Prearranged Drills: The Importance of the Attacker

Prearranged Drills: The Importance of the Attacker

When I started training, I wanted to be the ‘Heroic Defender’ when practising prearranged drills. The concept that the attacker was a vital part of the proceedings eluded me for a long time.

What I finally came to understand was that a quick, powerful and intelligent attack in training will promote a similar response. The better the attack is, the better the defence will be.

On the other hand, an attack that has no passion, force or justification behind it promotes an equally lazy defence. As long as one trains to defend against third rate attackers, a sloppy defence may or may not work.

For myself, I prefer a more stringent approach. This means I train an attack as much as I train a defence. It means I need to know the timing and force necessary to make the attack work. I need to move slowly, at first and gradually build speed and power. As my attack improves, so should my defence.

I also need to know why someone would behave in such a reprehensible way. The usual reasons are greed, rage, drug addiction, a criminal mind set, insanity, mistaken identity, etc. However, what is most relevant is that a street attacker is utterly willing to inflict damage. Reasoning with such an individual is not usually possible. This leaves only conflict and/or evasion.

In Kisae Kempo (as in many other arts) the principle of justification plays a huge role. The principle is this (in a nut shell). A person will fight only as long and as hard as they personally feel they have the right and the ability to.

In terms of an attack, while I will not initiate an assault, I must be aware of how others could or would do so. I train my defences with this in mind. This part is more mental than physical. Being alert to danger gives one time to respond. Being confident that one can handle a dangerous situation shows in posture and body language.

Without prejudice