FMA - Angling/wrapping hit drill

**Ryno** · Posted On: 6/16/2008 11:08am

This is a little angling drill that we’ve been working on to avoid a linear clash at long range. This type of approach can be used in getting past a rigid forward defense, or can be used defensively to slip a linear attack. The goal is to counter by having hits wrap around your opponent’s guard. If you can hit him behind the ear, you’ve done well.

In this instance, we were working on an entry to the open side, and maintaining long range. If you are going to the open side, this is generally advisable because by going in too close, your opponent can engage with his secondary weapons. This could be punches with his non-stick hand, kicks, grabs, etc.

This same type of approach can be used as entry to your opponent’s closed/blind side. This is actually preferrable if you can get it. From there, you can either launch your shots from largo, or move in to check and control aggressively. The technique demonstrated actually works nicely in attaining this goal of blind side entry in that if you go to the open side and score on him several times, he will tend to turn that way to defend. From there, his back is exposed, making the closed side entry all the easier.

Ryan Greene
LESKAS Seattle

YouTube - LESKAS - Wrapping hits at largo

**Frank White** · Posted On: 6/16/2008 2:26pm

Capoeira footwork might work well with this drill . It helps to use a wider stance to move around your opponent quickly, and to avoid losing your balance. Also, your left hand does you no good being held behind you.

**Ryno** · Posted On: 6/16/2008 5:00pm

If it was in front of me, it would get hit. It would just be a target at long range. My opponent is too far away to engage with the left hand, so it stays clear until I can engage with it. As soon as I move to medio/corto it would come into play for checking and trapping.

**Dr._Tzun_Tzu** · Posted On: 6/16/2008 7:29pm

I like the idea but I do not like that he ends in a linear side stance and that this back leg swings around to make the power. He mentions correcting this and watching out for it at the very end of the video, but I would like to see what happens to his stance when he misses the target completely and has generated his power by making himself into a spinning "dervish". As he says he is exposing his back and his leg. Even if he hits something his rear leg has been used to accelerate his power and iremains moving, dragging him and his balance around in a curve. It is hard to correct this and turn to his right if needed.

So its great when it works, not so great if it misses. Unless you practice it the way he does it at the very end.

You want to land like this:

not this:

Even when he does it to land facing proper, it takes an extra bit of movement to correct his alignment. Extra bits of movement are not a good thing.

Now I am ignoring the practical application, which would be against an attacker that rushes in deep. In this case the enemy would be much more to his left and the back would be much less exposed and the feet would not be in a line pointed at the rusher. This is much better. I am just not into twisting the entire body AND rear leg to make power as it limits mobility and follow up.

**selfcritical** · Posted On: 6/17/2008 11:30am

This is specifically at long range, right? My system has a LOT of material for accomplishing these angles while closing.

**escrimador6** · Posted On: 6/17/2008 4:10pm

Do you have a video of the blind side entry? I liked a lot of the concepts that you have in this drill, especially the baiting of the opponent into guarding. The system I study has a lot of of angling in our attacks but we tend to try to move to the outside of the opponent's arm, or the blind side.

**Ryno** · Posted On: 6/17/2008 6:05pm

I'll try to film the blind-side entry variation. It's quite a bit more aggressive than going to the open side where you're better off with a stick-and-move at long range tactic. This clip demonstrates an option for attacking the open side, and is pretty much a pure largo move. Although I prefer to get to the backside, this isn't always an immediate option.

Whenever I go to the open side, I pretty much always stay at long range, or immediately look to pass back to the closed side if I'm in deep. If you go close and stay there, evin if you land a few shots, there's a good chance even and inexperienced opponent may just panic, lunge in and tackle you. Since you're standing right in his gunsights, this is a pretty serious risk, besides worrying about him striking you from either side with his stick to your left, and his secondary weapons to your right. I absolutely despise playing hand-racing games, which will invariably happen if you don't get tackled.

I use the move demonstrated when a guy is fighting a very linear game. It is particularly useful if the guy rushes straight in, where I can just throw a distracting hit, make a little matador move and hit him in the back of the head. I'll usually just dance out of there at that point, to avoid a sloppy lunge as he squares up to me again.

When I go to the backside, I tend to play a lot more aggressively with my checking and pressure. If I get my hands on someone, it's check-hit-check-hit-check-hit. I won't let up until he bails out.