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. Controlling the Counterattack, the ninth booklet in the series, is approximately 80 pages long and deals particularly with how to attack an adversary or defend against an attack and anticipate his response, while limiting his ability to move, strike or kick with power, or otherwise remain effective in stand-up or ground battle. Since the advice is not style specific but explores the underlying concepts of personal combat, it is applicable to students of most martial styles.Controlling the Counterattack includes discussions and exercises on how to establish contact with the opponent and freeze his weapons in long and short range techniques by eliminating the pause between offense and defense, how to take advantage of three different types of timing, how to benefit from the situation by eliminating the use of the opponent’s hands, how to control the counterattack through pain compliance, how to control the opponent’s ability to counterattack in takedowns, throws, and ground battle, and how to control the opponent’s response and counterattack in a street encounter.A counterattack is a response to an attack and allows a fighter to seize the initiative after the first exchange of blows. Carl von Clausewitz, the famous nineteenth century Prussian military theorist, noted that friction, or the uncertainty of battle, may be the factor that interferes the most with the likelihood that you will claim victory. Your goal is therefore to retain the initiative by interfering with your opponent’s ability to counter your initial attack or defensive technique. 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.Formidable Fighter: The Complete Series, a compilation of all previously published electronic books in this series, is now available to a great reduction in price in both electronic and print format. The book is a variation of the previously published book (now out of print), Combat Fitness for the Elite Female Martial Artist, also by Martina Sprague, revised to be particularly suitable also for the male student.
