Drills from the elbow smash in Wansu

 February 6, 2010

If you really are in the study of Isshinryu you find gem’s of understanding in many arts that will help your journey.

Allow me to present an analytical study of one Siliat series because:  It’s a neat two person exercise – nothing wrong with enjoying your study.


Looking into the underlying principles yields understanding that helps in other places of our study.


The entire drill is an exercise in Wansu application.


The technique is Danny Inosanto presenting one Siliat technique application study on youtube.

 

 Dan Inosanto Serak Silat  2:03

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HrfkvPr4UU&t=11s

 

It definitely not Wansu but incorporates similar principles if you use your mind to see them.

 (note I often download the .flv file from youtube to save and use in future analysis and reference)




Next I have developed my own descriptive shorthand to describe two person interaction. It is never exactly the same as what is done on the floor, but it helps break the series into pieces making analysis easier.


The following is how I first describe how Danny Inosanto is working the technique series.


1. Attacker uses right low roundhouse

  1.a. Defender raises left leg to parry kick  (note how both arms are extended in front of the Defender)


2. Attacker returns right foot to ground and strikes with the right hand

  2.a. Defender presses across the Attackers punch with both arms  and counter right knee strikes into their abdomen



3. Attacker strikes with their left hand

  3.a. Defender just presses both hand into the inside of the Attacker’s strike to deflect it
  3.b. Then the Defenders right arm circles the attacker down (clockwise) to be followed with a right strike to the Attackers head – they shy from that strike.
  3.c.  Next the Defender’s left hand grabs the Attacker’s arm and the Defender’s right arm pulls back from the punch as he shifts slightly to the rear. This drags the Defender forward destroying their center and balance.
  3.d. The Defender concludes by using their right arm to circle behind the Attacker’s head and rotate them down to the ground, following them down for effect.



So we have three main attack sequences and three sets of defensive counters taking place at close range inside an attack.




Analysis of Underlying Principles (in no particular order).


Keeping the arms out in front begins a protective barrier against attack. This resembles the kamae in Wansu kata. Right punch or left punch the arms are just inserted into the attack to deflect it (interior and exterior line of defense).


The close order defense against a low round kick is raising the lead foot into a rising knee strike that parries that kick. At that distance it is the quickest response Directly from Wansu’s closing sections.  Yes Wansu then turns that response into a kick, by using a fractal (or piece) the original movement you are actualizing other potentials.


Deeper analysis of replacing the foot after an attack. While not over emphasized in the sequence practice, to counter what may have been an incomplete attack, the quicker you can return the foot to the ground you can use that returning bounce to strike out harder. Offensively you can see how the counter attack comes from the bounce of the return foot.  But defense is the other side of the offensive use. The video shows the knee strike scoring, but if they had slightly shifted their center that following left is better countered by quickly returning the right knee strike leg to the ground to allow you to enter their attack with your kamae in force.



Insight into countering a counter.  



If the right punch is countered with the kamae, an immediate right chambering and left striking are a counter for that kamae.

If the knee strike is to be countered, using the left chamber right strike can insert into the knee strike attack to counter it.

All correctly structured two person sequences are always showing the attack, the counter and the counter to the counter. We most frequently see one and two, but can readily miss three is there too.

Point 4.c. above shows the problem with drawing obvious lines what is and isn’t an attack. Breaking this series into 3 sequences (useful of course) doesn’t necessarily imply those techniques stop and start by what you first observe. Only a slight shift in practice and it is an entirely different drill. To fully understand it you need to take those next steps at some point in practice.

Both sides of the drill are performing important studies. A correctly structured two person drill has both partners working on important studies.




More telling is the relationship between using this sequence to counter a knee strike with a punch to that showed by Harrill Sensei to counter a two hand press countering your Wansu knee strike and then driving that foot to the ground as your sequence closing punch strikes down into their lower abdomen, in towards their bladder.  Each case a study of counter to the counter.