In Kung Fu San Soo, Don’t Become a Specialist

Hello and welcome to my Blog – Diary of a Kung Fu San Soo Black Belt. Today, I would like to talk about a tendency we have as people and how it relates to martial arts. In my training over the years, I have found the best tools for my bodies’ natural movements and worked hard on them for use to defend myself .

In Kung Fu San Soo, we learn thousands of techniques and lessons over time (high black belt level) that can be blended instantly into an attack (preferably) or a defense. As I have trained over time I have gravitated toward the lessons and techniques that have felt most comfortable for my own natural abilities. This is human nature, taking the path to least resistance ………. THIS IS BECOMING A SPECIALIST!

Once I actually, fully, incorporated that thought into my reality I began to go back into those “other” lessons and techniques that I had a hard time with and take a good look at them. I started to work on them, and take them apart, and adapt them into my current fighting personality. It was an awesome revelation and brought my motivation to learn and teach San Soo to an even higher level. I started to do this with my students as well and immediately noticed better skills and more self-confidence from them.

Don’t get me wrong, because when you are first starting out in martial arts, you need to know the basic fundamentals and principles of the art you are training in before you should try this and that takes time! As you develop a “Comfortable Style” over time you will come to know when to begin to step out of your comfort zone and bring in new things. It will re-awaken your world ……………

Happy Training!

Tony

The Importance of Hitting Your Targets

Hello, today I would like to spend some time talking about striking at your opponents most vulnerable targets. There are two schools of thought on this when it comes to martial arts.

Some arts teach you how to strike hard and fast for as long as you can. Their theory here is that you will overwhelm and eventually defeat your opponent through the shear power and volume of your striking.

Other arts believe that accurately hitting your opponent in vulnerable areas is the key to defeating him or her. In Kung Fu San Soo we are taught to strike with balance, leverage and power to vital areas of the body. We do this by working slowly and with accuracy when striking the vital targets of our training partners body. Over a period of time (years) it becomes second nature to position ourselves to effectively strike these targets.

We are also taught to strike our opponents so that we “set up” the body for the next strike, or combination of strikes to vital targets. This is were your leverage and power come in because if you hit a certain target you will know how and where your opponents body will move and can be ready to provide maximum power to your next strike to another vital organ or target.

A martial artist can be big, strong and powerful but if he is hitting you in places that do minimum damage then you still have a chance to subdue and neutralize his attack.

Some of the vulnerable areas of the body to hit are:

Front of The Body Knee Groin Bladder Liver Spleen Solar Plexus Sternum Heart Throat Jaw Hinge Nose Eyes Temple

Back of the Body Back of Knee Kidneys Center of Spine Trapezius Collar Bone Base of the Neck Base of the Skull

By knowing what areas of the body are most vulnerable to attack and striking at these targets in a systematic way you can eliminate any threat to yourself or your loved ones in an altercation. So, know your targets and practice hitting them often because the importance of correctly hitting your targets could one day save your life!

Until next time ……

Happy Training!

Tony