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Targets and purpose of a technique Every technique must have a purpose. If
you are going to be successful, most of these will be to hit your opponent. If
you can’t hit the target you’re aiming for, then you are not achieving that
purpose. To hit a defined target takes a combination of skills. These include
physical skills such as timing, distancing, range and precision of techniques.
Mental skills centre on having the ability ot analyse your opponent, select the
target, select the tool for hitting that target, and then commit yourself to the
technique. As always, these skills require practice. Its no good knowing what targets to hit
if you have no chance of hitting them. Specific
practising can be undertaken to hone and develop the skills necessary for
hitting that target. The first phase is to realise that there is more to a
target than the ‘head’ or ‘stomach’. Spar with your partner in the club,
and then pick on a technique or combination that he has thrown. Ask him what he
was trying to hit. The majority of people will say the general targets already
stated. This is not good enough, and they need to look into targets in a much
finer detail. A good fly fisherman develops his
casting skills by practising to hit the same spot every time. He will eventually
be able to land the fly precisely where he wants to in the river, regardless of
the wind or physical constraints of his position. The same must be achieved with
your techniques. Every time you strike a target make sure you are hitting the
smallest possible target. Practice hitting the same spot every time. You must be
able to take every technique in you arsenal and be able to place it exactly
where you want to, with the effect that you want, in the conditions you will be
fighting under. During training you must use the
visualisation skill. This will enable you to hit an opponent all the time, even
if you are physically just hitting a punch bag. As you work out on the bag,
pretend that you are actually hitting specific targets on a person – don’t
just pound away. Correct shadowboxing is fighting an imaginary opponent. You
must be able to see this person, and hit specific targets. Train for the effect you want a
technique to have. As you develop your skills of hitting a specific target, try
and vary how you hit. Sometimes go for light contact, maximum power by a
two-inch penetration on a punch, or even to push through an opponent. Once you can place the techniques where
you want to, its time to consider the targets themselves and the reasons behind
striking them. Please remember that kickboxers fight with gloves on, and it is
important to remember that you can do more damage without them! There are
specific limitations then to the targets we can hit, such as the size of the
contact area for striking. The tools for hitting are the hands,
feet, shins, elbows, knees – depending on the discipline you compete in. The
hands may have gloves on, and the feet may or not be protected by padding,
depending on the rules. With the feet you can hit with the instep, the heel,
flat of the foot, the knife edge of the foot, or the ball of the foot. Each is
dependent on the technique and have their own strengths and limitations.
Therefore be aware that the different striking areas can be used in different
ways. The reasons for striking someone must be
specific. You must think about whether you
want to knock your opponent out, weaken his techniques, damage part of him,
create obstructions, disrupt his senses, or mess with his internal organs such
as his lungs. Lets start with the head. Many fighters
train to hit the head only and not the body. This means they are concentrating
on a minimal area, and miss out on much more opportunity. The head has many
specific targets. The senses of your opponent are centred
in the head, as that’s where his brain is. If you want to knock someone out
there are two ways – hit him in a way he doesn’t see coming so his brain is
shocked and goes into shutdown, or to give concussion. To give concussion you
must create violent movement of the head so that the brain bounces around his
skull. Generally the more violent and frequent the blows to the head, the more
the brain bounces around, and the closer you are to a concussive knockout.
It’s suggested that you strike the head sideways more than straight on to
cause these knockouts, as often a fighter will have a strong neck, keep his chin
down, and therefore minimise the movement. To get a shocked or ‘flash’
knockout, you have to hit him in a manner he doesn’t see coming – the brain
shuts down the body as a safety measure, much in the same way as someone
fainting from a shock. The head is usually protected by a good guard, so you
need precision in the first place in getting through the guard to even strike
the head in the first place. The weaker places on the head to strike
for are the top of the head, the temples, the nose, and the point of the chin.
The rear of the head is out of bounds due to the damage that can be caused. The
top of the head is open for strikes coming down such as an axe kick or overhand
punch. The temples and chin are struck by circular strikes such as hooks and
uppercuts, or by angled straight shots. The face gives many targets. The eyes
are relied on as a primary sense, and a fight will be stopped if a fighter
cannot see. The eye sockets form as a cutting edge for the skin to be stretched
over and split, so strikes here can damage and opponent. If the top of the eyes
swell or bleed vision can be affected, and the fight may be stopped by the
referee. The nose is a soft protrusion, most
peoples eyes will water if it is struck, and is fairly easy to damage. Due to
the number of fine blood vessels close to the surface it will bleed easily too.
A bleeding nose will run into the mouth and affect breathing, and again if the
bleeding is excessive the fight may be stopped. The cheek bones are a fairly week bone
structure, and like the collarbone can be broken by a well placed heel. The jaw is a solid target to aim for,
unless your opponent’s mouth is open. If you strike whilst it is open, you can
cause knock out and also damage the tendons up the ear. This tendon damage may
not assist a win, but he won’t be able to chew for a week! The chin contains a bundle of nerve
endings, all of which can trigger a nervous reaction resulting in a knock out.
You’re always told to ‘hit him on the chin’. This tendency to be knocked
out by a hit to the chin changes from person to person. If you suffer a weak
chin, make sure you protect it! The throat is not a legal target, but an
accurate strike there can collapse the wind pipe. Most of the torso is a wasted target
when wearing protective equipment, unless you want to strike there to move your
partner or just to get your points up. An advantage of striking the torso is
that it can interrupt your opponent’s breathing. This is with particular
attention to the stomach and the solar plexus. The floating ribs are worth
hitting for this purpose too. It is worth remembering that most fighters are
very conditioned in the torso, so make sure any shots here are precise and
delivered with purpose, otherwise you’ll just get your points up without
damaging. I used to believe it is a waste of time
hitting an opponent’s arms. Now I will hit them as hard as I can to reduce the
number of punches that he will throw. I aim for the shoulders and the soft
tissue between the bicep and tricep. Once my opponent’s arms have gone dead
from this continual bombardment they don’t seem to punch as well! The same is
true for the hips. If I am fighting a good kicker I will deliberately strike him
on the belt line of his trousers or shorts. Again, when his hips become bruised
the kicking tends to slow down. If you take a weapon away, it’s easier to win!
I have often beaten an opponent to then hear “he won, but only because Mr X
wasn’t punching well today. Of course he wasn’t! I made sure of it! You
should never fight someone else’s fight! Of course the other way to slow someone
down by way of both footwork and his kicks is to kick the thigh. The Thai leg
kick is designed to mash and bruise, and is definitely effective in causing
damage! To get through to the nerves in the thigh it is suggested to kick up at
45 degrees, or down at 45, to get through the muscle fibres. Use your targeting skills to advanced
effects, by utilising them in blocking and jamming your opponent’s attacks.
Use them to hit the limbs used as an attack, and use them to arrest the movement
that gives those techniques the power. Now you know how to hit a target, and
what targets to hit, you must remember that this is an equal sport and your
opponent has the same opportunities. I deliberately played a bit on how fighters
can get damaged, because that is what could happen to you! Therefore, practice
and practice some more, so you can hit the targets you want effectively and win
quickly. Take the appropriate precautions such as developing good defensive
skills, so you don’t get damaged yourself! This section is just to raise your
awareness of targeting. I have not gone into depth on physiology, medical
reasons, and appropriate terminology. This is because my knowledge is not
complete in this area, so I’ll leave you to do your own studies! To close this section, every technique must have a purpose, but this purpose will not be achieved if you miss! |
