I understand the idea of practicing techniques that are considered deadly, but I think thier application may be suspect do to the fact that you can't practice them "live" on people. Let's take finger jabbing to the eyes as an example. Many people say when they find out I'm a grappler; "Well, I'd just finger jab at your eyes and you'd be blinded." Ok, but how do you practice that? Most people just poke thier fingers in air and pretend they are jabbing the eyes. I think this method is suspect. Poking an imaginary opponent in the eyes, is alot easier than a moving resisting opponent. Many people comment that we kickboxers don't know really devestating techniques, but I'd argue that I can teach a kickboxer to open his fingers and hit the eyes in about ten minutes, and he'd probably be able to pull it off. I can't say the same for the person who practices finger jabs all the time on unresisting opponents or thin air.
We use the finger jab in JKD a lot. How can you practice it? Easy - plastic safety goggles! It gives me a giggle when people say they would just stick their fingers in the eyes of a grappler - LOL! Don't they realise that grapplers can poke eyes too? and who's gonna be doing the poking? The guy who had control of the range position - that's who! I also chuckle at the "it's a sport so not suitable for the street". If you can't hit me with a 16oz glove on what chance do you have with a bare fist or an eye poke? LOL!
Nah, we'd use our deadly finger strength to just poke 'em in the eyes right through the freakin' gloves! Ha ha ha ha!
I think it may not be the practise of the deadly technique just the knoweledge. With the eye poke it is mainly for use when you are in close, have something trapped and are looking for a way to get out. In this case having been taught to go for the eyes will make the thought come quicker as this attack is not really thought of much (its just too nasty). You wouldn't try to use it like a punch (just too hard to hit on a moving person and dangerous to your fingers). You can practise the motion on a soft punch bag if you are careful of how hard you hit it.
I don't think the eye poke is such a deadly thing just a good distraction in most cases. You can't obviously practice a finger thrust to the eyes but the new type of neoprene soft realistic dummies have great potential because in this case they are "anotomically" correct. The most effective strike to the eyes I have found is to "whip" the fingers into the eyes, it is faster than a poke in most cases and the fingers whipping out at the last second give you extra reach, they don't have the potential to jam back on you and break, and the bonus is you hit more than just the eyes if you miss. Also, anyone who says well if I were attacked by this I would do that, is fooling themselves, is there is no one way to defend against any type of fighter. We can also bite, pinch, squeeze and lots of other things as can the opponent. However in the ring or in competition this is ot legal, on the streets it is a different world. Grapplers if they are well practiced are just as devastating as any other martial artist and to compare a grappler to a kickboxer I believe is like saying that apples are like oranges, it is subjective. Good grapplers know, which I am sure you do, that they would like to take the guy out with a strike or two before taking them to the ground and if it does go to the ground the key is preserve your strength and be the most effective with the least amount of strength used. Grappling with someone takes much more strength and holds you up with one opponent and makes you vulnerable to an outside attack by another attacker. Grappling is a tough and demanding art which I respect, and that is why I grapple with trained fighters as much as possible and include grappling in our heavy sparring and full contact fighting. We have a man come in often from the Gracie group and he has shed some light on the science of grappling, fascinating!
One last comment, Many people say that kick boxers don't have any devastating knowledge? Whoever said this doesn't understand the kick boxer. We as martial artists should seek to understand all styles in order to be most prepared, not knowing or recognizing can kill us! The most devastating technique that I have experienced is the roundhouse kick to the outer thigh, you see kickboxer use this all the time to stun the illeo-tibial band of the leg. If you kick this area hard enough it will break thier leg. Best case scenario is that you kick the leg and he can't stand on it, either way kickboxers are deadly if well trained!
I've done this to a few guys who wanted a "challenge match" with one of my students to see how effective we are. I declined letting my students accept, but agreed to full contact sparring. Usually I start with a quick snappy jab to the nose and follow up with a low leg kick to the nerve. They go down like a ton of bricks and can't get up for a minute of two. I usually then walk up to them and say "I haven't even started grappling you yet! Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it." And then I help them to thier feet and ask if they're ok.
