Martial Arts - A David And Goliath Story

"David and Goliath" from a panel on the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo. The real one. Not the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

I wonder if David, had he trained in martial arts back in 1100 B.C., would have left his sling and rock with King Saul. Can't you just picture David, this shepherd-turned-slinger, handing his sling and stones to his King and saying, "Here. Hold this for me while I go grapple this giant with my bare hands."

There was a lot at stake. The Philistine army was marching up the Elah valley, heading toward Bethlehem so that they could split Saul's Israelite kingdom in two. After they divided the Israelites, they would find it easier to conquer them. No more Judea. History as we know it today, changes big.

So King Saul led his army to intercept the Philistines. The Israelite army gets to the north ridge of the Elah valley, where they see the Philistine army encamped on the southern ridge. Stalemate ensues because neither army wants to be the first to give up their elevated position on their respective ridge.  Both sides knew that the first army to descend into the valley to advance on the other would be fighting up hill against an entrenched enemy. That's a recipe for losing.

Finally, the Philistines sent their champion, a 6'9"-tall warrior called Goliath into the valley to have a one-on-one, champion-to-champion fight to the death. The winner of this duel dictates slavery for the losing side's entire army.

None of the Israelites wanted to fight Goliath because they only could imagine fighting him toe-to-toe, in full armor, sword vs. sword. His height, reach, and strength, against theirs.

Where others saw strength, David saw weakness. He convinced King Saul to let him descend into the valley without armor, without a sword. He was armed only with his sling and stones.

David realized that his best chance to win this fight was to use the advantages he had over Goliath. With his sling, he could hit Goliath from a distance...and he did. David hurled a fast-moving stone at Goliath that smashed him in the forehead. The lumbering giant, covered under the weight of his armor, fell to the ground. David, unarmed, and unarmored, sprinted to Goliath, picked up the warrior's sword, and cut his head off; a head he could never have reached had he fought Goliath standing up.

That's one way to break a stalemate.

Martial Arts for the Modern Day Underdog

Martial artists thrive on the physical truth that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend against a bigger, stronger person by using leverage. Practically all of the styles teach techniques that use body mechanics to bring an attacker to the ground. The smaller person can minimize the size advantage that the larger person has when they are both grappling from their knees and backs.

On the ground, height, weight, and reach, while great advantages in a stand-up fight, lose their dominance. The smaller person gets in close and controls the larger with chokeholds and joint locks. When you're that close, body-to-body, reach measurements don't matter. The two combatants now have a more even playing field.

Height advantage flies out the window as well. Both people are on the ground. At that point, the grappling begins, and it's often a race to see who will get in position first to apply the hold that will control the fight. On the ground, speed matters far more than height, weight, and reach.

And strength? That's where the joints and chokes come in. Strength measures muscle power. By directing force on some of the weakest parts of the opponent's body (because there is less muscle in these parts), like the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, and knees, martial arts can help today's "David" defeat giant "Goliath-like" attackers.

If you're interested in reading more about how many of history's greatest achievers appeared to be underdogs, but instead turned their weaknesses into advantageous strengths, you may want to check out David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.