Sizing Up an Attacker!

[I:http://www.uniquearticlewizard.com/extras/pics/bowzerimage17.jpg]A trained martial artist will be aware of how the attacker is holding his body, even if a fight is a frantic affair from the outset, and what his positioning means. This article details my thought evolution when I formulated a plan for handling attackers. What is nice is that it is workable in freestyle, so you don’t have to go out and find a mugger to see if it works.

One of the earliest things I learned, concerning how to size up an opponent, was how he moved when you made a quick move towards him. If he moved back he was a runner, if he blocked he was a blocker, and if he moved towards you he was a fighter, or a jammer. This theory came to me through kenpo, was put forth by Joe Lewis, and supposedly was originated by Bruce Lee.

Time passed, and I came up with my own observations in this matter. My observations were not based upon feinting towards an opponent to make a response, for that means you have wasted a motion, and if he is not wasting motion you’re already in a fight. So I assumed that I was in a fight already, and that I better just get on with analyzing the attacker.

First, I began to dissect such factors as speed and mass. If he was strong and chunky, he would be more likely to close and grapple, and if he was quick and lean he would be looking for speed and striking. And, of course, there wasn’t much value in this general an analysis.

So I began to isolate whether he was left handed or right handed by observing which hand was forward. This was much better because it told me where the power was coming from, and even what angle it would from. Still, this observation only resulted in maybe a ten per cent edge in fighting, and I needed more than that.

Still, knowing which hand he was attacking with let me know whether he was setting up for a kick. I began to judge potential distances, and what effect this had on an opponent, and how I should angle my attack. The real key to all this was whether he shifted to free up a leg for kicking.

Understanding the importance of the positioning of the feet and the hands, I began to separate the body in half. I would view it as two pieces, and estimate, from the angle he was facing me, what what angle I should take on the defense, and what angle he would take on the attack. This invaluable observation drove my effectiveness up by 70%.

Fighting always holds a bit of mystery. Still, if you analyze the body in halves, up and down and side to side, you’re going to have a distinct plan that will reduce much of the mystery. When you play with this, feel free to send me your observations, I’ll be very interested in how it effects your effectiveness.