The Fend
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008Unfortunately being the good guys means that we are not as well prepared for a fight as the bad guys, no matter how hard we train, no matter how often we practise our pre-emptive strike there is only so much reality that we can simulate and the chances are that when we get confronted by a fully adrenalised opponent we will hesitate to throw that first blow, this being the case we need to have some type of default position that will save us from going down and offer a launch pad from which we can fire off our own offensive measures.
This where the fend comes in, like all other aspects of our training nothing is cast in stone so this will vary slightly from person to person,
basically if you are suddenly startled by something being thrown at you whether it’s a ball of wool or a balled up fist you will quite naturally flinch, your hands will rise, your elbows and shoulders will draw into your torso and your head will come down, these are instinctive defensive mechanisms aimed at making you a smaller target and protecting vital organs, what we aim to do through training is develop this instinctive action so that the hands come up a little further and cover the head which is one of the main targets for an attacker and one of the most dangerous areas to be struck, add to this movement a short forward step and we are now protecting the head and getting inside the attack, from here we have a multitude of options, we will discuss these in other articles.
Stepping forward has psychological effects on both you and your attacker, it’s not what he is expecting, he expects you to be going down or going backward under the weight of his attack, by going forward you are taking the initiative away from him and placing your self in a much stronger position tactically, (you have interrupted his OODA loop) instead of following his pre conceived plan you have fed new information to his brain which must now be assimilated and acted upon, while this is happening you will be able to take control of the situation.
Also by physically going forward you are opening neural pathways, you will mentally be looking at the best options available to you to carry on the action that you have begun, just as going back will trigger the brain to look for ways of escape, this is not a good option when someone is in striking distance and intent on doing you physical damage.
Practising the fend
I like to use a variety of drills when teaching or practising my fend work, these aim to be progressive taking you from basic technique through to working under a degree of pressure.
The first step is to get a partner to don a pair of focus mitts, face off at touching distance keeping your fence up, your partner then throws random slaps to either side of your head and you simply practise moving into your fend position, force and intensity can be increased as you become more comfortable with the technique and some verbal deceptions can also be added.
The next step is designed to encourage your forward movement, partner swaps his mitts for a pair of boxing gloves, 16oz are ideal, he then starts moving around throwing jabs and hooks, you move into the fend and continually close the distance on him making it difficult for him to get decent shots off, we do this for 1 minute periods.
The 1, 2, 3 drill.
1) Your partner steps forward and throws a strike, move into the fend then drop both hands to his chest violently pushing him away and step back then posture, point, add in a verbal challenge and be prepared to attack if he moves to close the gap.
2) Your partner steps forward and throws a strike, move into the fend seize his head in a Thai clinch or grab the back of his collar, land a knee strike to the groin and stepping back pull him down aggressively.
3) Your partner steps forward and throws a strike, move into the fend then drop your arm over his attacking arm and strike with a chin jab or face smash with your other hand, with his attacking arm trapped and your hand still in his face turn and take him to the ground forcing his head into the pavement/floor.
Al Beckett & Si Squires showing the fend, chin jab and takedown.
The 6,4,2 drill.
This is a culmination bringing together various elements in one drill, it brings in the fend, clinch, knee strikes and active scanning.
First part is 6 rounds:- partner wearing groin guard, body shield and boxing gloves (again 16oz are ideal) will start to throw punches, you will fend until you feel he has delivered 4 or 5 decent shots then move into a clinch and deliver 4 good knee strikes after which you will actively disengage and actively scan the area.
Next part is 4 rounds as above but after delivering your knee strikes use your arms to twist his head taking him to the floor, disengage and scan.
Finally 2 rounds as above but follow him down and deliver at least 6 good shots to the body.
Throughout each round even when on the floor your partner will continue to punch just as he would in a real encounter.
With the last 2 rounds people often ask “why would I go to the floor” this is merely to simulate the bad guy hanging onto you and dragging you down with him.
This drill can be viewed on the media page, as with all our drills you can change it around to simulate different situations.
Alan Beckett