Defying the Storm is one of several techniques that are for a right roundhouse club attack. While being one of the most street effective club defenses it also incorporates many of the principles that Mr. Parker thought were very important. I will draw upon my 28 years of teaching this technique to point out all of the many facets of this technique and how the principles of motion are applied to it. I will first go through Defying the Storm by the numbers, and then cover the detailed information afterwards. 1. While stepping forward towards 12:00 deliver a right hammering inward handsword to the opponent's right bicep and a left outward handsword to the inner wrist. This application is done while on the inside of the right roundhouse club attack. 2. As your left hand grabs the opponent's right wrist, hook your right hand over and above the elbow. Step back towards 5:00 with your right foot as you pull the opponent forward using push pull effect against the elbow joint. 3. Deliver a right step through knee strike to the opponent's sternum. 4. As you plant forward deliver an inward overhead elbow strike to the opponent's 7th vertebrae using marriage of gravity to enhance the strike. 5. As you crossover and cover out grab the club with your right hand. Now to the Good Stuff: I will break down each move in more detail and highlight important elements. Obviously techniques in a written format can not be covered in the same detail as one-on-one instruction, but the major points can be covered. 1. Move one contains the most important part of the technique, which is stepping inside of the apex of the arc drawn by the hand that is swinging the club. Stepping forward and blocking the arm is only half the battle. Trying to avoid the whip action of the club is just as important. Abruptly stopping the arm that is swinging a club accelerates the club itself. When you step deep into the apex of the swing it takes the target, which is usually your head, and moves it safely out of range. Out of range in this case is actually very close to your opponent. The block that is used in this technique is a right inward handsword to the bicep and a left outward handsword to the inner wrist. The right inward handsword is delivered with a hammering action. Your right and left wrists are triangulated. Your hands should have enough separation so that if your block is overridden your thumbs will not poke your eyes accidentally. 2. Move two contains several important principles that were some of Mr. Parker's favorites. As you step back your left-hand pushes away from you and your right hand pulls back towards you. This is the typical push-pull effect found in many Kenpo techniques. Your right elbow should anchor itself towards your right hip. A lot of Kenpoists leave their elbow up during this step. Along with the push-pull and the anchoring is the use of body momentum. As this move progresses you need to time it with the use of your body weight moving in line with the break of the elbow. All of these principles should be timed together to assist your efforts in bringing the opponent towards you. 3. Once the opponent is in the proper position and his dimensions are canceled, it is time to deliver the knee strike. The target of choice in the ideal phase is the sternum. Angle of incidence is desired here. The chest plate determines whether the knee is linear or vertical. A linear or a vertical delivery is crucial to achieve the proper angle of attack. At this time it is necessary to look at alternative targets. Non-ideal phase is often the case when executing your movements. Self-composure is the key to looking ahead to find targets that give maximum results. Most options deal with directing the knee to other targets when sometimes it is wise to extend the knee to front kick range and look for targets deeper into the zone of attack. An example might be to strike the groin or left knee as an option to the sternum shot. Repetition and practice as well as having good instruction will help with these types of alternatives. 4. The inward overhead elbow is very effective. Angle of incidence is not too hard to accomplish in this move. The opponent is usually bent over at this point. Any spinal target is good, although soft tissue in the back of the neck is also hard for the opponent to absorb. The elbow should have a tight circular action which enhances the speed of it. Mr. Parker was always teaching us how to apply gravity to our actions. This move is one of the classic examples of how to apply gravitational effect. The elbow strike should make contact just prior to your weight settling onto the ground. This timing is what determines how hard the elbow will make contact. Always watch the timing of this application yourself or have your instructor watch the timing for you. 5. The crossover cover runs along the line of the opponent's right arm. If the club is still in the hand you use gravitational effect along with body momentum to get the club out of the opponent's hand. You should be taking the club out away from the web of the hand. As your cover is completed with a step through reverse the club will be in your right hand, which is now the furthest hand from the opponent. Defying the Storm is one of the most street-wise techniques against a roundhouse club or punch. Hard, direct blocking inside the apex and immediate control of the arm makes this one of my personal favorites. If anyone has any questions or comments about Defying the Storm feel free to contact me on my e-mail address which is posted on this site. Check back periodically for another technique to be covered. |
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This page was last updated on: January 31, 2005
