How reliable is your technique?

Do you have it when it matters?

In my endless quest for martial arts reality and practicality, I have come across literally thousands of techniques. My question for you guys is: How reliable are your techniques? How certain are you, that you can use them in a time of stress or pressure? This is not about your style, or what you like to do. That doesn't matter. I am asking a legitimate question. See, a lot of times certain moves will work really well against someone from your own style. I have seen crescent kicks work well against other taekwondo practitioners. I have seen a double leg takedown do well against a fellow wrestler. But then again, I am always curious as to how well a person's technique would work against someone who fought with a different rhythm. Do your techniques adapt? Can you use them against a boxer, wrestler, sambo player, judoka, aikidoka and a kung fu student? If not, you may want to revisit your techniques. Some may need a little tweaking to work at maximum ability. When people practice in a singular style, they often agree to certain rules that prevent them from being able to use their techniques. Boxers typically are not skilled in throwing punches in a way that will keep a judo player from grabbing them. In Brazilian JiuJitsu competitions, they often crouch low to keep themselves from being taken down by a wrestler easily. But it opens them to being struck in the face or kicked in the legs.

That is why I am such a fan of the basics. I have jabbed many types of martial artists, and it works. I have upper-cutted, front kicked, roundhouse kicked, foot-swept and hip thrown all kinds of folks. We have all seen the maxim, but some people still don't heed it. K.I.S.S. Keep it short and simple. People often feel, mistakenly that elaborate is better than simple, that complicated is more useful than basic. It has been proven many times that in high stress situations, many people find themselves unable to perform anything more than basic. If a person has been startled badly enough, they cannot even write their name on a piece of paper between the lines. As an even better example would be if someone is driving and someone pulls out in front of them suddenly, a person will often tense up and slam on the brakes, even though they are normally good drivers. High stress often leads to lowered results.

In you are not sure where you lie on the spectrum of reliability, reach out to other Martial Artists. Often people have drills and practices that you can benefit from. Check out any training methods that you can find online and fill your mind with new ideas. Have a great day!