ABC-Attack by Combination

Attack By Combination

ABC is the natural follow up to the Single Direct Attack (SDA) or Attack by Drawing (ABD). Once we have closed the gap and are in the optimal striking range we must hit, and do not stop hitting until the conflict has ended, and we are victorious of course.  Let’s examine SDA again, it’s a single strike. Not many fights are won with a single strike unless it’s a knockout. There are definitely some fighters who can score a knockout with a single punch. But most of the time that initial punch will just further infuriate your opponent. Once the SDA has been delivered remember, don’t admire your work! We don’t want to score that first hit and then step back and say “did I beat him?” You would miss that moment of confusion right after we elicit that pain response, this is the moment we must capitalize on.  Our initial strike from SDA should serve as an entry, closing the gap and putting us into optimal striking range for follow up strikes. The moment right after our SDA has created a moment of pain or discomfort don’t give your opponent the opportunity to recover and counter strike. After the first strike lands, overload your opponent with a barrage of successive strikes.  Typically the SDA will be followed by sequences of 2, 3, 4 or 5 strikes.  The count doesn’t matter, we keep hitting until we win. The strikes themselves can be delivered using any of your tools, fist, foot, knee or elbow….take what’s given.  Be like water and naturally flow into those openings of your opponent’s defense.  Strikes may also be directed at a single target or multiple targets. In JKD, much like classical Wing Chun we target those vital areas along our opponent’s centerline like the eyes, throat, sternum, abdomen, groin, knee or foot. Again, we take what’s given and adapt to our opponent. I favor multiple targets and changing the lines of attack. For example, strike the high line, then low line and back up to high line. This keeps the opponent guessing at all times. Switch from punches to kicks and then back to punches. Overload his brain so much that he can’t even think about blocking what you’re throwing at him.

Defense against an ABC is much more difficult than SDA. In SDA your opponent can duck, parry, bob and weave single strikes. But take those same strikes and put them into ABC when the strikes are delivered in succession with speed and fluidity. The opponent won’t be able to anticipate where the next strike is coming from especially when we are continuously changing lines of attack and using broken rhythm.  It’s like a sensory overload; it’s a whole other animal to defend against.

When training ABC, don’t over-complicate things. Train is stages of progression. Start with 2 count combinations, then 3 counts, then 4 and so on. Start with hands only, then feet only and then combine hands and feet. The possibilities of training the ABC way of attack are endless.  Explore different ways of training, focus mitts, striking sticks, heavy bags and light sparring are great ways to train.