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The Box Pattern, By Graciela Casillas-Boggs
This article is courtesy of and © CFW Enterprises Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.
In
1980 I began studying Filipino martial arts with Sifu Dan Inosanto. I had
not had any type of martial arts weapon in my hand until I became a student
of Sifu Dan. Prior to 1980 all of my energy had been dedicated to developing
my fighting skills for professional boxing and kickboxing. Although I already
held world titles in both sports, Paul Maslak, a friend of mine and author
of several martial arts books, felt that I greatly lacked lateral movement
and fluidity in my hands. I had never seen the Filipino martial arts and
was unfamiliar with jeet kune do. Trusting Paul, I went to meet Dan at his
school in Culver City.
Being a professional fighter at the time, I spent most of my time training at various boxing gyms in Los Angeles – primarily the Olympic boxing gym. So at first glance I found the clacking of sticks and the sound of the congas very unusual. Different – yes, but also fascinating. The drums moved me and I welcomed the new challenge in my life. Although Sifu Dan taught a variety of concepts beyond the Filipino martial arts, I felt especially drawn to escrima. At the time I did not find jeet kune do or Jun Fan kickboxing as intriguing as escrima. I felt that I intuitively understood many of the JKD and Jun Fan concepts due to the fact that I had spent several years studying boxing, kickboxing, hwa rang do – the first art I received a rank in – and other arts. Therefore, although the terminology was new to me, the concepts were not.
The Box Pattern
Initially, I did not understand how studying escrima could possibly help me in the ring. We trained with a single stick, double sticks, long and short sticks, staff, and the knife. With time I began to realize that not only was I learning how to use an impact weapon, I was learning footwork based on the triangle. I learned concepts and principles, not only techniques. As a professional fighter, I was aware of my weaknesses. One of my specific shortcomings was the inability to follow up or redirect an attack when met with resistance. I would move straight in and take a punch in order to give one. If a punch or kick was deflected, I would disengage, move to the outside range, and regroup. One of the most valuable drills I initially learned from Sifu Dan, and later refined with the late grandmaster, Angel Cabales, was the "box pattern" drill.
Defense: One of the most valuable concepts the box pattern drill teaches is the ability to redirect an attack instead of disengaging when met with resistance. For example, you throw a roundhouse kick and your opponent blocks it. Do you disengage? No, you follow through with another kick or punch. As a fighter I had the tendency to move in and attack aggressively. But if my punch was blocked I would move out and wait for another opening before I closed the distance again. After practicing the box pattern I began to flow from one movement to another regardless of the obstacle.
Fluidity: The box pattern also helps to develop flowing movements. Instead of being rigid you become more fluid and develop the sensitivity to feel the energy of your opponent. It is important to be able to feel which direction your opponent's energy is going instead of merely anticipating the direction they are moving. This is not only critical in the ring, but also in the street. Having the ability to physically feel the direction energy is flowing makes it possible to diffuse, redirect, and counter your assailant’s attack.
Lower Body Mobility: The box pattern teaches students how use footwork based on the triangle. Instead of moving straight in, you learn to angle-in and to move in diagonal directions. This is important in the ring or on the street. Learning to use footwork based on the triangle helped me in the ring tremendously because prior to understanding the box pattern, I would move straight into the line of fire. Utilizing box-pattern footwork I learned to jab, then angle to the outside as I delivered my cross. Moving on a diagonal line with my lead leg after jabbing positioned me outside of the path of my opponent’s jab or cross. This left me in a position to safely throw my own right cross with power.
Body Torque and Power: The box pattern drill teaches students to use their upper body. The basic counters and strikes used in the drill teach how to deliver strikes with power and how to defend by moving the body away from the energy as you deflect or block. Years after studying with Sifu Dan, I became a student of serrada escrima under Angel Cabales. Although I was interested in serrada escrima because it was direct, powerful, economical, and simple, I was surprised that Cabales (who had been one of Sifu Dan's instructors) used the box pattern extensively in training. His focus was on power and economy of motion. I began to refine what I had learned earlier.
Economy of Motion: Training with Angel, as he preferred to be called, gave me a renewed appreciation for the idea of "economy of motion." Whereas many escrima practitioners strive to be flashy and flowery with their sticks, Angel frowned on ornamentation. In my earlier training I often found myself competing with the men – but I could not twirl my stick as fast or as flashy as some of the other instructors at the academy. I was driven by the motivation to someday be able to do a "florete" (flowery twirling motion) as many times as the guys. I felt that I was never good enough and would never gain their respect as an instructor at Sifu Dan's academy.
However, before I began studying with Angel I spent some time with the late kali grandmaster, Flora Villabrille, in Kauai, Hawaii. Every time I went to the island I stayed with his family and spent time listening to his many interesting stories. It was Grandmaster Villabrille that helped me go beyond the need to be accepted by the guys and to realize that I had to re-evaluate my training goals.
One day I asked him for advice on how to become flashier with my stick and he told me it was a waste of energy. He explained that I should think of myself as a fighter – that my stance should be that of a boxer, and that I should focus on being direct. Years later when I trained with Angel, he always emphasized the importance of being direct and economical with motion. If I made any movement that was flashy, he would stop me. "What was that?" he would ask. "Where was your target? What was the purpose of your movement?"
Initially, I became very self-conscious. However, I eventually learned to look for the most direct line from point A to point B and focus on the importance of moving efficiently. Angel taught me that being dynamic and powerful had more value then being flashy and ornamental – even when giving demonstrations. The box pattern is only one drill that can be used to teach many important elements.
It is valuable for teaching a beginner how to read angles of attack and how to respond effectively to those attacks without disengaging. Once you are ready to move to a higher level of training, you should loose the pattern. There are different levels of training. In order to develop spontaneous reflexes, use the concept of counter-for-counter without the pattern. Once you learn to flow without the pattern you can add one, two, or three fakes. The box pattern is a concept that applies to various situations. You can practice with sticks, swords, staffs, knives, and even empty hands.
Over the years I have learned that the box pattern is a very valuable learning tool. Although Sifu Dan often spoke about the danger of getting stuck in a pattern, he used them at a basic level to communicate basic concepts. He always taught patterns with the understanding that we would eventually move beyond them, developing our reflexes to a level whereby we could respond to any angle of attack. I also believe that without form it is very difficult to teach beginners basic concepts. As Bruce Lee said, "One cannot appreciate freedom if one has never known what it is to be enslaved."
The box pattern is a drill that the late grandmaster Angel Cabales used to teach the concept of counterattacking. The drill focuses on developing the ability to counter by blocking and immediately responding with your own strike. Once the student becomes proficient with the drill, the pattern is no longer used and the student is forced to respond to any angle. Eventually, the drill becomes more challenging by adding one, two, then three fakes before delivering the attack. The student also develops quick reflexes and recovery speed.