Blauer - Closed Hand vs Open Hand

Coach Blauer shares with us the importance and benefit of an open hand in the Startle Flinch conversion. Physiology working for you, not against you!
Courtesy of CrossFit.com

[@ruiseartalcorn]

This is awesome! Mr. Blauer is an extremely knowledgeable teacher :)

[@wingchununited]

Kudos. He's doing a good job of showing how the body works. For people seeking quick knowledge, this is good stuff. Some folks don't have the capacity to study day-in, day-out. They want something quick and dirty, and they want to know why and how it works. Others, like myself, and many of you watching this, want to take things a step further. To learn the methods to train these skills to deeper levels. It's all good. Keep training!

[@CircleWilliams]

I love the underlying lesson, "Don't mystify things."

[@AikidoAgatsu]

I love Tony, and I agree ki should be demystified, but just to clarify on Aikido: the principle behind "unbendable arm" in Aikido is known as "EXTEND ki." It is not something that takes years of study to develop; it is often taught to students in their very first Aikido class. This principle was it was observed before the advent of modern physiology. "Ki" is energy, and "muscle recruitment" is electrochemical ENERGY signals traveling through the body. Same concept, different label.

[@SouthernAceCrafts]

I see. This makes sense to me because we use a similar approach / response system at work but they do not explain it in detail as you do. In fact, I am aware of several systems that teach similar protective frames for use in self defense and the principle is solidly effective. I'm going to view more of your video posts. thanks. VTVSD

[@ronin2167]

The Aikido I study which is not the mainstream forms doesn't call it "Ki" referring to some mystical power, it's basic physics and biomechanics. We are taught to exploit that in people. The arm only does 2 things well...extend and contract.

[@hamo6442]

Thank you brother for what you are sharing with your training. Bringing reality to encounters in real life sets you apart, and more useful than any katas you can learn. I’ve got a pretty muscular build from bodybuilding, so I’m not as attractive to people that want to do violence, but after watching your training... I realize I’ve just been fortunate, and that I need to learn what you’re teaching! Thank you, and I pray blessing upon you, and protection to all that is dear to you. - Harry

[@SafeSpaceGym]

@ThePenguinPulveriz Intent is very important... agreed! However if you have the same intent with a clenched fist and open hand, then open hand will be stronger, due to extensor muscle groups being stronger than flexor muscle groups. This is not my opinion, it is science... it is physiology that is measurable and repeatable.

[@GonzoTehGreat]

This shows how easily we can learn to defend ourselves effectively when armed with a proper understanding of body mechanics under stress. Sadly the world is now full of McDojos claiming to provide self-defence but actually teaching mystical, outdated martial techniques based on repetitive training rather than instinctive responses. Instwead we need to understand how the body reacts in a stressful situation and use that to our advantage. Keep up the good work - the word is spreading!

[@obicross]

very nice! i found this similar to what i'm learning right now, wong shun leung ving tsun (wing chun) just scientific, logical, and practical! bravo sir!

[@aznboi1027]

I used this to defend against kimura or americano, very effective.

[@HENZI-cv7re]

Thanks, never thought of doing that. 😉🙏

[@georgeszaszvari3108]

Love a lot of your stuff, Tony, you're a positive contribution to the ever growing understanding in the self defense world, and taking your words on ki, chi, energy, etc, shows that you prefer to understand stuff in terms of muscle groups and body mechanics, quite legitimately so since it works well enough for practical purposes, but will also say all that "ki stuff" is only mystifying to those not engaged in investigating it beyond the most rudimentary stage. Sure, while there is a huge amount of quackery and bullshit in these matters, and it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff, as with Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, etc, being considered pseudo-scientific "mystical" claptrap by many western medical practitioners, while there also many others (increasingly so in my lifetime) who embrace and successfully use it in their own medical practice. TCM is simply another, alternative, way of explaining and doing things. Although it might not suit your outside 90 and reptilian brain method, the unbendable arm demo can also be done (more usefully for students of ki) by relaxing the WHOLE BODY (as well as the arm, which should be slightly bent at the elbow rather than rigidly extended, the knees relaxed and very slightly bent too) when the hand of the relaxed extended arm can be loosely flapped up and down from the wrist, so all that extending of fingers or thoughts of driving through someone / something in front of you (the way I first learned it too) being unnecessary while maintaining the unbendable arm, with a very solid posture. NB: the relaxation must be of a "dynamic" type, head energized (but still relaxed) upwards, not the "dead" lifeless type, even if it looks like the latter to those unaware of the difference. It is just another way that opens up whole new vistas of employing energy and movement that seems amazing to those who feel and experience it for the first time by being thrown down like a ton of bricks, the more you resist the harder you fall, when you cannot but believe, also by the "very empirical" injuries incurred when the ego is too stubborn .... I guess it's similar to skeptics who join your classes and find out for the first time how effective your outside 90 and the rest of your stuff is... anyway, keep up the good work buddy.

[@Jauzness87]

The extensor carpi radialis longus muscle starts from the brachialis bone (upper arm) and extends beyond the bones of the lower arm. same thing for the extensor carpi and extensor ulnaris muscle. This makes the muscles able to help mantain elbow extension through static work, even thou it isn't their primary function. When muscle groups can create tension/motion over more than 1 joint they can often assist in more functions and motions than single joint muscles. Same thing for the hamstrings and biceps brachii, and a lot more.

[@SafeSpaceGym]

The objective of this drill, is similar to the 'Bera Hug' or 'Outside 90' Drill... it isn't a Tactical drill, it purely is designed to demonstrate the Physiological difference in strength between the Extensors of an open hand and the Flexors of a clenched fist. The Tactical application of this principal is used when converting your flinch... i.e.- if you want to create a stronger protective frame... get outside 90 degrees in the arm and splay the fingers!

[@colinmorgan2660]

Yep, one of the main principles in aikido no other art exemplifies this more than aikido. Tony obviously is smart and uses science which it is - basic biomechanics.

[@AikidoAgatsu]

I believe the physiological principle at work here is called reciprocal inhibition. "When the central nervous system sends a message to the agonist muscle (muscle causing movement) to contract, the tension in the antagonist muscle (muscle opposing movement) is inhibited by impulses from motor neurons, and thus must simultaneously relax." Massage Therapy Principles & Practices by Susan Salvo1999,pg 161 A full extensor pattern through the fingers ensures no R.I. that may weaken the elbow extension

[@NYWAORCANZ]

this is the aikido unbendable arm trick but really it is not a trick but realy to teach us how to use our muscles and energy and mind. I will take a stab in the dark and say it is also about how to stay relaxed with intention over using up our energy on what we percieve as being strong by clinching up and stressing.

[@NaihanchinKempo]

something like this is done in Karate. it teaches that every strong position has a weak spot the goal is to exploit the weak spot

[@AliothAncalagon]

@damoniegetta Thats the point. He is right in everything he says.. But what is the advantage of this stiffness? Many movements are even less powerful, when they are too stiff. I don't say that is the reason why his insight is useless. But without more we can't say what he wants to tell.

[@becs5120]

Awesome...simply awesome......

[@ToraJutsu01]

@damoniegetta I'm guessing it applies to the spear hands.

[@2ChillPillz]

cool! Ive never seen this before.

[@usbsol]

one disadvantage must be a greater risk of hurting your fingers?

[@SouthernAceCrafts]

I just tested this with my 22 year old son and it works. But what is the point of this? Where are you going with it?

[@joshman234]

you dont have to study ki to know how to do unbendable arm. every one has ki and all you need is the right mind set too use it. like how he told him to look straight ahead and ignore him. what does ignoring him have to do with muscle. that was focusing his ki to extend. now im not saying ki by itself can do it, or else i would be able to shoot kamehameha waves out of my hands, it needs the physical support of muscle take an effect.

[@ezikeel]

ki is missdefined outside of japan. The way westeners view ki is as it is the same as the chinese word chi, mostly. Ki is nothing but a force in physics that has no word in the japanese language, ergo why they call it ki, which means somthing that is indefineable. People get confused since it could also mean power, the same as the chinese chi.

[@contemporaryfighter]

@anyone, I believe whether hand is open or closed, the muscles being used to keep the arm straight are only the extensors (triceps?). I believe the flexors would be used to bend the arm (biceps?). So this is my question: what is the physiological principle that makes the extensors stronger with open hand vs closed hand? I can see intent working here, which I do believe does have neurological (and therefore physiological) impact, but strictly from a musculo-skeletal POV, what's going on here? Thx

[@originalballer]

I don't think this has anything to do with striking does it? Isn't this about control in the initial flinch response and any immediate action following it?

[@vibhupande]

At 0:25 when introducing the technique, the lady's arm naturally bends up. When I first outstretched my arm, it ended in an inwards bending position, naturally. Am I doing something wrong? Is that a part of proper form and are there exercises to correct this?

[@MrQuest3]

We have been doing this in Aikido since dot.

[@archiegoodwin7050]

You realize Aikido is less than a hundred years old. Maybe you meant the dot com boom. :)

[@MrQuest3]

haha you get my drift!

[@daldude178]

well, that might be the reason that he mentions exactly that also in the video that you clearly haven´t watched.

[@jingang]

fist with no intent vs palm with intent The container is not important, the intent is!

[@KungFuKeeble]

Fist or palm this will work both ways. He never said drive your fist through their head only the palm. But to be clear I do agree that it is not mystical. But unbending arm is real.

[@joshman234]

To Jun B You said that I obviously don’t know what I’m talking about and to watch the video again. I don’t understand where I was wrong. KI is the reason his arm was able to hold up, that’s why when he looked down, his arm started to bend. Go look it up real quick. As you can see they never talk about mental focus of extension. Also, even if extensors are stronger then flexors, I doubt it’s so much stronger that they can hold up against a whole man’s body trying to bend his arm, it must be ki.

[@eclipsewrecker]

Um.....what? What does making a fist have to do with tricep contraction ?

[@samiam4200]

Good point, how can you say it's not ki when you use the same "instruction" that martial artists explain to students?

[@johncraig9103]

Try immovable arm with floppy hand.

[@Stevenmtha]

It just hit me that Tony is Canadian ;) "Ote".

[@clearcombat]

How about finding a way to escape the move, instead of being taught not to counter. MMA has taught us this.

[@mrward6510]

Its a bio-mechanical demo mate.

[@deejin25]

day one lesson in aikido

[@developyourqi]

Amen to not mystifying stuff

[@AlphaDad]

Chi or Qi absolutely exists and can be recruited in an emergency situation

[@bashlivingstonstampededojo882]

As far as science is concerned Chi does not exist and has not been proven to exist and what is exactly your definition of qi or chi or ki I was told that is just means energy or air

[@joebob2299]

Vote up because I'm a robot and punch solely by extending my arm.

[@MonacoRocha]

One question to mr. Blauer .. were you ever a Bouncer ? or a Professional Boxer ? Kick Boxing ?Or MMA GUY ?( not really too old FoR MMA ) Or A Personal Body Guard ? BBJ ? How do you teach people how to defend Themselves when Youre Not a Fighter ??? Youve been in this Martial arts world for a Long time But You never were a fighter SO how can you teach something you never did??? Just a well Packaged BS Con & theres many guys like you out there ....Have ever been attacked in an elevator or Mugged in the street ( Montreal??? )

[@ppanda2974]

Broke my younger brother's arm trying this :/

[@honeymonster147]

I dont trust this demonstration