| From: | shadowrn@*********.com (Marc Renouf) |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Movement Rules and martial arts |
| Date: | Tue Jan 29 14:05:01 2002 |
> Sorry, I should have clarified where I was coming from.
>
> Many martial styles incorporate movement into attacks and defenses. I
> studied Hapkido and it very much relies on being able to move
> around/through opponents. As a Hapkidoist muscle strength (which would
> allow me to move my body faster) would benefit me *much* more then wired
> reflexes. Off hand I can't think of any martial arts which don't
> incorporate body movement to a high degree...
The type of counter punching in Wing Chun springs immediately to
mind as an example of a technique that doesn't require as much gross body
movement. But its range is very limited.
In some sense, you are absolutely correct: developing power in an
attack requires you to use your whole body. But the fact remains that an
unwired human can generate more than one powerful attack in a three-second
time block. I know I can. I assume that you can as well. The difference
is that a wired combatant will be more likely to defeat his opponent's
defenses, or take advantage of very brief openings when his opponent is
off balance or whatever. So it's not that he's necessarily moving his
whole body any more, it's that he is moving it in such a way that he's
always one (or two or three) steps ahead of his opponent.
This is also why skill is the great equalizer in SR melee combat.
Both combatants are assumed to be moving quickly, throwing a number of
attacks, but the faster opponent reacts more quickly, or initiates
movement more quickly. But a skilled opponent will take advantage of that
fact. Maybe the slower but more skilled combatant knows that the faster,
lesser skilled guy will be able to get out of the way of the first punch,
but he'll use that "flinch reaction" from the first punch to set up the
*real* attack, which will be much more devastating because the opponent
is just a little off balance. In other words, without control, speed is
less useful than you might otherwise think.
The same concept applies to melee weapons as well. In working
with swords, I can definitely verify that control and finesse is much more
important than either raw speed or brute strengh.
Marc Renouf (ShadowRN GridSec - "Bad Cop" Division)
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