In my previous post I mentioned Loren’s new book: Fighting the Pain Resistant Attacker. Here’s a short preview you might like:
THE SOMATIC REFLEX ARC
Although I’ve used this for years, I didn’t know it had a name until my friend Steve Holley enlightened me and related how he too has used it in police work.
For our purposes, the somatic reflex arc is the body’s involuntary response to a blow.
- Gouge a man’s eyes, and he snaps his head back and jerks his hands up.
- Punch his liver and he bends to the right side.
- Poke his femoral artery in his pelvis, and he jerks forward.
- Kick someone in the peroneal nerve, and he twitches a little or a lot to the struck side.
This reflex action, which occurs even when the receiver doesn’t feel pain, is good news for you because it opens a window of opportunity. When the attacker automatically snaps his hands up to protect his just-poked eyes, he leaves everything from his chin to his toes open for you to do whatever enters your mind. When he arches his back reflexively in response to you kicking his kidney, he is momentarily off balance and ripe for you to take him down.
While the pain-resistant attacker might not feel the actual blow, say, to his kidney, he will wonder why he’s suddenly bending back and sucking for air like a beached fish. While he’s wondering and sucking, you follow with additional techniques or flee the scene.
To activate the somatic reflex arc, the blow needs to penetrate deeply into the kidney, as opposed to a punch that snaps in and out. Think of hitting his stomach by way of his back. Hit hard and accurately, and the attacker will reflexively bend backwards. He does this for only a second, so act quickly to take advantage of it.
Hook, hook, slam
Here’s an example:
That’s it for the preview, hope you enjoyed it. I’ll give a heads up on the book when it comes out.
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Bert Bruijnen says
yeah! that looks good and solid! very interesting.
Cheers,
Bert
PS: I heard something about Sanda championships in Heerlen, Netherlands. Are you there coaching Wim?? or am I totally wrong here.
Wim says
@Bert: I was going to be there but my fighters had another competition the week after. He preferred to go to that one instead. And then the organizers canceled last week… Oh well.
Bert Bruijnen says
yeah! that looks good and solid! very interesting.
Cheers,
Bert
PS: I heard something about Sanda championships in Heerlen, Netherlands. Are you there coaching Wim?? or am I totally wrong here.
Wim says
@Bert: I was going to be there but my fighters had another competition the week after. He preferred to go to that one instead. And then the organizers canceled last week… Oh well.
Isaac M.S. says
Anything that involves grabbing somebody’s face and slamming them into the ground goes well in my book. Can’t wait for the full thing!
Wim says
Can’t say I disagree with you Isaac. :-) I’ll post an update when it goes on sale.
Isaac M.S. says
Anything that involves grabbing somebody’s face and slamming them into the ground goes well in my book. Can’t wait for the full thing!
Wim says
Can’t say I disagree with you Isaac. :-) I’ll post an update when it goes on sale.
Steve Holley says
Hey, I just like seeing my name in print without the word “defendant” attached to it.
Steve Holley says
Hey, I just like seeing my name in print without the word “defendant” attached to it.
Black Belt at 50 says
When the attacker tries to push you, hook his arm toward his inside…
I’m not sure I got that part. But once he’s turned around, the kidney punch and slam look straight forward enough.
Black Belt at 50 says
When the attacker tries to push you, hook his arm toward his inside…
I’m not sure I got that part. But once he’s turned around, the kidney punch and slam look straight forward enough.
Loren Christensen says
Black Belt at 50: Hook (like a monkey paw block) or push his arm toward his chest and abdomen, ie, his inside. As you do so, step to the outside of his body, ie. away from him a little. This puts you in position to hit his kidney. If you step only a little and he turns only a little, you should still be able to hook punch his kidney. If he turns a lot and you step big, you can hit him with an inverted punch as pictured.
Loren Christensen says
Black Belt at 50: Hook (like a monkey paw block) or push his arm toward his chest and abdomen, ie, his inside. As you do so, step to the outside of his body, ie. away from him a little. This puts you in position to hit his kidney. If you step only a little and he turns only a little, you should still be able to hook punch his kidney. If he turns a lot and you step big, you can hit him with an inverted punch as pictured.
Bert Edens says
Now, this looks like a great book! I can’t wait to check it out.
And thanks for the clarification, Loren!
– The Other Bert :)
Bert Edens says
Now, this looks like a great book! I can’t wait to check it out.
And thanks for the clarification, Loren!
– The Other Bert :)