Hey. Ando again from Happy Life Martial Arts. I'm back with Sifu Matt Ember to
talk about kicking. Sifu, here is my question to you today. Most of the time
in self-defense, we talk about ranges. People talk about clinch range, maybe
elbows and knees, and punching range, and then kicking range is usually the
farthest out. But over the years, I've heard you teach the idea that maybe some
of these ranges kind of overlap. The lines are a little blurred. So, specific
to kicking today, what can you tell us about kicking range? >Well, I actually
don't believe in ranges. Overall, I think it's really more malleable than that.
I think it's the-- fighting range is really what's important and then the
rest is the tools. >It's all fighting. >It's all fighting, right. And then you're just--
what are you gonna do once you're in that area? Let's do-- I'll do it
left-handed so you can see. So, okay. So I'm just gonna talk about a jab for a
second. jab this is the wrists pretty much the end of my jab range in order to
make contact with him so that's that's punching range right that's jab bridge
but if I scoop forward just a little bit and this becomes a jab that hits him and
hurts him that's now stiff jab range but it still jab range right and if I move a
little further than that then it becomes pushing out of frame range what the hell
sorry but it's still jab range because it's still I'm still throwing a jab from
him yeah so I'm not sure what the range actually were is describing here so
already the lines are getting a little blurry yeah because that last one with
the pushing range you're starting to get into the top of elbow range so now we're
also hung here I'm in that range from knocking amount of frame with that jab
but that's actually the same range as this right which is so is it punching
range or is it elbow range right yes it is so now the same applies to kick yes
yes and what we kicking one of the things we offer we often see is
big sidekick to the to the chest boom so that's that's kicking range but
that's really just the end of my kicking range that's as far as I can reach with
him with any opponent because that's the length of my legs so this distance here
is kicking ready Jess right no no because if I'm here I can still throw
that same side kick and in fact move him or hurt him more so that's kicking range
or if he goes back to the exact same spot and I hope another foot in is this
kicking range well this is clearly punching range
even if I'm a number two puffs so here number one I'm clearly sort of throw I'm
still in punching range but look up close our knees are is that kicking
range yes that's kicking range too so so I'm not sure what the distinction even
really means it's just well I think we have to think about our our hands being
as or in our arms being as multi-purpose tools and the same goes for our legs
multi-purpose tools I just made this up this morning but it just because we
stand in horses doesn't mean we have hooves right they're not just rocks on
the end of a thing that we throw and cause pain with their they can be used
to push they can be used to direct right all right steer me it can be used as a
jab just to keep his attention right they can be closer and I can thrust kick
him you know somewhere else so there's a lot of uses so there's a
lot of rages so there is no kicking range that's unless my opinion beautiful
so every range is kicking range it's sure every range is fighting range fire
it's fighting range and what then what are you gonna do when you're inside that
range trucs on my side of it your foot comes maybe into my elbow range or my
knee range so why am i only thinking about throwing elbows and knees to your
body when anything you give me is now in whatever I can wrap it with your foot
foot locks and stuff or whatever so it's really all just overlaps that's right so
I'm saying it's kicking range and you're thinking no it's grappling range
you're gonna grab that right right so then then why are we talking about what
the ranges are right why are we distinguishing this from back right
obviously in the beginning as a new student you're trying to categorize
stuff make it clear but as you move on you should definitely start blurring
those lines and see an opportunity in every range for all of your tools
whatever is that fair yes right and then one last thing we want to talk about we
wanted to talk about was how you bring up your need in order to make this
concept work for you and right like a hoop if this is our dividing line who
say this is a hoop here your circle on the circle right here okay excellent
so am i bringing up my knee here or my bring up my knee here so if I bring it
up this way the only thing I can do is hinge with my knee to extend right but
if I bring it up this way now I can use the knee and the foot to extend and so
that's a way to think about and practice the idea of bring your knee up in tight
you wonder what kind of kick you're throwing and then throw the kick and
then you will think less about what is kicking range and what is not right so
you talk about chambering kick see for outside or chambering inside which I
don't hear a lot of people talk about but I think that's a really nice
distinction that opens up some opportunities here and I think where
most people probably hit heavy bags or targets and partners at the end of that
kicking range that's probably a more common way to use the kick that means
that they're probably pretty good at bringing up their chambers outside so
the next step would be to try to build up this flexibility inside the hoop
where you can maybe let's say for the sake of the exercise get your knee all
the way into your body but not sacrifice your posture your breathing and just get
my knee here where my balance be able to just hang here so that if I need to I
get that kick up and push it out so if I'm standing this close to you you can
still get right it I'll still get my kick in here and make that work or if
it's a side kick getting that knee up and inside as opposed always outside and
I think that helps you even on the ground sometimes just be able to get
your legs inside that tight space Mabel to push that back out this is a
multi-dimensional tip fair yeah very fair alright so the challenge is
everyone friend here at home open up the
opportunities in your kicking game by either chambering outside or inside and
stop thinking of these fighting ranges is separate you can't pass through these
ranges without without a special ticket everything it's more fluid it's more
fluid than that right and oh-- we were talking about Billy Jack, right? This
reminded you of Billy Jack did it not? >It did. I spent this morning looking up that
old clip. I'm gonna take this foot and put it on this side of your face--
womp you on this side of the face and there's not a damn thing you
can do about it. And he didn't move. Right from here he brought that foot up
to there. So, that's kicking range for Billy Jack. >Shout-out to the Hapkido guys
out there. Anyway, if this tip has been helpful to you, I hope you'll say thanks
to Sifu Matt and give this video a thumb up, share it with your friends. Until
next time, keep kicking and keep fighting for a happy life. >Let's talk about kick--