Self Defence and Taijiquan : which technique.

Discussion in 'Internal Martial Arts' started by Botta Dritta, Oct 27, 2015.

  1. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Oh wait, I just realised I wasn't making my own terminology clear.

    For the purposes of this discussion, I meant imminent to mean actually incoming - from clear telegraphing to your opponent having landed a technique.

    I was using that as opposed to "potential", where the threat is judged to be perceived, but cannot be objectively proven.
     
  2. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    No, sorry but I still just don't see it.

    If they are storming in toward your fence, they have initiated an assault and you are no longer doing anything pre-emptively. You are responding, no matter how much you stack the odds in your favour with positioning and technique. Adopting the fence was a pre-emptive defensive measure, but your opponent is deciding if, when and how to attack and you are relying on your own countering skill to nullify that.

    If you include verbals and physiological tells as "movement", then I suppose so, but that seems like an overly generous interpretation.

    Again, that Geoff Thompson video at 4'35" is the clearest example: he does adopt the fence, but does not wait for his opponent to even so much as take a step towards it - it goes straight from verbals to striking.
     
  3. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    You don’t have a good grip on the fence idea, go and train with Geoff or one of his few qualified teachers, watching youtube clips is helping you get it wrong because you are taking snippets and putting your own spin on it
    The fence is just as Hannibal said, a line in the sand, if he crosses, it looks like he is crossing it or has in your mind crossed it he has started first but you finish it. Where that line is, is up to you,
    Which is exactly the same as the Chinese saying he moves first you arrive first, the move can be verbal or physical
     
  4. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    So you are including speech as "movement". Okay.

    Like I said, I feel that's an overly generous interpretation, but okay, I can't argue with how you choose to interpret it. As I said to Dan Bian a few dozen posts ago, the interpretation is what is important, I just don't see how speech and movement are synonymous in this context, but whatever.

    As for the fence, that is a separate act to a pre-emptive strike. I haven't said that a pre-emptive strike cannot be launched from the fence, and in the examples in the video I posted the fence was adopted in both cases - but he initiated the strike in both examples before his opponent attacked, telegraphed, or moved into a position to attack. I've yet to read how a pre-emptive strike can occur after a physical assault has been initiated. That goes against the very definition of the word :dunno:
     
  5. Dan Bian

    Dan Bian Neither Dan, nor Brian

    I'm including perceived intention as "action".

    Also, I'm not talking about doing anything from "the fence".
     
  6. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Fair enough :)
     

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