Gunting and Guntang

Gunting is a scissor strike typical of Filipino martial arts or FMA.

The basic technique consists in deflecting with your hand with a pawas (deflected parry) the blow of your aggressor and at the same time hitting the aggressor’s biceps with the other hand possibly armed or with a bare hand.

An active defense of par and hit at the same time but from a “safe” distance that allows you to hit the elongated limb that attacks your attacker.

The blow can be made by fist with the knuckles or with an object that I hold in my hand or in the version armed with a knife or stick.

The goal is to damage the limbs of the opponent/aggressor by destroying his weapons preventing him from using them.

Gunting is usually pulled to the biceps (inside) or triceps (outside/vertical) but can also be directed at the hand and forearm.

Ps. An important thing to consider in gunting is that if you have a Kubotan, a Palm Stick, a key, a pen, etc. the effect of gunting becomes even more devastating.

The destructive effect of gunting has its maximum expression using the pinky knife but the same technique can be performed with a classic knife and with the karambit.

The trajectory of the blow on the biceps/triceps can be:

• To descend typical of the knife blow with a diagonal trajectory to descend. In this case I use the knuckles of my fingers to increase the damage to the biceps muscle.
• Direct with a Hook-like horizontal trajectory for a normal target impact.

Guntings can be done in several ways and direction:

• Gunting or Inner Guntang
• Gunting or Guntang Exterior
• Gunting or Horizontal Guntang
• Gunting or Vertical Guntang
• Gunting or Guntang Diagonal to go down
• Gunting or Fist Guntang on Fist
• Gunting or Elbow Guntang on Fist
• Gunting or Knee Guntang on Fist
• Gunting or Soccer Guntang /Foot on Fist

Guntang which is a direct blow therefore not scissors but always with the aim of debilitating muscle function

Let’s analyze in detail the gunting listed:

• The gunting inside is carried out by hitting the opponent/aggressor’s bicep in the inner arm.
• The gunting on the outside is carried out by hitting the triceps of the opponent/aggressor in the inner part of the arm.

The horizontal gunting the hand deviates and with the hitting hand makes a movement as if pulling a hook to the biceps / forearm / hand.

Scissor movement is used with a blow that goes to hit with the knuckles with vertical fist, hammer fist, etc.

It depends on whether you parry with your left or right hand on a Jab or Cross shot.

The vertical gunting of the hand that goes to strike makes an upward movement.

Often you see this blow with your arm stretched but it is a mistake because in the you risk the moment the attacker is withdrawing his arm after the blow to hit his elbow with his arm doing a damage.

In the gunting vertical the arm should be slightly bent and the fist rotated up to avoid hitting the elbow.

Diagonal gunting To descend this movement is derived from the use of the knife and pull the gunting going to make the parade that deviates and with the hand that goes to hit a descending movement with the fist, or with the median knuckles of the fingers making a descending movement as if you wanted to cut.

This gunting is typical when you have a very high guard.

Elbow on fist gunting consists of directing the opponent’s fist towards the elbow by guiding the fist with a pawas towards the bent elbow of the arm vertically or horizontally or diagonally, this depends on the guard and arm position.

The elbow that goes to strike can be:

• Vertical
• Horizontal
• Diagonal to go down
• Diagonal to rise

Knee gunting consists of hitting the aggressor’s fist with the knee of the foot by lowering his punch blow to bring him closer to the knee.

Foot gunting consists of hitting with the tip of the foot under the biceps lowering the punch blow to bring it closer to the blow.

Guntang, New1005, New

The guntang is a direct punch blow to the wrist or to the direct biceps, therefore without the use of the living hand that crosses parrying and directing the opponent’s blow towards my fist.

This is a variant without using the opposite hand that deflects.

Very useful to keep the distance is to create damage to the hands and arms of the opponent.

Very effective if you have a kubotan, a Palm Stick, a pen, keys, a hard object, etc.

Shots after Gunting

A very important phase not to be overlooked are the shots that follow the gunting that can be different depending on what I want to do such as hit, project, escape, etc.

The shots that follow the gunting are many but I want to list some:

1. Eye strokes with the left or right hand
2. Backfist
3. Elbow
4. Knee
5. Football on the low line
6. Sweep
7. Launch

Blows to the eyes with the left or right hand.

This is a very effective blow because it reduces or takes away the visibility of the opponent.

It can be a tip stroke or a blow to scratch the eyes with the thumb.

Punch Blow

Example: After the Inside Gunting pull a hook tight plus two other Hooks in lightning combination, then grabbed the back of the neck and knee.

If desired, the combination can change height as two hooks to the face and one to the body or hooks to the face and hooks to the body and then back to the face.

Backfist

Example: After the gunting shot with the hand that parried shot a backfist taking advantage of the rotation of the body

Elbow

Continuing with the same hand that pulled the blow and going to strike continuing forward with the elbow to the shoulder, the rib under the arm, the face, the sternum, etc.

The type of elbow is a choice, the idea is to use the elbow

Example 1: With direct elbowing. Inside Gunting Dx – Elbow Dx to the shoulder or face – Dx’s Hammer always to the face – Sx’s Elbow this time but with the right hand grabbing the opponent’s back

Example 2: With horizontal elbow turned. After pulling a hook shot to the bicibide I take advantage of the rotation of the hook to continue with an elbow turned horizontally to the face

Knee

Example 1: after gunting I pull a direct knee, or grab in clinch and go to hit with a knee the leg, genitals, liver or spleen, sternum, face.

Example 2: after gunting I grab in clinch and I go to hit with a knee the leg, genitals, liver or spleen, sternum, face.

Football on the low line

Example 1: After gunting I kick directly to the genitals or shins.

Example 2: After gunting he throws a direct kick on the shins.

Example 3: After gunting I kick the genitals to climb to hook and shoot back the leg (Indonesian silat technique) and after with the same leg I go to hit the knee going to unbalance the opponent/aggressor

Sweep

Pushing with the opponent’s foot on foot

Example: After gunting I put my foot above the opponent’s foot and push two hands holding my crushed foot going to injure the opponent’s ankle.

Project

Example on gunting on Jab: I continue going forward putting the right leg behind the opponent’s thigh and with the right arm like a spear to cut along the face and rotate clockwise and project.

Example 1: On gunting on Jab Cross. Dakup on Jab or Waslik on Jab and Inside Gunting on Cross, I put the hand that hit directly on the face continuing the forward movement unbalancing the head back and projecting with a circular motion pushing with his foot his leg in support.

Example 2: On gunting on Jab, I put the hand that hit directly on the face continuing the forward movement unbalancing the head back and projectement with a circular motion pushing with his foot his leg in support.

Head

Example: After gunting I continue forward with my head down to hit the chin/nose of the attacker.

The warhead is a very powerful shot especially closing the distance

Dumog, New100145

After gunting, I run the joint levers.

Here a number of possibilities open up. I will show you some of them, although I refer you to the chapter on dumog and the study of joint levers to explore the possibilities.

Here I will show you with some examples the most common possibilities:

• Example 1: V elbow lever
• Example 2: Leverage to the elbow from below with the fulcrum elbow and the hand pulling down

et cetera.

There are many variants you can do like hitting with your head, etc.

Study other possibilities

Exercises to develop Gunting in a real condition

In a first step it is necessary to study the techniques by isolating the sequences and insert the continuation after the Gunting dividing them into several stages.

Isolating the technique and then adding the next shot or the sequence of subsequent shots, or projections, etc. but to develop the ability to perform the Gunting in a real situation it is necessary to adopt targeted workouts that oblige to follow the technique on an uncooperative opponent but protected so as not to suffer damage, and with the training partner who really throws punches to hit.

• Exercise 1: One pulls Jab and Cross and the other runs the Gunting/Guntang he studied. Start slowly and increase speed. Whoever pulls the gunting do it with his hands open
• Exercise 2: As before but after gunting continue with a sequence of blows
• Exercise 3: As before but after gunting project on the ground

Conclusions

Gunting is a very important element of Filipino martial arts and that helps you develop the simultaneous use of the two hands at the same time.

It also allows you to work at a different distance of the blows going to work on the principle of breaking the snake’s tooth.

Stay Tuned!

Street Fight Mentality & Fight Sport

Andrea