| Mastery, in any endeavor, requires knowledge and an | | | | controlling not only these two points of contact with |
| ability with things that most people take for granted, | | | | the ground, but also by controlling: |
| never pay attention to, or have no idea even exist. | | | | 1)The alignment of the hips, knees, and ankles, and... |
| And mastering self defense, whether through the | | | | 2)The positioning of the spine and head relative to |
| martial arts or not, is no different. | | | | gravity so that everything is centered on top of the |
| This article explores the concept of balance control | | | | base. |
| as a means of controlling your attacker, his | | | | And there-in lies the key to making defense easier, |
| movement, and your ability to control the overall | | | | especially against an attacker who is bigger and |
| outcome of the fight. But, to understand the concept | | | | stronger than you. |
| of balance, you need to start with your own | | | | Once you understand that, what allows your |
| experience of it, and then you can move on to | | | | attacker to stand is an alignment between his hips, |
| applying what you've learned against an enraged | | | | ankles, and knees, then you can move on to learn |
| attacker who's trying to damage or even kill you. | | | | ways of disrupting this alignment. Rather than |
| The concept of balance control begins with the | | | | muscling a stronger, larger, more stable attacker... |
| understanding that... | | | | ...you can focus on causing him to have to deal with |
| ...you and I are bipeds. | | | | you from a position of instability. |
| That means that, as humans, we only have two | | | | The key is getting him into positions where his own |
| points of contact with the ground. We are not | | | | body is fighting gravity, thus taking away valuable |
| four-legged animals, three-legged bar stools, or | | | | energy and power that he could be otherwise |
| anything else that is more stable because of the | | | | directing at YOU! |
| increase number of points in contact with the ground. | | | | Effective self defense requires more than just a few |
| What does this have to do with self defense? | | | | "karate moves." It involves the ability to think |
| The answer is... | | | | strategically, and understand how to defend yourself |
| EVERYTHING! | | | | with as little wear-and-tear on you as possible. |
| Human beings learned to stand and walk, by | | | | |