DISCUSSIONS

Crowbar

If you’ve ever used a crowbar, you’ll recognize a few key principles:

• The bar must be made of solid material—usually steel. A plastic crowbar would bend and simply won’t work.
• The hooked or “tongue” end is designed to slide into narrow gaps for prying things open. Its bend ensures that the pivot point is at the curve, not along the middle of the bar.
• Once the tongue is in place, you place your hands on the far end and apply force to rotate the bar around the pivot point. You’re not lifting or pushing the entire bar—you’re using leverage.

These same principles, grounded in Newton’s laws of motion, are fundamental in self-defense. Mastering this concept is essential, as many techniques rely on the mechanics of leverage and efficient force application.

Fighting with punch and kicks should be your last choice

As a senior, the person bullying or roughing you up is likely physically stronger. Competing with strength you may not have is not a smart strategy. Additionally, if you’re in a long-term care facility, regulations are in place to protect the workers—so the last thing you want is to be seen punching or kicking, as that could lead to serious consequences like being expelled from the facility.

Instead, we focus on effortless power and efficient techniques. This approach not only conserves energy but also helps ensure that others do not perceive us as aggressive.

Mental energy and effort

How you think affects how your body functions. As discussed above, the laws of physics govern nearly all movement and mechanical systems. If you are unaware of what is stationary, what is moving, and the path of that movement, you won’t be able to generate proper mechanics. As a result, you’ll only be able to tap into a small percentage of your body’s full potential.

While weightlifting primarily relies on muscle contraction to build strength, technical disciplines often go beyond simple point-to-point resistance. Instead, they make use of “projection” and “visualization” to channel energy more effectively and create more efficient movement mechanics.

SCENARIOS

Getting out of a same side, low single wrist grab

When there is space, you can simply walk toward the side of the grab and reposition yourself strategically. However, if space is limited on that side, you’ll need to rotate your elbow and come over the top, using your elbow to make contact with the grabber’s forearm. Refer back to the section on common mistakes—especially those related to using your arm like a crowbar.

Use of joint locks

Joints are designed to move within a specific range and along certain directions. If forced beyond their natural limits or in the wrong direction, dislocation may occur. Martial arts techniques often exploit this vulnerability to control an opponent. Some examples we discussed and practiced include:

• Hand placed on the forearm
• Hand placed on the shoulder
• Hand placed on the chest

EXERCISES

We need strong legs. One of the exercises is an explosive long stride. Refer back to last week’s notes on common mistakes.

While it is important to do the partner exercises, it is just as important to do the exercises by yourself. Visualization trains your mind and you have to do it slow, feel through the technique, project the energy thru your body and move as a single unit..

Many think effortless power is a hoax or some trickeries and cannot be used in real combats.

“Effortless” does not mean absolutely no muscles are involved. Even standing requires muscles. Your heart is still beating (which itself is muscle contraction) while you are sleeping. Effortless does not mean it does not take effort to learn, to practice and to cause body to change shape / move where necessary. It simply describe the ease with which a task is performed.

There are no lack of videos of people mixing magic with ability and can throw people to the ground without any physical contact. However, I have yet to meet someone who can really deliver it against a non-cooperating subject. I have personally debunked a “master” who made such claims. Maybe it is just my bad luck. I am still keeping an open mind.

I will share with you what I consider as REAL effortless power which are categorized below. A single skill may apply one or more of these categories. I want to emphasize that I interpret “effortless” as not defying physics but that the person applying feel hardly any effort at all while the recipient feel immense effect.

• Huge Mismatch means that there are big gaps between the fighters’ abilities, physical attributes, skills and/or experiences between the fighters.
• Efficient use of biomechanics. Examples are use of leveraging, mass, absorption, bone structure, shape, line, point, pressure, speed, ramp, closest to the pivot vs furthest point, physics of a crash, harnessing your opponent’s force as yours, etc…This often take advantage of the amplification effect of correct application of physics.
• Effective use of psycho-mechanics. If you can change/affect the mindset of yourself or your opponent’s, it can help you significantly. Sometimes, you will be amazed at the power of simple things like: a smile, being polite, “I am sorry”, body language, body position, the words “yes and..”
• Unprotected attacks via surprises, tags, unbalance, changes, speed, wrong reactions, etc.
• Use of re-direction or guiding to minimize / avoid point-to-point confrontation
• Find space within self instead of invading someone else’s space

As seniors, we know that muscular deterioration and slowing of neural reflexes will happen, it is just a matter of time. Staying physically active will slow that process down. If our self-defense system rely on just raw muscles and speed, techniques that work today may not work in a year or two. As seniors, we need the most direct route to the end goal – something that take 10 years to master is not going to cut it when you are already in your 70s. Effortless Power aims to address specifically these challenges – at least you feel you have a realistic choice.