One of the things that many people find boring/tedious about traditional martial arts is their focus on what appear to be small or insignificant details e.g., a block should see the arm finish in an exact position, or when moving a foot, it should only move so far, and no farther forward etc. Trying to manage all of these seemingly small details can be mentally exhausting and may seem to be unachievable. Without constant practice, focus and discipline, it is. For some this process is appealing i.e., the striving for perfection is an inviting challenge, and for others the payback doesn’t come quick enough. One of the blessings and curses of Krav Maga is that it offers – at least initially – a very quick return e.g., I can have someone blocking, moving, and striking, in an “adequate” fashion very quickly, however if someone is satisfied by their performance at this “level” they will never progress. If they want to progress, they will need to be disciplined in their approach and pay attention to and focus on what may seem small details i.e., some of those things that traditional martial arts demand at the outset. Hopefully a practitioner will reach a point in their Krav Maga training where they are able to understand this; that whilst aggression can compensate for technical ability to a point, in order to improve and become a better fighter, there must be a focus on technical abilities and the development of skills. Unfortunately, there are those who believe that advancement comes through learning more “advanced” techniques e.g., practicing long barrel gun disarming equates to advanced training etc. In reality “advanced” is doing the basics better because it is these that provide the foundation for everything and are the things that you will most likely be relying on in a real-life confrontation. In this article I want to look at two things, basic foot movement and hand positioning, and why inadequacies in these areas can see practitioners come unstuck, especially when dealing with someone who knows how to exploit such vulnerabilities.

When I used to compete, one of the things I looked for at the very start of the fight was whether my opponent had consistent foot movement; when they stepped forward/advanced with their front foot, did their rear foot adjust by stepping exactly the same distance? Often people will not be consistent in this, and adjust by bringing the rear leg further forward, shortening their stance. The same is often true of those that do this when moving backwards. That is when they move their rear leg back, they will pull back their front foot/leg to a greater degree. Once again shortening their stance. This narrowing of stance creates a vulnerability that can be exploited via a double leg takedown/Morote-Gari. In a long and wide stance, it’s extremely difficult to get a strong enough grip on the legs to lift. When the legs come closer together this becomes much easier. Also, when the feet come closer together, a person’s center of gravity rises, and they become less stable. Often people with poor/inconsistent footwork create other opportunities e.g., they may sometimes take longer steps with their front foot than are necessary, allowing for their front foot to be stepped. With good consistent footwork these opportunities are generally denied. Another thing that inconsistent footwork creates is the inability to always be able to launch a powerful attack e.g., if an individual consistently moves the rear foot forward to a greater degree, after they move their front foot forward, they limit the power they can create when punching/striking. Part of power generation in striking comes from shifting weight in the direction of the strike/punch. If the distance between the legs is shortened, then this shift is reduced, reducing the power of the strike. If a good striking opportunity presents itself when a person has shortened their stance it will not be able to be fully exploited. Whilst a “Fighting Stance” isn’t something that is static i.e., if you’re not moving, you’re not fighting etc., it is a reference point to work from, and always moving to/through it as you fight means you will always be in a familiar position to exploit the opportunities that present themselves.

Another “inconsistency” I often see in training is where the hands are positioned when the arms/hands are in “guard” e.g., someone will start a strike/punch when the hand is in one position and then on retraction return it to another position. This often happens when someone “paws” a straight punch/strike like the cross or jab i.e., their punch doesn’t go in or come back in a straight line on the same level, but rather has at the end when connecting a circular motion resembling the way a cat “paws” an object. The issue with the hand returning to a different position is that there can be no consistency in punching/striking as the punch is always starting from a different position or has to return to the “original” position before being thrown. One easy way to increase hand/punching speed is to return the hand to the same position after blocking and striking etc. Obviously there will be times when this doesn’t make sense, such as blocking, and then striking with the same hand but as a general rule, moving the hands through, to and from, the same guard position will improve striking and blocking speeds etc., and give you a consistent reference point to work from.

Focusing on and refining footwork and hand positioning may seem like small and/or insignificant details however shortcutting them is likely going to result in hitting a plateau, and not being able to progress much further until addressed. If your footwork and movement isn’t consistent you will find your feet in positions that make it hard to strike/punch with full power and quickly adjust position in response to a change in an aggressor’s movement and position etc. Focusing on consistency may not be as fun or engaging as learning a “new” technique but in order to become a better fighter, it is a necessity.