The Thrust in Nasubukang Arnis One of the more versatile strikes a stick fighter has in his arsenal is the thrust. It can be employed in all ranges with equally devastating effect but I believe it requires more understanding in its execution and repetition in trying to perfect it than any other strike. The problem with the thrust is that it’s probably the most unappreciated and misused tool that the stick fighters has at his disposal. Some common mistakes which occur when sparring include executing the thrust whilst out of range, throwing it out with no real intention behind it, happy just to make contact with the opponent regardless of how minimal it might be, using it as an initial attack but not knowing how to disguise its execution, or a lack of strategy in terms of not knowing what to do after the thrust has been thrown. In Nasubukang Arnis, we spend a lot of time developing our form. By this I mean we’re conscientious about not over extending our strikes or our base. Much as a boxer will constantly be moving his head so as to not make it a sitting target, we too will also move our stick arm and hand for the same reason but within a tight frame extending between the head and hips (high and low) and the shoulders (left and right). Anything else beyond this is usually done as a bait to draw the opponents strike on a particular line. We also extend this form to our striking. Of paramount importance to us is the control of the tip on the stick. As far as possible, we prefer to end our strikes with the tip of the stick pointing towards the opponent instead of having it swing past our hips and pointing behind us in the case of a number one angle for example. We want to present a constant threat to the opponent. This allows us to immediately follow up with a thrust to the opponents head if we’ve missed the intended target and the opponent has advanced behind our shot or possibly he’s used a feint to draw out our strike and is now advancing. These are just basic examples that come to mind. The point is, this is the students’ first introduction to utilising the thrust in Nasubukang Arnis and an important lesson with regards to maintaining form whilst striking. The beauty of the thrust is that there are times when it doesn’t even have to make contact with the head to cause a disruption in the opponents attack or preparation. A well placed, well timed thrust can also create an advantage by causing the opponent to instinctively throw his head back to avoid being hit thus giving us a momentary freeze in his attention – a opening to be exploited. Asides from maintaining proper form, there’s two elements crucial to the successful execution of the thrust. First and foremost is the ability to disguise the thrust and second is knowing when to throw it – the timing. I’m sure the majority of us have all faced someone at some point in time during sparring and have been able observe when they are about to throw the thrust out. Sometimes is quite blatant. There’s no attempt to mask their intention and the shot is delivered in most cases, half-heartedly indicating that they don’t have enough faith in the technique. The obvious difference between the stick and the blade is that executing a thrust with the stick on the first beat of an attack is pointless if it’s directed at any part of the body other than the head in the long-mid range as it won’t do any damage whatsoever. The one exception to this is if the gap has been closed by either you or the opponent and you’re able to cup his neck with your live hand whilst driving the thrust into his body with real force or into the head as an uppercut (naturally, in a spar, this is indicated only and needs to be respected by your sparring partner as a strong possibility of ending the bout). The thrust has to have purpose and needs to be thrown with conviction. Not just the technique itself but the exponent using it has to have the faith that he can apply it well without compromising his form and make it count. This is about understanding the technique and the environment it’s best used in. Another reason why some fighters don’t like to employ the thrust outside of close range is that they think it’s ineffective. I disagree. It’s a great tool for covering your advance from long to mid-range particularly if thrown from below the eye line. However, like all things which need mastering, it requires time and thousands of reps. It also necessitates a deft use of the wrist in some instances e.g. if the thrust in being employed as an initial attack which has been disguised behind a slash. Usually a strike like this will extend to the side slightly more than normal in its initiation to allow the opponent to see the line and hopefully meet the strike. The wrist is turned at the last moment to come inside his block or counter. Again, being able to execute this strike in a seamless line, in one beat, requires hours of repping, very slowly at first to get the feel and the timing of the turn of the wrist correct but ultimately it’s a beautiful thing to observe when you are able to pull it off. In this instance though, the feint is also sold by body language too. In the long range, we sometimes use the thrust to draw the opponents stick hand out with the intention of attacking that hand. The opponent will usually do one of three things. He will either attempt to block it (giving us an idea of his level and experience if he is unknown), try to smash your hand or stick or not be drawn into whatever he thinks you’re planning (again giving us an indication of his level of experience). This is a tactic which is used in the early stages of a bout and like most baits, is used sparingly. As you can see, the thrust used at long range is quite limited in its application with a stick. Close range is a different matter and is probably the range where most damage is done. Your ability to manipulate the stick proficiently at this range is the key to success here. Due to the restriction of space, thrusts employed here come in the form of forehand and backhand hooking thrusts to the head as well as tight uppercuts to the body and to the throat or chin (as discussed above) There’s nothing more disarming than the sight of the tip of an opponents’ stick being delivered square into your face. Again, even if it doesn’t make contact, it creates a momentary freeze in the mental process of the recipient and one which should be trained to be taken advantage of. For this reason, the thrust in Nasubukang Arnis is a highly valued and useful tool.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 04:55:10 +0000
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