What to Do When Your Bell Gets Rung
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of doing some sparring with Chris, my second-in-command at my dojo, during open training. It was my first time sparring since my elbow injury just over 6 weeks ago. Needless to say, I was a little rusty, but still keen to give it a go.
As Chris and I sparred and increased the intensity, we each managed to take a couple of solid hits. The solid hit I took to the head in the form of a left hook that really hit home and rang my bell. I actually saw stars briefly. My response, as I’ve trained myself to do, was to let loose my own strikes, and to keep at it until I had regained my composure.
The reason for responding this way is to keep from being overwhelmed. This logic is applicable whether in a self-defense situation or in the competitive arena. If you give in to the hit and go on the defensive, there is a solid chance that your attacker or opponent will press the attack and get the better of you, both physically and mentally. Instead, you’re much better off throwing your own attacks back, even if they don’t end up being effective. It will hopefully be enough though to throw off your attacker’s initiative so that you can regain your composure.
This attitude follows the same logic discussed in my blog post about the power of intention. Have you personally had any similar experiences continuing to fight after taking a solid hit, whether in a belt test, a self-defense situation, or a competition? I invite you to share these in the comments section.
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I've had situations like this in my work in law-enforcement, and the term we use for it as you know is "survival mentality". Basically, those who give up or give in are the ones who don't make it in a true life or death situation. This is why I enjoy scenario based training that simulates reality as closely as possible.
Another option would be to cover up and change direction, just flailing wildly (which you tend to do when you get angry after being hit) usually is not very effective and it'll open up even more holes in your guard. While I agree you should retaliate asap to any attack he throws the counter should always be purposeful and if you're still reeling after a powerful blow maybe it's time for a tactical retreat. If I'm sparring my sensei (who's obviously much, much better than me) I usually end up hitting empty space after he's scored a hit, now I try to stay out of his reach (avoiding follow-up blows) and try to attack from there.
In any case you should refrain from moving backwards in a straight line: he'll just catch up with you and if his punches don't connect his kicks will. If you cut the angle he'll be forced to change direction and this gives you the split second you need to deliver a good counterattack. Obviously you should always maintain an agressive attitude and counter everything he does, otherwise you'll be at his mercy and as in war the party that keeps the iniative is usually the side that wins. Sparring's hard and frustrating, especially against someone who clearly has the upper hand, yet it's still the only way to simulate a real fight with some degree of realism.
Zara
PS: sometimes we play a game called 'defend the wall' which consists of one person against a wall (obviously) who's only allowed to defend. Both the defender and the attacker wear gloves and the defender is not allowed to move away, this forces him to properly cover up and constantly use bob&weave, slips and parries to avoid getting hit. After about a minute we switch sides and the attacker becomes the defender. Excellent training, very useful for when you're cornered.
Zara, you raise a good point and if you're not too stunned, it is a good approach. I angle changes quite regularly in my sparring, and against light hits that aren't too debilitating it's fine. It depends on how strongly your bell gets rung.
Of course, flailing wildly is not exactly what I had in mind as an approach to fighting back. One should try to maintain some focus, keep their guard strong and strike out at the targets that are available, if they are available. But my old boxing coach (who is a professional) said that one should always jab their way out of the strike zone, rather than just trying to move away. And yes, he always taught me that while you're jabbing your way out it should be on an angle.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is that whether your goal is to retreat or to press an attack, your defense should have an offensive element to it. Perhaps a good topic for another blog post. 🙂
P.S. We do the defending the wall exercise too. It's a good way to work on defense manoeuvres, but ultimately we discourage people from defending without striking back in actual sparring or in self-defense. But I'm sure it's the same in your dojo.
A lot depends on the type of opponent you’re fighting, my sensei for example is very quick and light on his feet so with him it’s always hit and run, he always keeps moving. Most of the time he’s actually counting on me trying to counter to get in a solid blow, that is why I’m cautious about bursting forward. Of course jabbing is always a good idea, the problem is that his defense is so solid and he’s so quick he can actually counter on the jab. A good idea for me is the JKD slant (pananstas in kali/panantukan): basically you lean to the side and deliver a straight counterpunch cutting his arm, this type of counter is excellent when combined with a change of direction followed by a standard boxing combinations (in JKD cross-hook-cross or the reverse is used a lot). I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to kickboxing, I’m not exactly training a lot in it at the moment and the biggest problem for me is still not to shy away from blows and to accurately estimate the distance. In our style the main defensive principle is simultaneous defense & attack (in Japanese this is called “kogeki soku bogyo, bogyo soku kogeki”: an attack should be a defense & a defense should be an attack), in practice we use a lot of JKD techniques that are built around this principle.
Still against a fast, nimble and clever opponent it’s easier said than done, if I’m hit really hard I’ll try to cover up and break his attack by moving forward (elbows in front to shield my face) and trying to get to close to him, leading with a kick is always a good idea since it leaves your cover intact and can surprise him (when he attacks high counter low, when he attacks low counter high). Atemi is a major part of our style: first you stun, then and only then do you follow up with locks, throws or strikes. For self-defense the ideal should be the knockout, preferably with one punch. Our defenses are built around the principle of the immediate counter (putting him on the defensive, victimizing the attacker), to that purpose we practice strikes that have a lot of impact (instead of the weak strikes solely meant to distract that are used in other styles). If we score a knockout on the first blow that’s considered good practice: locks, throws and strangulations are considered follow-up techniques meaning you don’t go looking for them, you employ them as you go in and according to the circumstances. If I can disable an attacker with a good cross or groinkick it’s much safer and efficient for me than to try to subdue him with a lock, unless of course it’s clear I’m superior or I need to spare him (he’s a friend, relative…). Another approach is to use locks to take his attention and expose vulnerable points which makes it much easier to score a knockout (if you put on a wristlock he’ll sink to his knees to alleviate the pain, exposing his chin in the process, since he’s in pain it’s very unlikely he’ll be able to counter the incoming knee). …
What we don’t do is stay in kicking or boxing range and duke it out from there: out style is best up close & personal, after the initial defense & counterattack (entry) we move in and stick to him in order to immobilize him and take him out. In JJ the main approach to fighting is to get him to the ground asap, there he’s almost completely defenseless and at your mercy (you can either take him out with strikes, kicks or breaks or control him with locks). An added advantage is that the ground is usually quite unfamiliar to most martial artists let alone novices or streetfighters. Take him down and either control him sideways (planting a knee into his lower ribs and/or neck) or force him to roll over and control the back. This approach is especially suited to smaller and weaker individuals who must rely on superior technique and not strength or stature. It’s like my old sensei used to say: you should always fight your fight, don’t conform to his methods or you will lose. Against a karateka or boxer you should close the distance and grapple (they don’t know this, it will surprise them and either way the advantage is yours). Conversely if you’re fighting someone with a grappling background you should stay on your feet, be wary of the takedown and counter with debilitating strikes & kicks… don’t grapple with the guy or you will lose. If you get taken to the ground on purpose it means he’s most likely proficient at ground fighting (or at least he thinks he is, with the current MMA-fad a lot of people think they can wrestle and do ground fighting while all they’re doing is roll around squandering strength and stamina), try to counter the takedown at all cost, if you can’t get the hell up (poke him in the eye and bridge or shrimp out). Whatever you do don’t try to play the submission game or you will lose.
Zara
PS: while I’m interested in hearing more about this topic, I’d prefer it if you were to continue the posts on escapes and ground fighting. If you can do both that would be even better of course.
I'll get back onto the ground defense stuff for my next post. I'll keep this topic in my pocket for afterwards. So much to do, so little time!
Hi Lori,
I remember when I was training for full contact in the 80's, I was working out with boxing. I was still learning boxing but I never did get to where I was much of an inside fighter.
Well I was used to doing well against my partner with point and kick boxing but just hands threw me. The first round I kept wading in and taking a lot of punches on the inside.
I survived with just will power and came out in the second round realizing that I would not last long with the same strategy.
I adjusted my strategy to fight on the outside – easy for me as I had the reach. I peppered away with my jabs and the occasional cross/hook when there was actually an opening and got the heck out of dodge!
By the end of the third round my partner could not touch me.
If I had to boil down what I've learned in karate, boxing, fighting… it would be to use whatever natural advantage you have and be willing to make an adjustment as needed. After all – the only thing that matters is you survive and come out ahead somehow.
Anyway in real fights I've never had a problem due to the caliber of my "sport" competition! 🙂