Kevin O'Hagan | Articles

Self Defence

Keeping your head in a fight

Learning defences against a punch to the head is taught in just about every martial art and fighting system. Techniques go from the simple to the highly intricate.

Each art has its own ideas and methods. People who take up the martial arts are eager to learn these skills as punching attacks are probably the most commonly used street attack. But with all the theories and techniques at our disposal is it such a simple job to block , parry, trap, etc, and return a counter against a head punch.

I have been involved in the martial arts some 22 years now and have been teaching 11 of these. I have traveled around teaching and have made some observations on the subject.
Firstly l will state in a street situation when a verbal argument turns to physical, a seasoned fighter who knows how to set you up and is the master of the sucker punch will have hit you before you know it, unless you are also tuned in to how the street assailant will punch you.

If you don't know the signs and you are not switched on, all the techniques in the world will not help you. A hefty blow to the jaw chin or temple will have you all over the place if not down and out. I have found a lot of martial artists are practicing punch defences from an unrealistic distance, 4ft to 5ft away is not a realistic distance. A person will need to be at least 3ft or nearer to effectively throw a good punch and note so will you.
If you had 5ft distance, why be waiting to block counter you could use a stop hit as JKD people refer to, in this case a crushing low line kick to shin, knee or thigh, why root yourself to the spot and block. ln a street scenario very rarely do you get somebody spar up to you, ready to exchange blows .

The street thug doesn’t want to slug it out for 6 x 3 min rounds, he wants to separate you from your senses with one big shot, usually an overhand right, a wild swinging haymaker or a type of hook. He will not take a boxers stance, nor will he step back into classical stance, hand pulled back to hip.

He will verbally disarm you and take his shot from where he stands no ritualistic posing, just bang. You wont have time to step back into stance, anyway if you do you will be on the back foot and he will swarm you with punches. Remember he wont be imitating the famous one arm syndrome.

Where one punch is thrown and he freezes in place while you dismantle him. If his first shot misses or is blocked he will follow up with another and another.

Most classical blocking methods fall short when applied against a street puncher or boxer. Inner, outer and rising blocks become redundant, X blocks suicidal. Committed punches with body weight behind them and the opponent not holding back ;will crash through these blocks, taking into account if you even get time to attempt to use one, Live fighting is not rigid 1 2 3 motions, it is fast, furious and continual motion. ln regard to blocking in general, how ;many blocks do you see executed in a boxing match, how many have you seen in the no holds barred contest.

Even high level exponents of the hard Shotokan Karate style when competing in point karate tournaments are hardly ever seen using the classical blocks. This should tell you something,. In real punching range all you will have is instinctive reaction blocks or better termed as cover ups. The moves are reminiscent of how a boxer may cover up against blows, but just slightly modified. Lets take the first example, you are confronted by trouble and sense your aggressor is going to strike.

You should have stepped back into a small 45% stance, lets say left leg leading. Ideally if you feel an attack on your person is imminent, you should kick off with your own offensive attack but this may not always be possible for one reason or the other. So suddenly the attacker throws a big overhand right or hook.

You will have to bring your hands up instinctively , left hand covering the left side of your head. l call this a telephone block, the position resembles the way your hand arm is when holding the receiver of a phone to your ear.

The punch can be taken on the forearm or if it is hooking around, your biceps and shoulder can absorb the strike . The cover up is a natural reaction you don’t have to go into any sophisticated ritual before you execute it. People have lots of inbred reflex actions, that with the right training can be used without much conscious pre- thought.
For example, if somebody threw an object at you and shouted catch you just raise your hands and do it, no posture, fancy hand movement, etc, just natural reflex.

The same can be said if somebody shouted look out, or duck, your body naturally crouches without conscious effort. This is how the cover up block should be done, if you train it, it begins to make good sense. If performed correctly you should stop the blow but also be at a good distance to immediately counter. Make sure your non blocking hand is up in a guard position and not by the hip. With the hand up in guard you can instantly strike back or block another punch coming in.

What you follow up with is up to you and how you see fit, as long as your head is still on your shoulders you can fight back. Now if you were initially in the left stance and this time the aggressor threw a left hook, you can either bring up your right hand in the telephone block, or you can pivot your hips and come across to meet the punching arm with a modified double knifehand block with your left, smashing into their wrist and biceps, from there you can shoot back with a reverse knifehand to neck, hammerfist to jaw, slap to eardrum, elbow to jaw etc.

The important element is you haven’t changed stance, so if you face somebody and you don’t know if they are going to punch you with the right or left hand, you will have a chance because you are not shuffling your feet, looking for the correct stance. This principle was taught to me some 12 years ago by my then Ju Jutsu Instructor and it is one of the fundamental tactics of the Kempo Goshin Jutsu system I teach, it is common sense, but in my experience of teaching, very few others practice it, it is essential, to have any hope of blocking a punch.

Against a flurry of swings you should again cover up the head with the telephone blocks either side, then come up the ;middle with a knee strike to assailants groin body or head butt to the face, you will also be in a position of inside control to grapple or throw if you so wish.

Learning to duck or bobweave under a haymaking swing is worth practicing, you can evade the blow and come up on the outer side of the attacker to punch the ribs kidneys or go for the rear choke or strangle. also slipping and parrying straight punches over your shoulders is a smart but fairly advanced idea but again worth investing time in.

To learn how to effectively cover, slip, duck, etc, practice against a partner with the gloves on, start of easy, don’t blast away otherwise you do not develop the ;necessary technique, reflexes and confidence needed. don’t make the mistake of only punching in a sparring scenario, you must practice the face off, confrontational scenarios where nine times out of ten it will happen. work the drills, practice against the different punches and learn your different defences.

Gradually build up to full power shots and pressurize yourself. You will find how difficult stopping punches really is, you will probably stop more with your face when you start off. Other tips to consider when facing an aggressor and you feel he may attempt a punch are as follows, always try and maintain arms length distance, this will give you some chance of seeing the blow. try not to get your mind or attention distracted otherwise you will be sucker punched. don't go into stupid pre-fight rituals like standing head to head or splaying arms, hands on hips, puffing out the chest. these actions leave you no hope of defending whatsoever.

Also be aware of the pre-punch signs. Opponent may be wildly abusive, finger point, attempt to prod or push you . May suddenly go quiet, have a vacant stare or look this may be difficult to spot on some gorillas individuals, blood red face, veins protruding from temples or neck, clenching of fists, drop shoulders, draw back of arm, shift of bodyweight. these are just some of the many different approaches. Be aware of these things they are just as essential, if not ;more than your physical responses. remember the street thug will not stance up and start dancing around like Sugar Ray Leonard, These are not the things you should be looking for, or base all your punch training on.

You may be accosted in a telephone box, toilet cubicle, stairway, car etc. It probably wont be of your choice. You must accept these things and take them on board. In closing, the best defence is attack, and if you can launch a pre-emptive move even when you feel your life is threatened , do it, don’t delay and find yourself on the back foot. But if something goes wrong and you can't then by following the concepts outlined in this article you will be able to keep your head.

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