A basic guide to martial arts complete with monk ability suggestions

[Acarin]

The Basics of Martial Arts (as requested)
I can really only speak about Karate (Enshin, Kyokushinkai, Oyama, and Goju styles) so I doubt these techniques are the basics of other martial arts. Even so, I hope they’ll be helpful for development purposes. Just a quick note: I make no claims regarding Japanese spelling and names (They differ by style. These are the ones I am most familiar with but I’m still horrible with japanese).

If you want to skip this or get tired of reading this, I have a few ideas myself for brawling abilities which I’ll put up in a separate post.

Before I go into individual techniques, I’ll say a few things about fighting tactics. Although everyone has their own style and execution, an effective martial artist will practice tai tsubaki (essentially similar to dodging – not being in the space your opponent is striking via good footwork) and also blocking. I won’t talk too much about defensive maneuvers this time around, but they’re very important to be effective in kumite (fighting).

The first thing taught to any student is to have a loud kiai. The kiai is a loud shout (you’ve probably seen it in martial arts movies) that is the outward display of one’s fighting spirit. The louder the kiai, the more one forces the opponent off guard. An effective kiai, in reality, actually can turn the tide of a fight by frightening your opponent and causing them to lose the will to fight which translates into breaking their stance and therefore their guard. Usually for the first couple belts, all that is expected from junior students (kohai) is a strong kiai and not necessarily good technique.

As far as the actual techniques, most moves have a high (jodan), middle (chudan), or low (gedan) execution. I won’t talk about them specifically below, except for when I have something important about usage to point out. What is probably more important is whether the attack is circular or linear. A circular attack will distract the opponent’s guard to the outside to attempt to block, leaving the center open for a linear attack. A linear attack will draw the opponent’s defense to the center so that an outside circular attack can be executed (Think how if someone tries to punch you, you will move your arms inward to block. This would open up the side of the body to attack, for example a roundhouse kick). This logic is employed in combos where several strikes of the same type (linear or circular) are performed as a setup technique following by a finishing technique of the opposite type. The same applies to focusing attacks on one side of the body. The attention is drawn to that side so that is becomes more difficult to guard an attack from the other.

I could go on about this, but for the sake of time and the purposes this will be used for I’ll just move on to basic techniques:

Basic stances (dachi):

Heiko Dachi/Fudo Dachi (Different ready stances):
The difference between the two is how far apart your feet are placed. Hands are placed at the waist line facing out with elbows bent at 90 degrees. These are used when listening to instruction or before kumite and are not used in actual combat so I won’t say much more.

Sanchin Dachi (hourglass stance/training stance):
The feet are positioned about shoulder width apart with the heel of one foot aligned with the toes of the other foot. The feet are at 45 degree angles facing inwards with knees bent so that the body resembles an hourglass. This is a training stance meant for strengthening techniques and not actually used in combat so moving on…

Zenkutsu Dachi (Long stance/Forward stance):
A longer stance used for generating force for punches or for moving forward aggressively. The front knee is bent deeply and the back leg is straight so that one can push off of the rear foot. Most of the weight is on the front foot. The back is kept straight for balance and when moving in this stance the head is supposed to stay at the same level. The stance is well balanced and allows for strong strikes, however it is not very mobile and one must shift into a different stance in order to move quickly or kick high. This stance tends to be used more often when striking or executing a finishing move where a strong wide stance translates to additional force.

Kiba Dachi (Wide stance):
The feet are placed parallel to each other and about a foot’s distance outside the shoulders and the knees are heavily bent. It is often used by itself to strengthen the legs since it is difficult to maintain for long periods of time but if done correctly, it is very stable. It is often used for hammerfist techniques and techniques that are executed from the side. While, again, it is not very mobile, this stance can be quickly attained from zenkutsu dachi and is therefore a natural choice when executing combos from that stance.

Kokutsu Dachi (Back stance):
This might be called more of a defensive stance. The body is positioned at a 45 degree angle to the opponent often with open hands in front. Most of the weight (70%) is on the back leg and the body is positioned over it with the rear pushed out. The front leg has give and can be used to execute quick front kicks and also yields when attacked (a good thing). The idea of this stance is to draw the opponent towards you so that you can execute fast but weaker techniques then quickly move away or change stances.

Kumite no Kamai/Kumite Dachi (Fighting Stance):
The other stances described above are formal, and although they are used during kumite, they are often fairly transient in duration and only used to execute single techniques before shifting into another. Kumite no kamai is the basic stance for fighting. Feet are shoulder width apart with hands guarding the face in a defensive “triangle”. The knees are bent and the rear foot is at a 45 degree angle facing outward. Weight is on the balls of the feet and evenly distributed. This stance is very mobile and as it’s name suggests, the mainstay of fighting.

Hand Strikes:
The basics: Strikes can be executed as seiken (closed fist, knuckles parallel to the ground), tataken (closed fist, knuckles perpendicular to the ground), enpi (elbows), tetsui (hammerfist), or shuto (essentially a chop that utilizes the bone right above the wrist on the pinky side of the hand). Seiken strikes are the traditional punch. I’ll cover another technique as well called toha, even though it is advanced just because I think it would be excellent for development purposes.

Gyaku Zuki (Reverse Punch):
A linear punch from the reverse (side of the body that is farther back). The punch slides along the ribs and fist tenses right before the strike. The opposite hand performs a hikite (it is pulled back to reserve power for the next attack) while the punch moves forward to increase the force of the strike. The back remains straight to maintain balance. The power behind this strike comes from the lower body and twisting of the hips.

Oi Zuki (Jab):
This is essentially a jab with about 75% the strength of a Gyaku Zuki. It is generally used to stop an opponent or to setup another technique. A well placed oi zuki can be quite damaging however, if properly aimed. It’s biggest asset is its speed as you don’t have to change stances or move the other hand to generate maximum force.

Uraken Gammen Uchi/Uraken Sayu Gammen Uchi (Backhand and side backhand strikes):
Backhand strikes to the front or side. The elbows are essentially pointed towards the target and serve as the fulcrum for the forearm that is snapped out. Generally used to strike quickly to the face area. The striking surface is the same as with seiken (the two big knuckles).

Shita Zuki (upper cut):
The upper cut is generally executed to the abdomen just above the belt. The hand is upside down from a normal punch but the striking point is the same (the first two knuckles). It is very effective from Kiba Dachi or following a series of high strikes (for example following an oi zuki/gyaku zuki/furi uchi combo) and can be quite difficult to block if guard has been diverted upwards. Although it is an uppercut, it is still a linear technique and the arm is still mostly straight with only a slight bend to the elbow. This is not, as some might think, used to strike the face. It is strictly at the chudan (middle) level.

Furi Uchi (Hook Punch):
The hook punch is usually executed as the shot to the liver or kidney. It is called a hook punch because the arm is bent and positioned at the side with hand in seiken position (i.e. closed fist with knuckles parallel to the ground). The strike does not utilize the arm to generate any force. The force of the punch, and actually the entirety of the attack comes from locking the arm into postion and rapidly twisting the hips to bring the arm toward the opponent. As the arm is down, you are not guarding that side while executing this strike. Because of the risk and the need to divert the opponents guard to the center in order to land it successfully, this is usually executed only in combinations and can be considered a circular technique.

Tataken Strikes (Vertical hand):
Again, the fist is vertical relative to the ground. Any of the above techniques can be executed with a tataken instead of a seiken, however it is most effectively used from wide stance (Kiba Dachi) and is often used while advancing or striking an opponent to the side.

Enpi (Elbows):
Elbows can be quite effective when chained together, and can come from a variety of angles. Using elbows properly is a complicated topic and certainly not basic so I won’t cover it too much here. The main point is that one must get in very close in order to use them, so they are usually used as a counter attack following a block or during a combo. Good damage, difficult to land well. There is also a kaiten (spinning back) version of this technique.

Tetsui (Hammerfist):
Hammerfist strikes are executed with a closed fist and the side of the hand as the striking suface instead of the two (or one for advanced martial artists) knuckles used during seiken strikes. They are generally executed to the temple or collar bone from Kiba dachi (wide stance) as the surface you are hitting with is not as hard as the knuckles. It can be executed inside to outside, outside to inside, or overhead. To clarify, best if used Jodan (high) and is an effective finishing technique as the last strike of a combination. There is also a kaiten (spinning back) version of this technique that can be quite difficult to defend against due to the element of suprise.

Shuto (The “Karate Chop”):
Shuto is executed with an open hand at a variety of levels (Jodan, Chudan, and even Gedan) and can also be used as a push-like attack to break an opponent’s guard. Utilization is often similar to tetsui (a strike to the head or collarbone or spinning) with the bone just above the wrist (It is not actually the side of the hand that is striking! That’s a good way to injure yourself). A very versatile technique but often lacks power unless the whole body can be used (for example during a movement from long stance to wide stance). When done right, it can be quite damaging due to the very small and hard striking surface.

Toha (Hook hand throat strike):
The hand forms a hook with the thumb out and the area between the fingers and thumb is used as the striking surface. It is aimed in a linear manner to the throat. ‘nuff said.
Although there are a lot more striking techniques, I think this is a good start. Lets move on to kicks.
Kicks:

Mae geri (Front snap kick):
The basic front kick. The knee is brought above the waist, and leg is snapped forward in a linear motion. The strike occurs with the ball of the foot (chusoku). Can be executed with the front or rear leg from fighting stance, with the rear leg being stronger. It is often used to push an opponent back (rear leg) or stop and opponent from moving in (front leg). It is not intended to shove, but to be a fast impact. After striking the knee is brought back to the position above the waist then the foot is placed back onto the ground.

Hiza geri (knee kicks):
Knee strikes! There are a variety. They can be executed by stepping to the side and striking with the side of the knee or by pushing the hips forward while lifting the knee for a more linear strike, or while jumping (but this can sacrifice balance and leave you open to counter attack). Very damaging and difficult to defend against. They are often accompanied by grabs to pull an opponent into the strike and are used at very close range. I’ve even seen knee strikes to the head performed by very skilled fighters while the opponent was standing straight up.

Mawashi geri (Roundhouse kick):
Bread and butter kick. Very fast and powerful. Mawashi geri is a circular technique that can be executed to the lower legs to “Chop the tree” and decrease an opponent’s mobility or as a setup. It also has a chudan version to the abdomen and a jodan version (To the side of the head/chin) that is often used as a finishing move. Jodan mawashi geri generally needs to be setup by other moves as it can leave you open but can be quite deadly during a fight if used properly and is generally the knockout move of choice in kumite competitions. No matter the height, the kick is executed in the same way. The knee is brought along the side of the body parallel to the ground and the knee is then rotated towards the opponent. The leg is then kicked out and the strike occurs with the shin just above the ankle. The height is determined by the base leg and how much the knee is bent. There is also an inner leg version of gedan mawashi geri used to strike to the inner-thigh and kick out the legs to force an opponent into a wide stance so they are immobilized and off balance.

Ushiro geri/Kake geri (Back kick/Hook Kick):
The difference between these two is that the hook kick is circular and the back kick is linear. Both techniques strike with the heel of the foot and are probably the strongest kick as far as absolute force. Part of the power comes from the momentum generated by spinning. The front foot is turned so that the heel faces the target, then either you continue into a spin for kake geri or lift the knee and kick back straight (ushiro geri). A well placed ushiro geri to the live can drop an opponent quickly (I’ve seen people get hit with a perfectly placed one and fall over the course of minute as their legs give out, then crawl across the ground clutching their side until they finally drop completely).

Mae Keage/Soto Mawashi/Uchi Mawashi (Straight leg high kicks):
For mae keage, the leg is brought up and kept straight, then brought down straight. This is a training kick to teach students to rise up on the ball of the foot when they kick and is generally not used in actual combat although it could be used as an axe kick to bring the heel down on the collarbone (generally hard to land). Soto mawashi and uchi mawashi are inside-to-outside or outside-to-inside versions of mae keage that are often used to knock away an opponent’s hands and disable his guard although they can also be used at close range to quickly kick to the head if you manage to successfully obscure the opponent’s view with a well placed hand.

Yoko geri (side kick):
This is usually used when and opponent takes your side to strike leg, abdomen, or face. The strike is with the outside blade of the foot and can be useful for keeping an opponent off while correcting stance. It can also be used from a more advanced stance called kake ahi dachi (hook stance) to bridge a large distance between you and an opponent while attacking.

Kaiten uchi mawashi/Kaiten mawashi geri:
Spinning back kicks that either strike with the heel or side of the heel. Very effective as a counterattack to gedan techniques and can be both suprising and fast if executed correctly. Unfortunately, this is difficult to master and can leave your guard very open. These attacks are generally jodan (high) with the intention of finishing your opponent. The spin is similar to the beginning of ushiro geri, but the momentum is carried around in a circle so that all one must do while spinning is lift the leg at the point they are most “coiled”

More kicks but I’d really like to move on…
Lets skip blocks for now, for the sake of finishing this.

Miscellaneous techniques:

Sweeps/Throws/Grabs/Submissions:
There are a variety of these techniques including hand locks, finger locks, arm locks, shoulder grabs, clothing grabs, head grabs, sweeps and trips. They are usually utilized following a block when you manage to catch an opponent’s limb or at close range to setup another technique. I won’t go into them much further except to say that a trip actually utilizes the weight of the opponent and usually is initiated by some type of grab, while a sweep is simply a kick placed to knock your opponent to the ground and may not require an actual grab since sweeps are executed with a wide striking surface to a balance weak portion of the leg. Locks are generally performed when a joint is caught to limit your opponent’s ability to counterattack or move.

Basic Movement:

Fumi ashi/Okuri ashi (Step/Slide):
Step and slide. The step is slower and generates more force but in reality even with a step your foot slides along the ground and does not lift off. The slide begins with front leg first then the back leg is dragged after it when advancing, and opposite when backing away. Slides are faster and used for bridging short distances quickly.

Kosa (Switch):
The front and back legs are simultaneously reversed by sliding in opposite directions to allow striking with the opposite side. It’s great for suprising an opponent with an unexpected strike.

“Cutting the corner”:
Utilizing one of the basic combat movements to take a 45 degree angle to your opponent for a surprise attack such as a chudan mawashi geri (middle roundhouse) or a furi uchi (hook punch). The basic idea is that it takes a few moments for your opponent to correct their stance and face you. In the mean, they’re extremely open.

Fin.
I know this was a little long but you have only yourself to blame for getting me started.

[Acarin]

Here are a few crude ideas for monk abilities that I came up with that are more physical/martial arts. Tweak them however and do with them what you will…

Fighting spirit:
The greatest demonstration of a monk’s fighting spirit is his shout. When executing barehanded techniques, this fierce display of aggression can often startle an opponent into dropping his guard giving an opening to vital points.

Fighting spirit would have a random chance to flare on the any strike of a combo, causing the opponent to drop his defenses for all successive strikes in that combination. This would result in a decreased chance to avoid for the target and greater overall damage, and possibly root the target in place for a short period.

Relentless fists:
True brawlers know that when an opponent is backed into a corner, one must be relentless. Although a flurry of strikes can be quite draining, there is time to rest only after the battle ends.

Stacks two combinations together resulting in doubling the number of attacks. Relentless fists, however, is quite draining and it takes twice the time to recover from the aggressive onslaught (Roundtime doubled).

Counter Striker :
In combat, one must wait until the opportunity is right to strike. Keen eyes and fast reflexes allow the skilled brawler to avoid strikes while identifying the weakeness in an attacker’s guard. When the opportunity is right, he strikes!

Counter striker would be executed from either a dodging or a parrying tactic. On a successful dodge or parry, there would be a chance based on brawling to execute a counterattack combination as if the monk was utilizing an offensive tactic.
Prereq:Blade slap

Vital strike:
Can you follow those movements until the end? The first few were only a distraction. The last is lethal – a spinning roundhouse to the head, that well placed hammerfist to the temple, or even the elusive throat chop.

On a successful 4 strike combo where none are dodged, the last strike has a chance based on brawling to deal more lethal damage and possibly knock an opponent unconscious.
Prereq: Stone fist

Sweeping force:
Augmented with thaumurgical energy, the monk can execute a sweeping kick that sends its force out in a low sharp wave.

Everyone not joined to the monk will have a chance of being knocked over and put into a short roundtime even if in hiding.

Self control:
After considerable training of the body, the monk has gained control over his body and can stave off exhaustion for a short time to continue his assault.

At the point of exhaustion, the monk will have x seconds/minutes based on brawling skill where the effects do not set in and he can continue to battle. When the time runs out, if still exhausted, the monk will fall unconscious as normal.

[Rias]

Awesome. That's a lot to draw on for ideas.

[Landion]

Very nice, I like a lot of those ideas.

[Isiaa]

Cool...

[Acarin]

A few more ideas, cause monks need combat love:

Spell Striker
Pre-requisites:
Arrow Deflection
Blade Slap
Thaumaturgy (500)
Brawling (200)
Passive skill while channeling thaumaturgy

In order to become more capable of defending against those who embrace the nether, monks have learned to deflect magical attacks by channeling their inner light into their hands.
Gives an outright chance to deflect an nether based spells in a manner similar to arrow deflection. If the monk fails to deflect outright or for spells that are not nether based, the monk gains the ability to parry the magic with empty hands at a reduced roll from the normal parry (1/4-1/2).

Brawling mastery:
Adds some of the techniques I wrote about before to be executed as an additional strike while brawling with a variety of effects. Different techniques learned at different ranks of brawling. Chance for knockdown/unconcious/rt with some of the harder to execute/learn techniques. More details if requested.

Toughness:
Training the body to receive damage helps to harden it.
Passive skill
Prerequisites: Spirit Augmentation and Stone Fist
Tracks damage taken and converts to skill points for "toughness" or "hardening" monk-only skill. Toughness acts as armor, with higher skill levels deflecting more damage. Damage from open hand strikes with stone fist could also be scaled with toughness (the hands get harder as well).

Coming soon (or not so soon): awareness and enlightenment.

OR you could always create a martial arts guild... Acarin out.

[Acarin]

More ability suggestions. Eventually you'll HAVE to like one.

Rapid Fists:
Prereq: Stone Fist, Brawling (600)
Passive
As the monk trains his body for unarmed combat, his attacks become more instinctual and fluid. Time that was once wasted with useless movements can now be better utilized.

Decreases roundtime for unarmed brawling by 1 (unaimed 4 seconds, aimed 5 seconds) and adds the potential for a fifth strike (and maybe a 6th although that might be pushing it). This could be extremely rare based on [brawling ranks/25]% or something similar.

Note to Rias: This would be another way of pushing monks toward empty handed combat as opposed to gauntlets/gloves/claws/caestus/gripped-potatoes

This could also be a prereq for the brawling mastery ability I suggested before if you ever decided to add that.

Enlightenment:
Passive
Prereq: Thaumaturgy (800), Arrow deflection, Blade slap
The path to enlightenment is a difficult and few are able to achieve it. Once this apex of awareness is reached, however, the truth of one's place in the world and a connection to all others is revealed, bright under the light of the torchbearer. A clear understanding of cause and effect gives the monk foresight when in danger.

(1) Prevents the monk from being completely suprised by an attack. Attacking from hiding would still get a nice (!) but not reduce defenses to 0 (maybe reduce the level of suprise by 1 rank of however suprise ranks go). It would also allow deflection of projectiles when fired from hiding.
(2) Provides a an opportunity to dodge magical projectiles, nether, cryomancy, and various melee attacks before the normal rolls are made (similar to arrow deflection or flip but with a slightly lower chance of success).

Other random ability suggestions: Stone Wall (resistance to knockdown) or Rolling Wheel (potentially stand up when knocked down by rolling backwards, possibly execute a spinning kick on the way back up), Rushing Water(Automatically rush into engaged position when attempting to attack. Press effect when bridging from avoid or ranged).

Next post: More details on the brawling mastery ability from before.

[Rias]

I'm liking some of the ideas. Let me just warn you now that the Monastic Order martial abilities will tend toward defense (I'm liking the Enlightenment ideas and Rolling Wheel). There's another guild in the works that will utilize martial artsiness in a much more offensive way, as they will be a guild focused on combat and offense, so keep posting whatever you've got, and we can move any ideas to whichever guild we think they'd fit best in.

[Acarin]

You've made me very happy sir! I'd like to offer my help in designing this potential martial arts guild if your GMness so desires.

[Acarin]

Alright. I lied about the next suggestion I'd make.

Serenity:
Active, cast 202 while channeling thaumaturgy. Stays active until thaumaturgy channel drops.
Prereq: Spirit augmentation, Thaumaturgy (500)

Inner peace and all that junk. Stops non-nethrim from attacking monk (only) until hostile action is initiated. Minor fear effect on nethrim, and will not drop when initiating hostile action on nethrim.