fork to hold your food in place while you cut it with a knife.
The level after that is to block and strike at the same time. Stepping out of the way as you strike, accomplishes the same thing as blocking and striking together.
This is an example of the basic hard blocks used by many Kempo, Karate, and Tai Kwon Do practitioners. This particular approach is put together as a blocking system in some Kempo systems. Though it looks linear, if you look you’ll see it is just blocking on four points of a circle with each side. After the basic blocks I’ve included some different methods of training with the system from a horse stance.
Another blocking system that some Kempo systems teach next is the ten point blocking system. A couple of things with this system is that while it can be done as a hard blocking system, it can also be done as a soft system. Another thing of note is that it is put together using both hands all the time (though you could pull out and use an individual block by itself). As I said before blocking and striking at the same time is a few steps up from just blocking.
After progressing through the ten point blocking system, some Kempo people advance to the Plum Tree Blocking system. You’ll notice this system is a soft system. Of course they can each be practiced with different flavors.
The above systems/approaches are all from what would traditionally be thought of as external systems. When you start looking at other systems including internal systems the approach tends to change. This doesn’t mean that some of the ideas like blocking and striking at the same time don’t apply. That would be a common concept in both Tzu Men, and Wing Chun. However you see more sensitivity training going on. Examples would be Chi Sau in Wing Chun, or push hands in Tai Chi. Bagua and Hsing-I also have two man forms that help to develop sensitivity as well. There are many examples of these training methods already on Youtube to watch compare and learn from, so I won’t put any links in here. I think that the methods used by such systems need to be addressed in another post.
Mike Murphy
Defending yourself against multiple attackers
Defending yourself against multiple attackers is a serious problem. If you have to defend yourself against multiple attackers, the odds are in favor of it being more then just two attackers. Something to keep in mind is that attacks involving multiple attackers are more likely to result in serious injury and/or death. This may be due to the pack mentality.
Before things escalate into a actual physical conflict, there are other things that you could do, or consider as an option first.
Number one don’t put yourself in the situation in the first place. I consider avoidance to be the higher level skill. So stay out of places where trouble is common. If you have to walk through questionable places, and you see a group of people gathered on the sidewalk, cross the street and avoid them. Never walk through the middle of the group.
If however you couldn’t avoid being confronted there are psychological/verbal responses to consider using before a physical confrontation.
Whether you know the group you have to deal with, or don’t you may be able to reason with them and talk them out of a confrontation. There is generally a leader, and if there isn’t you can help them elect one by directing you conversation to one of them. Once you know who the leader is you can try to convince them to make it a one-on-one fight (presuming you couldn’t talk them out of a fight). You can do this by calling their leaders manhood/ honor in question, and suggesting that they should be able to handle you one-on-one unless the leader(person your talking to) is a coward. Try to get the gang to buy into it. If that doesn’t work you can tell the leader that no matter what happens your going to get him first. This my cause a weaker minded person to have self doubt, and maybe back off. At least cause them a hesitation.
While I’ve successfully used the above methods on many occasions, I’ve also found a percentage of groups aren’t distracted by such ploys. Especially those with trained members, and/or a lot of experience. If you’re dealing with people with intent that know what they are doing, using the above methods could possibly provide a warning that you will defend yourself. Which could take away your ability to launch a surprise first strike.
My approach to training is that you should always train for the worst case scenario. In other words “prepare for the worst, and hope for the best”. So to me that means that you need to know how a trained group of attackers will approach the situation. In order to train a realistic defense.
When two attack one person they should approach together, then spread out until they are on opposite sides of the person they are attacking. The idea is to force the defender to face one, while exposing his back to the other. Working as a team one should attack low while the other attacks high. They can either use a signal, or the person to the defenders back should attack the legs. Of course with more attackers you end up circling the defender. Under no circumstances should they attack one at a time. The whole idea is to work as a team.
With with the above in mind, you need to do everything possible to keep from getting flanked or surrounded. Take advantage of your surroundings. Use a building, sign, car, or anything else you can to put your back too. If you’re in doors, you might be able to use doorway or hallway to limit the attackers ability to flank you. Make sure you don’t put yourself in a corner. You need to always have an escape route.
Proper use of peripheral vision, mobility, knowing when to hit, and positioning are extremely important in this or any situation. Please see my earlier posts when to move, eye training, and positioning.
A concept that you need to think of when working against multiple attackers is the idea of stacking your attackers.
The idea is to fight them one at a time by positioning the attacker your dealing with between you and the others until he is done, then you move on to the next. Visualize staking them in the same way airplanes get stacked up waiting for their turn to use the runway. The best place to be is at the back of the person you’re engaged with so you can finish them, and they can’t harm you. So get behind them or turn them if possible. Obviously mobility is key here, because you will have to keep moving in order to maintain proper positioning (with your attackers stacked) since the other attackers will be trying to flank you to attack.
In closing I want to repeat one last time, that defending yourself against multiple attackers is a very dangerous, and risky thing to do. If there is anyway of avoiding it, or escaping altogether, choose that option.
Mike Murphy
Two Man Training for striking arts – Two step sparring and beyond
After people have spent time training “one step sparring”, they can move on to other methods of training with a partner. This doesn’t mean you ever out grow, or stop doing “one step sparring”.
“Two step sparring” is the next move. With “two step sparring” the first level is to have one person attack with the technique or principle they are working on, and the other person defends using the defensive move or principle they are working on. You can go back and forth occasionally switching roles. Again you can get feedback from each other as you progress.
After working back and forth in a linear fashion you can start moving around in more of a free sparring environment. Have one person work on their technique either for offense or defense. The other person either only attacks or only defends, depending on what their partner is working on.
After that you then can progress to moving freely while one person works their offense, and the other person works their defensive counter. You switch roles from time to time.
The next level is “free sparring”. I strongly recommend going through all the steps from “one step sparring” through “two step sparring” before engaging in “free sparring”. The reason for this is that if you start sparring prematurely without developing proper technique, strategy, etc. you may limit your eventual level of attainable skill.
Mike Murphy
Two Man training for striking arts – 1 step sparring
Systems that focus on striking arts normally start with “one step sparring” techniques. As a rule each system has a preferred method of punching in.
Traditional karate, TKD, kempo systems, etc. normally have someone half moon in and punch in a traditional karate stance, with a lead hand punch. They stop their punch just short of the target.
The pro’s to this type of training are that you can work on timing and basic defensive techniques, as well as techniques using a far more complex flow as you see with many kempo systems. Since your attacker isn’t really trying to hit you, it is safer for beginners, with less risk of accidental injury.
The con’s to this type or training are that your distancing is off. In a real fight someone is going to punch through you, not stop just short/out of range. Some talk of punching six inches through their opponent. Others say punch elbow deep, and kick knee deep through your opponent. As you can see your distancing and positioning would be much different under those circumstances. Another issue is that no one in the western world attacks anyone with that type of strike. Training against an unrealistic attack, can be a waste of good practice time.
Aikido practitioners tend to have the attacker throw a downward hammer fist from overhead. They over commit throwing themselves off balance as the go through where their opponent was at the beginning of the attack. This is because Aikido originally had the attacker simulate a sword attack. People fighting with swords fight from a further distance apart then empty hand people. The other method they tend to work with, is having someone come in and grab them, and continue to hold on while they execute their technique.
Pro’s to this method are that the attacker does commit and strikes through their opponent. Timing, distancing, and positioning need to be correct training this way. So not only do they develop these skills, but if you’re incorrect you get immediate feedback in the form of being hit.
Con’s are that people don’t attack using that kind of strike very often, nor do they generally throw a completely over committed off balance attack (at least not trained people). People that grab a hold of you probably won’t really hold on without releasing before letting you just completely off balance and throw them. This can lead to practicing and developing techniques that may not work against most attackers in the real world.
There are also some kempo people, and perhaps others that use a similar method of punching in as Aikido people. The difference is the tend to use punches from an on guard position as they charge through the defender.
Always have your attacker really try to hit you, never have them pull their punch.
A good approach to “one step sparring” is to have your opponent throw a right hand, while you practice your technique. Then have them throw a left hand and practice your technique. After that do the same with right, then left kicks. Once you’ve worked these have your attacker throw anything they want (anyway they want, and from any on guard position) as you respond with your technique. After all to my mind any legitimate technique should work against anything thrown at you. The worst case scenario if you are following good principles, is that you don’t get hit. Most of the time you should achieve the desired outcome. The more you practice, the more often that correct outcome should happen.
Another good thing you can do in “one step sparring” is develop a stronger attack.
A method do this is have the defender stand on guard at the distance you want to attack from. They can either block or move out of the way as you attack. Untrained or unskilled fighters telegraph their movements when they attack. You can have the defender look for the first thing they see move as you start your attack each time, and give you feedback. Telegraphs could be anything. Examples are tensing all or part of your body, changing any facial expression, shifting weight, holding or exhaling your breath, etc. You want them to look for anything that gives you away.
After this you can move on to “two step sparring”, etc.. I’ll cover more in another blog.
Mike Murphy
Murphy Martial Arts 