Theme of the Week: Closest Weapon to Closest Target

Given no actual weapon (knife, club, gun, etc) is present, what can the martial artist call a weapon?  Fists and feet, certainly.  Elbows and knees, for sure.  Fore arms and shins?  Shoulders and hips?  Wrists and ankles?

Given an unarmored opponent in a street fight, what can the martial artist call a target?  Eyes and groin, definitely.  Throat and temple, definitely.  Knees and floating ribs, yes.  How about the back of the hand?  The inside of the upper arm?  The instep of the foot?

The answers to all these questions are best discovered on the training floor.  Try using your wrist as a striking surface.  Try hitting someone on the inside of the upper arm.  See what happens.  Start light and slow, as always and consider the hardness of the weapon versus the hardness of the target – as in don’t poke someone in the forehead with your pinky.

Why all this thought about weapons and targets?  Because this week we’re looking to expand our list of both possible weapons and possible targets as we strive to hit whatever is closest to us with whatever is most available.
Read the student’s thoughts here.