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Date Posted: 03:08:20 10/28/02 Mon
Author: Goktimus Prime
Subject: Re: Case Study: Monash University shooting
In reply to: Snarl 's message, "Re: Case Study: Monash University shooting" on 22:01:06 10/25/02 Fri

>However
>to use martial arts on an armed opponent one must
>first get into close range, another prospect entirely!

That is true. The prime advantage of a firearm is that it is a superb range weapon. It totally revolutionised warfare and drove a lot of traditional martial arts towards the brink of extinction because so many people were abandoning the use of unarmed combat.

>I believe ninjutsu has developed several techniques
>for effectivly closing in on heavily armed opponet,
>such as rolls and the the like.
>

Ninjutsu is a very ecclectic martial art -- it's a combination of a lot of other pre-dating martial arts such as Taijutsu (which has roots in Northern Kung Fu), Kenjutsu etc. The core art of "ninjutsu" itself is really the art of stealth -- of being able to move around without detection, which is essential in guerilla warfare. The actual combat techniques of Ninjutsu are all taken from other martial arts.

Virtually all traditional martial arts have counter techniques against armed opponents. After all, a lot of martial arts styles were used in ancient battlefields against hordes of enemy troops who were armed to the teeth. However martial arts are not traditionally equipped to cope with firearms since guns were invented long after most martial arts styles were institutionalised. And since the gun is a mechanical weapon, there is little that any martial art can do to evolve and adapt to it.

>Also, another point is that there is no true unarmed
>defence against an armed opponent (save for running!),
>there is only offence!

That's not entirely true. The first step of fighting an armed opponent is to remove the attacker's control of the weapon by either disarming the opponent or by controlling the opponent's body, as demonstrated here. Yes, I know that there are other better ways to deal with the same situation, but this is just one of several possibilities. Anyway...

>You have to take the fight to
>the attacker rather than just hanging back, blocking
>and counterattacking.

Non-mechanical weapons such as sticks, staves, knives, swords, spears etc. can only ever move as fast as the person who is wielding it. The movement and speed of these weapons are directly proportional to the user -- which is why a skilled fighter with these kinds of weapons were traditionally very fit and strong people. When the gun was invented, it was hailed as the "equaliser" because all of a sudden, a person's individual physical attributes no longer mattered. With sword fighting, you need to be strong and swift to deliver lethal blows and avoid getting cut yourself. With guns, you just point and pull the trigger. Despite what The Matrix would have you believe, there is no dodging, there is no parrying, there is no blocking of bullets -- all you can do is take cover, open fire and hope to hell that you don't get shot.

There is relatively little skill involved with firearm combat. Gunmanship (known as "juujutsu" in feudal Japan during the brief era when the Samurai condoned and used firearms in the Sengoku Period) isn't widely considered to be a "martial art" (although the Sengoku Samurai did classify it as a martial art). There is a lot less skill and training involved to become a marksman as opposed to becoming a swordsman or archer -- which is something that a lot of military commanders loved... no longer did you need to wait years for a man (sorry, no women at the time) to go through rigorous training and discipline -- a gunman could be produced in a matter of weeks.

>also, this begs the question, if you were witness to a
>shooting, would you try and tackle the gunman? Or
>would you flee? Is it a natural instinct to tackle
>someone with a semi automatic head on? I would argue
>no, but I am awear that most martial arts training
>conditions you somewhat against set situations.

Other than being paralysed with fear (which means that your instincts are no longer functioning), when your natural adrenalin rush kicks in you will instinctively do one of two things: fight or flight. All animals have this reaction to extreme danger. Martial arts training does not necessarily supercede this instinct, rather, it supplements it. The best option in any fight is to flee, however this isn't always easy, and the ability to fight gives you another option.

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