Sonny impressed on us very heavily the notion that you can never take anything for granted, and that being within range of your opponent was always dangerous. Always. Even after what might seem a 'kill' strike, never ever let down your guard or stay in range.
Also, from the other perspective, just because you got hit does not mean you cannot strike back if your opponent is having their brief moment of glory and forgetting momentarily where they are ..... If they are in range, strike them. (Which reminds me of Rory Miller's admonition (paraphrasing here) - Don't die just because you think you ought to, keep going until you are actually dead!)
It has been said that the only real 'stopping' strike guaranteed to end a duel immediately is a decapitation, so best to always be sure of range and keep fighting whether it's you that gets the first hit in or your opponent.
Below is a link to a great article looking at accounts of historic duels, targeting, and the centuries (more?) debate about the relative efficacy of cutting/slashing vs thrusting.
http://www.realfighting.com/dubious_quick_kill_part_1.php
4 comments:
The Army has a saying, "If you can see the enemy they, they can see you." (With the tech of today not always true anymore.) You could say, "If you can hit your opponent, they can hit you. (Dependent on their reach.)
Just a thought I had while reading your post.,
Josh
As an epee fencer, I trained doing simultaneous touches as a game strategy. In a five touch bout, if you get up a point or two, you can then proceed to double out and win 5-4 or 5-3. The shut-out timer is something like 1/35th of a second, and I am able to reliable get a double-touch off my opponent's attack. It's hard to stop. When I started doing filipino martial arts, I focused more on not getting hit at all. Makes it a very difficult game, especially when the other person is not playing by those rules, and makes it crystal clear that even if a "quick kill" is successful, and they die in a second... well, i can hit someone from large distance, in reaction, in about .8 seconds.
then the other interesting thing that was brought to my attention was the idea of stop cuts and thrusts creating a projectile. Even if you successfully disable a person's arm, or kill them, if they were in mid-swing, well, that blade will come right on swinging. Also interesting training from the crazy "i carry at least six knives, doesn't everybody?" mindset, with letting your own blade wrap and projectile after it is blocked, assuming you're already drawing another.
^ +1 !!: brilliant!
@Joshkie - Yes indeed, sad but true :-)
@considerplebas - HAHAHA, I've been caught with a projectile straight into the belly on a couple of occasions ... works good! But yes, better to have another one before throwing the first if at all possible ... PS: Like your blog, the 'Guard Position' piece was nice - "I woke up this morning" LOL
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