Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Using Empty Space in Self Defence

Empty Space is a defining martial principle that can take the average practitioner and make them great. It does not matter what style or system you practice or what techniques you have, the use of Empty Space is either why they work or how to make them more successful for you.Many who teach self defence are big strong men and they teach what has worked for them. There is often a lot of clashing of force on force but that only works when you can overpower the Aggressor. Using Empty Space does not go force on force therefore it can be is the equalizer for size and strength. The use of Empty Space in self defence can be particularly disconcerting for a big strong person whose strength has always allowed them to dominate. Using Empty Space means you do not challenge their strength, and therefore they do not get to use their strength against you. This is not to say size and strength are not a factor, simply that this principle can help you work around those attributes. However, beware of the big strong person who has read this book and practiced using empty space, because their size and strength come right back into play.There are many principles that can make you a better martial artist, better at self-defence, but I believe the principle of fighting in Empty Space is an exceptional one that can improve anyone's abilities.There were a lot of techniques used in this book to demonstrate the use of empty space, but the techniques are only a delivery system. The important thing is what was being delivered: how and why to use empty space in self-defence.