LEARN TO FIGHT? DEPENDS ON HOW YOU TRAIN…

 by Phillip Starr

I’ve heard it countless times…”Taiji is useless for real fighting.” No, that’s not true. Remember that taijiquan was originally a martial art, designed specifically for combat. But I would temper my response by saying, “Taiji, AS IT IS TAUGHT TODAY, is useless for fighting.” So are a lot of other styles of martial arts.

Some arts and styles have been turned into mere sports. Others, like taiji, are primarily practiced nowadays as a means of improving and maintaining health. They're pretty much useless in actual self-defense BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY'RE PRACTICED AND TAUGHT. The fact is, if you want to learn how to fight – how to use your chosen martial discipline for actual combat – YOU HAVE TO TRAIN FOR IT.

There's a huge difference between formal 1-step routines, forms, and freestyle sparring and actual fighting. Such routines are intended to teach you how to apply the various techniques and body movements of your art, and promote the development of a sense of timing, They’re also used to help you refine and polish your techniques and movements, which are essential skills.

However, on the street, no one is going to step back several feet and adopt a classy fighting stance before they attack. This means that there's a huge difference between the distance(s) you use in sparring or 1-step and real hand-to-hand fighting. Punches and kicks won't be pulled short of contact and if you're hit, the aggressor isn't going to step back so you can get back on your feet!

This is not to say that 1-step and forms practice are useless. Not at all; they're critical for developing real skill IF YOU UNDERSTAND HOW THEY'RE INTENDED TO TRAIN YOU. Forms, for example, are TEMPLATES that are meant to teach you how to defend yourself. They are not simply a group of fixed postures that you seek to imitate in an actual fight! Combat is dynamic, not rigid. Use your forms as templates! If practiced correctly, they will teach about distance(s), timing...everything you need for developing real fighting skill. If practiced incorrectly, you're learning how to dance.

But simply practicing forms isn't enough. There are myriad training routines that must be incorporated into your practice; routines for developing real striking power (such as bag work and striking post training), timing, distancing, effective combinations, and so on. You have to TRAIN TO FIGHT! Two-person routines are extremely important; one-step routines that have the aggressor firing off realistic street attacks, including grabs and tackles, which are practiced at close range, from natural standing positions (not from some formal posture or fighting stance). You’ll quickly discover many differences between formal practice, sparring, and genuine “street tactics.” And you’ll have to make the necessary adjustments.

In short, if you want to learn how to fight, you must TRAIN FOR IT.