COUNTERATTACK - AN UNDERSTATED ART WITH A MASSIVE BITE.
Johnny St. Tai - Instructor.
4/2/11
johnnytiger@shaw.ca
"Make the counter 100 times harsher than the assault- it's the last hit that counts.
"I'll give you first shot, because I'm going to take the last."
"Draw your blade with honor in your heart, and strike to kill."
One of the more modern and largely obscure and unacknowledged fighting techniques, Counterattack, like many Self Defense arts, is a combination of mental trainings and devastating moves from various Martial Arts from around the world. The style traces back to Iaijutsu and Samurai Karate, but has since evolved to include strikes from Muay Thai, boxing, and grappling and joint-locking moves from BJJ, Judo and Qingna Kong Fu. It is not a sport/stage fighting art- instead, it is in the same neighborhood of Krav Maga and other field/street combat styles. I have been practicing this style for almost 11 years to this day, and teaching it for the better part of the past six years. I will attempt, to the best of my ability, to give an overview of the style in this document.
Like most street-level Self Defense arts, Counterattack uses quick, vicious strikes and counter-strikes, attacking vital points on the opponent's body to neutralize the threat in the quickest way possible. To date of this document, I have seen no organized ranking system for this style- although some instructors, my own included, employ the colored belt system favored by many Martial Arts. It is important to note that, while this style is great for personal defense, the legality of the style can be called into question by law do to its capability of inflicting what may be considered excessive force. It is the responsibility of each practitioner to realize the potential and repercussion that may result from using the style.
As a practitioner of various Martial Arts ever since the age of seven, it has been a personal quest of mine to find that one art that is universally practical and ultimately fatal. I met my Counterstrike instructor at the same time when I achieved brown belt in Shorin Ryu Karate- witnessing the 60+ years old Counterattack user taking down my Karate master- who was like a third degree black belt, weighing in at over 200 pounds and no older than 38- in under 30 seconds. I was hooked. Call me a traitor if you wish, but watching years of katas and cracking boards being wasted in such a short and decisive manner by an elderly man who stood shorter than five foot and four inches- well, it was an eye opener. I am by no means slighting Karate fighters, since I'm sure that there are many great Karate and other Martial Art fighters out there who can take down a Counterattack practitioner such as myself; I'm simply stating the facts surrounding the circumstance which resulted in me dedicating my later years to my art of choice.
After learning and advancing in Counterattack, I can, with some authority, analyze the shocking result of the witnessed fight which drew me into this style. Though much bigger and undoubtedly stronger, my Karate master fought with the honor and manner befitting a Karate master. The Counterattack fighter, who trained me afterward, fought with everything he had- no rule, no holding back, down and dirty all the way. And that, is the core of Counterattack, and most similar combat arts. A counterattacker's only goal is to not only win, but to completely neutralize the opposition. A Counterattacker does not strike for points- he/she will strike to seriously injure the person who make the mistake of delivering that first hit. A Counterattacker will not simply walk away to safety- he/she is taught to end the fight anyway they can.
It is because of Counterattack's militaristic approach and philosophy that we emphasize on control and the virtue of de-escalating the conflict before the first punch is thrown. Each student is subjected to hours of communication training and calming tactics, along with basic psychology and social skills. The mental training holds a darker side too- the practitioners are trained to be able to "blink" from peacemaker mode to full on "fury" mode. When drawn into combat, a Counterattacker can best be described as controlled chaos, moving by largely instinct and driven by the primal, bestial rage they learn to trigger, while wielding the knowledge of where to hit in order to inflict maximum damage, how to snap joints, what to use as weapon, and in some advanced cases, how to kill. Unlike more civilized Martial Arts, Counterattack exclusively targets the throat, nose, spine, groin, and other areas on a body that, according to my own experience and the words of my master, "REALLY HURT...ALOT..."
Counterattack focuses more on speed and accuracy rather than power. Practitioners are encouraged to practice hours of combinations and close-in striking techniques to trim off excess force and replace it with sure aim and nontelegraphing attacks. The idea is to assimilate a sword-fighter instead of an axeman- a sharp blade does not have to be swung overly hard as long as the angle of the cut is true. Unless you're getting into a fight with a seasoned pro, a drunk or a person high on drug, a human being, no matter how big the person, does not require that much force to take down- assuming you know what you are doing. Lets say I give you a massive piece of raw beef to cut up, if the knife you are using is real sharp, and you know how to cut around the bones and other obstructions, you do not have to put much force into cutting at all. On the other hand, if your knife is dull to begin with, or if you're trying to cut through the bones instead of trimming around them, then you are in for a tough workout.
Here, I need to mention that, although size doesn't really matter in a real fight- a debatable point best left to others, Counterattack, like most serious fighting arts, is best utilized when the practitioner is fit. This is not one of those internet courses where you're promised unstoppable fists of fury by sitting back and watching a few videos- which you have to purchase exclusively through those websites- there is no such a thing. No matter how many videos you watch, how many books you read, you will not defend yourself successfully if you lose your balance at the first sign of trouble. The fact that many of those who learn Martial Arts and Self Defense Arts never actually have to use it in a life or death struggle is really lucky for the unfortunate ones who believe in these advertised "miracle" techniques. If anyone can sit at home and become totally able to defend him/her self by watching a few vids, the police and the military would be out of jobs in a hurry. During Counterattack training, one is taught to not only how to give pain, but how to receive pain and to use that pain to fuel the anger one learns to trigger on demand. We seek to max out the possible output energy your body can generate in order to defend your self- which means, the fitter you are, the more you can generate and sustain during a confrontation.
Though Counterattack starts off like most other Martial Arts, with the basic punches and kicks, it also touches on crushing elbow and knee strikes, joint-popping locks and several hand and foot blade techniques. Perhaps the most unique aspect of Counterattack is the lightning quick backfist strikes that hit with the back of the fists- impacting with either the back of the wrists, or about an inch in from the forward most knuckle. This striking technique works like a boxer's jab, its purpose is to stun and to keep opponents away from you. The backfist strikes are often aimed as the face, cheeks, ears, or the opponent's wrists and forearms. Power is delivered through the slight forward twist of the shoulder and the snapping forward of the forearm which is driven by the elbow. The fist is recoiled after each blow, like the reloading of a gun, preparing to defend or to strike again. A practiced Counterattacker can deliver up to six backfist strikes to the opponent's face in under one second. Like many Counterattack moves, the backfist strike can change form mid-way, turning into either a hammerfist blow, a deflection armsweep, or a grabbing motion. The recoiling of the fists also set up the fighter's elbows for striking- creating a nasty two-hit combination.
Living up to its namesake, Counterattack is at its best when the opponent is attacking. Like some other passive Martial Arts, Counterattack redirect the incoming force, giving practitioners a chance to land a take-down or a throw. But unlike other passive arts, Counterattack also put emphasis in brutal and immediate retaliation, similar to the bursting technique used in Krav Maga. Counterattackers are also taught to move with the incoming force, so even when they fail to evade/deflect the attack, they should not take full punishment from it. Likewise, fighters are trained to think one hit ahead of the opponents, as a Counterattacker is getting hit, he/she is already delivering a strike of their own. This is literally a hit-for-hit, eye-for-eye fighting style. When an attacker is throwing a straight punch, the Counterattacker can either evade, deflect, or move with the blow, taking the hit while delivering a powerful hammerfist to the opponent's armpit- a move that would hurt the attacker way more than the attacker's fist would hurt the Counterattacker. Another example is when the attacker try to kick. In this case, the Counterattacker can turn with the kick, hug the leg and hammer the inner thigh with fist, elbow or knee.
For years, Counterattack experts have been trying to figure out a practical fighting stance. In the end, it was settled that Counterattackers would be taught a modified Iaijutsu stance named The Cross. From this stance, a fighter can coil for power without being obvious, and block attacks coming in from any direction, while able to deliver instantaneous strikes with legs, knees, elbows, wrists, backfists, knuckles, hammerfists, and even full-body tackle. The arms are crossed over the chest, with fisted hands tucked into opposite armpits or just behind the upper-arms. The feet are shoulder-width apart, with the left foot on the seven of the clock and the right foot on the three (some people may switch to right on four and left on nine). Keep the forward knee slightly bent, the heel maybe lifted a bit on the forward foot as well. To most people, this just looks like a person standing with arms crossed- and in fact, this would be exactly what you are doing- relaxed and ready. Your focus is where your feet meet the ground, and the core of your body between your crossed arms. Imagine a sword hanging by your side, and when you move, you are drawing that sword and cutting.
The weapons training includes disarming techniques, basic use of different weapons, and how to make weapons out of ordinary objects such as keys and pens. One great example can be drawn from my personal experience. I keep the pouch on the side of my wallet loaded with coins and other hard objects. When a robber demanded for my wallet, I took out the wallet, made it as if I was handing it over, then palm-smashed him full in the face with the wallet in my hand, the loaded pouch forward. I don't know if I caused him any lasting facial deformity or not, but that took the fight completely out of him. Basic knife and stick fighting techniques are also covered by the weapons training. The goal is to get practitioners to the point that they know the common tools-of-hurt on an intimate level, know how to use them, and know how they can be used. This way, when confronted with an armed attacker, a Counterattacker will have a much better chance of coming out of the confrontation unharmed.
Someone once asked me, "what's the most important thing to remember in Counterattack?" The answer to that, as I told her, is that you need to survive that first attack. That may sound like a stupidly obvious thing to say, but I remember that same sort of question being asked in my Karate class too. The student asked the master, "what move do I use if a guy come up behind me and hit me on the head with a baseball bat?" The master pondered, and said with a straight face, "you sit up and check which hospital you ended up in." Before I bid you farewell, I would like to thank you all for reading this, and feel free to direct any question you may have to the email address provided above. Keep this in mind always, the best way to survive an attack is not to be there when the attack hit. Be safe, be confident, and try to make your section of the world a better place for your self and those around you.
