Junsado Fundamentals e-Book

June 6, 2014 by Sang H. Kim Featured

New Junsado e-Book Released

In Junsado Fundamentals, Standing and Ground Combat Sang H. Kim teaches you how to neutralize and destroy your opponent in standing and ground confrontations, including realistic, no-nonsense strategies against tackles, head locks, chokes, arm locks, punches, grabs, low kicks, sweeps, throws, pins and a variety of strikes.

Developed based on the popular Junsado videos and DVDS, along with valuable feedback from the Junsado practitioners from all over the world, this is the first book in the Junsado Essentials Series. Over 50 standing and ground combat scenarios take you through a wide range of possible attack and defense situations to improve your fighter’s instinct. In addition to demonstrating a practical defensive strategy, each scenario illustrates a key Junsado principle in action, building your ability to apply fighting principles across a wide range of situations.

Also included is a complete reference to the fundamental skills of Junsado, including: stance, open and closed hand strikes, elbow strikes, low kicks, knee strikes, takedowns, wrist, arm, elbow and shoulder locks and ground fighting skills.

Junsado, literally translated as The Way of Combat Expert, is known for its versatility and adaptiveness in fighting. It has its origins in late 1970s and early 1980s, created by Sang H. Kim during his service as a South Korean counter-intelligence agent. Today it is a dynamic and direct fighting style that can be applied to stand-up and groundfighting situations in the ring and on the street.

Junsado Fundamentals, Standing and Ground Combat ($5.99, over 650 full color photos) is available exclusively in e-book format for Kindle (Amazon.com), Android (Google Play store), Nook (Barnes & Noble), and iPad (Apple Store).

6 Headbutt Techniques for Striking Vital Targets

December 11, 2014 by Sang H. Kim

Headbutting is illegal in most sports competitions, but in a self-defense situation, when your hands are tied up or you are in a clinch, your head may be the only weapon you can use.

The head is a vulnerable target, yet a dangerous weapon in fight.

A headbutt causes visceral pain that can instantly unlock a grip, make inroads, knock out, or change the tide of a confrontation. It shocks the inside of the brain. It doesn’t discriminate on size. It can incapacitate the body. Let’s take a look at why it works, where to strike, and how to do it. This blog is adapted from ‘Vital Point Strikes: The Art and Science of Vital Target Striking for Self-defense & Combat Sports‘.

Why Headbutt

As a weapon, the head is better used for thinking than for striking, however when you have no other options, a headbutt can be a lifesaving technique. The element of surprise is critical to headbutting. Generally, the headbutt is a technique that you can use once in a fight, so if you choose to use it, make it count.

How To Headbutt

From a natural stance, tuck your chin down, clench your teeth, and stiffen the neck muscles. Aim and snap your head toward the target. For more power, use your body weight. Keep your eyes on your opponent at all times. Because of the sensitive nature of the brain, which can be damaged by repeated impact, practicing headbutting is not recommended.

CAUTION: Begin to practice finding the spots on your face with your hands by gently pressing and monitor the effects carefully. Be aware that a vital point strike can render a person unconscious, paralyze some parts of the body and even cause death. Never practice full power or full pressure strikes on a partner and always use common sense when practicing.

Major Targets

1. Cheek Bone-Orifice (ST03, the yellow dot in the photo below right); 2. Nose (GV25, the white dot); 3. Eyebrow (EX-HN4, the blue dot); 4. Upper Middle Mandibular joint (ST07, the red dot); 5. Temple area (EX-HN5, the green dot); 6. Solar Plexus (CV15, not shown in the photo).

Abbreviation: ST=Stomach Meridian; GV=Governing Vessel Meridian; EX-HN=Extra Head & Neck Point; CV=Conception Meridian.

Junsado Vital Point Strikes by Sang H. Kim

The face is rich with glands, plexus of nerve bundles, and nerve branches that are directly connected with the central nervous system in the brain and the vagus nerves in the stomach.

Scenario 1

Straight headbutt to the Cheek Bone-Orifice (ST03) not only shocks the nerves in the brain but also the sensory receptors in the stomach, causing nausea and disorientation.

Straight headbutt to the Cheek Bone (ST03, the Great Bone-Orifice)

Scenario 2

A headbutt to the nose (GV25) shocks the brain through the external nasal nerve, the branch of the trigeminal nerve, causing excruciating pain, and can seriously damage the assailant’s nose and mouth.

A headbutt to the nose (GV25) drastically intensifies the sensory signals to the brain via the nasal nerve, causing pain and confusion.

Scenario 3

Rather than striking a concussive blow, use your head to push on the Eyebrow (EX-HN4) and force the opponent to move away from you. Or snap with the strong side of your forehead on the ridge at the top of the eye socket.

Headbutt to the Eyebrow (EX-HN4) can cause cuts that will bleed profusely, obstructing the assailant’s vision.

Scenario 4

The mandibular joint is a key facial structure for chewing and speaking. It also plays a critical role in counterbalancing the head and neck. Striking the upper inner mandibular joint (ST07) not only causes pain that spreads over the head and face (there is a huge membrane called the Parotid gland surrounded by three branches of facial nerves underneath) but also diminishes the sense of balance.

Headbutt to the upper inner mandibular joint (ST07) causes pain and numbness and imbalance.

Scenario 5

While pressing the middle of the forearm (LI11, Pool at the Bend) with your thumb and striking the groin with your left hammer fist, deliver a headbutt to the Temple area (GB4-8, the V-shaped area packed with vital targets) to shock the opponent into releasing his grip. (Abbreviation: LI=Large Intestine Meridian)

The temple area is rich with nerves (GB4-8). When you strike the opponent’s groin with your hammer fist and bend your torso sharply forward, his head naturally drops forward. To avoid striking his nose on the back of your head, he will turn his head to the side, and you can strike his temple with the rear top corner of your head.

Scenario 6

When there is a sudden totally unexpected change in the environment, we have a tendency to inhale. When the opponent grabs your wrist, relax your muscles initially, then suddenly rotate your wrists inward and open the gap. As he inhales, strike the solar plexus (CV15) with your head. A well placed headbutt can stop his breathing.

A headbutt strike to the solar plexus (CV15) or the sternum (CV17) is a classic close-quarter martial skill.

Bottom Line

The head is a vulnerable target and thus a headbutt is dangerous to use in fighting. However, due to the hardness of the skull, when applied correctly, a headbutt is a powerful technique that may stop an aggressive opponent in a desperate situation. The key is to close the distance and to use the hard part of the forehead to strike a soft target such as the nose or temple.

Junsado Ground Kicks

November 20, 2014 by Sang H. Kim

Ground kicks are versatile weapons in a fight. Especially in an unexpected and unintended situation like falling or sitting. Unexpected as it is, the situation may work against you, but switching the view other way around, you can change the odds. So be the cause of the unexpected change.

To increase your ground fighting skills, diversify your ground kicks by mixing front, side, and hook kicks aimed at multiple targets such as the ankle, shin, kneecap, groin, and rear knee joint.

Ground kicks are used to keep the standing opponent at bay, to attack the body parts that are most essential for mobility, to diminish his access to you by injuring his joints, or to end a fight by powerfully kicking a fallen opponent. Below are three essential Junsado ground kicks that are easily adaptable to various fighting situations.

1. Ground Front Kick

Junsado Ground Front Kick is versatile weapon to attack the groin, stomach, face, and other body parts that are essential for mobility.

Function: Use a ground front kick to keep a standing opponent at bay when you are on the ground.

Method: Plant your hands on the floor on both sides of your hips. Bend your supporting knee and stretch your kicking leg half-way out toward the opponent’s knee. For repeated kicks, keep your hips off the ground while moving around, like a crab, to adjust your body position according to his movement.

Major Targets: shin, kneecap, thigh, groin

Key Points: It is not wise to stay on the ground in any fight, except perhaps in a sport fighting tournament that has rules and a referee. In reality, you should get up as quickly as you can and keep yourself mobile. Run away as early as possible in the fight, especially if there are multiple attackers. However, if fighting from the ground becomes inevitable, you should know how to survive. The first goal is to damage the lower limbs of the attacker while assessing your exit strategy. Be like a little animal that would bite anyone who comes near. The secondary goal is to take him down and then get up to run away.

2. Ground Side Kick

Junsado Ground Side Kick is a good skill to stop an incoming opponent or to strike the neck and head of a fallen opponent.

Function: Use the ground side kick to stop a standing opponent from approaching you on the ground.

Method: Put both hands on the ground on the opposite side as your kicking leg, kneel on the supporting leg, turning your body sideways, and kick to the side with the blade or the bottom of your foot.

Major Targets: kneecap, shin, thigh, head

Key Points: Use the wide blade and the bottom of your foot as a weapon by turning it horizontally to push at the opponent’s vertically standing legs. Or kick the torso or head of a fallen opponent to prevent him from engaging in grappling with you. Adjust your body position as the situation evolves to accomplish three goals: keep him at bay, inflict pain, and run away.

3. Ground Hook Kick

Junsado Ground Hook Kick is highly effective in pinpointed striking at the groin and knee joint.

Function: Use the ground hook kick to take down or knock down a standing opponent from the ground.

Method: Put both hands on the ground on the opposite side of your kicking leg. Kneel on the supporting leg, turning your body sideways. Chamber your upper leg and kick with the instep at the opponent’s groin or rear knee.

Major Targets: rear knee, groin

Key Points: The ground hook kick is less effective for keeping an opponent at bay but highly effective in pinpointed striking at the groin and knee joint. It is also a good choice for striking the neck and head (of a fallen opponent). To increase your success rate, diversify your ground kicks by mixing front, side, and hook kicks aimed at multiple targets such as the ankle, shin, kneecap, groin, and rear knee joint. Once you have inflicted serious pain or damage on a particular vital area, for example the calf, then focus your attack on that area to take the opponent down. If he blocks, attack elsewhere, then resume attacking that same spot with renewed intensity.

This article is an excerpt from Junsado Fundamentals, Standing and Ground Combat.

Junsado Fundamentals, Standing and Ground Combat ($5.99, over 650 full color photos) is available exclusively in e-book format for Kindle (Amazon.com).

5 Benefits of Flexibility for Powerful Vital Point Strikes

September 17, 2014 by Sang H. Kim

The elements for power are many: your body mass, striking speed, the distance to the target, range of motion, muscular strength, etc. Flexibility, among other elements in my opinion, is the king of all for the following reasons:

Flexibility allows you to relax a bit under stress. Knowing that you can reach a certain distance helps you be in calculated perspective, which in turn gives you advantage of clarity in thinking and prioritizing in strategy.
Flexibility provides you with wider options for targets to strike. You have a greater range of vital points to cover from wherever you are.
Flexibility leads you to the spontaneous mode of the mind-set, a sense of relaxed focus. You are able to wait and strike as a situation occurs.
Flexibility lessens your energy consumption.
Flexibility affords you to a have a greater range of motion, which is the essential portion of power production.

How To Maximize the Potential of Your Joints in Ground Fighting

September 12, 2014 by Sang H. Kim

Your initial response is the key to success in ground fighting. Your first move sets the tone of the fight. It affects what techniques follow and eventually who dominates. Many of the Junsado responses to being pinned or immobilized on the ground rely on your initial movement as a defender.

For example, when you make your body smaller or draw your limbs into your center, you not only control your body better and conserve energy, but also make yourself less vulnerable by reducing the number of exposed vital targets. As a defender, particularly on the ground, it is critical to draw your knee and elbow closer together toward the center of your body to protect yourself, collect your inner force, and strike powerfully when needed. Bending the large joints and drawing the limbs in toward the center of the body creates three potential advantages: control, range of motion and twisting force.

Control

On the ground, keeping your arms bent and close to your body increases your control and reduces the opportunities for your opponent to control you. For example, if you keep your arm straight, your opponent will likely try to lock it or break it (1). When you keep your arms bent, with your elbows close to your body, you not only defend against an arm lock, you put yourself in a strong position for twisting, pulling, pushing, or resisting (2). From this position, you can put your entire body weight into your techniques by using your legs and torso to initiate and follow through without losing control of your body as well as the situation (3).

Range of Motion

The greater the range of the motion in an arm or leg, the greater force you generate. By bending your knees or elbows, you put yourself in a good starting position for a strike, kick, push or thrusting movement. Bent joints store potential power. For example, when you are flat on your back with your legs outstretched, it is impossible to lift your body more than a few inches off the ground. But if you bend your knee, drawing your foot close to your hip and planting your foot on the ground, you are in a position to powerfully push off the ground and thrust your hip and torso upward. The same is true of your arms. By drawing your arms in close to your torso with your elbows bent, you create the possibility of striking or pushing the opponent over a greater range of motion than if your arms were already partially extended.

Twisting Force

When escaping from a lock, pin or hold, a twisting movement is generally easier to apply than a straight line movement. The same is true of takedowns; it is usually easier to take an opponent down by rotating your own body and whipping the opponent around it than by throwing him straight down. When a takedown utilizes a torquing action, it mitigates the resistance of the major muscles and joints of the opponent’s body and allows you to take him down with less work. In grappling against a bear hug for example, if you try to escape by going straight down or directly forward, it is nearly impossible to be successful, especially when the opponent is stronger than you are.

However, if you lower your body while twisting downward at a fifteen-degree angle, you have a better chance of escaping. By doing so, you create more sensory demands for your opponent to process, increasing his distraction and your control. More importantly, the twisting action often creates a throw or takedown in the direction of his blind spot because the twisting motion produces an angular or diagonal movement trajectory. Taken together, a twisting motion can provide you with pivotal advantages to maximize your potential while mitigating the opponent’s strength.

Forging Force

In wrestling against a bigger opponent or untangling a lock on a vulnerable body part, such as the neck, it is useful to use your entire body as leverage. For example, as your opponent chokes your neck with his right arm from the front, it is hard to escape using your hands alone. In this case, you can forge his arm to your body by pulling it down against your upper chest and then twist your torso to manipulate his arm. Since your torso has greater weight behind it, you can generate greater impact on the joint of his arm when you rotate your entire body.

This article is an excerpt from Junsado Fundamentals, Standing and Ground Combat.

Junsado Fundamentals, Standing and Ground Combat ($5.99, over 650 full color photos) is available exclusively in e-book format for Kindle (Amazon.com).

Using the Head-Pelvis Axis to Increase Your Power

June 17, 2014 by Sang H. Kim

There are five movement principles in Junsado to help you maximize the speed and power of your fighting skills. These principles also provide points of evaluation to help you assess your performance, providing critical feedback to measure the fidelity of your movement and to determine what you can eliminate. Below is the first of the five Junsado movement principles:

Head-Pelvis Axis

For fighting purposes, the body can be divided into three regions: the head/torso region, the legs and the arms. Each of the regions has both major and minor parts. The hands and feet are the minor parts of their respective regions, while the legs and arms are the major parts. The same is true of the head (minor part) and the torso (major part). Together, however, the head and torso make up the most important power source in the body.

Correct alignment of your head and pelvis is central to containing and mobilizing the force waiting to be unleashed from your body.

Mechanically, the head and torso work together as the axis of power when we move. Imagine a line running from the center of your pelvis to the crown of your head. You can generate significant force in every technique along this axis. Your legs support the axis while transmitting force up from the ground through the upper body. Your arms and hands are the tools that deliver the force via the axis; your chin and forehead stabilize your posture.

The head-pelvis axis (HPA) runs through the center of the body (the red bar). The HPA is supported and controlled by the lower limbs (the white bars). Jointly, they augment the force of the arms and head (the black bars).

In twisting, the head-pelvis axis drives the arms for striking or grappling. Rotating your entire body along the head-pelvis substantially adds more force than simply striking or pulling with your arms. When moving forward or backward, the head-pelvis axis is the root of power in both pulling and pushing. The head-pelvis axis unites the power of your legs with the weight of your entire body, allowing you to move a much heavier opponent than you could by pulling or pushing with only your arms.

The key to applying the power of the head-pelvis axis is controlling the alignment of your head and torso.

To find the correct alignment, stand in fighting stance with your chin tucked slightly down so that the crown of your head is aligned with the center of your pelvic floor. Your spine should be neither upright nor hunched. Tilt your upper body slightly forward while relaxing your shoulders, keep both knees bent, and poise your body as if you are about to take off running. This creates a dynamic stance, in which your body is ready to be unleashed.

A properly-formed head-pelvis axis enables you to better control the speed and power in your techniques, delivering maximum impact to your opponent, by helping you contain the intrinsic potential power of the torso. Proper alignment of your body, therefore, is the key to establishing your physical center, creating a balanced foundation from which to launch your techniques.

You also gain economy of motion because you can employ long- or short-range attacks without changing your stance or using additional preparatory techniques. You simply shift your weight to the back and front to attack or defend as needed, without breaking the balance and force structure of your current posture.

This natural containment of your power not only makes you stronger but also reduces telegraphing when initiating techniques. Most importantly, when you have a strong head-pelvis axis, you project an image of discipline, strength and confidence that intimidates opponents even before the fight begins.

Practical Applications of Head-Pelvis Axis

Rotating your entire body along the head-pelvis adds substantially more force than simply striking or pulling with your arms.

Tilt your upper body slightly forward while relaxing your shoulders, as if your body is ready to be unleashed.

A properly-formed head-pelvis axis enables you to better control the speed and power in your techniques, delivering maximum impact to your opponent.

This article is an excerpt from Junsado Fundamentals, Standing and Ground Combat.

Junsado Fundamentals, Standing and Ground Combat ($5.99, over 650 full color photos) is available exclusively in e-book format for Kindle (Amazon.com).

Junsado Defense Against Tackling

June 11, 2014 by Sang H. Kim

Junsado Fundamentals, Standing and Ground Combat is a comprehensive book on fighting, with an emphasis on effectively neutralizing and destroying your opponent in either standing or ground confrontations. Using training scenarios, it presents unconventional defenses against tackles, head locks, chokes, arm locks, punches, grabs, low kicks, sweeps, throws, pins and a variety of strikes.

Sample standing combat scenario:

Against Tackling

A fighter who attempts to tackle you is either an expert at ground fighting or is very inexperienced. The key to defending against a tackle is to redirect the assailant’s lunging force off your centerline. Once you pivot your body off the centerline, you are less likely to be knocked backward. If your opponent is large and powerful, counterattack to a vulnerable area like the head or neck to disorient him.

Situation: Lunging for Tackling

Tackling Defense: Evade – Takedown – Headlock

How to Defend:

1. As your opponent rushes in to tackle you, put your hands between the two of you and lower your posture.

2. Grab his hair or the top of his head with one hand and his chin with the other hand.

3. Use your grip on his head and chin to steer his body in the direction he is moving until you have solid control over his head. Then swiftly pivot your body away from him to spin him down to the ground.

4. As he falls, maintain your hold on his chin and head, flexibly adapting to the changing intensity of his fall.

5. When he lands, kneel on one knee behind him and secure his head in your arms.

6. Tilt his head downward to intensify pain in the neck and reduce his opportunities to strike you with his hands or feet.

Caution: This head twist is extremely dangerous and can cause damage to the cervical spine in the neck. Use caution when practicing this with a partner, never applying the twist forcefully in practice, and only use this technique in self-defense when justified.

Key Points:

When the opponent pushes you, pull his body in the direction he is already propelling himself. This will confuse and distract him. Then as you move your body out of the line of his attack, lower your stance and change the trajectory of the force. His body will continue moving as you yank his head in a different direction, causing him to fall. It is important to apply the headlock as soon as he lands, before he orients himself and recovers his balance to mount a counterattack.

The scenarios presented in Junsado Fundamentals, Standing and Ground Combat are offered as examples of how to use Junsado skills in actual combat, but they aren’t meant to cover every possible action or reaction that could occur in a fighting situation. They’re simply intended to be used as a method of arranged practice to facilitate learning the fundamental skills. As you repeatedly practice scenarios like the example above, your body will adapt and internalize the skills, making them your own. Once you’ve mastered the practice scenarios, your goal is to move on to free practice, applying the skills in increasingly less structured situations so you can use them at will.

The above instruction is an excerpt from Junsado Fundamentals, Standing and Ground Combat.

Force Principles of Martial Arts Combinations

November 6, 2013 by Sang H. Kim

The following article is a direct excerpt from the book Combat Strategy: The Way of the Warrior

Combinations vary according to the force you apply. Force is an internal characteristic that is defined by the direction you move, and is not readily evident to an observer. It can be obvious, as in unified force combinations or deceptive as in opposing force combinations.

Unified force combinations

Unified force combinations are groups of skills that apply continuous force in a single direction. Every strike serves to magnify the effect of the previous one. Strikes can be the same such as a flurry of punches to the body or they can be diverse like a variety of linear and circular kicks aimed at the legs of the opponent.

Unified force combines high-low-middle approaches to linear and circular attacks with all parts of the body. The only qualifying factor is that every blow will deliver its force in the same direction as the previous one. This serves to punish the opponent in one area and wear him down. Unified force combinations are effective in prolonged combat because they provide a greater effect over time. Some examples of unified force combinations are:

Throwing by gripping the opponent’s shoulders and pulling to the right with your right hand and pushing to the right with your left hand
Right backfist to the head and left knife strike to the neck followed by right elbow strike to the jaw
Left backfist to the face and right hook kick to the knee followed by right back fist to the face

Circular force combinations

Circular force combinations are combinations that apply force that rotates around an axis. The axis is located at a point on your body, as close to your center of gravity as possible. The force is then directed to the target by two terminal points on your body, usually your hands or feet. The resulting effect is the magnification of both applications of force.

The first application of force, whether by striking or grappling, will always intensify the second. In striking, the second strike is intensified by the centripetal force generated by the first. For example, a backfist to the face, followed by a hook kick to the leg and a back kick to the groin will create a continuous 360 degree circle with one technique leading directly into and intensifying the next. Continue reading →

Self-defense: The 5 Stages of a Confrontation

November 6, 2013 by Sang H. Kim

I am a lifetime marital artist and former combat instructor in Special Forces. I have developed, written and taught combat and self defense courses around the world to more than 100,000 students and instructors. Even after more than 35 years of experience in martial arts training and combat survival experiences, every time I enter an unknown environment, I always question myself on “What if…”

No matter how experienced you are in the martial arts or how confident you feel in defending yourself, awareness is a far more powerful weapon than any other skills you practice in the training hall. Don’t be an easy prey. Watch for signs that signal danger during the following stages of interacting with a potential assailant.

Stage#1: Approaching

Approaching is the first sign of potential danger. An assailant may walk toward you casually, follow you from behind or jump out of nowhere. This is the time for you to prepare for avoiding the assailant or running away.

Remember: Don’t Run Away from Danger; Run to Safety. You don’t need to beat or defeat an assailant – there are no winners in self-defense. Your only goal is to escape safely.

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Stage#2: Closing

If you feel even slightly uncomfortable about a person approaching you, do not allow the assailant to get closer than 5-6 feet. If necessary, give a stern verbal warning such as “Stop there” or “Don’t come any closer.” Continue reading →

Take Control with Wrist Locks

November 6, 2013 by Sang H. Kim

Wrist locks are the most useful techniques in subduing your opponent. Often you may encounter situations in which you cannot throw kicks or punches at all but you must take the other party under control. Wrist manipulation is one of the ultimate methods in subduing and controlling locks. Since the wrist is full of vital points, once you know how to do the techniques properly, you can take complete control of attackers without causing permanent damage. Wrist locks are especially good for law enforcement officers.

There are four ways of controlling the wrist: straight, reverse, lateral, and hooking angles. There are four ways of controlling the direction of you and your opponent’s movement: forward, backward, lateral, and spiral paths. Whether you manipulate the wrist in a standing position or on the ground, you can apply the same principles to subdue your opponent.

You need to develop strength of your thumb and fingers along with your forearm muscles in order to be effective. You can develop them by specific training methods such as weight training and sand bag pressing.