This Week in Kali
I had three consecutive days of Kali this week following my Monday Jujitsu class. My legs are dead, but I learned a little something. When I first started jujitsu about a month ago I was having a hard time trying to figure out how Kali applies to it, since its concepts pretty much apply to any fighting style. I think I figured it out, though.
In Kali, the parry-check is about as fundamental as it comes. Both hands parry a strike, one after the other, then one hand "checks" the opponent. What I figured out is that in jujitsu ground-work the parry-check happens with both the hands and feet. Before an opponent has a grip on you in Jujitsu, parry-checking with the hands can be used to manipulate an opponent to some degree. Once inside an opponents grip, parry-checking is transferred to the feet.
The armbars and joint locks in jujitsu are a little different in Kali in that its more difficult to use an opponents momentum to get into the lock when you're grappling on the ground. However, in both cases the difference between a good joint lock and a bad one can be a matter of an unexpectedly small distance. An eighth of an inch might be the difference between a successful hold and having an opponent escape.
In yesterday's Kali class we got to do some freestyle locks. An opponent would punch, and we'd counter it with whatever series of wrist locks, elbow locks, shoulder locks and other strikes we could think of. It's a great exercise, mostly because executing a lock at full speed requires a certain degree of calmness. A very necessary quality in fighting.
In Kali seminar the day before yesterday, we went over footwork. It turns out the Cha-Cha and the Waltz have more to do with gaining an advantage in fighting than I ever thought to even consider. An opponent is like a dance partner. By being able to match his rhythm, their defense can be more easily broken. That's when the strike comes. Also, once a fighter has his own rhythm mastered, striking on the beat of that rhythm becomes much more powerful. Especially in coordination with footwork.
I think I'm starting to ramble, but that's what this week was about. Rhythm, locks, and subtlety. Hopefully I'll be able to remember all this.
In Kali, the parry-check is about as fundamental as it comes. Both hands parry a strike, one after the other, then one hand "checks" the opponent. What I figured out is that in jujitsu ground-work the parry-check happens with both the hands and feet. Before an opponent has a grip on you in Jujitsu, parry-checking with the hands can be used to manipulate an opponent to some degree. Once inside an opponents grip, parry-checking is transferred to the feet.
The armbars and joint locks in jujitsu are a little different in Kali in that its more difficult to use an opponents momentum to get into the lock when you're grappling on the ground. However, in both cases the difference between a good joint lock and a bad one can be a matter of an unexpectedly small distance. An eighth of an inch might be the difference between a successful hold and having an opponent escape.
In yesterday's Kali class we got to do some freestyle locks. An opponent would punch, and we'd counter it with whatever series of wrist locks, elbow locks, shoulder locks and other strikes we could think of. It's a great exercise, mostly because executing a lock at full speed requires a certain degree of calmness. A very necessary quality in fighting.
In Kali seminar the day before yesterday, we went over footwork. It turns out the Cha-Cha and the Waltz have more to do with gaining an advantage in fighting than I ever thought to even consider. An opponent is like a dance partner. By being able to match his rhythm, their defense can be more easily broken. That's when the strike comes. Also, once a fighter has his own rhythm mastered, striking on the beat of that rhythm becomes much more powerful. Especially in coordination with footwork.
I think I'm starting to ramble, but that's what this week was about. Rhythm, locks, and subtlety. Hopefully I'll be able to remember all this.
posted by moluv at 3:12 PM
1 Comments:
Hi, I found your site while researching places to learn Kali here in the San Francisco Area. Could you tell me where I might take lessons?
nemajnsf@mac.com
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