Take Cover!

Introduction

The cover is a tactic that has soared to prominence in the traditional, sporting and self defence martial arts circles over the past decade. For the sake of clarity I am using the term to describe any of the counter-offensive tactics that involve wrapping the arms around the head. I have seen it in traditional Chinese martial arts, in karate, in silat, in mixed martial arts, in panantukan, in some ju jutsu styles and even in western boxing. The most famous modern systems that have popularized its usage are Rodney King’s Crazy Monkey and the Keysi Fighting Method. Whether it is the peek-a-boo guard or the pensador, variations of the cover keep cropping up as efficient methods for in-fighting. There are many reasons for this, which I will go into along with the tactic’s weaknesses.

Instinctive Origins

Most advocates of the cover agree that it is a very natural response during the in-fight stage. Is this really the case? A simple test I use to bring out this natural response is to ask a student to adopt a natural posture to protect themselves against multiple objects. The posture most adopt will be akin to the one a golfer will adopt when they hear the word “Four!” Interestingly if you a throw a single object at a person their flinch response will not be to cover, but to throw their hands out in front. If we know where the threat is coming from we will intercept it or deflect it head on, but if the attack is coming from several angles or an unpredictable one then we are more likely to cover our heads. When a person is overwhelmed by a volley of uninterrupted strikes to the head they will instinctively cover.

The Importance of Defence

Due to its widespread appeal and natural origins it is difficult to trace an exact evolutionary path. However, it is interesting to note the way western bare-knuckle boxing changed during the 19th century. There are references in contemporary magazines of the time (reproduced in Bob Mee’s historical book, “Bare Fists”) of the English champion and subsequent coach, Daniel Mendoza, revolutionizing the sport by using footwork and evasive tactics. Mendoza, being a smaller fighter than most of his opponents, introduced what he called a “scientific” approach to his fighting that superseded the old method of simply trading blows with an opponent. By its nature the cover is a defensive tactic, designed to minimize the damage caused by its user at the in-fight stage of a conflict. This doesn’t mean it cannot be used pro-actively and, indeed, some systems seem to use it as an all-out method of attack. However, I would argue for reasons outlined later that it is best utilized as a counter-offensive tactic rather than a straight attack. When one considers Mendoza’s mobile approach to fighting, it is worth noting that the most efficient way to use the cover is in conjunction with constant mobility.

The Crouched Posture

After this revolution more work went into developing a stronger defensive structure and the crouched stance is noted to have been popularized by American fighters. There is a lot of unfounded speculation that Filipino boxing (pantukan) is responsible for influencing western boxing’s guard. A high guard is held in panantukan due to the hand-held weaponry aspect, which a big basis of Filipino martial arts and many propose that this aspect was adopted by the turn of the century western boxers. However, without any primary source evidence it would be a little naïve not to go with the more obvious reason why guards got higher towards the end of 19th century – the introduction of gloves, or “mufflers”, into boxing matches.

The crouched posture rounds the shoulders significantly and lowers the head. The fighter looks up “through his eyebrows” with his chin and his elbows in tight, presenting a smaller target area. Muay Thai has long utilized this stance in conjunction with hands held even higher than even the most defensive of western boxers. This is due to the fact that strikes delivered by unprotected elbows are a big part of the fighter’s arsenal. They are generally delivered to create cuts and prompt the referee to stop the fight. Therefore it is tactically prudent to have your hands raised to your temples. The crouched posture means that the elbows need not be lifted above the floating ribs.

Greater Protection

It was the legendary boxing coach Cus D’Amato who was to revolutionize the boxing guard again in the 1950s when he taught his first protégé, Floyd Patterson to use a method that was to be known as the “Peek-a-Boo” guard. This guard involved using parallel guard as opposed to a conventional staggered one. The fists are held close to the face, under the eyes hence the name it received. Combined with fast and efficient bobbing, weaving and slipping, the peek-a-boo guard provided better protection for shorter boxers. During his heyday Mike Tyson, D’Amato’s last and most famous student, demonstrated just how far the peek-a-boo method had come on and used it with deadly effectiveness.

Without boxing gloves the hands provide little protection for the face. In fact, they can cause damage to a fighter’s face when hit. No matter how strong someone’s guard is the raised hands have little support and are just as likely to be smashed into the area they are protecting as they to deflect it. Blocking and parrying are viable options at a certain range, but they can create openings. Furthermore, they can be somewhat passive. This is why Filipino boxing and other strike-based systems that don’t develop around the use of boxing gloves, apply techniques that use the whole of the arm with the hand tightly clamped to the head. It should be noted that some western boxing coaches and boxers have seen the benefits of using the point of the elbow as an undesirable striking area and utilized in their guard-work.

The elbows and forearms can cover a large area if wrapped around the head. That much is obvious. They also provide solid “armour” that can break incoming strikes from hands. The shape of a typical cover is triangular, making it a very robust structure, proportionality the strongest physics has found, which means that it can stand up to remarkable amount of direct percussive force. This structure also helps minimize “brain shake”, the reason behind the concussion we commonly refer to as a “knockout”, by providing a huge amount of support for the head when being struck. From a psychological point of view, adopting a solid defence improves a fighter’s confidence, particularly one who has a shorter range than his opponent.

The Offensive Defence

The cover is not a static defensive posture. In fact, I dislike the term “block” being used. I appreciate it is a defensive structure, as I don’t see any reason for it being used at the pre-fight stages of a conflict and only at long range if projectile weaponry is being used. It should be used like a battering ram to close down the distance on an attacker. The compact structure with its hard bony surfaces – the forearms and elbows – should be used to smash into an enemy or opponent or smash out of a multiple attacker situation. The shield in battle was never just a reactive instrument of protection. It was an effective weapon used to push and smash an enemy. The same applies to the cover.

The cover should always be mobile, as there is no static posture it can adopt that will protect the head from all attacks. Furthermore, the mobility aids the forearms and elbows to deliver many strikes from different angles to an adversary’s defences. The user should not retreat using the method only attack with it.

On the Ground

The cover’s defensive practicality can be best seen when it is applied on the ground. It works well in asymmetrical ground fighting, especially when an attacker or attackers are trying to kick, stamp and jump on your head. It also provides a decent temporary defence against chokes from the back mount during symmetrical ground fighting. When holding the guard or under the mount it provides added protection from the particularly dangerous strikes being delivered from above.

Weakness from Success

Because the cover provides such good protection it has a tendency to breed an overly-defensive attitude that should be checked at all times. I find that once students start using it in pressure tests and sparring they can end up over-using it. At long range there is often little use for it and a more erect posture can be adopted. In self defence you are more like a meerkat, constantly surveying your threat from an upright position that offers a full range of flexibility to adapt. However, the in-fight stage demands the crouched posture, coiling like a snake, and if you are being overwhelmed by strikes you adopt the cover, like a porcupine, but only in order manoeuvre back into the pre-fight position as quickly as possible. Mixed martial arts competition is slightly different, with the fighter choosing to go to the cover if he wishes to change from the stand-up range to the clinch range. However, of course, he can also use it in the context as self defence, as a recovery tactic.

In a fight, the cover commonly comes into play after one has been hit in the head and is on the receiving end of an uninterrupted flurry of strikes.

The golden rules for the cover, as far as I can see, are as follows.

   1. The cover is not a guard.

   2. You must be able to see your adversary at all times when operation the cover.

   3. It is transitional and temporary. The cover should be used as an offensive vehicle to get a fighter close to his opponent in order to over-run an adversary’s striking with your own striking or to clinch.

   4. The cover must be clamped to the head.

   5. The cover is a mobile tactic. This means that you must not stand still with it and you must move it around your head.

   6. You must be able to deliver all other strikes and grappling holds from the cover.

Conclusion

The cover is a robust method for recovering in a combat situation. It is a defensive tactic that can be used offensively. Like any tactic or tool its place must be understood and it must be applied appropriately.

With above-the-waist grappling outlawed from the matches and the hands much better protected the head became a far more viable target for the western boxer. Reports of 18th and 19th century bare-knuckle boxing fights reveal extremely lengthy bouts with far less shots to the head delivered compared to the gloved era. Further proof of this can be seen in the bare-knuckle era of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where broken hands were common, the lack of head punches seen in Brazil’s bare-knuckle vale tudo in the past and today, and footage taken of illegal bare-knuckle gypsy boxing. Interestingly the latter case is perhaps the best example of all. These fights do not really resemble the golden age of bare-knuckle boxing as they do not permit grappling, but are straight punching-only bouts with no rounds decided on a knockout or if one man gives up. Often you get two individuals circling one another for a lengthy time carefully picking shots, as their hands get more and more bloody and damaged. It’s an example of modern gloved boxing being transplanted into a no-gloves arena!