I just posted this on Facebook in response to a statement by Shihan Judith Marx, a fellow long-time student of Soke Kubota. She brought up the subject of "cheap shots". It jogged my memory of an event that happened many years ago, where a guy tried to cheap shot me in a tournament.
"Used to get people trying to cheap shot us at tournaments, more than in the dojo. (Only had one guy try to cheap shot me at Soke's dojo, some weird guy who had transferred in from some other organization.) I was fighting a guy once in one of Ron Marcini and Leo Fong's tournaments. I had beaten him before - at the Manteca tournament in the photo I posted (of myself fighting Frank Rameriz). As soon as I got a lead on the guy, he started trying to hit me, figuring I guess that he could save more face that way - I didn't lose, I was disqualified because of excessive contact, because I was too strong for those guys, etc. On his next attack, he lifted his hands up like people do when they want to hit you in the face. So I sunk down and caught him first with a well controlled middle level reverse punch. A split second later, he popped me in the mouth. I tasted the blood and immediately caught him hard in the solar plexus with an inverted punch (uppercut). He spun around and dropped to his knees, sounding like he was going to throw up. I stood over him for a couple of seconds to see if he intended to continue, then stepped back. I never saw him again nor did he probably try to cheap shot anyone again."
"Used to get people trying to cheap shot us at tournaments, more than in the dojo. (Only had one guy try to cheap shot me at Soke's dojo, some weird guy who had transferred in from some other organization.) I was fighting a guy once in one of Ron Marcini and Leo Fong's tournaments. I had beaten him before - at the Manteca tournament in the photo I posted (of myself fighting Frank Rameriz). As soon as I got a lead on the guy, he started trying to hit me, figuring I guess that he could save more face that way - I didn't lose, I was disqualified because of excessive contact, because I was too strong for those guys, etc. On his next attack, he lifted his hands up like people do when they want to hit you in the face. So I sunk down and caught him first with a well controlled middle level reverse punch. A split second later, he popped me in the mouth. I tasted the blood and immediately caught him hard in the solar plexus with an inverted punch (uppercut). He spun around and dropped to his knees, sounding like he was going to throw up. I stood over him for a couple of seconds to see if he intended to continue, then stepped back. I never saw him again nor did he probably try to cheap shot anyone again."
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| Here's a copy of the photo that I posted on Facebook of my match with Frank Rameriz. Ron Marcini and Robert Halliburton were the officials. |
How do you guys/gals handle people who try to cheap shot you?
The one guy who would cheap shot us at IKA headquarters was a strange fellow. I haven't seen him in many years. He never controlled anything he threw. Someone told me he had a large rock in the middle of his dojo floor and would have his students punch and kick it. He supposedly also had his students spar in motorcycle helmets.
ReplyDeleteIn the old days, if I had an opponent who was maliciously trying to hit or cheap-shot me in a tournament, I'd sometimes raise my arm, leaving open my midsection. When they launched a punch there, I'd drive the tip of my elbow down hard on their forearm If they tried to kick me, I'd pull my knee to my chest such that they would break their toes on my shin. We called the latter "barricading".
ReplyDeleteI remember as a lower belt having to spar with one guy who always seemed to go way to hard for me. It wasn't just me it was anyone of lower rank than him. He often left bruises on his fellow students of lessor ability and talent.
ReplyDeleteI was genuinely afraid to spar with him because he had no control and no remorse when he hurt you. But you can't pick your sparing partner, you had to go with whomever came up next in line.
As I got better, it seemed he never did. Then one day I made an amazing discovery. I found that when I scored on him he got very angry and lost what little, if any, control and composer him might have had.
Once that happened he became easier to score on and that just made him more upset.
The whole experience was one of my key turning points in karate. I learned first hand the there are people who can hurt you and will. I learned to control distance. I learned timing. Most importantly, I learned to overcome my fear.