ARTICLES: Craig Gemeiner - Open Hands (striking with open hands essay)

This essay provides a brief explanation of the open hand hits pertaining to the older la savate and Defense Dans La Rue systems.

“Even if the hand is used for war like purposes, it is in ninety- nine cases out of every one hundred used with the fingers open”

- E.B.Michell, English boxing professor and author, 1889. 

By the late 1700s, Frenchmen were settling arguments by using a Parisian form of boot fighting which came to called la savate. A colloquial word meaning shoe la savate was often associated with the delivery of the “Coup De Grace” or “finishing blow” in a street confrontation. Renowned as a simple but brutally effective system of street combat its emphasis was not to engage the opponent for long periods of time, but to terminate the confrontation in the quickest possible way.

Michel Pisseux, a product of this early savate system, was born in 1794 and raised in La Courtille considered at the time one of the roughest areas of Paris . As a young man Pisseux would frequent various fighting districts to observe and catalogue the most practical strikes used by the street brawler’s of the era.

Realizing that the more natural use of the open hand as a weapon for both attack and defense along with the street kicking skills was an inseparable foundation for many street fighters, Pisseux would adopt these same techniques into his own personal system of savate. The influence of these open hand skills was reflected in Michel’s “La savate guard” (picture –1). Resembling the passive guards made popular by today’s reality based fighting systems the hands were held open in front of the body in a non-aggressive posture, the enemy was never sure if the savateur would make an attack or stand down.

Although we do not know who Michel’s instructor was, or if he even had one, we do know that by the 1820s he had opened his own salle where he provided tuition in several French combat disciplines. These disciplines including la savate, la canne and baton, his clientele would come to include such aristocrats as Lord Seymour and the Duke of Orleans.

Grouping his savate skills into 15 divisions of la canne and 15 divisions of street kicking techniques Pisseux’s approach to savate would later be documented in a small booklet entitled “La Art De La Savate et De La Canne”.

LA MUSETTE

Several of the names used to describe the hand techniques of la savate are idiomatic expressions that have all but faded into obscurity. The word musette meaning “horses feed bag” is perhaps savate’s most powerful of all open hand strikes. Delivered in an upward or linear trajectory the palm of the hand was used to strike the adversary’s chin, nose or – “feedbag”. When thrown from Pisseux’s la savate guard the musette traveled below the opponent’s visuals often catching him totally unaware.

  

PIQUE

The use of the fingers to attack the adversary’s eyes could be used simultaneously with a variety of open hand blows, and required little power to produce disabling results.

 

LA BAFFE
La Baffe means to “clout” someone across the face, head or neck. This blow was delivered with the palm of the hand in a horizontal or oblique plan. The hand configuration used when throwing la baffe consisted of  a broad or flattened palm , which covers a wider area of impact.

LE REVERS DE BAFFE
A variation of la baffe was a backhand strike called – ‘le revers de baffe. Often delivered in a horizontal or oblique plan, the neck could be targeted to create a brachial stun. A quick back hand flick to the eyes was enough to cause pain and obscure the adversary’ visuals opening him up to more substantial blows. Should the hands be positioned into the front or side trouser pockets a backhand slap to the groin was also possible.
A ploy favored by the French Apaches was to lull the intended victim into a false sense of security with idle talk while holding both hands in their front pockets. From this position the hoodlum would suddenly attack with a backhand slap up into the face. This was followed immediately with a head but into the groin or stomach region and a double leg pick up, dumping the victim onto his back.

 

   

LE TRANCH
Tranche, meaning to chop, is an effective edge of hand blow taken from Jiu-jitsu and adopted into the French –“ Defense Dan’s La Rue” systems during the early 1900s.

Delivered along multiple trajectories many practitioners favored the traditional hand configuration with the fingers adducted and the thumb extended out to the side. Perhaps the most versatile of all open hand hits, la tranche could strike various targets from a multitude of positions either on its own or in conjunction with other hand techniques.

 

 

 

For those who may deem open hand techniques as unusual, primitive or even crude it should be taken into consideration that few people are able to use the fist naturally without prior training. Even with extensive training hand blows using the knuckles are prone to damage when impacting hard skeletal structures such as the cranium or mandible.

While some may argue that by specifically targeting soft tissue areas one can reduce the likelihood of such damage. However  it can also be argued that when placed in adrenaline induced confrontations such fine skill accuracy is limited at best. Unlike a bare knuckle punch the use of the open hand to strike with is unlikely to collapse and suffer major injury at the point of impact.

La Savate instructors like Michel Pisseux knew that open hand blows were tried and true methods, and to this very day there principles remain tactically correct for use in personal combat.



Bibliography
Charlemont J . L’ Art De La Boxe Boxe “>Francaise Et De La Canne. Paris : A ‘L ‘ Academie De Boxe ,24, Rue Des Martyrs 1899.

Traite De Canne, Boxe et Baton Theorie Et Exercices. Paris : Delarue, Libraire – Editeur.

Formation La Savate. Paris : FFBFS DA 1998.

Roubaud. E. & De Lolme and Wallace. A French and English Dictionary, compiled from the best authorities of both languages. Paris , London , New York & Melbourne : Cassel & Company , Limited 1900.

Dubois Georges. Comment Se Defendre. Paris : Bibliotheque Sportive Nilsson 1916.

E.B. Michell, Armstrong Walter , Pollock H. Walter, Grove C. F and Camille Prevost , Maitre D’Armes. Fencing ,Boxing Wrestling. London : Spottiswoode and CO 1889.




NOTES

This essay "Open Hands" is by Craig Gemeiner © 2004. My deepest gratitude to Craig Gemeiner for his kind permission in reposting his essay to my site. Contents cannot be copied, republished or transmitted without prior consent from him. Copied from http://savateaustralia.wordpress.com/essays/open-hands/

Craig Gemeiner specializes in the study of traditional Western fighting arts, particularly Savate and its associated disciplines, and adapting them to modern use. He is one of few instructors in the world teaching ‘Defense dans la Rue’ , a system of self-defense developed in Paris during the late 1800s and has given seminars in Australia, Japan, USA, New Zealand and Italy. For an expanded background on his background, please check out:  http://gemeineracademy.wordpress.com/about-us/about-craig-gemeiner/
and his various sites below:

http://www.savateaustralia.com/
http://lacannevigny.wordpress.com/
http://defensedanslarue.wordpress.com/
http://www.freewebstore.org/bootfightercatalogue/index.aspx?pageid=1000146
http://bootfighter.wordpress.com/
http://gemeineracademy.wordpress.com/

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Practical Fencing With The Cane (Part 1) By Jean Joseph-Renaud (1912)

Part 1 of “Practical Fencing With The Cane” is taken from “La Defense Dans La Rue” written by Jean Joseph-Renaud 1912.

Renaud was a professor of Savate, Jui-Jitsu, La Canne and Le Couteau. He taught the use of the revolver and was well versed in the dirty tricks of the French Apache.

Often featured in French news papers of the era, Renaud offered tips on self defence for both men and women to combat the on going problems with the French Apache.

This article on the cane highlights his thoughts on the long range use of the weapon.

While his writings indicate that he was in disagreement with the larger developments
( arming or chambering phase used prior to striking ) he does acknowledge that their use was valid when finishing of a “groggy” opponent.

Boxing played a large role in Renauds analogy of the strikes used in his approach to French cane .
Special thanks to Martin Prisse for translating this article.


Guard

“En guard” have the cane in front of you, the nails under, like the sword but elbow closer to the torso to avoid someone taking your cane by surprise.


Strike (horizontal) to the right side of the face

From the “en guard” position, without describing the big horizontal circles mentioned in the classical methods the wrist and the forearm must go backward a few centimetres and then go to the right in the same time that the hand turns, stretch the arm nearly completely out (when striking) – otherwise the blow wouldn’t be as violent at the end.

Hit with the nails on top. In the same time cut through lightly but this follow through must not happen after the arm is stretched out like in fencing, but on the contrary in the same time exactly like if you are giving a punch. The action should be that of a punch.



Strike (horizontal) to the left side of the face

From the same position, hit the other side of the opponents face in the same manner but in the opposite direction with the nails under.


Strike (horizontal) to the legs and body

In regards to striking the shin and the body this strike is the same as above.


Strike (vertical) to the head

Let fall the top of the cane and bring it back a little so it describes a circular movement, the thumb is facing under and the elbow is not moved back. Continue the circle and strike down on the opponent’s head, thumb finishes on top.


Feints

Feints are executed like real attacks but stoped approximately half way.


Observations

These principles might irritate some professors who teach that to hit a target 50cms away, it is first required to bring the cane back behind your neck.

Please think about this, a beginner will have to train a few weeks before being able to hit with strength but employing our method he will hit with strength as with the classical method.

In Boxing does the student receive instruction from his American or English professors
(Instructors) to bring back his fist to his shoulder before the hit? In the contrary he is told
“You must throw your fist directly and get in the habit of hitting with strength this way”. It’s the same principle that applies with the cane.

By using a development you will never hit fast and precisely and you expose yourself every time you bring your cane back for a strike.

On the contrary, by hitting directly nearly like a punch, with a good final contraction of all the muscles, especially the forearm muscles, you have a lot of strength and good speed – and your attacks are less exposed.

When an opponent attacks you with a development you have the time to execute a violent stop hit and even do a parry if the stop hit was not sufficient.


Developed strikes

Note that when you can expose yourself without risk, then you can use a developed strike. For example in the street, you can simulate the beginnings of a strike to the head looking carefully into the eyes of the inexperienced opponent,

and then hit the leg with a formidable developed strike. Or if you have already stunned the opponent with several ordinary strikes, you can, with no risk, finish him with a committed strike that you can develop as much as you like.

Many fighters, when their opponent is groggy, will not hesitate to finish with strikes given by the weight of the right arm half swinging half crossing in which they use a lot of preparation and all their body weight and muscle strength -these strikes would be impossible or dangerous to try in front of a fresh opponent.


Where to hit

The areas to strike are both sides of the face, the shins, the wrist and the top of the head if not protected by a hat .


Compound strikes

The feints that I recommend are as follows .

• Feint a strike to the head, hit to the left or right of the tibia (shin) depending on the position of the opponent, of course never strike the calf muscle which is the same rule with the coup de pied bas (low kick).
• Feint a strike to the left side of the face and strike the wrist the moment he parries.
• Feint a strike at the side of the face and hit the tibia.
• Feint a strike at the left or right tibia and hit the top of the head.
• Feint a strike at the tibia and strike the side of the face.
• Feint a strike at the top of the head, and make a strike at the body.
• Feint a strike at the body with the tip of the cane and make a strike at the face followed by a strike at the tibia.
• Feint a strike at the face with tip of the cane and strike the tibia.

The feints must be more ” drawn ” than when really executed, the general body attitude and facial expressions trick the opponent more than the actual movements of the cane.


Parry- Ripostes

Parry the left side of the face and riposte with a strike to the tibia.
Parry the right side of he face and reply with a strike to the left side of the face and double to the right side of the face.

(Like in boxing, you must double or triple the strikes, often, the first strike will not knock your opponent out .)

As soon as the first strike touches, you must give a second- (if the first has been parried and replied, you must of course parry the reply and give another straight away, this is called a counter riposte.)

Parry the tibia, riposte to the head and then double to the shin (right or left depending on the position).

Parry the right side of the body, riposte to the left side of the face, triple by striking to the head and follow with a strike to the left side of the face.

Parry left side of the face, triple to the head and left side of the face.

Strike to the right side of the face - double.

Strike to the left side of the face - double.

Strike to the tibia, double it to the head, and triple it with a strike to the right side of the face.

Parry the left side of the face, riposte with a strike using the tip of the cane to the face and double to the right side of the face and tibia.

(The strike with the tip of the cane is executed like a straight shot (thrust) in fencing but the extension and step is performed at the sane time.)





NOTES

My deepest gratitude to Craig Gemeiner for his kind permission in reposting this article to my site. Contents cannot be copied, republished or transmitted without prior consent from him. Copied from http://defensedanslarue.wordpress.com/skills/practical-fencing-with-the-cane-part-1/



You can contact him care of his various sites below:

http://gemeineracademy.wordpress.com/
http://www.savateaustralia.com/
http://lacannevigny.wordpress.com/
http://defensedanslarue.wordpress.com/
http://bootfighter.wordpress.com/http://www.freewebstore.org/bootfightercatalogue/index.aspx?pageid=1000146

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ARTICLES: Craig Gemeiner - The use of La Canne in Defense dans la Rue – Part one

The following articles will touch on the use of La Canne as taught by ‘Defense dans la Rue’ professor Emile Andre and his instructor Julien Leclerc.


Stance, grip and guard

For practising in the salle (training room), Andre recommends the right or strong side be placed forward with only three-quarters of the upper body presented toward the opponent. The legs are comfortably flexed and the feet spaced one and a half shoe lengths apart. Gripping the cane consists of positioning the hand two centimetres up from the butt or proximal end. The thumb rests along the length of the cane while the fingers are joined in order to hold and secure the weapon.  Generally held forward and slightly to the side of the body line, the forearm is perpendicular with the ground. The cane is positioned along an oblique line with the distal end sighted at the adversary’s face. During training the left hand is placed behind the back in order not to be struck by the movements of ones own cane. Andre tells us this guard is equivalent to tierce or the third position in Sabre. He adds however, in the real world of fighting, the leading hand may need to be placed closer to the body in order to protect it. An interesting characteristic of this holding position is its commonality to both the couteau\(knife) and unarmed waist guard structures. This particular guard should be approached only as a platform in which to train both the coups (strikes) and assaut (sparring )in the salle ( training room) environment. For personal protection in the street, which is the primary focus of Defense dans la Rue, alternative guards will often be required.


Guards for the street

For use in the street Andre mentions one will not always have the time to adopt the guard in tierce, nor may it be necessary to do so. In such a case he suggests a less assertive posture in which the Defense dans la Rue practitioner stands more upright with the left arm partially bent and rested in front of the stomach. The cane is only slightly raised and held across the opposite side of the body in such a manner so as to prepare it for the rapid deployment of blows targeting the hand, wrist and forearm. Andre’s diagram below depicts the use of both the cane and the hard bowler hat working in concert from this guard.

First and foremost, instructors of Defense dans la Rue emphasized weapon improvisation – the principle that you are never unarmed was and is still today well entrenched in the minds of its practitioners. The use of the hat and cane in combination provides layers of both offensive and defensive options covering a number of distances. The first layer, or line of attack, is that of longue or long distance. In this particular distance the cane will be bought into play for the deployment of strikes such as the coup de manchette  (short descending strike) and mouvement l’enleve (a type of raising under cut). Both strikes are directed at the weapon-bearing limb in order to disarm the attacker.

In the event your enemy breaches the first line of attack and enters into the moyenne (mid distance), the long-range use of La Canne is abandoned. Instead, the close quarter techniques of the cane along with the hard bowler hat will act as the second line of retaliation. Utilized as a type of buckler, this hard hat could be slammed into the adversary’s face or snapped out to parry knife attacks. Andre’s diagram depicts the bowler hat being positioned against the abdomen acting as improvised body armour in order to deflect knife slashes at the gut region and absorb thrusts from smaller knives. If the attacker breaks through into the courte (close distance) then unarmed skills would need to be quickly adopted.

A more assertive guard illustrated in Andre’s manual involves holding the weapon in a single-handed hammer grip above the shoulder. Depending on the height and distance of the enemy, short thrusts with the butt of the cane may be delivered along a linear or descending path. Blows to hard targets such as clavicle, check and jaw have the potential to fracture bones, while impacting soft tissues areas of the body will cause numbness and possible paralysis to the surrounding muscle. The force of such strikes could be enhanced if a metal knob is fitted at the end. From this high reference position, blows with the tapered end of the cane can be directed at the enemy’s collarbone or angled to impact the neck or face. This guard offers sound weapon retention, particularly when the left side is positioned forward and the non-weapon hand is held up ready to attack and counter.

At close quarters, in a real fight Andre recommends taking hold of the cane in the middle, with the left hand in front of the right. This two-handed grip resembles holding a bayonet, a cane thrust with the end can be delivered with great force.


Bibliography

Andre, Emile. L’art De Se Defendre Dans La Rue

Paris : Enerst Flammarion, Editeur 1899

Andre, Emile. Manual de Boxe et de Canne

Paris : Ernest Flammarion, Editeur 1904

Almanach Hachette, ON VOUS ATTAQUE, DEFENDEZ -VOUS ! Paris 1902




NOTES

This article is © 2010 by Craig Gemeiner. My deepest gratitude to him for his kind permission in reposting his article to my site. Contents cannot be copied, republished or transmitted without prior consent from him. Copied from http://defensedanslarue.wordpress.com/skills/the-use-of-la-canne-in-defense-dans-la-rue-part-one/.

Craig Gemeiner specializes in the study of traditional Western fighting arts, particularly Savate and its associated disciplines, and adapting them to modern use. He is one of few instructors in the world teaching ‘Defense dans la Rue’ , a system of self-defense developed in Paris during the late 1800s and has given seminars in Australia, Japan, USA, New Zealand and Italy. For an expanded background on his background, please check out:  http://gemeineracademy.wordpress.com/about-us/about-craig-gemeiner/
as well as his various sites below:

http://gemeineracademy.wordpress.com/
http://www.savateaustralia.com/
http://lacannevigny.wordpress.com/
http://defensedanslarue.wordpress.com/
http://bootfighter.wordpress.com/http://www.freewebstore.org/bootfightercatalogue/index.aspx?pageid=1000146 

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ARTICLES: Craig Gemeiner - Le Baton: The 2-handed long stick of DDLR

Introduction:

Defense dans la Rue was traditionally based on four distances that dictated not only specific skills but also emotional responses. The “premiere distance” is one in which the Defense dans la Rue practitioner is not in direct physical contact with the adversary. A number of weapons both improvised and specific were favored at this range. Improvised weapons consisted of the hat, the scarf, the umbrella, the jacket, the chair, along with numerous other devices. Specific weapons comprised “la canne” (walking stick), “Matraque” ( truncheon) “Couteau” ( knife), “canne a epee” (sword cane), “epee” ( dueling sword) , revolver, and “baton” (French two handed long stick).

This short article will touch on the baton as described by Emile Andre in several of his manuals which forms the original template of Defense dans la Rue.




Andre explains the two handed baton or stick is based on the principles of la canne. However due to the batons length, which measures  1.5 meters, along with its additional weight, it must be manipulated with both hands. The reach of the stick allows the point of percussion to be expanded beyond that of the cane, while its size has a demoralizing effect on single and multiple opponents.

Grip:
Gripping the baton involves placing the rear hand towards the butt of the weapon, holding it in a hammer grip with palm facing the lower abdominals. The leading hand is placed forward with the thumb running along the shaft of the stick and the palm placed upward. Both arms are flexed and the dominate hand is placed forward I.E. if you’re right handed your right side would be leading. Andre adds that some styles of baton, in particular the “Joinville” military method, will at times utilize both left and right guards.

The front hand directs the blows of the baton while the rear hand simply acts as an auxiliary, supporting the sticks manipulation. To assist in the dexterity of the left or less coordinated hand, Andre advises that some la canne practice with the less dominated arm would be advantageous.

Footwork is identical to that of la canne and comprises advancing, retiring, half-lunging and lunging.

Strikes:
Andre tells us that the actual blows with the baton are based on la canne and that both use similar principles to Saber fencing. Strikes include ‘Coup de tete’-vertical strike to the head, ‘Coup de figure’: strike to the face, both left and right sides- ‘Coup de flanc’- which includes the kidney and belly and the ‘Coup de jambe’ – strikes to the left and right sides of the leg. 

Due to the batons  length the blow to the wrist ‘Coup de manchette’ is delivered in the manner of a fencing “coupe” and not as a moulinet.

Andre states in his manuals that the thrust with the distal end of the baton scores much less than with the cane but it still should be included as part of your offensive arsenal, particularly as a riposte from the parry of quarte.

Compound attacks:
Compound attacks are kept very simple with all feints being projected as real attacks with conviction. Follow up strikes are usually swung under, over or to the side of the opponents parry.

Parrys:
Parry’s with the baton comprise high prime, prime, second, tierce, quarte and high quarte.  Circular parries in the shape of moulinets are also employed to guard strikes targeting the side of the legs. The moulinets themselves form part of their ripostes depending on the position of the stick.

 

Andre’s syllabus consists of a total of 37 lessons, including combinations, stop hits, feints and ripostes. These lessons require tutelage under a professor (instructor) and Andre recommends each sequence be carried out several times prior to moving onto the next one. 
 


While several of Defense dans la Rue’s specific weapons are antiquated by today’s standards, the training in the two handed long stick does provide solid cross over principles for larger improvised weapons.

Le Baton:  The two handed long stick method of Defense dans la Rue

By Craig Gemeiner (C) 2011

NOTES

My deepest gratitude to Craig Gemeiner for his kind permission in reposting his essay to my site! Contents cannot be copied, republished or transmitted without prior consent from him.

Craig Gemeiner specializes in the study of traditional Western fighting arts, particularly Savate and its associated disciplines, and adapting them to modern use. He is one of few instructors in the world teaching ‘Defense dans la Rue’ , a system of self-defense developed in Paris during the late 1800s and has given seminars in Australia, Japan, USA, New Zealand and Italy. For an expanded background on his background, please check out:  http://gemeineracademy.wordpress.com/about-us/about-craig-gemeiner/
as well as his various sites below:

http://gemeineracademy.wordpress.com/
http://www.savateaustralia.com/
http://lacannevigny.wordpress.com/
http://defensedanslarue.wordpress.com/
http://bootfighter.wordpress.com/http://www.freewebstore.org/bootfightercatalogue/index.aspx?pageid=1000146

Read More