Kadochnikov System

International Association

Stage III. Working against strikes

Special methods
that are used to develop skills of self-defense
against any kinds of kicks and blows

www.KadochnikovSystem.com
 Stage III. Working against strikes
Special methods that are used to develop skills of
self-defense against any kinds of kicks and blows

An important distinctive feature of the strike technique in

the Kadochnikoff System is the use of wave principle for the
formation of strike energy. In accordance with this principle, the
wave movement is primarily formed by the most massive parts
of the body – the wave goes from the thighs and pelvis through
the shoulders to the arms.

The impulse of these massive parts of the body with relatively

slow speed and amplitude forms a wave that goes through the
body thanks to the loosely relaxed muscles from the initial part
of the body to the extremity of a strike. In accordance with the
laws of physics, there’s a movement of energy, due to the wave
movements, from the relatively low-speed movements of massive
parts of the body to the high-speed movements of extremities of
strikes.

In the school course of physics this phenomenon is considered

by the example of a whip – a relatively soft movement of the
handle of the whip results in a supersonic speed at the end of
the whip. The same effect is seen when the energy from a strong
but slow impulse of thighs passes to the striking surfaces of the
arms/hands. Applying little muscle efforts we can perform strong
strikes with the arms/hands with high efficiency.

The key moment in the technique of the wave strike is the

ability to be relaxed while working, not to tense muscles, because
if the muscle is tensed, the initial impulse is wasted to overcome
the resistance of one’s body, it’s damped in tensed muscles and
there’s no acceleration at the moment of a strike. Here we see
the requirement for the relaxed stance that was described in the
previous section.

If the wave strike is performed properly, the initial impulse of

the thighs movement, for example, goes in the form of a wave
through the body to the arm. In accordance with the law of
conservation of linear momentum, when the wave passes from
the body to the extremity, the mass of the extremity that takes
part in this wave movement is sharply reduced in comparison
with the mass of the torso; the speed of the moving extremity
sharply increases. When the wave reaches the hand and gets the
required stiffness at the moment of contact, you’ll get a sharp
lashing strike.

The way of forming the stiffness when the energy of the strike is
transmitted through the surfaces of a strike is another peculiarity
of the striking technique of the Kadochnikoff System. The
stiffness in the point of contact is achieved not by the straining or
fixing the part of the body that perform a strike (it’s a distinctive
feature for the striking technique in many eastern martial arts,
where the strain in the punch or arm arises immediately before
the strike), but by the switching off of the degrees of freedom of
joints by twisting in the joint connections. The initial impulse
may be formed by the movements of the pelvis, torso, or other
parts of the body which are made in case of protecting against
the opponent’s strikes, of moving away from the plane of the
strike or in case of finishing the previous attack.

When a strike is finished, the return to the initial state is

also made by the wave movements with the use of the recoil
momentum. The retroaction after the direct strike here is used as
an initial impulse for the next strike or action.
 Another important principle in the striking technique of the
Kadochnikoff System is the principle of maximum use of energy
of the movement in the strike. The result of this principle is the
idle movements are brought to minimum in the Kadochnikoff
System. These are the movements that don’t play an immediate
role in the opponent’s attack or in the defense against the
opponent’s strikes. The further realization of this principle is the
combination of attacking and defending actions.

Other mechanisms of the forming of the striking technique

are quite evident for a professional. It’s reasonable to perform
strikes at the expiration by means of moving the surface of the
strike behind the limits of the aim to a half of a figure, by sitting
down and making a step with a half step in the moment of contact
with the rival, and by turning of the surface at the strike in the
point of contact. Strikes with an arm are made with a constant
turning along the longitudinal axis of the surface of the strike to
the pain zones and points of active damage and to unprotected
parts of the body at the angle of 45° to the aim. The accuracy of
the strikes depends on the feeling of the distance. The properly
chosen distance makes a third part of the victory.

It’s necessary to remember that it’s not very convenient to

make strikes with a hand because there’s a chance to injury your
hand. A hand is made by Nature to grasp, not to strike. The finger
joints are usually too delicate to endure strong strikes. If you
decide to strike in a fight, you must be absolutely confident in
your actions. Don’t hurry and do accurate movements. In hand-
to-hand fighting there are no wrong strikes. A strike is considered
to be proper when it gives you an advantage over your opponent.
There’s only one way to reduce the possibility of getting injuried
– the strikes must be learnt and mastered constantly. The energy
and kinematics of the strikes made with the legs is based on the
same principles as in the case with the strikes made with the
arms. When a strike is made with the legs, the surfaces of the
strike are: the ball of the foot, heel, the upper part of the arch of
the foot, the internal and external edge of the foot, the heel area.
When you have your shoes on, you must use their properties, first
of all – heavy welts. For example, a strike made with the roots of
the toes (barefoot or in a light shoes) has a slight painful effect.
The same kick made with an angle of the welt of the shoes with
heavy sole (e.g. army shoes) leads to the sharp pain that confuses
the rival and even results in shock.

All the strikes must be quick, sharp and unexpected. Their

efficiency in all the cases depends on the stable position in the
moment of the strike and on the ability to form an impulse and to
choose properly the point of the strike.

Formation and biomechanics of strikes

The element of a movement is a phase, a temporal base unit.

A phase is a succession of motor actions solving a specific

motional problem. If the motional problem changes, so does
the phase. The introduction of this concept permits the complex
motor action to be resolved into components. It is important not
only for the analysis of it, but also in the process of learning,
especially when analyzing high-speed short-term processes, e.g.
strikes.

In hand to hand combat strikes are one of the most important

constituents, so special attention must be paid to this principle
and the processes relative to it.

A strike as a physical phenomenon is a short-term interaction

of two or more bodies, accompanied by the forces of higher
quantity.
 In biomechanics the following types of strikes are discerned:

1. The swing (repulsion) a movement preceding the percussive

movement and leading to the increase of the distance between
the percussive link of the body and the object to be hit. This
phase is the most variable.
2. Pre-striking movement from the end of a swing to the
beginning of the strike.
3. Percussive interaction (strike) – the collision of two
bodies.
4. Post-striking (percussive) movement is the movement of
the striking link of the body after the end of the contact with the
aimed object.

The main phase is the percussive interaction, characterized by

the momentum. Momentum is the product of force and time of
action of a force (in translational movement). It is a measure of
influence of force on the body during the given time span.

In mechanics strikes are divided into:

Central (if the bodies before the interaction move along the
straight line, passing through their centers of mass);
Direct (if the velocity (V) of the center of mass in the initial
phase of a strike is directed perpendicularly at the direction of
the other body);
Slanting (if the velocity vector of the center of mass is not
perpendicular);

The theory of impact was developed by I. Newton. In the

process of percussive interaction a mechanic deformation of the
body takes place; the kinetic energy of the movement turns into
strain energy, then this energy partly turns back into kinematic
and partly disperses (turns into heat).
 Depending on the losses of energy in dispersion, strikes are
divided into:
a) Quite resilient (no losses of dispersion, e.g. striking a billiard
ball)
b) Not quite resilient (strain energy only partly turns into
kinetic energy, e.g. hitting ball in sports)
c) Non-resilient (all strain energy turns into heat, e.g. hitting in
karate, boxing, landings after jumping etc)

In the theory of impact in mechanics the strike is supposed

to be so fast and the impact force is so high, that other forces
are negligible. However in hand to hand combat there are many
actions, impossible to be considered as a “pure” strike, and such
assumptions in those cases are inadmissible.
The time span of a strike in hand to hand combat (as well as in
such sports as boxing, karate etc) is short, but not negligible. The
length of percussive interaction trajectory on which the colliding
bodies move together, (e.g. in combat sport, boxing etc) can be
up to 20-30 cm.
In such cases the percussive interaction externally looks like
complex movement, including both translational and rotational
motion.

Performance during the strike is not only translational, but also

a rotational motion of the striking surface, the body receiving the
strike receives the mechanical motion in the form of rotational.
In this case so-called percussive mass increases. Its quantity
is not constant. In case if, for example, the strike is delivered
by means of flexing the hand or with a relaxed hand, the body
receiving the strike interacts with the mass of the hand only.
However, if at the moment of a strike the striking link is fixed
by active antagonistic muscles (“hand-forearm” pair) as if being
a solid single body, in the course of percussive interaction the
whole mass of all rigidly fixed links will take part. In this case,
large muscular mass is not necessary for a powerful strike. The
higher the input of rotational motion, the more the percussive
mass and the stronger is the blow. Thus, in hand to hand combat
the main objective of a blow is to increase the force of percussive
interaction and by the means of the given trajectory to ensure
the hit in the specific aim. It is possible to provide more forceful
impact by, first of all, increasing to the maximum the speed of
the percussive link at the moment of percussive interaction and,
second, by increasing the percussive mass.

In theory of shifting actions control a certain pattern of

movement transfer between the links of the body was discovered:
the links of the body start gathering speed one by one, starting
with the more massive ones, meaning that at the maximum of the
speed of the preceding link, the increase in speed of the next one
with less mass starts.

In terms of mechanics it is apparent that the less the mass of the

link, the higher the speed it is able to gather, while anatomically
more massive links are able to move with more coordination.

It is also possible to increase the force of the impact by means

of percussive mass at the moment of interaction. In this case
the separate links of the percussive part are to be fixed (in
boxing, karate etc.) by simultaneous activation of antagonistic
muscles and increasing the radius of rotation. The strike is such
a short-term process, that it is practically impossible to correct
the mistakes. That is why the accuracy of the strike is generally
ensured by right repulsion and pre-percussive movement.

When analyzing the notion of a strike in hand to hand combat

the following is important:
 1. In the course of opposing motion of bodies in collision their
velocities are added.
2. The less the area of collision, other conditions being equal,
the higher is the striking effect.
3. The time span of a strike is in direct relation to the mass of
the body, the size of combined shift, and in inverse relation to the
force of strike.

It is necessary to mention, that a strike is a powerful means

of defeating an opponent and frequently, though not always,
determines the result of a fight.

Strikes have three main drawbacks: they are difficult to measure

out; in the course of striking it is possible to harm yourself and
lower the fighting efficiency; clothing, especially the one for
winter, and equipment (e.g. body armour etc.) is a good defense
against most strikes.

Test questions and tasks

1. What is the principle that forms the basis for the forming of
the energy of a strike in the Kadochnikoff System?

2. How can we overcome the resistance of one’s own body for

mastering the skill of wave strikes?




 3. Give an example of the effect of the supersonic speed which
is described in the school course of physics?

4. By what means can we achieve the rigidity at the point of

contact when the energy of the strike is transmitted through the
surface of the strike?

5. What is the principle of the maximum use of energy of the

movements in strikes?

6. To what parts of the body and at what angle is it optimal to

strike?




7. What does the accuracy of the strike depend on?




8. What does the efficiency of the strike depend on?

9. Master the practical skills of the basic exercises for the

forming of energy of a wave strike.

10. Master the practical skills of maximum use of the energy

of the movements in strikes.

11. Master the practical skills with a combination of striking

movements with the phase of expiring in sitting down, while
using a step with a half step.

12. Master the practical skills of choosing the distance for

performing the strikes.
 The basic principles of protection against strikes

The basic principle of defense in the Kadochnikoff System is

the principle of non-using force against force. We almost never
apply those types of defense, when the energy of a strike is
completely transferred to the part of the body that performs the
defense such as– blocks or guards. The defense is built so you
can move your body away from the plane of the strike; take the
minimal part of the energy of the attacker’s strike and ricochet or
slide that action off.
To reach that effect we use the following:

— Meet the attacking extremity with the smallest possible

angle (10-15°);

— Moving the attacking extremity off your own body, that is

done by turning the part of the body which performs the defense
slightly and slowly increasing the angle of meeting between the
attacking and defending extremity;

— Accompany the attacking extremity until it leaves the

contour of the figure or until the center of gravity of the rival
leaves the limits of his/her supporting surface;

— Leave the plane of the strike by turning the torso with or

without a step back, using vertical movements.

Meeting the attacking extremity at a 10-15° angle conducts no

more than 15-24% of the strike energy to the protecting surface.
This helps avert the strike with a relatively slight side effort
formed by the slow turn of a protecting arm and by increasing
the angle of the meeting. The turn itself is an important detail
of the general movement: it makes easier to slide the attacking
extremity along the defense and forms the deviation angle.
 To accompany the attacking extremity we use the mechanical
properties of the lever system of the human body. In this case we
increase the stiffness of the joint at angles close to the one's limits.
Leaving the plane of a strike is made by turning the thighs and
twisting the torso in the direction of the strike and simultaneously
shifting the supporting surface.

Other basic principles of defense are: using the inertia of the

opponent's movements to the maximum for control over his/her
body and to be able to perform counter-attacks. Your extremities
work the best in these activity zones.

From the very beginning, mastering these principles should be

an objective. It should be based on understanding -what they're
used for.

In the process of mastering the material from the section

«reaction to the strikes», it’s important to understand the basic
principles of strike interactions from a biomechanics standpoint.
The trainees must have a clear notion of the difference between
basic strikes (directed toward pain zones and points which are
intended to defeat the attacker which come to a final resolution
in the interaction situation) and the diversionary ones (being
stopped, they help take over the initiative and distract the attention
of the attacker).

Mastering of strike interactions and of how they're used in

real life must be started with mastering simple strikes, such as –
direct and side strikes.

For working with the strikes themselves it’s reasonable to use

sport equipment, which has acquired a good reputation in this
sphere: sacks, bags, targets made of different materials, etc.
 While training on the apparatuses, a trainee must pay particular
attention to the relaxed state of one’s arm and leg in the process
of striking, to the breathing, to a combination of a strike and
movements and to the development of the «wave» feeling.
You can use flow or circle methods for working with strikes in
movement. It’s necessary to work both with your right and left
hands or legs here.

Mastering a strike is usually a one-sided action. When you've

developed good striking skills, you'll start mastering defense
techniques against these strikes. When the defense technique is
learnt, special attention should be paid to how defense actions
should be set up which then are to be performed in a way

For this purpose, the following preparation exercise is mastered

in a pair: a «rival» makes a direct strike to the chest of the trainee
with a hand, or with a leg – below the belt, then the trainee
must defend himself/herself at the last moment of the attacker’s
movement, when there’s no doubt about the attack being real.

For this purpose, it’s reasonable to use strike elements from

the “a step with a half step” tactics, and pay attention to the
thigh turns in the plane of the strike. This action makes the rival
fail. Particular attention should be paid to the development of
the feeling of distance, to understanding the attacker’ abilities,
which have different constitutions.

Special attention must be paid to developing a habit of the

moving constantly both in the moment of the strikes and between
them. Moreover, all the movements, including the striking ones,
must be soft and smooth.

It’s advisable to begin mastering of such basic element as

meeting the strike by defending against the strike with a stick
(stabbing, side and downward stabs), and not with a hand. This is
recommended because a stick has a larger trajectory than a hand.
It allows the trainee at the stage of mastering and developing
the skill to have a few seconds to think since this is necessary at
this stage of training. Moreover, the use of a dangerous object
mobilizes the trainee and motivates him to master the skill
quickly and effectively.

When the defense is made, it’s necessary to shorten the distance

to the attacker, to make contact with him and apply a complex
usage of striking actions, levers and influences to pain zones and
points.

The strikes and defense in pairs are practiced at first from a

static position, i.e. a «rival» gives a previously defined strike
from a static position in slow tempo. As the defense is mastered,
a «rival» begins to attack at increasing speed; then he/she adds
some movements. Both the trainee and the «rival» must land
combined and coordinated strikes to different parts of the body
as soon as possible.
Serious drawbacks in the training are:
1. Division of the technique and tactics in the training process.
2. The static nature of the basic positions (both initial and
intermediate).
3. Presence of excessive (needless, nervous) movements.

The trainees' attention should be drawn to the relaxed (free)

state of one’s body and to the unfixed eyes when the attack or
defense is performed. The relaxed state helps the body be ready
for any actions in any direction, unfixed eyes and control the
whole situation.

In the process of training it’s reasonable to assume the basic

elements of the attack and defense movements, as well as how
the actions themselves are performed (the defeating of the
attacker) will depend on the individual characteristics, qualities
and abilities of the trainee, his/her basic skills and habits
Basic Defensive Hand Positions while Fending off Stick Strikes
I
Defensive hand position against a downward strike with a stick over the head (type 1)

1 2

3 4

5 6
7 8

II
Defensive hand position against a lateral strike with a stick to the head (type 1)

1 2

3 4
 5 6

III
Defensive hand position against a lateral strike with a stick to the head (type 2)

1 2

3 4
 IV

Defensive hand position against a downward strike with a stick to the head (type 2)

1 2

3 4

5
 V

Defensive hand position against a stick thrust to the torso (type 1)

1 2

3 4

5
 VI

Defensive hand position against a stick thrust to the torso (type 2)

1 2

VII

Defensive hand position against a stick thrust to the torso (type 3)

1 2
3 4

VIII

Defensive hand position against a stick thrust to the torso followed by a right hand chop at the
opponent’s left forearm.

1 2

3 4
5

IX

Defensive hand position against a stick thrust to the torso followed by the immobilization of the
opponent’s left elbow joint

1 2

3 4
5 6

7
 Test questions and tasks.

1. What is the basic principle of defenses against strikes in the

Kadochnikoff System?

2. At what angle should meeting an attacking extremity or

object be performed?

3. What do we use the turn of the defending arm for?

4. What is the maximal use of the inertia of the rival’s

movements applied for?

5. Why is it methodically advisable to begin mastering the

defense movements and to meet strikes with a stick instead of a
hand.




6. What should be done immediately after finishing of defense?

7. Why is it necessary to keep the body relaxed and the eyes

unfixed both during the attack and the defense?

8. Master and be able to perform basic movements of defending

against a strike from a stick (side, downward stabs, stabs).

9. Master and be able to perform basic movements of defending

against a strike from a hand (side, direct).

10. Master and be able to perform basic movements of

defending against a strike from a leg (direct, side).

11. Master and be able to perform basic movements of

defending against a strike from a knife (upward, downward).