IF YOU WANTED TO CATCH A MOUSE in a building, one way might be to search around for it. However, the mouse could prove to be quite elusive. It might take hours, if not days, to track it down in order to capture it. A more successful approach might be to place several mousetraps, baited with food, throughout the building. Instead of actively looking for the rodent, you would, in effect, draw it out by attracting it to the mousetrap. Once the mouse made contact with the trap, it would be caught.
In combat sometimes the best way to deal with opponents is to lure them into traps where you can strike them when they are vulnerable. Rather than try to attack in a manner that may not succeed, you bait your opponent into attacking you. Doing that will necessarily expose some part of the body that you can then counterattack. In Jeet Kune Do this is known as Attack by Drawing (ABD).
ABD is sort of a cousin to Progressive Indirect Attack (PIA). Both of them require the use of deception to induce your opponent to react in a certain way, in order to expose a target area for your strike. However, they approach the problem differently. In PIA you launch a feint or false attack to deceive your opponent into believing that you are executing a real attack. Your opponent takes some type of defensive action, such as parrying with the hand, in response to the perceived attack. The parrying hand necessarily moves away from another part of his body. You then execute an actual strike on this newly exposed target area.
In ABD, rather than induce your opponent to take a defensive action, you lure him or her into committing an offensive action, for example, a punch or a kick. Taking such an action exposes some part of the body, and you then counterattack this newly exposed target area.
ABD can be used against all kinds of opponents. However, it may be the best option against an opponent who does not like to initiate a strike, but rather waits for you to attack first and then counterattacks. By applying ABD you can induce your opponent to attack by presenting what appears to be an opportunity for a strike against you. In some instances you can take an offensive action that your opponent tries to counter. You then counter the counterattack.
Elements of ABD
As in other ways of attack in Jeet Kune Do, there are certain elements that must operate in harmony if you want to successfully use ABD. These are as follows:
- Deception: This is a crucial part of ABD. You must take an action that effectively deceives your opponent into believing that he or she she must attack you in some way. You must make it appear that an action has to be taken immediately in response to your move. For example, if you want your opponent to throw a lead hook punch so that you can counter with a rear cross, you must make it appear that a target area has become available for a strike with a lead hook punch. You can do this by lowering your rear hand, for instance, so that it looks as if the side of your head is unprotected.
In addition to taking the appropriate action, you must do it in a subtle way so that your opponent thinks you have committed an error. If your opponent suspects that you are setting a trap, he or she will avoid taking the bait and will not offer you the response that you want.
If you find that your training partners are not taking your bait, you might ask them if your baiting actions are too obvious. They will not fall for your invitation if they realize that you are simply trying to draw them into your trap. Your training partners should provide you with valuable feedback to help you improve.
- Speed: In launching your counterattack against your opponent’s attack, you must generate enough speed to be able hit your opponent at the right moment. You may be successful in luring your opponent to attack you in the way you desire, but if you cannot strike the exposed target area quickly enough, before your opponent retracts, you may well find it covered. As an example, suppose again that you lower your rear hand to draw a lead hook punch. When your opponent starts to throw the punch, if you are unable to throw your rear cross fast enough to your opponent’s face, he or she she may be able to retract the lead arm into a position where it can protect the face from you. Therefore, when the window of opportunity is available for you to counterattack, you must do so rapidly, before the window closes.
- Timing: This is another critical element that must be present for ABD to operate properly. When you induce your opponent to attack, you must employ your counterstrike at just the right moment, when the target area becomes exposed. If you attempt to counterstrike too early, before your opponent has reacted sufficiently to your action, you may find the target area still closed. For instance, if you lower your rear hand and try to throw a rear cross before your opponent attempts to attack you with a lead hook punch, you may find that your opponent’s face is still protected by the front hand.
Similarly, if you launch your counterstrike too late, after your opponent has fired an attack in response to your action, you may also find that your intended target is no longer exposed. For example, if your opponent has thrown a lead hook punch, and you start to launch your rear cross as he or she she is retracting the lead arm, you may find that you cannot get through to strike the face. - Distance: A final element that must be in place for ABD to work is proper distance. You must be at the right distance relative to your opponent in order to land your counterstrike. If you fire your strike when your opponent is too far away, it will not reach the appropriate target. If you throw your strike when you are too close, you may end up jammed.
Distance is also important in terms of your opponent’s attack. On the one hand, if you are too far away when you try to draw an attack, your opponent may not take the bait because he or she she perceives that the strike cannot reach you. On the other hand, if you are too close to your opponent when you try to draw a strike, the attack can reach you more quickly. Your opponent may end up striking you before you have a chance to counterattack.
There are basically three types of ABD that you can employ:
- You can use a defensive approach, in which you subtly but deliberately expose a target area of your body. This is to mislead your opponent into thinking that there is an opportunity to strike you there. Then, when your opponent takes the bait by directing a punch or kick at that area, you counterattack that part of his or her body that becomes exposed as a result.
- An offensive approach to ABD could involve you attacking your opponent’s defense by means of a hand immobilization attack, for example. To use this approach, you could trap your opponent’s lead arm to draw a countering rear punch. You would then parry the punch with your lead hand and strike with your own rear punch.
- A third approach to ABD, also offensive, is to draw a response by using feints or false attacks. Once your opponent reacts to your feint by attacking, you counter with your own strike to your opponent’s exposed target area.
Examples of ABD
The following are some examples of ABD that you can initiate defensively.
- Lower Rear Guard to Lead Straight Punch: You first lower your rear guard to mislead your opponent into believing that the side of your head is unprotected (see Figure 16-1). If he or she takes the bait, your opponent may throw a lead hook punch in an attempt to strike the side of your head. When the punch starts, you rapidly fire a lead straight punch to the face, which is left exposed when your opponent’s front arm is extended (see Figure 16-2).
- Lower Rear Guard to Rear Cross: In this situation, when you lower your rear guard and your opponent throws a lead hook punch, you rapidly fire a rear cross at your opponent’s now unprotected face.
- Variation: Instead of a lead hook punch, your opponent may throw a high lead hook kick toward your head. If you draw this reaction, you can drop down and counter with a rear cross to the groin area.
- Lower Front Hand to Lead Side Kick: In this instance you subtly lower your front hand to deceive your opponent into thinking that your face is exposed to a lead punch. As he or she starts to fire the lead punch, you lean your upper body back and counter with a lead side kick to the shin.
- Lower Front Hand to Lead Hook Kick: This time your opponent faces you in unmatched lead. When you lower your front hand, he or she starts to throw a lead jab at your head, which appears exposed. You sway back and counter with a lead hook kick to your opponent’s ribs. The fact that your opponent is in opposite lead makes this target area more readily available for your kick.
- Lower Front Hand to Lead Straight Punch: In this case you subtly lower your front hand to lure your opponent to advance toward you, perhaps with a lead punch. As your opponent moves into range, you quickly fire a lead straight punch to the face. This will work well if your opponent’s guard is down or relaxed as he or she rushes toward you.
- Raise Rear Guard to Rear Hook Kick: In this situation you raise your rear guard hand to expose the rear side of your ribs. If your opponent responds by firing a lead hook kick toward your ribs, you can counter with a rear hook kick to his or her support leg. You must make sure your rear leg is far enough below your opponent’s lead leg when you kick.
- Raise Lead Guard to Lead Hook Kick: This time you lift your lead guard to expose the front side of your ribs. If your opponent takes the bait and throws a rear hook kick toward your ribs (see Figure 16-3), you can counter by firing a lead hook kick to the support leg, as shown in Figure 16-4.
- Retreat to Lead Intercepting Kick: You can use your footwork to move back in order to lure your opponent to throw a rear step-through kick. As the kick is thrown, you counter with a lead side kick to the shin to stop the movement, as well as to hurt your opponent’s leg.
The following are examples of ABD that you can initiate offensively, either by attacking your opponent’s defense and forcing a reactive attack, or by using feints and false attacks to invite an attack.
- Trap to Rear Punch: You can execute a pak sao trap of your opponent’s front arm along with a lead straight punch to induce your opponent to counter with a rear punch. As your opponent starts to throw the punch, you pick it up with a front-arm block that dissolves the punch. As you do so, you fire your own rear straight punch at your opponent’s face.
- Trap to Lead Bridging Punch: This time you use a jut sao jerking hand trap of your opponent’s front arm with your rear hand. As your opponent counters with a rear cross, you shift to your right and counter with a lead straight punch that bridges across your opponent’s arm, striking the face.
- Feint to Lead Hook Punch: In this instance you feint a low rear cross to induce your opponent to counter with a lead hook punch to your head. As he or she does so, you go under the punch with a bob and weave. While you are moving underneath your opponent’s arm, you counter with a lead hook punch to the midsection.
Like Progressive Indirect Attack, Attack by Drawing operates by deceiving an opponent into committing to a specific action—in this case, an attack. When the opponent takes the bait, a target is exposed to your counterattack. This method can be particularly useful against an opponent who does not like to initiate a strike, but who can be lulled into attacking. It is a viable option that the Jeet Kune Do fighter should train and have available when the need arises.
