Essentials Part 2

ESSENTIALS - Part 2

By Carl Cestari

Well here's a different approach:

Let's put the "shopping" lists on the backburner for a moment, cut to heart of the matter and ASK the FIRST logical question -

WHY?

ALWAYS seek out the BIGGEST BANG for the BUCK! See if this is logical -

EDGE OF HAND:

Can be used literally from ankle to temple with effect. Can be used against a STANDING, stooped, or grounded assailant (whatever position). Can be used around a 360 degree circumference, with little re-positioning. Is effective as a "defensive" maneuver as well as an offensive attack. Can be used while grappling standing or on the ground, from a seated position and of course from standing. When trained PROPERLY can deliver very fast trip hammer blows. Can be used against armed assault, as well as unarmed. Force can be moderated to damage, stun, break bones, cause a KO, and kill, if need be. Little chance of damage to the hand. Can be delivered with VERY HARD impact even when a good foundation is impossible AND even when YOU are being driven backward. Virtually a COMPLETE system unto it's own.

CHIN-JAB:

EXCELLENT maneuver at close quarters. Can be used as a hard shove or as a vicious blow, both are followed up by eye gouging. Very good in close confines were the "double slam" effect can be useful, you slam home a Chin-Jab and drive said assailants head HARD into a solid surface or a sharp edge. Can be used singularly or again in fast multiple hits with either a single hand or in combination. Can be used in many directions IMMEDIATELY with POWER and with a MINIMUM of telegraphed intent.

TIGERS-CLAW:

A COMBINATION heel hand smash AND eye gouge. A distance weapon that can be used as a fast stunning "lead" OR as a POWER shot. Does NOT need "specific" targeting. The claw hand slams into the face and then drives through with the clawed spread fingers. By a simple twist of the body can be delivered to the front or either flank. Is simply an EXTENSION of the Chin-Jab for longer range. Can be used in devastating combinations.

THE BOOT:

This should not have been referenced as a low "side-kick". It's NOT. Hard to describe BUT easy to learn. WEF termed this kick with the outside edge of boot as the "flick" kick. Simple, NON telegraphed and very damaging.This can be used at distance as a "kick" or at close quarters as a ripping shin scrape and smash. We train this with a specific footwork sequence as well as "wagon wheel" style, either as the "hub" kicking out in eight directions or as the "rim" moving circularly and kicking in at the hub. MANY, MANY mis-conceptions about how this kick is executed and HOW effective it can be against a VARIETY of unarmed and armed assaults. It is also a "defense" AND an "attack".

ALL of the ABOVE constitute a COMPLETE method of unarmed combat. And that is NO shit! You LEARN the maneuvers separately, BUT the GOAL is to FIGHT with them, just the same way a boxer learns his basics and THEN learns to FIGHT with them.

I would have added the knee smash in this because it WORKS perfectly with ALL of the above, but I believe that the outline comes from WEF's syllabus for the OSS, he did NOT include the knee in the final outline, but does reference it in the technical descriptions.

AND these were NOT just a handful of maneuvers lumped together for the hell of it. WEF had a "method", a DEFINITIVE method of how these maneuvers are USED IN A REAL FIGHT.

THAT IS THE PART that MOST are MISSING! They see these maneuvers as an unrelated "hodge podge". NOT THE CASE.

O'Neill preferred different methods - including finger jab type blows (though WEF's 1915 SMP manual DOES include the "finger jab"), smashing back knuckles and PRODIGIOUS use of the elbows and knees, as well as several kicks. O'Neill ALSO taught this as a SYSTEM, not as a handful of "do this" or "do that". He also taught doubled forearm blows at GRAPPLING range, NOT as a "defense" against blows as some have suggested.

So let's review: Edge of Hand/Chin-Jab/Tigers Claw/Boot Kick. FOUR simple direct and EFFECTIVE methods that can be USED against virtually ANT type of unarmed attack from standing to rolling in the mud, while seated, while being off balanced and driven backwards, against an assailant in virtually ANY position and in a 360 degree sphere. Also can be effective against a number of armed attacks, AND can be very EFFECTIVE against multiple assailants(if one UNDERSTANDS the proper method of use).

Sykes used what basically was a "combination" of the two as well as teaching fundamental boxing blows to vulnerable targets.

Well that lays out the WHY and fulfills our "BIG BANG" mandate.

That's about as logical and pragmatic as I can get. We really DON'T just pull this stuff out of our ass, REALLY we DON'T. We've given it just a wee bit of thought.

Like most things in life, it starts by asking the right questions FIRST.

Good Luck to ALL.

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