Distraction – Creative Use of a Little Discussed Weapon

Watching several YouTube video the other day, one of them caught my eye and brought an older memory to mind.

 

First the video, it was a funny kids demo for Unsu kata. It open the applications for the kata with this sequence.

 

 

Pointing to the ground during a challenge, and then when the opponent looks, attack unexpected.

 

Now this is from memory and so long ago I am not sure the name of the lead actor is correct, this is the best I can remember.

 

As a new black belt, I went everywhere to visit and train. One school, David Brojacks school of Kempo Goju, was one of those places. I had met his students as a brown belt when we were fellow competitors. I visited time and again as they were one of the places I could train in Kumite.

 

As best I can remember, this occurred in later 1980. A Iranian with a green belt in some Iranian system became a student in that area, and approached Dave to become a student. The Iranian hostage crisis was taking place then, but was not an issue for him to train there.

 

As I remember his name was something like Farazad. He had good kumite skills.

 

The next spring, we as a group were traveling to compete at George Dillmans Spring Tourmament as the Fieldhouse. As it turned out Farahazad was competing in the green belt division, and it was a huge division. There were many rounds of fighting.

 

Farazad had success, and progressed through many fights.

 

Finally he reached the semi-final round of the fights. As I remember he and his competitor were pretty evenly matched. So the fight went on and on, into overtime. Both fighters were exhausted and slowing down. Farazad had little left to fight with, and his opponent was in exactly the same state.

 

Suddenly Farazad stopped and pointed over the opponents shoulder. His opponent turned his head to see what was there. Then Farahazad struck with what he had left. The blow scored and he won that fight.

 

I have never seen a better use of a distraction. As core it was brilliant. Fighting to exhaustion they were obviously focused on what they were doing. Then a distraction grabbing the opponent’s mind. And he turned his head. Thus providing an opening for his swift defeat.

 

The essence of what a distraction is and does.

 

In this case he won the fight.

 

Creating a lesson I still remember.

 

As for Farazad, as to his final fight, he had used everything that he had.

He had nothing left and his opponent did, and won that fight.

 

Sometime after that he departed and I never heard from him again.

 

Even distraction, only works when it truly in unexpected. It is never the whole answer.

 

Lesson Learned.