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What are the most important characteristics of an effectively executed fighting technique?

How should a fighting technique be performed so that it can achieve its purpose? Is there something that we can do to improve the quality of our moves? Yes, in our school we identify 4 rules that:

Can be applied to all the possible combat interactions (read also A scheme to quickly learn any kind of technique)
Make the real difference between theory and practical application
Can, in many cases, cover an eventual gap between us and our opponents

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

The 4 rules for a perfect execution

In a real scenario, the elements to be considered for a successful execution of a fighting technique (from the simple punch, read How to punch (simple explanation), to the most complex joint lock, read for example Chin Na technique: twist the elbow) are 4:

Unpredictability – Our adversaries must not be in a condition to easily read our next move (read 10 errors of intermediate fighters: solutions); in a clash with an even only intermediate-level fighter, we should never forget the fact that his / her experience will lead inevitably to imagine the actions that we can perform in the current context (due to our body structure, our position in the environment, etc., read How to study an opponent); as in the chess game, to tactically plan our moves and use deception (read Self-defense: the power of deception) must be a priority and a natural behavior (eg. we have to hide our real targets and show believably the false ones)
Aggressiveness – We have to understand that we cannot use the training pace, we need to implement the right level of intensity (a real multiplier of the effectiveness of any technique); “aggressivity” does not mean acting instinctively or with anger (that would be counterproductive) but with extreme determination (read for example Advanced concepts: the Persistent Movements); the idea is to always impress the correct amount of speed, power and will; the more decisive our action is the more unstoppable it will be, the faster / more powerful we are and the more difficult it will be (for the opponent) to react correctly / timely
Accuracy – The speed at which we apply our combat system is subject to the minimum accuracy needed to ensure that our techniques sort the desired effect (read The most important skill in combat); it is useless to hit at the speed of light and / or with the power of a Tsunami if we miss our target or its core activator principle; we must aim to train every day with the goal to increase our accuracy in step with our speed of (effective) execution (read Speed and quickness); the more we train accuracy, the more we will be able to achieve small, hidden and crucial targets (even in the most complex scenarios); in proportion to our technical background, it is mandatory to condition our body to an adequate level of dynamic precision, otherwise all the rest of our preparation will be completely useless (read Why martial arts do not work: 5 reasons)
Strategic decision – In our system, a fight must always be governed by this hierarchy, the single big strategy (decided during our training with slow and profound reflection), the interchangeable tactics (decided in real-time with what we call “quick reasoning”, read Quick reasoning in combat: how to develop it) and the smaller interactions (activated instinctively, almost “without reasoning”); substantially a strategy is made by many adaptable tactics, a tactic is made by many rapid micro-interactions; but it does not end here, at a more advanced level there can be a fourth smaller step, in fact, 6 Dragons Kung Fu provides (in some cases) the opportunity to alter our moves ahead of infinitesimal variations of the scenario and the possibility to transform a technique even during its execution

In the absence of even one of these key points, our fighting capability will simply not be at the level of a real martial arts practitioner.

A note by Master Kongling – Regarding the last point, it is important to stress that the fourth step has nothing to do with the will to act or with the choice between techniques at the beginning of the execution. When we activate an attack or a defensive movement, we can no longer have doubts: being insecure about the execution of a technique A and a technique B means failing to do neither one nor the other. Our mind has to unambiguously choose what to do before starting but at the same time, must (for example) be aware of the potential changes or adjustments of trajectory.

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

In many martial arts courses (and often also self-defense) these principles are neither taught nor trained; the consequence is that the student is left with a vague theoretical knowledge that in times of need will never be truly at his / her disposal (read Why and when self-defense does not work)
The 4 rules we have listed are valid during the combat as at its beginning; in particular, in self-defense (if we are truly forced to fight, read Personal defense: the S.A.F.E. method), the fact of exploding unexpectedly, with extreme intensity, precision and a rational precise goal can be a crucial advantage to prevail; as we said even against an adversary that normally would certainly beat us (sometimes, not always, the combination of these 4 factors can catch even an expert unprepared)
We have to train ourselves to plan our future moves while we execute the present ones and at the same time, to prevent the opponents’ possible reactions, how? Speeding up our minds with dynamic practices (in fact, being fast means substantially “slowing down” the time, read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///)
In conclusion, it should be said that if on the one side, it is true that the skills we have listed can give a considerable advantage even to the beginner, on the other it must be specified that, to achieve their excellence, serious and systematic preparation is needed (in particular for accuracy, read Martial arts: why speed and power are not enough)
…

In the next articles of this series, we will deepen each of these 4 topics.

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu exercises – The core practices to build real martial skills for combat
Advanced speed and reflexes training – How to speed up mind and body to develop combat speed
Mind self-control hacks – Optimize the functionality of the brain to achieve our goals in fighting and daily life
Self-defense basics: how to – A video course about the fundamentals of 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s self-defense method
Advanced combat tactics – How to build good quality strategies made of interchangeable tactics
How to use feints in combat – An advanced video course about deception in combat
Worst combat errors to avoid – The small mistakes that make us weaker than we could be (almost without effort)

In-depth articles

All the skills of 6 Dragons Kung Fu – The capabilities that our school aims to develop in each student
How to learn to fight: all the steps – The complete path to a serious combat preparation

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

In your opinion, what is the harder rule to implement in a real scenario?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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