One and three step sparring

I think the real purpose of training against a single attack is to study how to compress your response, i.e. get fast enough to pass the attack with your own. Obviously you don't see it practiced that way normally, where everything is ritualized etc. Nonetheles, I think there is merit in training this kind of material, it just depends on how it's being done.

As an example, not my style at all, but I have seen some wado-ryu kumites that seem plenty practical in terms of what's there, it's just the way it's often being practiced that is so odd.

Well, one thing I'd say about three step sparring and, by extension, five step sparring is that they instill some very very bad concepts from a practical protection point of view. No matter how practical/pragmatic the 'attack' or 'defence' is, and mostly they're not (oi-tsuki, etc), they all teach a student to step straight backwards for three or more steps.

This is a terrible terrible tactic/drill response for both protection and even competition purposes. You'll just get blitzed if the attack was done with full speed and power.

GNARL wrote:

[T]hey are generally poor drills for both fighting and self-protection...Why do they persist in so many karate clubs?

Because the majority of karate clubs delude themselves that what they do is "effective" - or else they are more concerned with sports than with real fighting or "self-protection"?

I have to say I have no faith in anything other than 1 step drills, and even then I don't teach them in a fixed manner for long and certainly not in the traditional manner in terms of reigi.

It's nearly all Bunkai related now, and is nearly always worked against common methods of assault, I use the fence concept regulary as well. They look messy but I just feel this is appropiate as I claim to teach self-defence techniques - albeit from classical karate.

I use the same methods as Shoshinkanuk,

one step, realistic attacks, from a fence. I don't  teach a rigid set of drills, I utilize Bunkai, I only use Naihanchi. Messy is good, it better mimics reality, although far from real,  the intensity level can be set to a desired level depending on the individual student or safety requirement. 

On the subject of self protection, I make a point of reminding our students that one step/Bunkai drills only become relevent when awareness, avoidance,de-escalation, pre-emption etc. have failed, and thats a lot of opportunities to avoid needing to get hands on as most Bunkai in my system deals with the coming together to grappling range.

All the best

Mark

I was given the task by my instructor to develop new, better, and hopefully more pratical one steps for our group I was wondering what is the "Fence" .

thanks for your input.

Joe

kdj-joe wrote:

I was given the task by my instructor to develop new, better, and hopefully more pratical one steps for our group I was wondering what is the "Fence" .

The fence is a concept/technique introduced to the mainstream by Geoff thompson, from memory in the early 90's - there are far better people around here than I to introduce it.

How I work it is like this, the fence is a fence - something for your opponent go go over, around, through or under before they can contact your core- it provides tactile pick up and sensitiviy as your hand or hands are 'engage' between you and your opponent in a natural way, it is also very easy to preemptive strike from the fence with either hand.

The fence also helps us 'activate', I use the red (no action), amber (ready/alive), green (action) methodology - with the fence im in amber not only physically - but mentally.

The situation and context will determine which type of fence is best - doormen, police, muggers, thugs all fence differently for different reasons its a very interesting study. Both for defense and attack.

kdj-joe wrote:

I was given the task by my instructor to develop new, better, and hopefully more pratical one steps for our group I was wondering what is the "Fence" .

Hi Joe,

Reading this book will tell you all you need to know: http://www.geoffthompson.com/detailProduct.asp?id=21

All the best,

Iain

The fence is the most innovative technique to enter the field of protection for many years. Learn it in this book from the inventor himself, Geoff Thompson. Clear and easy-to-follow steps to enable a reader to master the fence protection principle. Fully illustrated with photographic examples.