When you can't fight

You know, every martial arts instructor has those little things that they often say and every student knows them by heart.

Well, I've been thinking about what I wanted to do with the Martial Arts section of my blog. I'm not knowledgeable enough to write a weekly (or even monthly) column on something related to the arts, so I decided to just begin using it as a way to keep track of these little things that I hear from an instructor, read in a magazine or whatever hits me.

This week, we discussed a self-defense technique that was designed to knock the wind out of an attacker. Many people asked if this was the appropriate move (as opposed to snapping the guys neck for example). My instructor explained that this was a very valid option especially given the scenario that he had outlined.

Then he went into his explanation of why:

If you can't breath, you can't fight.
If you can't walk, you can't fight.
If you can't see, you can't fight.

This response takes away the opponent's ability to breath, even if it is only temporary. During that time, it will be difficult if not impossible for the opponent to fight and it gives you ample time to do whatever else needs to be done (i.e., leave the area).