Contents Preface 1 The basics Stances Targets and techniques: strike at vital spots-select the most effective techniques 2 Punches:Put the weight of the entire body behind the punch. Straight: Aim from along the center line of the body. Hook & upper: Slip around the opponent's guard and stike!! Roundhuyse punch: Swing around wide to strike from the side. Elbow strike: Thrust, pivot, strike down-your elbow is a weapon. 3 Kicks: Kick with both legs, use the whole body. Roundhouse kick: Lead with the knee, strike like a whip. Roundhouse kick: Spring and bend in the kicking leg. Impact! Front kick: Kick with both legs, bore straight through! Side kick (+ back kick): Pull in, and lash out! Back roundhuse kick: First master the roundhouse kick! Knee-strike: Attack and defense all in one. 4 Distance Judging distance: Read your opponent's moves! Footwork: Step in to close distance-step out to evade attack: move your feet! Defensive footwork: a punch can't hurt if it doesn't reach. Offensive footwork: 'dance like a butterfly, sting like a bee' 5 Blocking: In-fighting. Blocks: Blocks can also be attacks. Outside block: Fending off attacks from the right. Lower arm parry: Defending against attacks from the left. Roundhouse block: Sweep and shatter. High block: Aim for the follow-through. 6 Real fight techniques Combinations: What do we mean by combination? Stopping: Blocking in the combination. Stopping: Stop your opponent's kick before it starts! Leg-hook: Draw him in -and dump him! Combined attack and defense: Use the pendulum principle. Variations: Speed and timing can only be learned through practice. More about combinations: Attack and defense in one. Close combinations: Outside block against a punch into a knee-strike. Close combinations: Low parry, then punch, low kick. Close combinations: From a double block. Middle combinations: From a stopping kick to a right roundhouse kick. Middle combinations: From a leg-hook to round-house kick, elbow-stirke, or knee-strike. Middle combinations: From a high block or low kick parry. Middle combinations: Combnations for use in real fights. Long combinations: From the step back. Throws/finish-offs/coups de grace. Ashihara's karate adages: Sure ways to overcome a slump. 7 Fight control What is "fight control"? Don't punch it out-control! Punch-conrol technique 1 How to handle a straight right. Punch-control technique 2: How to handle a high lift. Sequential punches-control technique 3: How to handle a one-two. Right front kick-control technique 4: Stepping away from the kick-I Right front kick-control technique 5: Stepping away from the kick-II Right front kick-control technique 6: Side-stepping the kick. Left front kick-control technique 7: Parrying the kick. Roundhouse kick-control technique 8: Use footwork to evade a right high kick. Roundhouse kick-left high kick; control technique 9: With a left high kick, use a high block. Roundhouse kick-switch-kick: control technique 10: Against a switch-over from front kick to roundhouse kick. Roundhouse kick-right middle kick: Control technique 11: Meeting a right middle kick; from the knee-block. Roundhouse kick-right low kick: control technique 12: Against a right low kick (triangle or front kick). Roundhouse kick-right low kick; control technique 13: Using a knee-block against a right low kick. Roundhouse kick-right low kick; control technique 14: Using a stopping kick against a kright low kick. Roundhouse kick-right low kick; control technique 15: Using a stopping kick or hook against a low left kick. Back roundhouse kick-control techniques 16: Using footwork against a back roundhouse kick. The southpaw stance-conrol technique 17. Comebacks-control technique 18, 19, 20: What to do when your oppinent counters-I, II, III Common mistakes: fighting checklist. Ashihara's karate kata for rael fighting. Basic kata: punches/kicks. Kata variation: punches/kicks. Self-protection. Street fighting-3 opponents. Stretching. Power build-up. Afterword