Teaching Martial Arts to Children (Cont.)

Suey Bing Fa as a way of teaching

Suey Bing Fa (pronounced Sooey ) is a style of Kenpo Karate founded by Master David Day. The design of the style is unique in modern eclectic martial arts training. It is designed to teach students martial concepts and provide a framework to learn how to create pragmatic responses to attacks by opponents. In self defense situations there are defined pieces of attack and defense. There is a priority of action in a confrontation which leads to a successful defense. There are rules of combat that create successful attack and rules which create successful defense and counterattack. Suey Bing Fa explains martial response in simple terms and encourages the students to understand the principles of attack and defense. Students are taught to use these principles to create pragmatic responses in self defense situations. Students are taught about motion and how to use it in self defense situations. A Suey Bing Fa response is a spontaneous creation of the student to the attack of an opponent. Responses are judged by the same criterion that created them.

In a way Suey Bing Fa was created in the spirit of rebellion to the traditional training methods. The main objective is to define motion and teach pragmatic use of it in self defense situations. The system of Ed Parker Kenpo Karate is at the root of the style. Suey Bing Fa teaches the katas used in that system as a guide to weapon vocabulary and in some instances as examples of good and poor choices of responses to attacks by an opponent. Like most martial arts systems it teaches through route memorization of technique. Many students learn well in this environment and it certainly is easier for teachers to decide on when to promote students. Suey Bing Fa takes a different approach.

BASICS OF SUEY BING FA

Self defense can be complex and inexact. People like things simple and precise. The differences can confuse anyone and yet all self defense systems operates under certain similar principles. Regardless of name or creed self defense is composed of ideas and movements. It is taught publicly and privately under many names and philosophies. Suey Bing Fa simplifies motion to an understanding of principles. It gives a structure of priority to important aspects of all self defense and counter attack situations. These ideas can show any martial artist how to enhance motion in any self defense system. Beginners can use the information as a basis for further study. Advanced students can use it to understand things within their own art.

We begin by examining self defense situations. From this that we define the issues, name the parts, decide what to do first, how to conduct ourselves and what to do last. This is the method used in Suey Bing Fa. The name comes from Chinese words translated, "The way of water and ice". This concept is most important in all concepts of motion.

The differences between water, ice and steam illustrate powerful ideas in self defense. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses, power and vulnerabilities. It is equally important to understand we are dealing with the same substance under different circumstances. We are not always looking at differences but seeing different forms of the same thing. Children cannot describe this paradox but can experience it and act accordingly even with out the tools to explain. They learn to act appropriately for whatever reason. They like it simple but even when they know they can't explain, they understand.

THE PRIME DIRECTIVE

The prime directive of Suey Bing Fa is "Safety first". It is important to teach the student that they are responsible for their safety. Teaching the Prime Directive is a way of demonstrating This important idea. We take a chance in every confrontation. The result and effect of our thinking and action is inexact. No one knows the outcome of a confrontation before it happens. Our self defense depends on recognizing and using means to achieve our safety. We proceed with the understanding that many options are available to us in each self defense situation and only one can be chosen. We hope to chose the best option and sometimes do. Shading the odds in our favor is what Suey Bing Fa is about.

Concern for safety needs to be our primary concern at ALL times. In Suey Bing Fa we consider options which provide for our safety as higher priority than other options. It is important to teach children that they must concern themselves with their safety even if it means breaking some of the rules. Safety is a relative term because completely safe and completely vulnerable have many levels in between. It important not to get so involved with our offense that we lack a prudent defense. It is important that we are not so defensive that we take no chances at all. It is important for children that they learn to avoid dangerous people, places and things. In Suey Bing Fa they are taught to consider their safety above all things.

THE EIGHTY PERCENT RULE

There are many options in thinking and action. We concern ourselves with probabilities. In our training we see there is no likelihood that we can train for every possibility. Experience with a great many self defense situations show that a few occurrences emerge as more likely while other occurrences are less likely. In Suey Bing Fa we stress the importance of understanding all the options but train for the most likely ones.. We suggest students concentrate eighty percent of training time on situations which occur over eighty percent of the time. It is a better use of time to practice for the most common attacks.

It is important to focus training on areas of fear. We want to gain some well placed confidence in these areas. If you drive a car, ride the bus, use elevators, carry groceries while walking, hold a child, are confined to a wheelchair, or do anything often there are dangers inherent in each. It is these areas that appropriate training builds confidence. Children have little experience yet they need to master their environments. Training in the martial arts can build confidence. Instructors need to be cautious not to build a false sense of security. It can do more harm than good.

We believe in the 80/20 formula which applies to most things in life. For example, it is valid to say that twenty percent of car salesmen sell eighty percent of cars sold. The statistics may not be exact in every case but this is approximately true. Further, Twenty percent of all childhood disease affects eighty percent of all children. There are many examples which do not bear out the rule. We do not dispute this. It is up to us to ask in each situation, "Does the eighty twenty formula work here?".

The evidence in confrontations and attack situations bears out the eighty percent formula in another way. Twenty percent or fewer of all defensive movements can successfully defend against eighty percent of initial attacks. There are a few things which can serve us well. We need not learn ten thousand things to address ten thousand situations. Children can learn how to apply one motion in many ways and for many situations. In defending ourselves, we aim to build proficiency in a few movements, a few ideas and a few principles. Practicing these should be automatically part of our every day routine. We do not want to waste time studying something one never sees. Place your study time on the things you do most, everyday. Ask yourself, "What if..." Children can be taught this and love to role play these scenarios in practice.

Our opponent will probably act the same way others do eighty percent of the time in similar situations. Expect this and prepare for anything. Expecting the eighty percent attack can help us to quickly formulate our response. Our response should also be in the eighty percent success expectancy range. A few responses adroitly executed can be life savers. We seek to maximize our chances for success by using what works.

6 Categories of Defensive Motion

When attacked we move to get our safety. We usually perform a movement to gain our safety and follow that with counterattack measures. There are reasons for our movements. In many martial arts courses the students are taught a specific sequence of movements called techniques. Only after learning many techniques do they think about the reasons for the movements. Many who learn through technique never understand the reasons for their motion. In Suey Bing Fa we think the students need to understand motion from the beginning. Our choice of movement is unlimited. The first movements we use to get our safety we term defensive motion. To understand the nature and purpose of this movement we define six categories of defensive motion. This gives us a starting point for discussion and provides a good teaching tool for any student. For example we might show one attack, such as a right punch, and demonstrate six methods of defending against it using each defensive category.

The categories are Block, Parry, Shield, Capture/Escape, Evade and First Strike. We can choose to use motion exclusively from one category or use a movement which combines two or more of these categories. Within this structure students can easily see the method and reason for each movement. Once they have a basic understanding of each defense they can create their own motion to provide their initial defensive movement.

Children quickly recite the names of the categories. The categories are simple enough for children to understand and discuss and can be complex enough to provide discussions for even the most practiced martial artist. Usually they refer to the evade or evasion category as "get out of the way". I like to use a staff to train children in the use of these defensive motions. I stand a staff on end and ask the student to show me a certain defensive motion in response to the falling staff. When I let go and it falls in their direction they are expected to defend themselves. Once they have done an effective defense in each category they have a deep understanding of what their options are in a defense situation.

These are general names and combinations of two or more categories may be needed to define a movement but they are universal in application. Some of these are learned movements which take time to make into good habits. Fortunately we are all naturally well versed in at least three of them. Parry, Shield and evade come naturally to us all. It is easier to use these natural defenses when first building your defensive responses. Later, after practice, you will be comfortable using the others.

8 Essentials of Motion

Understanding Motion

To help understand motion the parts of every successful motion are defined and categorized. Breaking down a single motion into seven parts allows us to see what is possible when the motion proves successful and see what went wrong when motion fails to have the desired effect. Choosing the appropriate response involves taking the responsibility for its effect. Our motion is the root of our defense and counter attack. Maximizing the effectiveness of movement is our aim.

The Eight Essentials of Motion
1. Technical Knowledge
2. Balance
3. Speed
4. Intent
5. Strength
6. Timing
7. Awareness
8. Alertness

These pieces of successful movement are included in all movement in each of our lives. From crossing the street to guiding a basket through the supermarket. Sit in a chair then stand, throw or catch a ball, motion is always with us and these are the parts to master in each.

A correct blending of these essentials in our self defense situations will yield what we refer to as "Maximum Force Potential". Our aim is to maintain a proper balance of these essentials while we act to remove some of these from the movement of our opponent. This will create opportunities for us in our defense and counter attack. Our aim being precise motion on our part and a disruption in the ability of our opponent.

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE
Technical Knowledge refers to our understanding of the things we can do. These things involve understanding range and gap, weapon vocabulary and the mechanics of our bodies and how our weapons and targets work.

BALANCE
Balance has two meanings. The obvious meaning is one of equilibrium. We need to have balance to remain upright. The other meaning is that of mixing or combining like we do in making a recipe.

SPEED
There are two aspects of speed. The obvious meaning is moving fast with the punch and kicks in the art. We refer to this first definition of speed as single point speed. We want to go fast to a single point in delivering the defense or weapon. The other meaning refers to rhythm or cadence of our motion like music that has pauses between the notes. We refer to this metered speed as sequential speed. This type of speed varies as we need to respond to our opponent. It can be no pause at all to temporarily stopped and many places in between. The opponent can only react at a certain speed. Once we have selected our option we can make our motion very rapid so we allow no time for them to react to it. If we explode with our motion we have a greater chance of success. But there is more.

The same speed which gives us an advantage by being explosive can cause damage to our motion if we carry it further. Usually multiple movements strung together create our defense and counter attack. Many punches, strikes and kicks. If we move rapidly from one to the next we shall certainly do ourselves harm. Our motion will become sloppy and lose the meaning we intend. We also need to match the response of our opponent. Feedback from them is vital in determining the proper rate of our attack.

TIMING
We want to keep an appropriate meter of sequence between our movements to meet the needs of the confrontation. This results in timing our efforts. We must select the proper time to match our targets and weapons. Our motion must match target and weapon to gain impact. It must be also noted that we must move out of the way in the proper time to gain our safety as well. This is related to our technical knowledge and awareness as related to our strength. A too rapid sequential speed will cause a blurring of motion which lessens the force potential. This is bad timing which demonstrates our lack of control of our intent. A too slow sequential speed allows time for our opponent to think. We certainly do not want to give them time to mount a counter attack of their own. Being aware of our opponents' condition and intent determines what we do.

INTENT
Intent is important because it controls our power. Power is always full on. Intent is the control as it can limit our power. If we want to lightly touch someone we can easily do so because we intend to. If we want to strike with full force we can because we want to. It is the intention in our mind that makes the difference.

STRENGTH
Strength refers to muscular strength. It takes some to move. It takes more to move with intention and it takes a great deal to cause harm to our opponent.

AWARENESS
Awareness is knowing what can harm you. It is being aware of the options and opportunities available to us. This means we must know what targets our opponent has and what weapons we have to use against them.

ALERTNESS
Alertness is identifying that one or more of dangers are present. Alertness is identifying that one or more of our opponent's targets are now available and one or more of our weapons can now be uses against our opponent.

EXPLOSIVE FORCE
While explosive motion is good in a punch or kick, insuring maximum force to the target. It is equally good not to rush into the next movement without first seeing the effect of the motion we just finished, assess the situation, and choose an intelligent option for our next movement. We want to respond appropriately. Part of our counter attack should include movements which have the effect of buying the time to analyze each situation. As you can see, the essentials of movement are related to each other just as speed relates to timing, timing to balance, each to each other. It is the control of these links that yield our effectiveness. It is important to give each motion our full attention, not split our focus and diffuse our effort. There are several important points which can help determine the effectiveness of our motion. None are more important then the proper balance of these essentials

DEALING WITH A BLIND MAN
Learning to remove essentials from our opponent and create opportunities for ourselves, one of the best essentials to remove is that of awareness. In Suey Bing Fa we say, "It is best to deal with a blind man." By this we mean by removing the essential of awareness from our opponent we can use the time we purchase to remove another essential and further our effort. As you can see, the principles and concepts of this philosophy are to be used in combination with each other to create a total understanding.