This is the most important self-defense stroke, and the most important competition stroke, in stick-fighting. To be effective with a stick you need a good diagonal forehand, which is the #1 stroke in this 4-stroke system.
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Imagine the applications of the pass slash below as you do them in the air, in the mirror, on the bag, and in partner drills.
Start in guard.
X-stroke Maneuver: Application A
This is the simple lateral use of the #1 to #2 forehand/backhand diagonal stroking pattern that keeps you in a closed guard.
As soon as your man moves into range where he could threaten to hit your hand, step off to the left and hit his stick, passing the stroke through to the backhand position and then sailing that thing at his arm, which will necessitate him throwing backhand beat.
Drag your right foot with you as you throw the forehand, so that by the time you are chambered for the backhand you are essentially in a martial arts cat stance, which is called a fade in this system.
Optimally this coils you for action while it stretches him out and requires him to reorient on your new position. Don’t expect to actually hit him unless he sucks.
Poised Backhand: Application B
Power backhands are set up, which requires poise and position.
Let your man enter and attack your stick-hand, pulling your hand back so his stick bites stick and not your hand.
As his beat passes, or as he returns to guard from a jab, or he tenses after a smash [which would have been idiotic on his part] step of and slash his hand, arm or shoulder, whatever is the near target.
Don’t ‘cat-out’ to a fade, but drag your lead foot into a pivot making this forehand as hard as possible, using weight and pivot, and flattening out your rear foot which you stepped off with. You have shifted your weight from balanced to predominantly on your rear leg.
As your stepping rear foot flattens out and you bring your stick over to your empty hand side, throw a #3 [lateral backhand] over a golfer’s pivot off the rear foot, flattening out the lead foot as you follow the stroke with a stiff arm. If he’s good, you won’t be able to pivot into your shot, but will have to shuffle into a better targeting position and put less power behind the stroke.
Optimally this is a KO shot to the side or back of the head. Realistically, if he’s any good, you punish him to the shoulder with one of these strokes.
The Stop Pass: Application C
If you man is hesitating in his advance, or is coming on steadily and easy to read, or if his guard is down as he enters, you may be able to score the Stop Pass, the sweetest move in stick fighting. If this is a survival situation, the Stop Pass should get it done, and should target the jaw-line, ear, temple that describes a target-C on the opponent.
The key is timing his step forward.
If you know when he is stepping forward, you simultaneously step diagonally past him with your rear foot, ideally taking you behind his weapon so that he only has a backhand option, or laterally, depending on his angle and the depth commitment of his step. Against a lunge you step out laterally. Against a testing step you step diagonally past him.
As you step off rip a #1 forehand slash, and then quickly X to a #2 [diagonal backhand slash] and begin pumping you feet and probing for a finishing angle.
Optimally you finish an aggressor in a self-defense scenario with this stroke if your weapon and stroke are sufficiently hard to do so, ad in that way free yourself to deal with his accomplices.
If not, you will basically be in a competition type situation, in which you are unlikely to catch him with this again immediately, and will be best served by getting light on your feet and blasting him with combinations as you move. These will not have all of your power.
The important thing is that he should be frantically looking for close contact now, or doubting his staying ability and getting tentative. In either case hunting him at arms’ distance will set you up to take advantage of further lapses in his form as he tries to close, or enable you to begin beating him into submission from a distance.
At whatever point you get him in more trouble, then you should consider setting him up for another pass slash, as you have determined he is susceptible to the stroke. By the time he is grunting and reaching or fading and recoiling, you should have determined whether he will be best disposed of with another stop smash, with a poised backhand, or further worn down through slashing maneuvers.
