by Keith Pascal
 

 

Wouldn't it be great if whenever someone checked your elbow, you had a reaction that shot out quickly and efficiently?

That's what we were talking about in the last article.

I have a more direct response that is easier to practice and easier to execute. As a bonus, if you are checked above the elbow and feel that straightening your arm into a strike wouldn't help, the following technique will solve "some" of your problem.

Can you guess what's a very efficient response to an elbow check?

Answer: a shin or knee kick.

 

 

Simple and Elegant

Do you feel cheated by the answer? Were you expecting a fancier response?

The kick is simple and elegant.

The key is to make this reaction automatic -- and fast.

Get a partner. Have him (or her) put on solid leg protection.

You elbow to the face, slow enough that your partner can check or block you at the elbow. The specific technique doesn't matter.

The instant, and I mean the instant, you feel your elbow stop motion from a check, you lash out with a low kick.

In fact, your kick should start even before your opponent completely stops your elbow. You feel the 'start' of the elbow check and you kick.

 

 

Why a Low Kick?

Why do I like the low kick as a response to an upper-body check?

Easy. If you kick hard enough and fast enough, that one "lowly" kick will open up a bunch of possibilities ... up top.

And as soon as you feel the release, you know what to do ...

Elbow strike again.

      or

Extend your arm into a different strike, as discussed in the above article.

A final thought: If you practice this response to automaticity, you'll have an efficient tool. Use the "new pair of pliers" (your low kick) to loosen your opponent's upper-body response whenever you run into resistance.

 

 

 

Bonus Article:

Beware the 'Weight-Shift' Telegraph on The Above Technique

 

by Keith Pascal

Even when folks try the above response kick, it sometimes seems painfully slow to me.

Why?

There is a specific telegraph of motion that I have noticed. No matter how fast the person thinks he or she is kicking, it seems slow to martial artists who know what signs to look for that a kick is about to happen.

I have noticed that when the elbow is checked or blocked, the weight shifts, and then the kick is fired off.

The weight shift -- a little drop of one side of the hip -- is a "tell." It telegraphs the intent to move.

Eliminate this weight shift by ... shifting your weight ahead of time.

In other words, practice kicking with the foot that doesn't have the weight on it.

You have two choices ... either learn to kick with both feet equally, or always have your weight on the non-kicking leg in a in-fight. Realistically, you only need to be solidly positioned for the initial contact.

In other words, you can shift your weight all you want, as long as it's not telegraphing your kick at the instant of response.

If you are interested in other telegraphs, there is an entire chapter devoted to the subject in:

      "Coin Snatching: The Reputation Builder"

 

And even though we are talking coin snatching and switching, I guarantee that these telegraphs come right out of the world of martial arts. (How do you think I got fast?)

Take a look:

www.CoinSnatching.com