The Eight Principles of
Shorthand Empty Hand

“Most systems taught today could not meet even basic combat training needs,” wrote Richard Loewenhagen in Mastering Kung Fu, “because they are more artistic expressions than scientific achievements of maximum efficiencies in a life-and-death reality. The real danger in this type of training is that it leads to the illusion of competence.”

The illusion of competence is what we seek to avoid in the pragmatic, expedient forms of Shorthand Empty Hand. Every functional martial art is based on principles rather than on the memorization of rote techniques. What this means is that the practitioner – rather than memorizing a complicated decision tree of fixed responses to predicted attacks – applies the principles of his or her martial art to a given situation. He responds as appropriate using the tools learned (the actual fighting techniques) in a dynamic, not rote, fashion.

A good example would be the principle of forward drive or space domination. This principle of Shorthand Empty Hand is shared by many arts and systems. The principle states that when attacked, you should not move backwards or retreat. Instead, you should move forward, seizing the initiative and overwhelming your opponent. Any steps back should be followed by more steps forward (such as when moving off the attacking line in order to attack from and move in on the opponent’s blind side).

The eight principles of Shorthand Empty Hand are not original. I did not invent them. They are an amalgam of the best principles from the various styles and systems I have studied and researched. Applying these principles will help you succeed in unarmed self-defense only if you have the will to survive and to act decisively. If you have no will, no drive, you will lose no matter how accomplished is your technique.

• Stay aware.
• Focus on nothing and everything.
• Keep your hands up.
• Maintain space.
• Move forward.
• Lead with the hands and the feet will follow.
• Palm Heel, Edge of Hand, Fist
• Face, Neck, Groin, Knees, Ankles

Stay aware. Awareness is the most important component of self-defense. Only when you know what is going on around you can you possibly hope to deal with it. Only when you are capable of perceiving subtle (and sometimes obvious) cues in your environment will you have any hope of avoiding potential trouble before it becomes physical force directed against you. When you are out and about, you must make an effort to maintain a reasonable level of alertness.

Focus on nothing and everything. Much debate has taken place in the martial arts world regarding what or where to watch in a physical altercation. When you face someone whom you must fight, for whatever reason, do you watch their eyes? Do you watch their hands? Do you focus on the dan tien, the body’s center? Do you watch the leading elbow, the shoulder, the hips? On what should you focus?

The answer, much as it might sound like a convenient dodge, is all of these and none of them. When you face off with someone, blur or unfocus your vision slightly. Do not stare at any given part of the opponent’s body. Instead, take in the whole body as a single entity, seeing everything and nothing at once. This slightly blurred holistic vision not only helps you perceive movement in the other person, but makes it easier for you to dehumanize him – to see him as an opponent rather than a person, which in turn makes it easier for you to deliver physical force if you must.

Keep your hands up. I was taught that a potential threat must not be allowed to close within striking distance of you. You must attack the opponent preemptively when he enters this range. When approached by someone whom you do not trust, we were taught, you must put up your hands and maintain a safe distance.

Maintain space. Your personal space is the range at which someone can touch you or reach you with a physical attack (a punch, a kick, etc.). Maintaining that personal space – guarding it against intrusion – helps prevent such attacks from succeeding. It establishes a barrier, a physical boundary, between you and the opponent. Whenever possible, do not allow people whom you do not know or do not trust to intrude on your personal space.

Move forward. When you spar and when you train (where applicable and prudent), push yourself. Resist the temptation to give ground. You may have to back up at times to take advantage of the footwork of your style, but when you do, follow up by driving forward to keep the initiative.

Gaining and keeping the initiative is necessary to overwhelm the opponent. You never want to play his game; you never ant to be on the offensive. “Attack the attacker,” as the saying goes. When you must defend yourself, drive forward.

Lead with the hands and the feet will follow. Shorthand Empty Hand, as a system, focuses primarily on the hands. The feet are used for mobility and for low-level kicking, but footwork is kept intuitive and kicks are deemphasized in favor of hand techniques. This is because in the stress of a real-life encounter, I would rather you had your feet solidly planted than moving all over the landscape or firing off kicks. Use your hands and your feet will naturally follow, taking you where you need to go as you press your attack forward. It’s as simple as this and we’ll complicate it no further.

Palm Heel, Edge of Hand, Fist. These are the primary weapons of Shorthand Empty Hand and the natural weapons of the hands. The palm heel and edge of hand are open-hand structures, the use of which lessens the danger of damaging the hands. The fist is the most commonly used of all natural offensive weapons and, properly conditioned, allows the user to hit with great penetrating power.

Face, Neck, Groin, Knees, Ankles. These are the primary targets of Shorthand Empty Hand. The face, the neck, the groin, the knees, and the ankles of every human being are equally vulnerable. No amount of conditioning, no amount of muscular development, and no amount of sheer size will lessen the effect of a strike to the eyes, the throat, the genitals, or the vulnerable knee and ankle joints. Shorthand Empty Hand practitioners seek to strike these as targets of opportunity – meaning that when they are presented (and not before), they are struck.