*big thanks to Jas S for video footage.
In what was one of the most eye opening seminars of recent times, Gurdev Nidar Singh Nihang revealed a whole host of ideas which serve as marginal gains that make the difference when you’re in the thick of it. The seminar was primarily focused on entry and so the weekend proved a densely packed one which would span a whole series of blog posts alone. (I may well do this - but most likely as I develop the ideas into my own teaching).
Therefore I have picked out one key concept that I think not only is primary but also the one I’d imagine others outside of SV circles would most be interested in. Many of my posts up to now have catered for a wide audience and I’ve assumed little. For this one though I’m going to be quite technical and perhaps push the limits to the efficacy of this format in expressing an art which has to be done (not just seen on video or read about).
Attacking space - simply this is the idea that you maneuver constantly onto that ground which your opponent ideally wants to attack you from. This is one application of this idea. The second is to occupy the physical space between you in such a manner that an opponent is unable to take a direct path to their intended target and instead forced to go around some point (as opposed to straight through it).
In order to successfully attack your opponent needs to:
Be in striking range
Have a trajectory to their intended vital point
Be able to develop the prerequisite structure to employ a meaningful attack (i.e. one which ideally ends the fight)
To negate (a) the aim is to move in such a way that the precise moment between being just outside of the striking range to inside of it cannot be extrapolated and hence determined precisely. To do this one must use a spilling step which allows you to both (i) negate all the movements and signals which betray a change of movement and (ii) accelerate at a greater overall rate than pushing from the ground (i.e. using muscular strength/structures). When done successfully this movement is direct and catches an opponent either mid-step or at a point just before which a limb forms a structure through which the power of a strike can be delivered.
Point (b) is achieved by adding the skills of anticipation and extrapolation to the above. I.e. at the point of entry, based on the structure of limbs (position of hands/feet etc) you anticipate the trajectory of your opponents striking limbs and avoid this space. This seems obvious but here is the next part, part (c) - you then occupy that space yourself with your own limbs like a chess player. This makes your movements and angles extremely sharp thus giving your opponent minimum information and opportunity to recalculate a response.#
To pull this off there are few other pointers I’d highlight:
Never extend your own limbs outside your centre of gravity (Thus they remain in the most aligned structure relative to the rest of your own mass)
Make up ground using footwork and not over stretching limbs
Understand where the ‘cross roads’ exist between you and an opponent - get there first.
Understanding that most trajectories are understood by extrapolation from the ‘inside’ shoulder direction as well as the relative movements of the sternum.
Go in leading with you head not your limbs, you have to do this to perform spilling steps in any case, but this means your opponents options whittle down to one option.
As with everything this needs to be experienced to be understood and indeed believed possible. Though I hope that many SV videos you may have seen in the past might make a bit more sense.
And as always I hope I’ve made you ask plenty of questions - the pursuit of which brings success.
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