Pressing the Attack: Formidable Fighter, #5

By Martina Sprague

In martial arts competition or on the street one fighter normally dominates the other; it is how fights are won. Once you start viewing the arena as yours and yours alone, your mindset should be to press the attack. Offense is essential because only offense can hurt your opponent enough to demolish his fighting spirit and force him to retreat. Any good offensive strategy consists at least of some forward movement where momentum helps you take advantage of your opponent’s retreat. Pressing the attack helps you establish command presence by positively demonstrating that you control the arena. Pressing the attack is not about displaying uncontrolled rage, however. Rather, it means that you resolve to stay a step ahead in strategy and tactics at all times. Strategy involves a calculating mind, good defense, and even retreat at times. The winning strategy is this: Think offense; think forward; think one more step. Formidable Fighter: The Complete Series, a compilation of all 14 books in this series, is available in both electronic and print format.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Martina Sprague
• Release date: Jan 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507066874

Martina Sprague

Martina Sprague grew up in the Stockholm area of Sweden. She has a Master of Arts degree in Military History from Norwich University in Vermont and has studied a variety of combat arts since 1987. As an independent scholar, she writes primarily on subjects pertaining to military and general history, politics, and instructional books on the martial arts. For more information, please visit her website: www.modernfighter.com.

Book preview

Preface

The Formidable Fighter Series is a series of booklets for martial artists desiring to learn the concepts that create formidable fighters in the training hall, competition arena, and street. Each booklet is between 5,000 and 10,000 words in length and includes fighting scenarios, training tips, and illustrations. Pressing the Attack, the fifth booklet in the series, deals particularly with how to create a winning strategy by taking charge of the situation and learning how to dominate the opponent physically and psychologically. Since the advice is not style specific but explores the underlying concepts of personal combat, it is applicable to students of most martial styles.

Thucydides, an ancient Greek historian, said: Peace is best secured by those who use their strength justly, but whose attitude shows that they have no intention of submitting to wrong. If you follow the instruction and tips in the Formidable Fighter Series, you will learn how to develop your physical strength and mental tenacity and triumph as a fighter in the training hall, ring, and street.

Better to be a tiger for a day than a sheep for a lifetime.

—Chinese Proverb

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He who attacks must vanquish. He who defends must merely survive.

—Master Kahn

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If you are unable to make important decisions about your own future, others will be happy to make them for you—usually being sure to take full advantage of your weakness.

—C.R. Jahn, Martial Arts Author

In martial arts competition one fighter normally dominates the other; it is how fights are won. Once you start viewing the arena as yours and yours alone, your mindset should be to PRESS THE ATTACK. Offense is essential because only offense can hurt your opponent enough to demolish his fighting spirit and force him to retreat.