Orange Belt Technique
This technique is designed for a front, right hand direct push to our left shoulder. We should note that direct shoulder to shoulder pushes, such as Triggered Salute, force us to work on the inside of the opponent’s body and arm. As the opponent pushes, take an angle of least resistance to help absorb the force of the push. If we “fight” the push, we will find ourselves getting shoved backward quite hard, which may enable the opponent to follow-up with extra strikes if we are not careful.
That stated, there are two key angles of least resistance for this type of attack: (1) is to ride the force of the push (borrowed force) by stepping our right foot forward towards 12 o’clock and (2) is to borrow the force by stepping back with our left foot into a right neutral bow. Whichever angle of least resistance we take (note that #1 is the most commonly taught method), be sure to move from point of origin and simultaneously pin the opponent’s right hand with our left hand while coming up the blind side of the opponent so that he can’t see our right heel palm strike to the jaw or chin.
Also, be sure to simultaneously check the opponent’s right knee with our right knee to give the opponent an angle of disturbance. This knee check is a positional check. The key here is to get the hand check, heel palm, and knee check to work simultaneously. Since we are always concerned about height, width, and depth, let’s examine how these are cancelled in Triggered Salute.
The initial heel palm will raise the opponent up on his toes (height cancellation), which prevents any type of counter knee or kick. The width is also controlled because the opponent’s free (left) hand cannot reach as the heel palm is executed. Depth is also cancelled because there is weight on the back leg, thereby preventing the opponent from being able to move forward or backwards. Should we not make good contact with the heel palm, the next move involves a horizontal crane elbow break to the opponent’s right arm (although I often see this taught as a bicep strike by stunning the arm downward), which further controls the opponent’s width and his ability to retaliate with the free (left) arm. We then hit on the third point on the circle, specifically the right inward elbow strike to the solar plexus. The outward elbow that follows further controls the opponent’s width. From that elbow, we execute a right back knuckle strike to the kidney and/or ribs and follow through with a right uppercut strike to the opponent’s chin.
