THE GAP

 by Phillip Starr

As practitioners of various martial disciplines, we're all very familiar with what Bruce Lee termed, “the gap.” In the form of kung-fu that I teach, yiliquan, “the gap” is known as “mutual distance.” Simply put, it's the distance between you and your opponent. It's not a fixed thing; it's “unfixed” and constantly changing as you and your opponent move about, searching for that elusive opening in each other's defenses. Scores of martial arts practitioners have spent countless hours trying to find effective ways to “bridge the gap”, ways to successfully get within effective striking range without getting your dental structure rearranged in the process.

First, consider that there are two ways in which the gap can be bridged. The first way is to let the opponent bridge it for you. That is, you can either wait for him to attack or entice him to do so and then take advantage of the flaw in his defense. No matter what the opponent's attack may be, there's an opening in his defenses somewhere. This is why I say that all attacks are flawed. Of course, the key is finding and responding to the opening that occurs when he attacks. This requires a lot of practice with a partner. The window of opportunity will usually be very small, so you must be prepared to take advantage of it when it presents itself.

Of course, this “window” is much easier to see and exploit if you entice your foe into attacking. And whatever “bait” you use must be believable. I've seen some fighters attempt to con their opponents and induce an attack but the snare was just to obvious. It was easy to see that it was a bushwhack. And if the enemy sees that you've set up an ambush, he can readily turn the tables on you by acting as though he's about to attack in a certain way. When you begin to respond, he turns the tables on you, and...!

Regardless, you have caused your opponent to close the gap for you. Once that's done, you're on what I call “full tilt boogie” because both you and your antagonist are within each other's defensive perimeters. You can easily reach other and strike each other. There is no longer a gap.

The second way(s) of bridging the gap is to take advantage of the moment of “ko” (which means “hole” in Chinese but is more correctly referred to as “xu”, which means “unreality” or “false.” In Japanese it is referred to as “kyo.”). Again, you can wait for this moment to occur (and you may have a rather long wait if your enemy is a skilled fighter...and during that time, he may find a flaw in YOUR posture and attack) or you can actively induce it. I refer to these as the passive and active approaches, respectively. There are several of them and each must be studied and practiced individually. You'll eventually find one or two that seem to suit you and you must then strive to polish and master them.

The opposite of “xu” is “shi” (or “jutsu” in Japanese), which means “reality.” I refer to it as “full.” If your opponent is in this condition, he is physically, mentally, and spiritually prepared. To attack him would be foolish and dangerous, wouldn't it? Yet, I've seen countless martial arts practitioners, beginners and instructors alike, do exactly that. It would be akin to facing an enemy who has both guns pointed at you with the hammers cocked back. And you decide that you can draw your weapon and shoot him before he can squeeze the triggers? I don't think so...

However, if your enemy's physical posture is lacking, if he is mentally distracted in some way, if his spirit wavers momentarily and he loses the will to fight...these are all examples of “xi” or “ko” and there is an opening which, if your timing is sharp enough, you can exploit. It is a subject that is often ignored by martial artists but it should be studied in minute detail.

The various types of “xu” are discussed in detail in my book, “MARTIAL MANEUVERS.” If you don't already have a copy, save up your beer money and get one!