Low Level Work
About the Videos
I have already filmed a few videos dealing with fighting in the vertical plane, changing levels of elevation, and working down low against the opponent’s legs and other low level targets. A couple of my students, however, stated that the videos that had been filmed did not show the speed of the movement that can be possible at low level or how much distance can be covered while down low and attacking an opponent. Their comments were to the effect that what I was doing in demonstrations and sparring in class was a lot faster and “nastier” than what was on the website. I decided that another video needed to be filmed. After discussions with some students on how best to present the material that they would like to see, we came up with a three-tiered video concept.
The video is organized as follows:
1.) Working low level against one of my students.
2.) Performing low level techniques slowly, by myself, so a better view of some of the techniques could be obtained.
3.) Performing low level techniques quickly, by myself, so a view of how fast some of the techniques could be executed could be seen.
In the first section of the video, I spar a bit against my student, Greg. Greg was directed to attack however he wished and not to limit the attack to one hit or grappling maneuver, but to continue to attack and defend as best he could. Many of the best low level techniques, including limb destructions and many devastating takedowns, are not seen in this section of the video simply because, at the speed at which we were moving and at Greg’s level of training, there would have been a high probability of Greg being seriously injured by these movements. Note that neither Greg nor I are moving at full-speed in these movements. Although most of the motions are done at between 60 and 80% of full speed, some, in particular a leg sweep/scissor takedown, are executed in a very slow fashion. This was done in order not to damage Greg’s knee or ankle joints, as the full speed and full power motion can cause a lot of damage to a limb. Similarly, I “pulled” my strikes rather than doing them with full force, and, rather than attacking ankle joints, knees, and the groin, most of the work was against other sections of the leg and the abdomen, in order to minimize the potential for injury to Greg. Note the use of kicks, palm strikes, knees, and elbows in this section of the video.
The second section of the video is done at a slow speed so that a good view of the techniques can be seen. Note that, since I do not have to worry about injuring an opponent, you see more palm and elbow strikes to what would be knee or ankle joints on a real opponent, some strikes that lead to pulling motions that would bring an opponent into contact with another strike or to disrupting the opponent’s balance, more use of the legs in takedown and sweeping motions, and motions simulating stepping over limbs, or “grapevining” around a limb prior to a limb destruction.
The last section of the video is similar to the second section, only done at speed. This is not done at full speed, but some of the motions do approach my full speed. Most of these motions are conducted at about 90% or so of my full speed, but some are a bit slower.
I hope that this gives the viewer a better insight into some of the low level attacks and defenses that exist within Albo Kali Silat. Thank you for your interest in the art and your attention during this video. As always, contact me via email, at tuhan@albokalisilat.org, with questions or if you are interested in training in Albo Kali Silat or in sponsoring a seminar at your training facility.
Tuhan Holloway, July 2009
