DISCUSSION

The Role of Relaxation in Self-Defense:

Relaxation is a crucial and often counterintuitive principle. Excessive tension restricts movement and telegraphs intent, whereas relaxation allows you to move fluidly, exploit openings, detect weaknesses in grips, and act without prematurely triggering defensive reactions. It also enhances range of motion, efficiency, and unpredictability.

Principle of Perpendicular Impact:

Maximize striking effectiveness by delivering force perpendicular to the target surface. Glancing blows dissipate energy, whereas perpendicular strikes transfer force more efficiently. Adjust your angle according to the target’s orientation for both hand strikes and kicks.

Need to be fast

Speed doesn’t always have to be raw speed. The slowest component of the entire response chain are:

• Decision-making takes time. Most people need several minutes just to choose what to order from a menu; in a dynamic situation, that delay is a liability.
• Memory recall can also be too slow. Effective responses should be nearly automatic, which only comes from consistent and deliberate repetition.
• Another bottleneck occurs when body parts “wait” for one another instead of moving within the same time frame. This reflects a need for better coordination, clear understanding of the mechanics, and, again, extensive repetition.

SCENARIOS

Random grabs within 5 different grabs with follow through strikes

The 5 different grabs in focus are:

• Handshake-style low grab across the center line
• Palm-down low grab across the center line
• Same-side low grab
• High grab across the center line
• High same-side grab

Within these five, it was observed that some escape variations appear identical. When generalized, they can be grouped into three distinct methods:

• Trace the fingertip over the wrist
• Pry open using the forearm
• Point to the forearm and wipe the thumb

Common mistakes on the linkage into the “follow-through strikes” portion of the skill:

• Hesitation in pulling direction: When pulling the arm, draw it across your body so you move toward the attacker’s backside rather than staying directly in front.
• Neglecting the spare hand: The free hand is often forgotten. As soon as you initiate movement, the free hand should engage simultaneously with the step and arm action.
• Pulling with the hands only: Relying solely on the arms reduces effectiveness. Instead, integrate stepping, body alignment, and whole-body movement to control and pull more efficiently.

EXERCISES

Continue with all the physical conditioning as well as solo strike practices

ANNOUCEMENTS

Registration for the Spring session begins on March 2, 2026 in Burnaby. I hope all of you will register again if you enjoyed the current session. Sixty years of training cannot be condensed into 10+ classes — what you have learned so far is only the beginning.

I also strongly recommend that everyone take Martial Gym – Functional Fitness if they have not already done so.

There is a FF class offered at Christine Sinclair Community Centre from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, following the Self-Defense class at Bonsor. I consider it a foundational layer for self-defense as well as for other physical activities. It also teaches you how to fall with minimal injury.

DISCUSSION

Number of “hands”

Human only have two hands and that is assumed to be a fact. We often wish we have an extra pair of hands. We say pick pockets have a 3rd hand. For us, as trained martial artist, we learn and train to have more than two hands: two elbows, two shoulders, two armpit, one chest, etc. With the extra hands, you gain your ability to control your opponent and can use the extras to hit from unexpected angles.

Staying-in close

When we face an aggressor, it is most important not to allow him to be up close because it will not allow for us to respond fast enough to any sudden attacks.

When we really have to fight after all defusing methods failed, we have to be either “out or in”. We cannot stay at a range where the aggressor have all his tools assessable (i.e. punches, kicks or whatever). Once we are in, we cannot afford to stay waiting for the attacks, we have to take the initiative and overwhelm him. You need to be determined and decisive. Do not hesitate or stay static.

Integrated Body Movement & Leverage

This core principle emphasizes using the entire body—unifying the core, hips, and limbs—for every action, rather than relying on isolated muscle strength. This generates superior force, maximizes leverage, and provides a significant advantage over an untrained aggressor. Actions should be fluid, linked, and powered by body rotation and weight transfer.

Blocking and countering

The following key points must be remembered:

• Our blocking technique is inherently offensive. Always block towards your opponent and NOT to the side
• Using the hand that is already out help shorten the distance to the target
• All defensive motion must AFFECT your opponent. At a minimum, get them to reset their distance or target.

SCENARIOS

Follow up from counter grips

This week, instead of simply staying in strategic positions after getting out of a wrist grab, we learn how to follow up using the attacks that we have learnt.

The technique we experimented with seems very complicated when you are first introduced to it. There are lots of moving parts that has to be happening simultaneously. Once we get an idea of the desired movement pattern, you need to practice repeatedly just “a single beat” (meaning identify all the things that has to move within the same timeframe) and practice until you can repeat without even thinking must about it. Then you move onto all the required movement within “the second beat” (everything that has to move simultaneously within the same frame of time). Segmenting a move into timeframes or beats help drill the idea of “all together” into your movement pattern.

For every move, you have to understand what are the key components to generate power, which part of the body is generating the power,

Some of the key points to remember:

• An overhand grip is when the opponent’s hand is over yours, making it hard to reach over them.
• The escape involves pressing into the opponent’s thumb and rounding your arm out.
• Immediately after escaping, transition into one arm slide up while the other hand retain and control.
• If further escalation is required, turn your body and do a cross into the face and nose follow up by another 90 degree turn and strike.
• Use your whole body to turn and generate power for the punch, which provides longer reach.

EXERCISES

Try to recall the skills learnt and attempt to reproduce it smoothly by visualizing the movements required to make it work. Remember that

Improve physical attributes like endurance, power and speed on techniques that you are confident you are doing correctly. For new techniques, work on accuracy and fluidity first before adding power.

SIDE NOTES

DISCUSSION

Relax the body to learn

Intellectually understanding something is very different from being able to do it instinctively. Most people, when they hear the word “strike,” reflexively tense up. Do not add power until you know you are doing the movement correctly, or you will build habits that are very difficult to change later.

Some of the key challenges for beginners include:

• Unnecessary tension in the shoulders
• Elbows flaring outward instead of staying relaxed and down
• Keeping the body tight instead of “relaxing into” one’s own structure and center
• Overuse of stabilizing muscles, causing one muscle group to fight against another
• Failing to slightly tuck the chin, which opens the throat to strikes
• Strikes moving side by side instead of hand over hand
• Strikes traveling too flat or downward, rather than slightly upward so that action–reaction helps anchor you instead of lifting you
• Leaning to generate power, which adds little benefit and increases exposure; staying centered is more effective and safer
• Forgetting to reestablish guard after striking
• Underuse of the legs and whole-body connection

Train the brain first

We have demonstrated how important it is to change reflexive responses when working on escaping wrist grabs. Many people automatically tense up, even when practicing with a cooperative partner. We have shown and discussed how tension alters mechanics, and how using tension in the wrong places actually causes you to work against yourself.

Your brain can only process a limited number of commands at one time, especially when learning something new. Relaxing and slowing down gives your brain the time it needs to send the correct signals and allows you to self-assess what you are doing. Blindly adding muscle does not speed up learning; more often, it programs incorrect neural pathways. Once those patterns become habits, not only was the training time wasted, but correcting them later requires more than twice the effort.

Importance of the lines

• Straight line – during the strikes, we want the line to be straight where possible so that we arrive fast via the shortest path
• Circular line – sometimes you have to take a semi-circular route to have better control or sometimes to simply move out of the way. For example, the windshield wipers move in semi-circle to cover a big area with a single stroke.
• Structural line – the line of support is often referred to as structural line. For example, for a person standing up, the structural line is vertical thru the upright axis.
• Point weapon to target line – as a concept, the weapon can be anything anything from your fist to possibly a knife or a gun. Police are taught not to point their gun to anyone unless absolutely necessary to avoid accidental misfire. However, when you are in the midst of a combat, you should point to the potential target.

SCENARIOS

Pressuring your opponent backwards

We are attacking the opponent’s weak structural line so that they have no option but to step back and rebalance. This pressure must be continuous; you should not pause or “wait and see” between steps. Through your controlling arms, you should be able to feel where the opponent is structurally strong and where they are weak, and adjust your pressure accordingly.

Use of elbow

The elbow has the disadvantage of limited reach; you must be very close to your opponent to make contact with the target. However, it has the advantage of being extremely strong and effective. The tip of the elbow concentrates force into a very small area, which means the impact can generate significant pressure and cause serious damage.

We begin with the right elbow and learn three strikes: across from right to center, top down, and bottom up. As before, apply the same learning process—start from the guard, slide in, and experiment with different leading legs. Use your hips to generate rotation, and perform the movements slowly and loosely. Focus on experiencing the motion rather than forcing power. We will go into greater detail next week.

EXERCISES

• Repeat exercises from last week for body conditioning.
• Stretch and move your shoulder to get your body ready to learn elbows without hurting yourself.

SIDE NOTES

DISCUSSION

Attack Mode

A 500lb punch must land on a viable target before it has any effect.

In martial arts, participants are always taught that physical techniques should be a last resort, used only when talking, warning, and all other attempts to slow or stop the aggressor have failed.

As seniors, we must assume that we are neither stronger nor faster than an aggressor. There are many reasons a confrontation can occur, but an imminent threat to life is one of the most serious. If there is a possibility of more than one assailant, there may be no choice but to act quickly and use whatever “tricks” are available. It is inherently unfair to be attacked in the first place, and in such situations, the outcome can truly be a matter of life and death.

Increasing Reach and Power

One could argue that the legs are longer and stronger than the arms and therefore offer greater reach and striking power. While this is true, for most seniors, kicking can be dangerous. For some, even on their best day, standing on one leg is already a challenge. As a result, while I do work with them to improve balance and strength, they are often not yet ready to rely on kicks as a primary weapon.

When it comes to punches, many seniors have additional limitations. Some have experienced falls and have wrists that never fully healed; others suffer from arthritis, leaving their hands and wrists in poor condition. For these individuals, punching with a closed fist is not an ideal option. Instead, I favor palm strikes to the nose. This causes the aggressor’s head to tilt back, which naturally exposes the throat. When the distance closes further, the elbow can and should be used as necessary.

Lack of striking power is a serious issue, because once you commit to an attack, you are within reach and fully engaged. A strike that feels more like a touch than an impact encourages the aggressor to trade blows—or to respond with even greater force.

Maximizing your body structure for the hit

If you rely only on the strength of your arms, you are drawing from a limited resource. Chances are your opponent is stronger, which may be why he chose you as a target. To amplify your hitting power, you need to consider the following points:

• Maintain sufficient reach to penetrate the target and allow force to pass through it.
• Relax your shoulders and back so the angles are smoother and your structure is supported by your entire body rather than isolated muscle tension.
• Relax and put your whole body behind the strike, instead of tensing up and emphasizing only arm strength.
• Do not try to time your hands to your foot movement. Treat everything below the belly button as the “bus” you are riding. Your upper body should be able to move independently of it.
• Keep your elbow relaxed and loosely aligned with the centerline to reduce torque acting against you.
• Practice slowly and in a relaxed manner to make habit changes easier. Increase speed gradually once you are confident the mechanics are correct.

SCENARIOS

Chained hands attack

The following are the keypoints:

• The following are the key points:
• Relax the shoulders downward and allow the chest to rotate around the centerline to maximize reach.
• Aim for the nose. During solo training, visualize an opponent of your height. A point roughly four inches above your shoulder level is a reasonable approximation of nose height.
• Coordinate the retreating arm with the attacking hand. The hand that has just completed the strike should press downward to create space for the opposite hand to extend immediately. Do not pull the hand back past the ribs. Keep the elbows resting close to the ribs to maintain protection.
• Once you move off the line, continue with short, controlled stutter steps to follow up and strike while maintaining balance and positioning.
• Pulling back while grabbing or destabilizing can either turn the strike into a heavy, “collision-level” impact or knock the aggressor off balance, reducing their ability to counterattack.
• Maintain mental commitment and decisiveness. Your focus should be on stopping the threat and acting with clarity, rather than hesitating or becoming distracted by fear of retaliation.

EXERCISES

Practice the strikes taught in class and develop them one step at a time. Begin from a stationary position with the arms relaxed. After each strike, pause to check your guard, shoulder and chest position, centerline alignment, strike height, and coordination between the striking hand and the controlling hand.

Next, work on the following strike using the same process until individual strikes are mostly correct. Then begin chaining strikes in pairs, again stopping after every two to reassess structure and positioning. Learn to feel the movement and develop the ability to self-assess.

Once this foundation is solid, gradually introduce stepping and continuous strikes, increasing complexity only as control and correctness are maintained.

In addition, train your body strength and cardiovascular endurance as described in the previous class.