Why an Unbelievable Martial Art Technique is Slowly Dying?

The stop hit was something that Bruce Lee endorsed. It is not a technique that is relatively new. I’m sure fighters from thousands of years ago employed this technique on the battlefield, be it with a kick, punch, push etc. It must have been used as it is very effective in defending oncoming blows. So why is it slowly dying out? Firstly it is necessary to explain the stop hit. As your opponent throws a strike or kick, the moment the technique is performed, you stop hit by throwing a technique of your own and making it land at your intending target while your opponent is still halfway through his technique. A perfect example of the stop hit can be seen in Bruce Lee’s Way of the Dragon. As he fights towards the end of the film with Bob Wall, his opponent initiates a kick with his back leg, and Bruce quickly performs a front leg side kick hitting just as his opponents foot leaves the floor. The stop hit is something that is not usually expected but can be very surprising when successful. It is something that takes years of practice to be able to pull off in a fighting situation, and this may be the reason why it is dying out. Today’s students seem to want to learn to fight relatively quickly. Many are not interested in learning these techniques that require years of practice to master. This is a shame as there are so many techniques that can become part of a fighter’s arsenal, but the training is required to be able to pull them off. Hopefully we see the other side of the coin soon, where students obtain the desire to seek these small but effective techniques and strategies, as they would become greater fighters because of them. To practice the stop hit, push a heavy bag forward, and when it swings back, hit the bag with any technique when it is at a distance that you are able to hit without being to far or to close from you. Timing is crucial to make this effective.