I cannot tell you how this saddens and angers me. I grew up in point fighting. My Sensei, Mr. Larry Davenport, was a point fighting force in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. I did my fair share in the late 90’s and early 00’s. One thing I can tell you about the point fighting of my day and even more so Mr. Davenport’s day- if you got hit it hurt. It was a flurry of power and speed. If you caught a technique you were certainly aware of the strike. The great thing of point fighting back then was if you just added another inch or took of your gloves there you could make these point fighting techniques devastating in self defense. Obviously, point fighting back then and fighting for your life were not the same. But, point fighting did provide you with some tools that could translate to self defense. Back then we practiced speed, timing, some power, movement, and most importantly putting your technique exactly where you intended- thus focus.
Fast forward to today. I have been searching high and low for drills in point fighting that would enable me to help improve my students. I’ve always appreciated the lightning speed and footwork of point fighting. I love the blitz. I came across this site-
http://www.intensivepointfighttraining.com/index.php?option=com_jusertube&view=video&rid=_kh784gJrDM&yuser=AikyaTrainer&auto=1&eh=385&ew=640&st=yes&height=500&width=680&Itemid=153
I spent a lot of time on this site. First of all, these are great athletes with phenomenal speed, timing, and footwork. They are not teaching point fighting. They are not encouraging martial arts. They are promoting what I would describe as a game of tag. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing they are practicing translates to anything a true martial art holds dear. They are quite simply fast at playing one on one tag. Today’s point fighters have replaced the reverse punch to the body with a back fist to the body because it is faster. A back fist to the body? Are you kidding me? There is nothing martial about a back fist to the body. Speaking of back fist the now throw it with an open hand to the top of the head. Because they get more reach for their game of tag. Trust me when I say that if you smacked anyone on the top of the head with the back of your hand- your hand will get broken. Lastly, the footwork and speed are impressive. However, they lose all credibility in this area two as they perpetually leave the ground while making a forward blitz. The ground is your friend. It enables your to root in and draw power.
Sorry. You are fantastic athletes. But, point sparring will never be what it aspires to be. A sport followed like MMA. And the reason you will not attain UFC heights is because your version of point fighting is watered down that it is nothing like martial arts. It is nothing like fighting. It is as different to real fighting as driving a car is to riding a moped.
