Note: This is an unlocked LMA module. If you want access to the rest of Liberation Martial Arts, upgrade your account. We send out learning modules almost daily. If you're no longer getting LMA updates, your payment information may no longer be up to date. Click on the table of contents above to see if you have access to LMA.
This module is not necessarily a how-to instructional but rather the presentation of LMA concepts and applying them to the front kick (teep). However, these concepts can be applied to every martial arts situation, not limited to just striking but also grappling. These examples are not exhaustive; there are many other ways to defend a front kick, like catching, swiping, and swatting.
Obstruct
To be in the way of, prevent, hinder, or make something deliberately difficult. In the example of the front kick, I am putting my knee or foot in its path to prevent it from being realized. This is not the same as stomping or attacking the leg, which can severely injure your training partner's leg. Obstruction will become even more critical when we get to off-balancing.
Cancel
To negate or neutralize an effect or event. Imagine canceling an order before it arrives. Imagine canceling, swiping away, or closing a window, pop-up, or program before it loads. Like obstructing, you are preventing a movement from being realized. Canceling and obstructing are different ways to describe prevention and denial. When people hear "obstruct," they usually picture a passive fixed obstacle, whereas a "cancel" might make you think of actively canceling something, similar to your actions on a digital screen or with a cursor. In the case of the front kick, I am swiping it up, down, left, and right—the same way I would remove a window or tab loading on my phone.
I can leave my attacking leg out in the load position and use it to obstruct and cancel kicks. I can do this from distance or close proximity to even prevent knees.
Seal
To enclose or fasten without gaps to prevent escape or leakage. In the case of martial arts, it means flush contact. In the video, I'm sealing my shin to my opponent's hips. This prevents her from lifting her legs. Going back to how techniques are just shapes (Tetris), if you can understand congruent shapes, you can create all sorts of seals. Once you make a seal, you can use your body to directly affect your opponent's body. Instead of lifting her leg up, if she tries to kick my supporting leg out, I can use my shin seal to push her and myself away.
You can apply these concepts right away to your teep sparring game. Since it's play, discover your own solutions to the front kick (teep), so long as it is safe and does not injure you or your partner.
✊✊✊
(I write daily about martial arts and other topics from a liberatory perspective. If you like my work, upgrade your subscription. You can also support me on Patreon or make a one-time donation on Ko-fi. Find Southpaw at its website. Get the swag on Spring. Also check out Liberation Martial Arts Online.)
LMA Theory and Praxis: Obstruct, Cancel, Seal