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READING 101
Author: Terry L. Wilson
Young Bo Kong was once dubbed the fastest kicker in the world by his peers. During the 1970s and '80s, the taekwondo master ruled the tournament circuit with lightning-fast kicks and an uncanny ability to "read" his opponents.
Four decades later, Kong's techniques are still a blur to the naked eye, but he's the first to admit that while speed is important, accuracy and timing are really what make kicks count.
"You've heard the saying, 'Speed kills,' and that is very true," the Pittsburgh-based master says. "I defeated many opponents with speed. However, it was my ability to maneuver my opponent into a position where my fast kicks could be the most effective that made the difference."
Kong says many young fighters make the mistake of rushing into battle without knowing what they're walking into. That's because they don't know that learning how to decipher the meaning of an opponent's movements can often spell the difference between victory and defeat.
Body Language
"Everybody reacts differently when attacked," he says. "To be an effective fighter, you must be able to know when your opponent is committing to an attack and when he's just trying to sucker you into making a move he can counter. There are certain things you can do offensively to test him without exposing yourself."
To begin sizing up your adversary, Kong recommends observing his body language before you rush forward to strike. You can bait him to gauge his reflexes and reactions by jumping in as if to attack, then backing off quickly. In a matter of seconds, you can build a blueprint of his responses-if you know what to look for.
"For example, if you flick your hand at the face of your opponent [and] he throws up both hands to protect himself while backing off, you know he's afraid of getting hit in the face," Kong says. "In an instant, you know by his reaction that he won't try to counter an attack to the head. Instead, he'll focus on protecting his face, leaving his body wide open. Because his elbows are high and extended forward beyond his belt, his ribs are unprotected, making them a perfect target for a spinning back kick or a reverse punch."
If he angles his body to evade your attack without raising his guard, Kong says, you can use a different ploy. "Whenever a fighter avoids an attack by moving to one side or the other, he can be tagged with an ax kick if you catch him mid-step. The instant he steps with his lead foot, you can counter by raising your ax kick. An inside crescent kick will also work well in this instance, but you must be fast in the execution of this move, or he may have an opening for a reverse punch. This is the kind of situation where speed works in perfect harmony with reading your opponent."
Added Confusion
Taekwondo fighters have popularized a technique that involves rapidly shifting and shuffling their feet. The tactic is designed to make the opponent lose his focus on his battle plan by luring him into looking at your feet-and in the blink of an eye that can spell disaster in the form of an incoming roundhouse kick or punch.
"If you shuffle your feet and your opponent steps back in a straight line, you should quickly close the distance by stepping in [and] executing a side kick," Kong says. "When a person steps back in a straight line, he usually opens himself to a lunging-type attack. Using the taekwondo method of double-stepping, you can close the distance quickly. This is another example of combining speed with reading your opponent. And speed is imperative when attacking-or defending-on a straight line."
Because a good offense equals a strong defense, a fighter will frequently step straight back in hopes of getting you to attack, Kong warns. Therefore, you must take pains to further your understanding of when it's smart to attack and when it's wise to be patient. For many martial artists, this learning curve is steep.
"One way to tell if your opponent is trying to set you up as he backs away is to notice the position of his hip and foot," Kong says. "If the toes of his back foot are facing straight at you, there's a good chance he's going to attack with a lunge punch or front kick. If he's going to attack with a roundhouse kick, most likely the foot will be at a slight angle and he'll be leaning slightly forward. If he's just running for his life to avoid your attack, he'll be on the toes of his back foot.
"Making such determinations during the heat of battle requires much practice and skill."
More Wisdom
One of Kong's favorite moves for countering a person lunging at him with fists flying is to step back with his left leg, arching his body backward as well to stay out of the opponent's reach. While doing that, he extends his right leg. Because he's leaning backward, it gives the impression he's retreating defensively, when in reality he's setting up his offense.
"At the last moment, as he rushes in for the kill, I shift my forward leg-in this case, my right leg-to the rear," Kong says. "Next, I shift my weight and stop him with a short back kick off my left leg."
Selling the Fake
From the first time a taekwondo stylist learns how to fight, he's taught that the hands set up the feet and the feet set up the hands. That adage describes the framework from which great fighters emerge.
"One of the basic techniques is to throw a kick to his leg or midsection, and when he blocks down, you have an opening to his face," Kong says. "The same is true when punching to the head: The hands go up, and you have a nice opening for a kick. However, to make this basic technique work, you must really sell the fake."
If you don't throw it with authority, he says, it won't fool your opponent. Again, it's a situation in which speed will help sell the technique, but you still must have a battle plan. Don't execute the kick or punch without having decided on a follow-up move.
"A thing to watch for is when your opponent dips his shoulder," Kong says. "That's almost always a feinting move-fighters will use it to test your reaction or to get you to move in the direction of the feint. When someone does that, you should immediately execute an ax kick. His body is already dipping down, which means he must come up to attack or move backward. If he moves back, he runs right into the kick-plus it's very difficult for a person to block an ax kick while moving backward."
Kong says spinning kicks are also effective, but for them to find their mark, they must be properly set up. "With a spinning kick, you put your strongest kicking leg to the rear and fake a move forward to give your opponent what he thinks is an open target," he says. "When he attacks your open chest with a roundhouse kick, you block his leg with your arms and go with the flow of his attack. Your front foot spins around, landing flush against his head, using the torque of your turning body for power."
To become a superior fighter, you must learn the importance of timing, balance and speed, Kong advises. But most of all, you have to learn how to fight with your mind as well as your body. ...
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