David Brent Wolfe Dictionary of

English Martial Art Terms

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• Economy of motion is a phrase created by American kempo instructor Ed Parker. It describes any movement that takes the least amount of time to execute but still causes the effect entended. Failure to achieve the entended effect categorizes the movement as being wasted energy. The technique must be short and effective to be considered economical.
• Eight considerations is a phrase created by American kempo instructor Ed Parker. It describes eight predicaments that commonly occur in free style sparring or combat that must be anticipated to be victorious. The eight situations are:

1. Environment,
2. Range,
3. Positions,
4. Maneuvers,
5. Targets,
6. Natural weapons,
7. Blocks, and
8. Covers.

• Eight directions of off balancing is a Kodokan Judo concept created by Jigoro Kano. He realized that having an opponent off balanced prior to attempting to throw them made the throw much more easier to achieve. The eight direction taught in Kodokan Judo are:

1. Front,
2. Back,
3. Right side,
4. Left side,
5. Right front corner,
6. Left front corner,
7. Right rear corner, and
8. Left rear corner.

• Extension of the body is a common concept taught in numerous martial arts. It is the idea that a hand held weapon is treated as an extension on the hand and arm. This concept assists in the user by being able to direct the weapon as if pointing a finger at the opponent.
• External power is normal body force generated by the muscles. This is the basis for most hard Okinawan and Japanese karate styles and hard Chinese martial art systems.

These are terms that I have been exposed to during my martial arts training over several decades. Some of the terms are generic martial art jargon. Other terms usages are martial art/style/organization/school specific.

Sources of information