"Hard" martial arts such as tae kwon do and Shotokan karate tend to meet force with force. They will greet an oncoming attack with a block from a limb conditioned to accept the incoming force and overcome it. Other martial arts take a "soft" approach. They teach students to avoid incoming strikes, sometimes by bending into an unexpected position so the attack passes harmlessly by.
The Young Tree and the Old Tree
A martial arts parable expresses the value of bending in self-defense situations. The tale tells of an old monk observing trees after a snow storm. An old, rigid tree branch broke with a loud crack under the weight of the snow. Nearby, a younger and flexible tree branch bent under the weight. The snow sloughed off to the ground and the branch sprang back to its original position, none the worse for wear.
Proper Bending
Although bending into low or lateral positions can evade attacks, there is a proper form to bending. If you bend wrong, you can lose balance and expose yourself to a more devastating follow-up attack. When bending in martial arts, you must keep your skeleton aligned. No matter how you are positioned, your joints should line up to keep your center of gravity low and directly above your knees. Different arts use different postures to teach this, but it is one of the universal truths taught by all quality martial arts.
Eastern Fighting Styles
Asian styles of fighting are well-known for their esoteric stances and flowery movement. Some of the styles that most often use bending as part of their repertoire include Chinese kung-fu and wushu, judo and aikdo from Japan and the arts of escrima and silat from the Philippines and Indonesia.
Western Fighting Styles
Although they don't place the same traditional and spiritual importance to them, Western civilizations have their own history of martial traditions. Among them, several also teach students to bend in order to avoid attacks. The slips and weaves of boxing are one example. Others include systema and sambo from Russia, Greek pankration, capoeira from Brazil and its African ancestor, N'Golo.
References
- "GURPS Martial Arts"; Peter Dell'Orto & Sean Punch; 2007
- Dave Coffman; Martial Arts Historian; Hillsboro, Ore
- "Capoeira: The Jogo de Angola, Volume I"; Gerard Taylor; 2003
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