Rear and Side-Directed Attacks

Subject: Rear and Side-Directed Attacks Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:27 pm

Hi Dave,
Hope all is well with you and your family...

Just curious, awareness aside (which is definitely the primary strategy to avoid/avert them), what are your thoughts/teachings on rear and side-directed attacks? Do you address them as much as you do front-facing attacks?

Thanks and take care...

Best Regards,
Lito
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Subject: Re: Rear and Side-Directed Attacks Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:16 pm

Hi Lito ..fine thanks

Yes we do and feel that there's not enough emphasis placed on these type of attacks in many clubs/styles.

because of the great use of 'tai sabaki' (body management) we have in our system, we actually enjoy the training of being attacked from angles...

the principles however remain more or less the same as with frontal attacks..

1. Accept that the attack is actually happening
2. understand (through practise) what the opponent is intending, and thus understand his likely and unlikely positions and directions he must come in at.
3. where possible (even from the rear) go INTO the core of his attacking posture and his body to SHUT DOWN his planned move.

each and every attack will always have three 'sections'

the attackers INTENT .. what he has formulated in his mind.. a grab, a punch a kick whatever.

the APPROACH .. how he must come in towards you in order to make that attack happen

the ATTACK itself ... what he is physically doing.

once he has decided on a manouver, its hard for him to change.. so by constantly practising how attackers come in, you will have the counters in your 'tool box' as it were..

in some cases your physical abilities to 'duck' or avoid, will be greater, others less so..

therefore concentrate on 'cover and smother'.... use small but firm steps to re-position yourself whilst ATTACKING him....
cluster attacks will ensure at least one gets in..

with something like grab from the rear, a kind of 'jump' into a lower and more solid posture will take away a lot of the attacker's control over you....

re-establish solid but mobile contact with the ground and use all the 360 degrees available to you.

we train this by spending a lot of time on the actual countering footwork and body positioning WITHOUT the counters.. this puts into your minds the postures and positions you will need to be in to get the best power you can for any counter attack.

then when some skill is there in just moving (like a dance partner), we add the finishing moves always ensuring that reliance on something say like 'punches only' is driven from your mind and replaced with whatever would be the most efficient strikes for the angle of the attacker to you
It may be a turning hammer fist, a stepping in elbow, an angular head butt..whatever.. this is why we train and practise to find that best impact technique..

side and rear attacks may be more common as 'sneak attacks', as after alll for a frontal attack the opponent has to 'talk' his way close enough to throw a punch etc..
from the rear and the sides, he will usually not be announcing his attack as much...

so the acceptance from the defender will be later than from frontal attacks

yes very important and must be studied.