Chongdo’s Empty-Hand Modules

Empty-hand fighting is the core of one-on-one survival, because all other fighting concepts extend from it. While some systems specialize in a particular aspect of fighting, such as hand strikes or grappling, Chongdo has long accepted that the fight can occur in any situation, whether you are ready for it or not. As a result, our empty-hand modules cover a range of common situations.

Empty Hand Modules	Description
Stances	The student is taught different “ready” positions, ranging from non-confrontational (yet prepared) to transitional stances used to recover balance, protect the lower body from knees and kicks, and to allow for rapid mobility without telegraphing. Emphasis is on fluid, dynamic motion and not rigid, locked stances. Footwork, positioning, and controlling the center are also utilized.
Rolls and Falls	The student is taught to fall properly, from simple stumbles to mitigating powerful throws. The student learns to protect himself or herself on hard surfaces, in tight locations, on or down stairs, and from heights.
Handstrikes	Ranged fighting uses fast, powerful strikes to specific targets. Strikes are done with closed fists for soft targets, and open handed to hard targets. Longer-range and close-range strikes are taught. A wide range of elbow strikes are also covered. Exotic, elaborate, or spinning handstrikes are not used in Chongdo due to their frequent failure in adverse conditions.
Kicks	Chongdo’s kicking techniques emphasize close-range kicks to lower body targets, usually to open up distance between fighters or to cause immediate trauma to the opponent’s legs. High kicks, spinning kicks, and airborne kicks are not taught due to their high failure rates while wearing shoes on uneven ground.
Blocks	Students are taught hard blocks (used to disable opponent’s limbs) and soft blocks (used to deflect or jam incoming strikes). Blocks are used only to clear an immediate attack, as they otherwise prolong a fight and increase the chance of losing.
Headstrikes	At close or clinching ranges, Chongdo will utilize headstrikes to specific areas of the opponent’s face and head. Soft targets are always used.
Escapes	Chongdo teaches its students a wide variety of techniques to escape from grabs, holds, locks, and throws. Emphasis is on avoidance, first, but a series of tactics allow the student to respond to escalating situations. By emphasizing tactics rather than individual techniques, students can escape from established and innovative holds immediately.
Control Techniques	In some situations, it is necessary to re-establish control of the fight. Here, Chongdo teaches a series of tactics followed by alternative solutions. For example, a tactic might be to lock the opponent’s shoulder; however, the student may follow this with a leg reap, a redirect, a separation techniques, etc., as needed. This “tactic + solution” approach allows students a wide variety of instantly realistic responses with a bare minimum of motion. Chongdo does not teach traditional come-alongs or pain compliance holds, due to the ease with which they can be countered by individuals with only a few minutes of training.
Grappling	Due to a combination of physiological and psychological reasons, most people will resort to ground-fighting. In fact, the longer the fight goes beyond 3 - 5 seconds, the greater the likelihood grappling will result (if it did not do so immediately). Chongdo students are not taught familiar wrestling or martial arts-type submission fighting, as submissions work only as long as the student can hold the opponent down. Rather, Chongdo teaches an array of tactics that are designed to severely injure the opponent immediately, including controlled falls so that the fight is secured before the student and opponent land on the ground. Striking, kicking, biting, tearing, and gouging are all employed.
Ground-Fighting	In many situations, the student will be on the ground while the opponent manages to stay on his feet. Chongdo covers how to respond to this, including returning to one’s feet safely while under attack, the use of ground-based kicks to injure the attacker or increase distance, to escaping from two or more attackers attempting to kick the face and ribs at once without opening up other targets.
One-Handed Techniques	Students are taught how to respond to attacks with one arm, which may occur if the student is carrying a parcel, briefcase, or child...or if the arm is being held or controlled by the attacker. Emphasis is on responding to the opponent without opening up the face, head, or torso to counterattack.
Vehicular Techniques	Most Americans spend hours a day in their vehicle. While attacks inside a car are statistically rare, and virtually all “carjacking defenses” are theoretical and tragically ill-advised, Chongdo acknowledges that situations can and do occur behind the wheel. Students learn to identify and predict dangerous drivers, respond faster to basic defensive driving scenarios, and handle their vehicles on snow, rain, wet leaves, and sand. Precision driving is taught, including escapes from hazards or set-ups, higher-velocity turns and maneuvering, and driving the line.
Water Techniques	In water, the rules change. While outright hand-to-hand combat in deep water is virtually unheard of, basic assumptions and factors change in water only a few inches deep. Students are taught what works, what does not, and how to escape from water ankle-to-chest deep.
Dog Techniques	Dog attacks are still common enough that every student seems to know someone who was attacked at some point. There is a vast amount of misinformation about dog attacks, and even dedicated dog handlers make incorrect assumptions about what to do. Students learn why dogs attack, how to recognize most threats, and how to respond if they—or others—are under attack.
Multiple Opponents	The subject of fighting multiple opponents is a popular argument among reality-based experts. The fact is that virtually all multiple opponent techniques are non-survivable. Individuals in law enforcement, healthcare, and corrections agree with study after study that shows how ineffective multiple opponent techniques are. Chongdo demonstrates to its students how vicious, frequent, and overwhelming multiple attackers are, and then covers what strategies work best to escape, mitigate, and equalize the most common scenarios. Students also learn how to work as a team, to control and secure violent individuals... because in order to survive multiple opponents, you must begin by understanding how they work. While this is often covered last (or as advanced) by other styles, Chongdo has no hesitations about subjecting newer students to this training module: swimming in the deepest end of the pool is often valuable.