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(part 2)
You can also trigger telegraphing behaviour, although it's more a psychological thing. If you feint an attack and your opponent reacts even though not in actual danger, you're showing him or her up as a bundle of nerves, which he or she likely won't be, maybe just a bit apprehensive and jumpy (it's a macho-type challenge – you flinch, you lose – and I guess women are less affected by such silliness). Again, this is a trick to play on a weaker opponent, a stronger one is bound to play such head games with you. As always in such a case, your options will be more limited here, but the other guy telegraphing may give you at least a bit of a head start.
It's yet another reason why it's so important to have a good instructor or sensei: you very rarely notice your own telegraphing. It's something that should have been bred out of you during basic training and, but it can happen all the same. As I mentioned before, sparring and point-fighting like a truth serum, they'll unfailingly bring out your true colours and deflate your ego, which is why it's pointless to order yourself to be courageous, flexible and keep a cool head in any situation (and tell yourself not to flinch or telegraph).
is quoting boxing history here: prior to his 1936 bout against Joe Louis, Max Schmeling had studied the fight reels of his opponent and noticed a flaw in his game: Louis had a habit of dropping his hand low after throwing a jab instead of immediately retracting it to his guard, thus leaving his chin unprotected. Schmeling was able to capitalize on this weakness just like in the movie clip, winning the fight but losing the rematch. Strictly speaking, it's not telegraphing but neat all the same.
Again, I would like to stress that noticing your opponent's telegraphing is no surefire recipe for success. It can give you an edge but when the other guy's bigger and stronger than you, all you can do is evade and watch the action unfold in all its rumbling predictability from a safer distance – which won't win you fights, of course, but beats getting steamrolled over.
Come to think of it, any pre-arranged partner drill performed slowly could be said to involve telegraphing since you'll not only know how your partner will attack but also when. It's ok when learning new stuff at the dojo but sooner or later you'll have to face unscripted attacks where your opponent doesn't leave himself or herself wide open and won't patiently wait for you to counter or apply an armlock or a choke. It's really easy to lull yourself into a false sense of security otherwise, and I suppose that's why there'll always be martial artists studying 'pure' self-defence systems that have a clever solution for everything (provided that 'everything' doesn't happen all at once!) – you win every time, so what's not to like? The danger here is that you'll get so used to that cosy telegraphing that soon you'll expect every aggressor to announce his dastardly intentions beforehand and then politely cooperate in his own demise.
You know what interests me most about armlocks? Not how to execute them but how to get out of them before it's too late. There's all sorts of videos where someone is attacked with a haymaker, a knife, a club and whatnot, and the smart defender will catch the other guy's arm, twist, turn, maybe add a punch or a kick for good measure, triumphing every time. If the lock is fully applied, leaving you no other chance than to tap out in a dojo setting, ok, but realistically, there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip, and the guy may escape while you're halfway through your twisting and turning his arm, and now he'll really be mad.
'Pure' self-defence systems not only foster a false sense of security, but also of superiority. They seem to proceed from the assumption that all aggressors are dumb and clumsy just like baddies in the movies. And what do dumb and clumsy aggressors do? They'll telegraph their attacks, of course. Any why? Because they're dumb and clumsy, that's why. The further you progress in such dubious systems, the less serious you will take attackers – which is unlikely to happen in karate once you arrive at the sparring stage where more advanced students won't telegraph anything and will (very considerately!) wipe the floor with you. It's when you learn to survive at the start of your sparring career instead of winning a string of easy victories. It also keeps you from getting smug and lazy, which is the last thing you need in fighting.
You can also trigger telegraphing behaviour, although it's more a psychological thing. If you feint an attack and your opponent reacts even though not in actual danger, you're showing him or her up as a bundle of nerves, which he or she likely won't be, maybe just a bit apprehensive and jumpy (it's a macho-type challenge – you flinch, you lose – and I guess women are less affected by such silliness). Again, this is a trick to play on a weaker opponent, a stronger one is bound to play such head games with you. As always in such a case, your options will be more limited here, but the other guy telegraphing may give you at least a bit of a head start.
It's yet another reason why it's so important to have a good instructor or sensei: you very rarely notice your own telegraphing. It's something that should have been bred out of you during basic training and, but it can happen all the same. As I mentioned before, sparring and point-fighting like a truth serum, they'll unfailingly bring out your true colours and deflate your ego, which is why it's pointless to order yourself to be courageous, flexible and keep a cool head in any situation (and tell yourself not to flinch or telegraph).
is quoting boxing history here: prior to his 1936 bout against Joe Louis, Max Schmeling had studied the fight reels of his opponent and noticed a flaw in his game: Louis had a habit of dropping his hand low after throwing a jab instead of immediately retracting it to his guard, thus leaving his chin unprotected. Schmeling was able to capitalize on this weakness just like in the movie clip, winning the fight but losing the rematch. Strictly speaking, it's not telegraphing but neat all the same.
Again, I would like to stress that noticing your opponent's telegraphing is no surefire recipe for success. It can give you an edge but when the other guy's bigger and stronger than you, all you can do is evade and watch the action unfold in all its rumbling predictability from a safer distance – which won't win you fights, of course, but beats getting steamrolled over.
Come to think of it, any pre-arranged partner drill performed slowly could be said to involve telegraphing since you'll not only know how your partner will attack but also when. It's ok when learning new stuff at the dojo but sooner or later you'll have to face unscripted attacks where your opponent doesn't leave himself or herself wide open and won't patiently wait for you to counter or apply an armlock or a choke. It's really easy to lull yourself into a false sense of security otherwise, and I suppose that's why there'll always be martial artists studying 'pure' self-defence systems that have a clever solution for everything (provided that 'everything' doesn't happen all at once!) – you win every time, so what's not to like? The danger here is that you'll get so used to that cosy telegraphing that soon you'll expect every aggressor to announce his dastardly intentions beforehand and then politely cooperate in his own demise.
You know what interests me most about armlocks? Not how to execute them but how to get out of them before it's too late. There's all sorts of videos where someone is attacked with a haymaker, a knife, a club and whatnot, and the smart defender will catch the other guy's arm, twist, turn, maybe add a punch or a kick for good measure, triumphing every time. If the lock is fully applied, leaving you no other chance than to tap out in a dojo setting, ok, but realistically, there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip, and the guy may escape while you're halfway through your twisting and turning his arm, and now he'll really be mad.
'Pure' self-defence systems not only foster a false sense of security, but also of superiority. They seem to proceed from the assumption that all aggressors are dumb and clumsy just like baddies in the movies. And what do dumb and clumsy aggressors do? They'll telegraph their attacks, of course. Any why? Because they're dumb and clumsy, that's why. The further you progress in such dubious systems, the less serious you will take attackers – which is unlikely to happen in karate once you arrive at the sparring stage where more advanced students won't telegraph anything and will (very considerately!) wipe the floor with you. It's when you learn to survive at the start of your sparring career instead of winning a string of easy victories. It also keeps you from getting smug and lazy, which is the last thing you need in fighting.