The Martial Art Wedge Principles

Alan Armstrong · Black Belt

The martial art wedge principles, have you heard about them?

Many martial art techniques, no matter the discipline, need the wedge principle to make them work effectively.

Learning and using the wedge principles, will elevate any martial artist's skills considerably.

Actually teaching wedge principles to none martial artists could benefit them against martial artists that don't practice them.

How do you use martial art wedge principles?

Or perhaps they have not been taught to you and perhaps they never will.

If I was a deviant martial art master, centuries ago, my wedge secrets would never be passed down to my students, as if they knew about them as well as I do, and one decided to challenge me, he would be fighting me at a great disadvantage, just because of not knowing the martial art wedge principles.

sensei8 · KF Sensei

If we're speaking about the same Wedge Principle, yeah, Shindokan utilizes it constantly primarily because of our Close Range Methodologies.

Cutting angles inwardly and outwardly, posture, body alignment, and structure; using every part of our bodies; receiving the attack.

We do not block the attack; we receive it and/or deflect it, in which the attack is redirected. Our defense is in our defense. The wedge principle can be applied with many parts of the body including legs, head, and shoulders, as well as arms and hands.

Apply the Wedge effectively is a way to take the opponents energy or momentum, and use it against them, taking force away from the opponent and turning into a lock, strike or throw. A twisting action is also present in the way force is transmitted through the body, as well as the legs to the feet. Thusly, it aides in keeping the connection in place between the upper and lower halves of the body.

Without this Wedge, our close range, to mention just one, is hampered through and through; this is Shindokan, whereas, we live and thrive in the world of close range.

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bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

I've never heard a principle called "the wedge principle." Perhaps that's just not a name we use for it, or perhaps its just part of what we do, and don't need a name for it.

If it is what Bob describes, then yes, we practice using angles during our defenses. I think most styles do.
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Wastelander · KF Sensei

Karate is made up of arcs (if you break up the kuruma concept) and angles, and what better things to make wedges from? Now, I don't know if you're speaking of evasive methods, deflecting methods, trapping methods, attacking methods, etc., but such principles are going to come into play pretty widely. If you're learning effective techniques, you should learn to use them whether you know what the principle is or not.
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Nidan Melbourne · KF Sempai

I haven't heard of the Wedge Principle before, however if I saw it then I would potentially recognize it.

This is usually due to how people name things that change, like Chinese Whispers.

Alan Armstrong · Black Belt

We often have the discussion of size differences between opponents and this sets off an endless amount of debates that lead nowhere.

Please let me try to explain.

A door and a door stopper.

Doors are big and doorstops are small.

Doorstops work against doors due to their wedge shape.

The wedge shape doorstop is pressing against the door and the ground.

If the floor is wet or slippery, the doorstep has difficultly holding the door from moving (let's say on a windy day) due to the lack of friction or traction of the ground.

The idea of the MA Wedge principles is to use them to defeat opponents no matter how big or strong they are.

Remember the door is big and the doorstop is small.

Remember Bruce Lee's words of "Be water..."

so as to adapt your shape, one shape that applies is the different possibilities of human wedges.

The door shuts quickly then suddenly you put your foot in-between the door and door frame, your foot becomes a wedge.

Another way of looking at this idea.

There is the opponent, the flooor and you, three things.

Using yourself and the floor, outnumbers the opponent 2 to 1.

Wedges need movement, as we are the wedge we need to move in-between the opponent and the ground; could also be a wall.

Our little doorstop works well against the big door but hasn't any limbs, but people do.

As a human doorstop, we want to jam up the opponent's movements completely, while simultaneously being able to move freely, controlling the fight.

A stick thrown in to the front wheel of a bicycle while in motion, is the best metaphor here.

Forward momentum, with Jamming/wedging techniques needs movement/pressure (Insertion, penetration and friction) to make them work correctly, your neutralizing wedge principles, instantly slows down the opponent's intents, for you to capitalize upone.

The brow of a ship that cuts through ice, is another example of the ploughing in effect, this time the wedge shape is now vertical instead of the doorstop being horizontal.

Judo throws are accomplished by using the wedge idea, ground plus Judoka vs opponent.

Muay Thai in clinches (locking and controlling) ground plus insertion of the knee traveling in a upwards momentum, while pulling the opponent's neck downwards, using gravity and leverage.

TKD breaking boards, momentum using the ground, using both legs one down in to the ground while the other outward hitting the target, an expanding wedge principle.

A Karate punch is also part of the wedge principle; how effective would it be, if let's say tried while treading water?

This is just a primer on the martial art wedge principles; yes there is more...alot more

Alan Armstrong · Black Belt

The human body is very good at creating wedge shapes; such as from the wrist, bent elbow to shoulder, also ankle bent knee and hip.

The hand and foot can become easily wedge shapes.

Stances and footwork can flow from one wedge stance to another, likewise the arms also can work together or separately as wedges.

As the wedge shape is primarily a triangle, the human body can adapt to this very easily with multiple amounts of wedge shapes simultaneously; aslo while in motion.

From the waist down or from the waist up, both ends of the body can work together or separately making wedge shapes for defensive and attacking purposes.

The human body creates triangular shapes, making structures more stable, that can hold objects easier, that gives us more strength; all in all many aspects, creating structural integrity.

Wedges implies; holding presence, squeezing in to, pushing towards, crushing through, compressing pressure, persistent stress, forcing influence...

Wedges also have splitting and leverage advantages.

This is why Japanese houses can be constructed without nails and only use wedging principles; as the wedge idea can be expanded far beyond than just for fighting purposes.

Alan Armstrong · Black Belt

It seems as if, this is an uncomfortable topic for many martial artists to discuss.

But not to be too concerned, I'm not giving up on this topic too quickly; not for at least 12 Rounds.

The Wedge Principles works in reverse also; by catching it in its tracks, therefore it is twice as useful; for example.

Had a very short friendly bout with a very high TKD maist.

As he had a great kicking advantage over me, I strategically, continually trapped/wedged his front foot by stepping on it, preventing him from kicking me; even when he pulled his foot away, my foot was continually clamping it.

Boxers subtlety use this same trapping/catching/clamping wedges in boxing also; happens so quickly that it is hardly noticable.

For the skeptics out there, the military use martial art wedge principles in their training...

to be continued

sensei8 · KF Sensei

Talk away, Alan; I'm very comfortable to discuss the Wedge Principle, even if the understanding that was taught to me might differ yours.

Shindokan checks depend on the Wedge Principle. Otherwise, our checks are not effective whatsoever.

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**Proof is on the floor!!!

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

In football, special teams used to use the wedge blocking scheme during kick returns. The other team had a wedge-breaker; his job was to run down like a crazed maniac, and break the wedge be flying into the top of the wedge and collapsing it.

They don't run the wedge anymore.

Doors have two options available to them: be open or be closed.

Interestingly enough, this wedge of yours can be used to facilitate both: wedge the door open, or jam it closed.

Another thing I noticed in your analogy is that the wedge does its best work by not moving.

However, we as Martial Artists need to be able to move in order to do our best work.

An interesting discussion, to say the least.
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