Bruce Lee was the foremost martial arts pioneer of the modern era. In Enter the Dragon, he displayed his vast array of combat skills and mastery of choreography. The famous duel between him and Bob Wall illustrated his almost frightening ability to crush an opponent at close range. Before that film was released, few people had seen a trap in action. Fewer still knew how to apply one. Even today, the techniques are surrounded by a veil of mystery and confusion.

Perhaps the most fundamental point you need to understand is that trapping isn't grappling. When you trap, make no attempt to pit your strength against your opponent's, and don't try to manipulate his joints for the purpose of pain compliance. By definition, trapping is the momentary immobilization of an opponent's limbs so that for an instant you can strike and he cannot.

With enough training in trapping, a martial artist can fight blindfolded, says Richard Ryan (left). The key involves maintaining direct contact with the opponent's limbs so you can sense his movements. Photo Courtesy of Richard Ryan

The art of trapping probably originated when warriors fought using razor sharp blades and other deadly implements. Imagine a martial artist facing an opponent with a sword. Physical contact with it meant injury or death. The last thing he wanted to do was grab the blade. If he tried to punch or kick, he'd be cut or worse. So he deflected his opponent's sword using his own and created a brief opening that enabled him to attack.

In a battle with swords, it wasn't uncommon for fighters to strike, deflect or otherwise trap each other's blade to get the upper hand. When weapons were removed from combat, similar techniques were developed for the empty hands.

These days, however, controversy surrounds trapping. One camp holds that it's a practical and street effective tactic. The other faction dismisses it as theatrics and claims that it's unrealistic, outdated and better left in the movies. The truth is that like everything else, trapping does work but only under certain circumstances. Under the right conditions, it can be a fast and brutal way to end a fight. Under the wrong conditions, it can become a pathetic form of slap boxing.

There are two forms of trapping: tactile and nontactile. Nontactile trapping is the most common. It consists of immobilization techniques that don't require the use of touch to trigger their application. Use your eyes and sense of spatial judgment to determine the range and timing of the assault. No contact with your adversary's limbs is necessary until the moment of attack. Make no attempt to connect with or decipher his movements or energy; rather, focus on using speed and surprise to overwhelm him.

Tactile trapping focuses on the ability to decipher and manipulate the energy of your opponent's aggression or resistance. It's light years ahead of the nontactile version. It with the ability to feel your opponent's intentions the moment you and he come into contact. Although the use of sight is highly recommended, it's not an absolute requirement. With proper training, it's possible to defend yourself while blindfolded or in complete darkness as long as you can maintain physical contact with the attacker's limbs. Once contact is made, use your sense of touch to feel the strengths and weaknesses of his defense. The neural network on your skin allows you to "hear" the pressure and friction of his resistance. You learn to recognize the exact direction of an attack and redirect it to your advantage. That results in the uncanny ability to second guess his actions and smother or crush his attacks before they hit.

Tactile trapping is one of the most difficult skill sets to develop and has limited application in the real world. Only a fool would fight blindfolded if he doesn't have to. The real value is the ability to sense and redirect force on contact. With enough practice, this skill can transcend trapping and become useful in grappling, balance attacks and weapons defense. Touch force training can become a powerful supplement to the eyes, but it should never replace the knock down, drag out basics of hand to-hand combat.

Trapping works best when your opponent is on the defensive and willing to stand his ground and fight. The ideal opponent is a stationary fighter with a high defensive guard and a commitment to blocking techniques. That's because the very nature of trapping requires close contact with his limbs at least for a moment. An opponent with a high guard creates the obstructions that become the "bridges" on which the techniques of trapping are built. Without the ability to create such a bridge, at least momentarily, trapping is usually not feasible or necessary.

That observation brings us to the most important rule of trapping: Don't do it unless you have to. Trapping should be used only when there's some form of barrier preventing a direct attack. If there's no barrier, just hit.

Trapping doesn't work well against aggressive fighters or those who prefer to use evasion as their primary defense. Unless you're unbelievably skilled, attempting to trap such a fighter is dangerous. He won't allow you to make the connection you need. He'll evade you, retract his guard or counterattack at the first sign of an attempt to control him. Highly mobile fighters with a tight guard and those who are constantly in transition provide no obvious barrier to fight through. No barrier equals no trap. Trying to connect with such a fighter will likely get you hit. Remember that no matter how swift your trapping may be, it's still an attempt to control, and controlling techniques are never as direct and efficient as striking itself.

About the author. Richard Ryan is the founder of the Dynamic Combat Method and co-founder of Integrated Combative Arts Training. For more information, visit http://www.blackbeltmag.com and click on Community, then Black Belt Authors.

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