Angles of Attack

Angles of attack are commonly misconcepted with strikes of combat.  Angles are just a training tool that help a beginner learn the basic body mechanics of his/her defense.  No one way is better than the next.  No way is right and no way is wrong.  After first learning the angles, the student should learn the strikes.  The strikes are the angles just replaced on different lines or targets.  The angle is supposed to be what you limit your opponents attack to and not your attack.  There are countless number of "strikes" or "attacks" but in realty there are only 360 angles in a circle.  For simplicity, you group a number of similar angles and put them into "one" "angle".

For example, every strike that falls into the yellow area can be treated as an angle 1 (what most systems call angle 1, aka caveman, crazy man strike).  Now sure the one nearer to the top of the circle has a different energy than the one nearer to the bottom which of course would most likely require a different type of defense, but this is the next step of training with different types of energy once you have the angle familiarization.

Some of angles of attack that are in the circle.  Remember there are 360.

Illustration used in the Inosanto blend among others to show the motions and angles present within the circle.  Thrusts, floretes, strikes, punyo, etc. are all found in this illustration.  It has been said that the secrets to eskrima lie here.

It is important to remember that the circles are as the two illustrations on the above right, can be placed anywhere on the body, as the illustration on the above left, giving you endless possibilities and options in the motions of the stick.  Of course, the stick is transferable to the hands, but that's a different subject altogether.  The motions are brought together to make the training easier for the student by being simpler, but after you have the basics and start exploring your own mind, this is something worth looking at.

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Last modified: October 24, 2001