Drawing an Attack in a Fight or Sparring

When two combatants are sparring or fighting and they are well experienced, it can sometimes be very hard to find an opening for a strike. Attacking with single techniques rarely hit and combination striking can sometimes leave you open to be countered. One the best ways to get round this though is if you know what technique your opponent will throw at you, before he/she has even done it.

Now I am not referring to some kind of mystical martial art power. What I am referring to is the old but useful method of drawing. Drawing an attack is something that should not be used constantly as your opponent will be able to read you like a book eventually, but if two people are engaged in a match and neither one has the upper hand, it can be useful.

In order to draw, you must allow your opponent to think that you have left a gap in your tight guard. For instance, usually you have your hands up high, but for a few seconds, you purposely drop them lower, allowing your opponent to think that you have left an opening. Knowing this, you assume that your opponent will attack high, probably with a punch combination so you wait for it. As soon as it comes in, you are ready, and counter with a side kick to the exposed ribs. Another example is that you make you stance slightly longer, exposing your forward leg to a roundhouse kick to the thigh. You wait, and as soon as it comes in, you step forward, grabbing the leg and taking your opponent down.

Of course there are many other ways of drawing an attack, and it is up to you to practice the technique. Drawing is also a useful way to gauge how experienced your opponent is. If he/she falls for the draw, attacks to the exposed target, naively enough without thinking that it’s a set up, you should straight away know that your opponent is not very experienced as a fighter. The draw will not always work, but if it does it can leave you in a very dominating position.

Marks

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