Element of Surprise

Take your To-Shin Do Level 1 Label Grab Defense to the next level by making sure your attacker doesn’t see that knee coming. This content is only available to members.

Conceal your intent with words, gestures, and (of course) by not looking at what you want to hit before you strike! This content is only available to members.

How to look like you’re cowering away and covering up, while positioning yourself for powerful strikes. It takes patience to wait for an attacker to fall into your trap. This content is only available to members.

Get heavy and get them talking. Make them move you without giving away your intent to fight back. Don’t try to flee until you’ve made enough distance—earn your escape! This content is only available to members.

It’s not so much about how many hands are on your back, but the space between you and the attacker. Know your range! Instead of thinking about a sequences of “moves” you need to do, think about a sequence of “results” that you need to achieve. This content is only available to members.

Real life examples from the books “Violence of Mind” and “Beyond OODA” by Varg Freeborn offer a deeper understanding of water timing in self-defense. This content is only available to members.

The direction and energy of the attack is critical in determining our defense. If you want to maintain the element of surprise, you have to let them think they’re moving you. This content is only available to members.

Feel when your attacker has committed their weight to the punch and add some extra earthy weight of your own. Be where they need to be when they need to be there. This content is only available to members.

Your shield can be your strike if you keep your feet underneath you. Let’s review the cross-hand grab and push (water defense), the gross-hand grab and push down (earth defense), and the cross-hand grab and pull (fire defense). This content is only available to members.

Your resistance can mask your attacker’s momentum. Practice releasing tension in your body to more accurately and immediately perceive attacks. Also, resistance is what your attacker expects! When you flow and fit in with their every move, they feel like they’re fighting smoke. This content is only available to members.

Let your feet take you to safety and notice the attacker re-acquiring their target as you move. When they engage, leave something in the way for them to run into. So much faster and more invisible than “doing a block.” This content is only available to members.

Discipline in martial arts isn’t just about what we endure in training. It takes self-discipline to release tension and wait for (or create) opportunities to utilize the element of surprise! This content is only available to members.