Hand trapping in its original context was intended to get rid of immediate barriers that could have been sitting right in the path-trajectory of a strike. By trapping the hand (arm), we get rid of the barrier, and at the same time we gain a partial immobilization on the arm being trapped for a short fraction of a second.
This line of thinking used to have a heavy bearing on our strategies when it came down to hand trapping (arm trapping)—-even to the extent that students and their instructors used to force an arm trap, or even intentionally run into arm barriers in order to obtain a trap.
Nowadays, we like to focus on a more important aspect of trapping which is intended to inflict pain right at the point of contact as we detract a fighter’s balance through appropriate pressures rather than just trapping an arm or forcing a trap. In fact, the strikes and the pressures by themselves do all the trapping for us without chasing, looking for, or even forcing a trap.
Regarding drills done in trapping range, they are only intended to make a student familiar in that range (distance), make them comfortable with grips, teach them full and partial immobilization, and being able to flow rather than locking themselves up in a particular move or a technique or even a routine. They provide a wider experimental latitude for students and a more accurate observation for instructors----not to mention less injuries.
At the moment there are two main JKD camps. One is still repeating what we used to call energy drills with the same focus and motive——a lot of flashy, beautiful stuff; while the other camp has abandoned the entire trapping drills and even trapping itself altogether, and appear to have rationalized their way out with a narrow vision.
We feel that both camps have gone to the extremes. One has lost the path to either over-emphasis of [the traditional exotics], or simply leaning solely on self-perfections; while the other camp has gone off into a cave man mentality and a constant rigid belief in an all out, all the time, brut, bone-breaking fight approach.
To appreciate and understand the depth and significance of trapping or the trapping range, a more balanced outlook is necessary.
Thank you.
SHAHRAM MOOSAVI
480-489-7202