LANDING A HIT?

 By Phillip Starr

Bruce Lee frequently used to refer to “landing a hit.” Just what did he mean, anyway? Actually, when used as he used it, a “hit” is a term used in fencing (which he studied) and it means to land a blow on the opponent and subsequently score a point. It doesn't quite compare to what the Japanese call “ikken hissatsu.” Ikken Hissatsu (一拳必殺) is a term used in traditional karate, meaning "to annihilate at one blow". This, however, does not mean that any clash can and should be resolved with the use of only one stroke, but it conveys the spirit that the karateka must utilize.

Traditionally, according to various practical applications of kata, karate was modeled so that a person could face more than one opponent simultaneously. However, with the advent of sports karate, this characteristic has been ignored, thus de-emphasising Ikken Hissatsu.

Actually, the term originated from Japanese swordsmanship, wherein the objective is to kill the enemy in a single stroke. In karate, however, the same objective is sought. Arduous training is required to effectively attain such a technique. It isn't something that can necessarily be achieved quickly, it requires that the practitioner develop a high level of skill in generating shock (what I call “body shock”) with his technique.

Some percussive martial arts (most of which are Chinese) emphasize the speedy delivery of multiple blows and their adherents strive to be able to execute many strikes/punches as quickly as possible. Of course, the problem is that such techniques cannot, according to the laws of physics and kinesiology, individually carry much power. The idea is to cause a cumulative effect so that the enemy finally succumbs to the rapid-fire delivery of multiple blows.

This is in contrast to martial arts systems that aim to disable or kill an enemy in a single blow. I remember one of my older classmates (who was at least 10 years older than me) bragging that he could punch me 4-5 times in the space of one second. My teacher overheard his not-so-veiled threat and walked over and remarked, “But I would need to punch him only once.” The braggart wisely ended the conversation at that point. My teacher believed in the old idea of “one shot per customer”...

This isn't to say that those who believe in the ikken hissatsu idea place all their faith in a single technique; they're prepared to deliver follow-up blows if necessary. But each follow-up blow will carry enough power to destroy the enemy. Because they carry so much power, combinations of such techniques will naturally be a bit slower than those that contain less power. Their practitioners hope that the enemy will ultimately go down under their cumulative effect.

I sometimes compare the difference between the two as that of shooting at someone with a .22 and a .44 or .45 caliber handgun. If the larger caliber bullet hits the enemy (pretty much anywhere), he'll bloody well stay hit. The .22 is a different story, although I'd rather not be shot with a bullet of any kind...