Distance: Near or far

I like the free-movement, clinch and ground definitions for range.

__________________
"It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought the fool, than to open it and prove it so." KungFuTze
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." T. Geisel

“	Originally Posted By: jawsman Kicks? Only worried if it's to the knee, other than that... dealt with a flick of the wrist. While we are a long style, we love to be inside. That's where the nitty gritty is.....	”

Ya it is like CLF good stuff.

__________________

“	Originally Posted By: KungFuMan I also learned a praying mantis fist style from watching the actual insect itself. This was before I actually learned some seven star mantis.	”

“	I'm sure everyone here will go "duhr" at that statement	”

A lot of the time, the people who go "duh" at simple concepts, while perhaps understanding intellectually, are often the ones who never actually apply the concept in reality.

It's like, for example, if I have my knife, and a friend says " hey, let me check that out ", and I say " careful man, it's sharp and you could hurt yourself ", and they say " duuuuuuuh ", then two seconds later they are bleeding on me.

__________________
"To alcohol ! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems" - Homer Simpson

I used to be a fan of long range kicks and whatnot. But after starting to train in kung fu I like more medium range. And presently I am a fan of close in ranged elbows, pushes, bumps, and sweeps. In fact one of the things I am practicing right now is "counter elbowing".

__________________
"You must eat bitter before you can taste sweet"- Iron & Silk
"I see no virtue where I smell no sweat"
"Arm yourself because no one else here will save you" - Chris Cornell

Left Straight, Right Straight, Right Head Kick is a bread and butter thing for me. Not that I do it often, but it can be devastating if timed right. It's great for when your opponent shells up for your right straight, because he often won't see the right kick coming behind it till it's too late.

I like using the long range kicks also to stop my opponent from backing out of range to regroup. eg: you are hitting him with a good punch combo so he tries to jump back to regroup, so you sting him in the stomach as he moves away with a kick which lets you go back into middle/close range and continue your combinations without needing to run after the guy.

__________________
"To alcohol ! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems" - Homer Simpson

“	Originally Posted By: cwbspike but if you had to choose one, would you prefer range, or the ability to fight in a tight space?	”

if i had to pick only one i would choose close range. if i gotta mix it up it's be in close.
distance would simply give me more opportunity to not be there when their strikes come... and i would just leave and get some dinner or something.

__________________
No One Special

“	.. and i would just leave and get some dinner or something.	”

If someone attacks me on the street, this is my primary goal. What crazy f***er would just engage, without needing to ? That's why whenever you can walk away, just walk away.

__________________
"To alcohol ! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems" - Homer Simpson

Personally I like Medium/Close range fighting. My weakness is ground fighting, but dont have time to fix that. But one day.

Long range is my biggest weakness, but I can always improve on it. Close range is my preferred range, but we all know that the best solution is just to avoid the thing all together if possible.

Like I said, long range is normally the range you would spend the least amount of time in. But, things happen. Also, if you can get the other person to play to their ego and do the whole sizing up thing, that can be to your advantage too. Talking to distract or confuse the other person is also a long or short range tactic.

__________________
"To alcohol ! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems" - Homer Simpson

I have used that kind of tactic in close range, but I never thought about as a long range tactic. Thanks Doughboy.

“	Originally Posted By: bobblehead I like the free-movement, clinch and ground definitions for range.	”

Not one comment on this?
Personally i feel that the lines between the ranges being discussed here are misleading at best...
As if there is some imaginary barrier between the range at which a kick happens and that of a punch or elbow...

Yet the differences between free-movement and say the clinch are much more marked in terms of mobility, techniques available and the amount of control you can exert upon your opponent (or have exerted upon you).

__________________
"It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought the fool, than to open it and prove it so." KungFuTze
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." T. Geisel

I like the range that hurts my opponent.

Is it short or long?

I guess it depends who I'm fighting and what I'm doing. All variances dependent upon individual, specific situations.

__________________

“	Originally Posted By: KungFuMan I also learned a praying mantis fist style from watching the actual insect itself. This was before I actually learned some seven star mantis.	”

Very true

“	Not one comment on this? Personally i feel that the lines between the ranges being discussed here are misleading at best... As if there is some imaginary barrier between the range at which a kick happens and that of a punch or elbow...	”

Well, at best, ranges are just words to help us when we train. They overlap into grey areas all the time, and as such, there are no real lines/barriers between them. I have been taught a few different approaches to range, and they all had pretty much the same effect, if you realise it's all part of the greater whole. For a beginner, it's pretty important, as it opens their mind up to new possibilities. But for myself, I don't really think in terms of what range am I in, I just flow/react to whatever is given to me.

__________________
"To alcohol ! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems" - Homer Simpson