Tag Archives: junsado

Junsado Ground Kicks

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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.

Junsado Ground Kicks

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

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

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

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).

Using the Head-Pelvis Axis to Increase Your Power

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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.

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).

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.

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

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

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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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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

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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.

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).

New Junsado e-Book Released

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New Junsado e-Book Released

In the new e-book, 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.

 

JSD Book coverDeveloped 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).

Force Principles of Martial Arts Combinations

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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.

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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:

  1. 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
  2. Right backfist to the head and left knife strike to the neck followed by right elbow strike to the jaw
  3. Left backfist to the face and right hook kick to the knee followed by right back fist to the face

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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

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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

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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.

Junsado Wristlock Sang H. Kim

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.

Wristlock3 Junsado Sang H

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.

If you want to learn wrist lock techniques, the Wrist & Arresting Locks video contains techniques from the most basic grip to advanced techniques such as arm bar, wing twist, pinion on the ground to immobilizing the opponent completely. Sang H. Kim explains every step of the training very thoroughly.

Arresting Locks and Compliance Holds

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Arresting techniques are very different from the usual fighting techniques that you use against an opponent. When you compete or fight for self-defense you and your opponent are on equal footing. However, in arresting, you cannot be in equal to your opponent. You should always be one or two steps ahead in thinking and positioning. You should be able to move in properly before your counterpart figures out what your next move is. By the time your opponent realizes what you are doing, you should already been in control of him.

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The knowledge of arresting locks opens up a new insight into the vulnerability of the techniques that your opponent might use. When you know arresting locks, you can take control of the situation no matter what an attacker might throw at you. They also enable you to take immediate control of your attacker’s weapon if necessary and use it against him.

There are three positions that you want to move into to arrest your counterpart: behind him, on the side of him, or take him to the ground while you remain upright. Once you secure one of these positions you should be able to control his joints in various ways so that you don’t lose control over him until you have completely immobilized him.

Arresting locks are effectively applied to both empty handed attackers and armed attackers. Since the arresting locks are geared to manipulating the body into inescapable positions, once you know how to do the techniques properly, you can take complete control of attackers without causing permanent damage.

Here are a few suggestions to enhance your knowledge of locking up your opponent with ease. Continue reading →

Knife Defense: Advantages of Simplicity

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The following article is based on the principles and techniques taught in the Knife Defense videos.

Much has been written  about the effectiveness of one system or another in a realistic or “street” situation. Many styles claim to be scientifically designed or to have secret techniques to defeat even the toughest of opponents, including armed assailants. Yet when it comes to an assailant armed with a knife, you don’t need to learn a lot of fancy, secret techniques, you only need to remember four simple options. In an armed confrontation, basic is best and the most direct techniques are the ones that will give you the opportunity to walk away when it’s over.

Four Choices, One Result

When faced with a weapon, you have four choices: retreat, lateral inside close, lateral outside close or pass by. Each of these initial movements allows you to shorten the distance between you and your opponent. Once you get close, you can apply the defense of your choice. If you prefer kicking, you can use a kick. If you prefer locking, you can apply a lock. If you prefer grappling, you can take your opponent to the ground. But to use any of these skills, you first have to get close to your attacker. Or run. Fast.
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Retreat: Cowardice or Foresight

To retreat is generally seen by the opponent as a sign of cowardice. You are too afraid to fight or you are unable to match your opponent’s strength, so you step back to avoid being drawn into a confrontation. However, the retreat can be a smart initial move since it gives you a chance to measure your attacker’s seriousness and prepare a strategy. And there is always the chance that when you signal a retreat, your attacker will back off enough to let you escape. This is, of course, the safest and most intelligent way to defeat an armed attacker. It is also the least likely outcome. Continue reading →

7 Principles of Knife Combat

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The following article is based on the principles and techniques taught in the Knife Defense videos. It is intended to give a brief overview of the central tenet of knife combat for the experienced martial artist. This article is for educational purposes only.

Many years have passed since my last mission as a special agent in the military. Looking back, I find something valuable from what I learned in the training Academy. My combat instructor T. Kim used to scream at us during the grueling knife-fighting training sessions, “Once engaging, do not run away from your opponent, get closer to him! Dissolve the knife in your head!”

In the midst of chaotic situations where knives, clubs, metal pipes, rocks flying around, our unit members who tried to run away from the attackers got seriously injured. Those who chose to stay closer and fight, by following T. Kim’s instruction, survived.

Knife1 Junsado Sang H Kim

The cardinal rule of combat, whether against a knife or an empty-handed adversary is “Once engaging, stay tactically close to your opponent!” Especially when your opponent is armed with a knife, there is often no way out but to stay close and fight. The keys for surviving in close quarters combat against a knife are:

First, read the intent of your enemy. In combat, the enemy has only one motive, to eliminate you and obtain his objective. This often made the first assessment for me simple – there was not option to escape or placate my attackers. In civilian life, however, you must read your attacker’s intentions. Assess what he wants from you: your money, your car, your pride, your honor, your life – assailants have many motives for attacking their victims. If you can buy your way out of a situation, whether through material possessions or your wits, this is your best option. Do not hesitate to give the attacker if he wants if it means he will spare you injury. Continue reading →