Going through an Attacker (Part 2) – Flight

Flight can teach you a lot about what is required when facing multiple opponents. It will give you insights into such things as: the level of acceleration required, the benefits of no-choice training, the need to keep the body together and compact, how to create a shield to hide behind, the level of commitment required, the need to centre your attack directly at the opponent, and what types of reactions you can get when you give your opponents a sufficient mass effect.

Dealing with a group of attackers is about getting rid of distractions, which requires a 100% commitment. Flight requires you to leap at the danger with full commitment. Since your feet are not touching the ground, your commitment is total until you land. In flight you have no time for anticipation, or hesitation, or to change the speed of your advancement. You have no choice but to deal with what is coming. Some students can find it a bit disconcerting at first but it can be lots of fun to learn.

The problem to avoid when learning flight is not centering on the attacker; it is all too easy to attack the side and if you do that then you won’t affect the opponent enough. To truly activate flight you need to be aiming directly at your opponent with full acceleration. You need to produce enough anxiety in their mind about the anticipated impact that they move out of the way. Of course if they are big and skilled at absorbing energy, then you might have a problem.

In practical terms you cannot do this half-heartedly. You have to affect the opponent’s ability to measure your actions. The more speed you gain for your progression, the less time your opponent has to measure and prepare to resist you. You want them to have only a split second to decide that they cannot handle your mass effect so you are in effect forcing an instinctual response from them.

Every attacker in the group will have a different threshold to absorbing energy from your approach. For your survival in a group attack you will need a consistency of acceleration and forward energy that will exceed the toughest attacker. All you can do is give your all, accelerate your system to its maximum and ensure your energy is directed effectively to the attacker.

As always with group work, train safely and under the supervision of a qualified instructor