The Value of the Second Person Point of View

The Value of the Second Person Point of View

This article was first published in the Summer issue of Euronews by my friend and colleague, Mr. Richard Matthews, 6th Degree Black Belt, of Jersey - Channel Islands.

The second person point of view is neglected in most Kenpo partner training. The second person is often referred to as "the dummy". Who wants to be "the dummy" getting hit and waiting his turn? To achieve more effective training, get away from "waiting your turn" and get more actively involved in training with your partner. This new training perspective requires attacking from a realistic distance and aiming for the proper target on the defender. Punching off to the side and "standing there" just won't cut it anymore. The second person should emphasize posture and balance when striking or manipulating the defender. Improved stances and proper body alignment are positive results of this emphasis. When attacking, learn to regulate the speed, intent, and force (including the level of contact), adjusting these to your partner's skill level.

Many instructors teach specific breathing patterns when executing certain technique models. Proper breathing is essential for the attacker as well. The attacker or second person can learn to relax or tense at the proper moment to aid his partner's learning process and minimize potential injury. Proper breathing aids the force and timing of your attack and strengthens your body against impact (impact adjustment). Injury prevention becomes more important as we progress to higher levels of impact and train more sophisticated technique models. The attacker must give more realistic body reactions to the defender's sequence of moves. "Standing like a statue" requires the defender to strike or manipulate with greater force and intent. This limits his continuity of motion and increases the risk of injury for both of you. Body maneuvers and checks can be useful in training as the attacker. Learn to ride and turn WITH your defender's strikes. Use covers for your vital areas allowing them to become positional checks when your defender strikes them. This allows the defender to strike more powerfully in the direction of vital areas without causing injury. Remember, Mr. Parker said, "To apply a check is to be in control." Take more personal responsibility and control when training.

Learning to fall properly also limits injury. How often do real self-defense situations end up with one or more participant's going to the ground? Since we're doing a reality check, are we more likely to slip and fall or "get in a fight"? My falling ability has been challenged by everything from personal clumsiness and fast moving motorcycles to a horse with a bad attitude. An attacker who can fall and minimize injury may continue to fight from the ground. This is just one example of the training available in the What if/Formulation phase of a technique model. Building the necessary skills outlined above allows you and your partner to experience this new level of training. The attacker may vary the distance, force, and angle, point of delivery, intent or speed of the attack. Other options could include the attacker: does not step through, follows his grab with a punch, prefixes his punch with a kick, succeeds in tackling the defender and as many other ideas as you and your training partners can imagine. The defender may vary his environment. The attack begins when: his back is to a wall, an obstacle is to his right or left, he is seated, a weapon is in close proximity. The defender may consider the "next person in line" as part of the conflict to formulate responses to multiple attack scenarios or to train certain principles like the angle of desired positioning. This third person might observe and give the "partners" corrective adjustments as they train. By implementing even one of these ideas, we become more involved in the "moment" of training. With some basic skill-building and cooperation the only limits to more effective training are logic and imagination.

The central theme and some of this material were derived from a thesis written by Marilyn Bernard Lawson for her black belt.

By: Lawson