In martial arts, there are the predominant factors of memorization and "technique’. In a real fight or self-defense
situation though, these two predominant factors could prove to be fatal to the martial artist.
In reality, the scenario will dictate the outcome. Strategy, tactical awareness and proper use of tools through proper
tool development will enhance your survivability.
For example: Almost every single student I’ve ever had has been conditioned to ask the same type of questions. "What if
someone does this? (Fill in any desired attack of your choosing). "Where do I land after throwing my kick?" "What do I
do if he does this? (Fill in any desired technique of your choosing).
My answer and any responsible personal protection instructor who’s done his research and has had first hand experience of
violence answer should be and is… "It depends". On what? On the nature of the attack, on your mind set in the moment, on
the environment, on the amount of aggressors, on the possibility or probability of a concealed weapon, on the level of
intent of the aggressor, on your physical well being in the moment of the attack (are you sick, hurt, tired, drunk, in
excellent physical condition etc...?) On the environment. On the time of day or night. On whether you are alone or not
and who is with you etc.
It's important to look at the scenario specifics. It's imperative to have several options based on several possibilities.
Strategic implementation is more important than any technique. Each one of the above questions will dictate a different
strategy. There is no black and white answer to defending yourself, there are no particular techniques that work all of
the time, there is no one strategy for every scenario.
This is why it's important to explore all possibilities. The scenario will dictate the outcome, the tools, and the strategy
used in the moment. Have a mental blueprint for several possibilities (as many as you can think of) then learn to
spontaneously improvise moment to moment based on the event in the moment.
Whatever you do, do not fixate. Fixating solidifies your thought process and puts you in critical focus on whatever it is
you fixated upon. For example: The topic of a drug-crazed attacker or multiple attacker situations wanting your money or
valuables comes up frequently and the most common response to these scenarios are "Give him your money and/or run".
However, it's important to look at the scenario specifics... it's easy to say run, but what if that particular day you
had a sprained or broken ankle or foot?
Since the scenario dictates the outcome it's imperative to have several options based on several possibilities. Strategic
implementation is more important than any technique.
Look at every possible scenario:
1. What if you did have a broken ankle and couldn't run?
2. What if you had absolutely no valuables on you?
3. What if you were tired and overworked and under the influence because you’re on your
way back from having a few brewski's with the boys?
4. What time is it?
5. What's the environment like? Rain or snow storm? Dark, light, etc.
6. Are you alone?
7. Is your drug-crazed attacker alone?
8. What kind of weapon is he threatening you with?
Each one of these questions will dictate a different strategy. Each one creates a different visual image as to what you
would or could do. Never fixate on a move or technique. Never fixate on a range or style of fighting. Explore all
possibilities and venues.
Train yourself for the unpredictable. See what you can do when you are sick, tired, hurt etc. Learn to work with your
limitations. Do drills with an arm in a sling, work with a limp, and figure out your options under several circumstances.
There are no particular defenses to a particular attack. One of my students having trained in a different style stated
that when jamming or blocking a "John Wayne" punch, you should always move to the outside. That to me is fixation. The
term "always" has got to be removed from reality based trainers vocabulary. Moving to the outside is definitely more
desirable if you are facing a single opponent. Throw in a friend of his standing to his outside and jamming a punch to
the outside now becomes a dangerous "move".
Do what needs to be done when it is called upon. This strategy helps create clarity in the moment and keeps your mind in
constantly fluidity. Look at your mind as a "memory bank" or a "filing cabinet". Stack but one or two files and find
yourself in a violent confrontation and find that your two files are insufficient, your mind will freeze as it has no
more files to look at. Stack it with an unlimited amount of options and your mind will constantly search for and
eventually find the best solution to the problem at hand.
Muscle memory development must be done (after tool development) through unrehearsed scenario specific training.
Change the same scenario over and over again in order to gain a tactical edge.
For example, take the following scenario: you’re in a club/bar, you go up to the bar to buy a drink and some A-hole
bumps into you and spills his own drink over himself and you. He gets aggressive and insulting and begins to threaten
you verbally and begins to shove you.
What do you do? (Before reading on, take the time to answer this question on paper on the above mentioned scene we
created.)
Now, let’s add the following factor to the original scenario: Your drunken girlfriend/wife is in the ladies room and
will be out to meet you shortly.
What do you do? (Again, answer the question on paper before reading on).
Let’s add yet another element: His two friends just joined him and are also prepared to go at it and are just as
aggressive.
What do you do? (Go ahead, write it down...)
Yet another factor: You had a few too many yourself and are feeling rather nauseous.
What do you do?
And another: The bar/place where you’re standing in the middle of your confrontation is jam packed with people and you
barely have the room to move around the mingling bodies.
What do you do?
Here’s one last one: The music is blaring, the strobe light is on and one of the "attackers" just gripped his beer bottle
by the nuzzle in a "clubbing" sort of fashion and is slowly circling behind you...
What do you do?
Besides all of the added elements, it is also important to consider where the ladies room is and which direction is your
wife/girlfriend coming at you from? Where is the bouncer and will he be on your side or theirs? Is the floor slippery
from spilled drinks (do you have grounding?) What are you wearing (constricting clothing, a suit and tie, easily grabbled
materials?) Not so simple anymore is it?
If you’ve tackled each one of these scenarios on paper like I suggested you should have several different strategies as to
what you would have done. As you can see, it doesn’t really matter how good of a grappler, kicker or boxer you are, it
doesn’t matter how powerful your strikes are, it doesn’t matter how fast you think you may be able to execute your
technique… what matters is your strategy. Your tools will be used when they are called upon depending on the moment at
hand. If you’re not training this way, then you are not preparing yourself for the grim realities of the street.
Train intelligently and diligently.
Sincerely
Richard Dimitri
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THE REAL CANCER GROWING IN TRADITIONAL MARTIAL ARTS
As warfare evolved technologically, unarmed fighting forms became rituals (traditional arts), ways to condition (Tae Bo,
Boxersize, etc.) and many other things except fighting. Martial artists are subject to the same motivating impulses as
the rest of the human race. We all want money, fame, success and power. We all have our own image of success. To a lot
of these martial artists, it means starting a congregation of blind followers.
The tumor starts to grow when a school is established and decides to branch out. At this particular point you cannot avoid
setting up catalogues of moves.Uniformity is a must to be able to manage (read control) your schools and students.
Case in point: Kali, a comprehensive system that encompasses unarmed and weapons fighting, blending ranges etc.....
So why is it going to the toilet? To answer this properly one has to look at its origins. It comes from the
Philippines that is an archipelago constituted of a multitude of islands.
Each of these islands had its own flavor of Kali that was adapted to its environment and reflected the culture and belief
systems of the island.
Now that Kali is more mainstream, some "smart" ass decided to form a federation (there is the beginning of your tumor).
They now have a charter, a hierarchy, members, presidents, vice presidents (ingredients to the tumor i.e., cause and
effect) and on and on and on, in other words:
POLITICS (the full blown and irreversible tumor). At this point the tumor is malignant and terminal. (Simply take a
look at the RMA newsgroups and you’ll understand what we mean)
The creative efforts are stifled because all the energy is spent on creating policies, rules, regulations, planning
conventions and deprecating those who do not follow their dogma. The research in functional combative training ceases
and money, power and control become the issue therefore neglecting evolution.
Using Judo as a model, we could say that if in country X people walk around bare chested and the weapon of choice on
the street is a machete, country X will not practice Judo as in country Z where people walk around with canvas shirts
and the weapon of choice on the street are brass knuckles.
But get one individual to come along and federate the art and suddenly everyone is wearing a white canvas jacket for
uniformity and learning a specific way on how to handle weapons generically.Get another individual to come in,
dislike the canvas jackets and instead use 50% polyester/50% cotton, devise 2 separate ways to defend against each
weapon and you now have 2 judo federations. Now how does that serve country X or Z? Dumb example, but it illustrates
the point.
As federations get bigger (read tentacles grow) the art becomes stale quite quickly. Students are evaluated using only one
yardstick, because having different standards adapted to the student,his environment, his genetics, simply is not
controllable by the federation. Enter memorization of techniques which every one must learn regardless of their
differences as human beings, rules, regulations, standards, and exit improvisation, spontaneity, creativity and growth.
Therefore solidifying something
that should remain fluid.
The normal cycle for these organizations concludes as this:
Gets too big, too many egos, big fight over something completely irrelevant to fighting, big splintering explosion and now
as with many martial arts (Karate and Tae kwon do to name but a couple)you have 100 egomaniacs starting 100 idiotic
federations which have absolutely nothing to do with self-defense or HTHC.
ps.
Like Leonardo said: (and no, not Dicaprio for the laymen amongst you) "It is a poor apprentice that does not surpass his
master".
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Many thanks to Senshido.com for the information published on this page.
NOTE: Some of these Articles date back to 1994 and our views and methods may have changed to conflict with
some of what may be written here; it is, still, a part of our evolutionary process. Thank you.
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