Kiado-Ryu Karate



Jan 6, 2020 - Feature of the Week

Fighting Footwork

In fighting, other than eyesight, footwork is the most important aspect to insure success.

As General George Patton said, “Fixed fortifications are monuments to man’s stupidity.” Standing and slugging it out with an opponent is an ineffectual and mindless recipe for disaster.

How many times has history witnessed a guy getting knocked out because he never moved on his opponent but just stood, anchored like a rock in cement, relegating himself to being nothing more than a practice dummy in the gym or dojo?

If you can’t move, you are doomed to lose. If you can’t be hit, you can’t be beat. Movement is essential to victory. It’s as simple as that.

One can stand still and move his upper body side to side, back and forth, bobbing and weaving, but if he doesn’t move his feet, his doom is certain. Any great fighter must learn to move his feet, too.

Move! Move! Move! Move laterally, diagonally, forward, backward—anywhere, but move and keep moving. As we all know, moving targets are hard to hit; immovable targets are easy to hit. So why do fighters still stand and slug it out like some vacuous troglodyte?

If you want to be a great fighter, you must learn to move efficiently. Fighting movement and footwork are essential aspects in the Kiado-Ryu system of martial arts because they increase one’s chances for success, survival and victory.