The "no-art" in unarmed combat

Watching the numerous choices one keeps having in the wide range of self-defence today, it is an inevitable conclusion that much of it has to do with marketing different brands. By saying this I don’t mean it would be intentional from the part of the people behind the various styles, but a fact in the modern day world. In order to move from point A to point B one must have – or go for – the means necessary. Students will not come seeking you, as they used to do in ancient times in distant locations, if only they may have an easier way, such as your rival arriving before them to offer his share of knowledge.

Ridiculous as it may be, this contest between schools of fighting arts is becoming ever more useless, for almost every style with a realistic approach is getting hybrid. All want to unite what’s proven to be effective, while ridding the discipline from anything that should be weak due to lack of practicality. The wisdom of strategy is being spread all over, basically for everyone to use, yet it remains a question of honour for a percentage of practitioners to announce that the truth can be found from under one title.

There isn't anything wrong in the development which has led to combining the good parts; in veiling the workability - as a method of self-satisfaction - there is.

Fighting between men, in the beginning of it, did not emerge from the training in schools of martial arts. On the contrary, at some point it was regarded as needful to systematically practise physical strength and abilities, so as time went by, some styles focused on certain areas, some families had their own traditions, some people learned to utilize their individual qualities etc. In a way we are thus returning to the primary state of self-defence, the meaning of how or why something was named actually decreasing.

There is a zen-story about “having one’s cup empty”. That is to say we should always keep ourselves able to absorb more or new kind of information, challenging the mind in its readiness to learn, not fighting the battle of convincing others that we were right to begin with. There is no value in that. The treasure lies in the beauty of the process, the results are the blooming of the spiritual wealth. One shouldn’t train with the gi only because it is “supposed” to be done that way, but to become familiar with grabbing the opponent’s clothing. For the same reason it would be recommendable, to say the least, to also train without any traditional martial arts outfit; what is the probability of the person you must defend yourself against wearing one? Ignore no aspect, but be aware of all. 

As what I do is really a combination of Japanese-style pro wrestling and Chinese Wudang-school fighting skill I would say the practicality in this case lies in the constant flow. The rules and mode in wrestling are meant for the match to go on even when the circumstances get aberrant, and the goal in arts such as Baguazhang is to let things happen simultaneously, or as close to that as possible – not move by move but the techniques taking place on top of and inside one another with a four-dimensional perception. It is the economy of motion: the less you move the faster you can go. Why choose to play tennis while there’s an opportunity to run directly to the finish?

Be it a situation that requires acts of self-defence of any other incident in your life, my three tips are the following: 1. never trust, 2. never plead, 3. never expect. Say, you’re walking down a dark alley, the weather’s cold and it’s rained, so it’s getting slippery for the moisture on the ground has already started freezing. It’s not a very good idea to keep striding with the attitude that you simply trust it’ll go as usual – that way you’re likely to slip and fall anyway. Should that happen, there is no use for pleading, like fate would then spare you from getting hurt; it is up to you to take care of it yourself. And even if you manage to protect your body the best you can, don’t expect that to be enough, instead of that prepare yourself for anything you may have missed in the dark: stuff lying on the street you might hit your head against, broken glass underneath you that can cause severe damage, a vehicle advancing with great speed and the driver having not seen you… Taking things for granted will not do you any good, much less so in combat.

A long time ago I said: “When the mind is the sword, the body becomes the no-sword of Demon Tesshu.” With the willingness to learn you will not be bound to any narrow point of view and see the upcoming fight as a single route, but a multitude of possibilities. Observe the photos from Porvoo Wrestling Show (taken by Mr Marko Simonen) and note that what might work perfectly in one moment in time can lead to a dead end in another. Then remember it – I will.