Self-Defense Tip 18

Non-contact systems vs. Knock-down systems

by Thomas Kurz, co-author of Basic Instincts of Self-Defense and author of Stretching Scientifically, Secrets of Stretching, and  Science of Sports Training.

To read the previous installment click here.

I just read an article—“The Night I Met Bruce Lee” by Chuck Sullivan in Blitz, October 1999 (vol. 13, no. 10, p. 38)—reporting an argument between Chuck Sullivan (9th dan Kenpo) and Ed Parker (Grandmaster of American Kenpo Karate, 10th dan) about what a person would do when struck with a forearm across midsection. I found it hilarious that two people with sky-high ranks argue about something anyone can just check during sparring.

This argument shows the ridiculousness of patronizing other than knock-down systems of striking arts. In a knock-down system students know what happens to a hit person because they hit and are being hit.

It is not easy to find a knock-down (popularly called full-contact) martial art school. I visited Edmonton, Alberta, this summer, and in this city of 800,000 people there are only two knock-down schools, although every school asked over the phone claimed they do full-contact sparring.

To find knock-down schools visit our links page: http://www.real-self-defense.com /links_sd.html

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