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Fighter's Fact Book 2Street Fighting Essentials
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Fighter's Fact Book 2Street Fighting Essentials
written and edited byLoren W. Christensen
TURTLE PRESS SANTAFE
FIGHTERS FACT BOOK 2: STREET FIGHTING ESSENTIAI,SCopyright @ 2007 Loren W. Christensen. All rights reserved. Printed in the Unitcd Strrtcsof America. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission exccl'rt irrthe case of brief quotations embodied in attiiles or reviews. For information, address Turtle !Press, PO Box 34010, Santa Fe NM 87594-4010.
To contact the author or to order additional copies ofthis book:Turtle PressPO Box 34010Santa Fe NM 87594-40101-800-77{URTLwww.Ti.rrtlePress. com
709876543210
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Christensen, Loren W.Fighter's fact book 2 : street fighting essentials i wlit,t,t'tt rtttrl r,tlit,od by Loren
W. Christensen.p.cm.
ISBN- 13: 978- 1-880336-93-9ISBN-10: 1-880336-93-61. Martial arts--Training. I. Titie.GV1102.7.T7C423 2007796.815--dc22
2006101 (i?7
80 Questions to Ask YourselfLoren W. Christensen and, Lt. Col. Daue Grossman
20 Ways to Train and Fight WoundedLoren W. Christensen
25 Ways to Build Hitting Power Using the MakiwaraLautrence Kane
10 Ways to a Stronger PunchKris Wilder
Contents
. Introductionta.
, 8EOTION ONE: JUSTIFICATION
f)on't Go to JailLoren W. Christensen
$ECTION TWO: TRAINING
11
13
15
ISBN 9781880336939 10 ways to Make Your spardng streel sm'rtLCCN2006101622 lain AbernethyPdnted in tle United States ofAmerica
10 Concepts to Adapt Your Trainitrg to the SheetRory A. MiIIer
27
29
39
61
83
97
119
SECTION THREE: PUNCHES, KICKS, CI,AWS, ELBOWS,KNEES AND A LITTLE GRAPPLING
9 Ways to Attack the Eyes: Intimate BrutalityLoren W. Christensen
9 Ways to Target the NeckLoren W. Christensen
22Ways to Defend Against a Dog AttackLoren W. Christensen
10 Ways to Execute Shock BlocksLawrertce Kane
22Ways to Kick'Em High, Kick'Em Low, Kick'Em Hard,By Alain Burrese Kick'Em Fast
16 Techniques for InfightingRory Miller
14 Hand-to-Hand Combat techniques: A Philosophical LookRichard Dimitri
4 Quick and Effective Sanshou CombinationsAn Interuiew with Wim Demeere by Loren W. Christensnen
8 Ways to StompLoren W. Christensen
SECTION FOUR: GRAPPLING
20 Ways to Fight in the ClinchMark Mireles
20 Ways to Hit and Grapple the Heavy RagsLoren W. Christensen
135
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12 Wnyn lo At,t,uck lho l'{nirLorcn (]h,rietenecn,
6 Ways to Apply Carotid ConstrictionMarh Mireles
6 Ways to Use the Environment 37LInteruiew with Sohe Tirn Delgman by Loren W .Christensen
:'t39
351
155
17I
199
383
385
SECTION FIVE:WEAPONS
11 Ways to Use an Impact Tool for Self-DefenseDan Aruderson
12 Ways to Fight With a Mini FlashlightLoren W. Christensen
407
267
297
22L
243
277
301
303
DZO
It is not the strongest of the species that suruiue,ruor the most intelligent,
but the orue most responsiue to change.
Charles Darwin
Introductionl*'l tttl lrcgin lry srt.ying thanks to the many readers who made the first Fighter'sl,\tl lkxt|t rr lrcstscller in the martial arts genre. Thanks for the nice reviewsItttrl lirr t,ho kincl emails over the vears.
l'vr, writtcn quite a few books on the martial arts, about two dozen at thisprrirrl,. I would not have written nearly that many without the invaluable helpli'orn my martial arts pals around the world. I'm talking about the 11 writerswlrosc work appears in this book whose combined experience adds up to overit(X) years and their combined black belt ranking adds up to around 75.h dan.'l'hcir street experience can only be measured in their scars and their hard-crrrnc'd knowledge that they share in their books, DVDs, classes, and in thisvolume of Fighter's Fact Book 2: The Street.
As a character in one of those poorly dubbed Hong Kong chop socky flicks wouldHrly, "'lhese guys are pretty tough guys. Their kung fu is very good." Well, forsure they are tough and some have indeed studied kung fu; mostly though,t,heiy represent a large variety of fighting disciplines that have helped themnurvive real world violence. Their knowledge is street tested. For some of them,il,'s still tested every day.
I was most pleased that my friends agreed to contribute to this book. I waspleased for my own selfish reason in that I would get to learn from them, as Ihave so often before. And I was pleased that their contribution, based on theirexperiences on the street, would make this book the highly informative one itis.
Fighter's Fact Booh 2 isn't about pretend fighting at a Saturday tournament.It's not about a fun way to lose weight, a look into another culture, or anyof the other things that martial arts study offers. It's about survival, plainand simple, written by martial arts veterans who know how to fight in anarena that isn't anything like the clean, open space of a training facility. Thesewarriors can function when their pulse rate hammers at 175 beats-per-minuteand when their adrenaline surges like a tsunami. They know fear and theyknow how to make it work for them.
10 1t
I know you will enjoy this book as much as I hrrvr, wril,irrg, r:orrrlrilinli, rrrrrlediting it. Read it carefully and heed its advice.
Be safe and train hard.
SECTION ONEJUSTIFICATION
t2 13
Fighter's Fact Book 2 Section 1: Justification
Don't Go to JailBy Loren W. Christensen
'lhe martial arts in general, this book specifically, contain violent techniquesthat run the gamut from mild pain control holds all the way to moves thatcan kill. Therefore, I will remind you many times throughout this book to bejustified to use certain techniques and, if I did my job wel1, this will ingrainiteelf into your brain. Here is a warning in advance: Be justified.. Be justified,.Be justified.
Know and understand the law where you live. Remember, in the eyes of thelaw, ignorance is no excuse.
Consider this legal subsection on the use of deadly force. It happens to beHnwaii's but it's basically the same everywhere.
"Tho use of deadly force is justifiable under this section if the actor believesthnt deadly force is necessary to protect himself against death, serious bodilyinjury, kidnapping, rape, or forcible sodomy."tlthttrt' ttrt', o['(ror,lt',s(], hundr
sil.y Ll)ilt, Lhc grirb is simllly ir tJcvicc, a st,itnttltts, so l.lrrl, v()u (;rrr pr':rr'lr( ('\'{rrrrcounter attack
-
your over-kili counter attack. It's just prar:t,ir:r'. Yotrr' 1,r':rirrirrlipartner grabs your wrist and you go postal on him, and you practice it t-rvcr rr rrr Iover until...it's ingrained.
It's ingrained,. It's fixed in your brain. Imbedded. Deep rooted.
There are thousands of schools and millions of students who practice thal,way.
Continuum of force
The Continuurn of Force modei has been used by law enforcement agencies foryears, though many agencies across the country are now moving to a differentone, a new and improved version called "Force Options." For the purpose of ourdiscussion here, the Continuum of Force still works nicely.
Police
Force Options and Continuum of Force provide the police with a guideline tofollow when they are compelled to respond with force in a situation. To give youa visual, think of the continuum as a ladder with several rungs. Read it fromthe bottom rung up.
. Lethal force (firearms)
e Impact weapons (batons)
. Defensive body tactics (hands-on tactics)
. Pepper spray (A dash ofcayenne to shut down the vision and disturb thebreathing)
" Passive control (physically moving a person)
. Verbal commarrds (voice commands)
. Officer's presence (commanding and authoritative presence)
'l',, ',t\',. \'rllr ;lr! ,'r:ttrr;rlI ol ltow tl w0t li
Itlll, r,tr, wtllr lrrll llrlr.r' rll.r.ltl.l'll rrrrrrlrlrlv il. irrrrl nrrlir,l,lrc lrrrlrltr':t
. ( )rr llrr. lisl. r'rrnii, l,lrc ol'[it:r'r' rrscs lris l)rcscncc and voice commands tor'trl Iol ;rtr rrgit:rl,r'rl l)()rson.
. Wlrcrr l,lrc sub.icct cscalates the situation, the officer moves up thecorrl,irrtrunr of fbrce to use physical control techniques, such as wrist locks:rrrtl t,irl
. Strong presence and firm voice
. Voice and presence
o Avoid high-risk situations
To help see and understand the levels, let's use three scenarios in which yourespond at the lowest continuum with an erect posture, a neutral expression,direct gaze, and verbiage that leaves no confusion as to it meaning. Then thescenarios are going to get increasingly more dangerous and you're going toescalate your response in kind.
Avoid high-risk situations
!'ollow your common sense and avoid dangerous bars, street "orn"r",
convenience stores and parks. People often get into trouble because theyblunder into situations that, after the dust settles and their wounds heal, theysee that their decision was not a wise one. Avoid a problem by not puttingyourself into its midst.
. You know there is a bully in your school or at your job. While it's notalways easy, do all that you can to avoid being around him and givinghim an opportunity to intimidate you. Though you might be able tosuccessfully flght him off, who needs the hassle?
. You see a street beggar a few yards up the sidewalk grabbing atpassersby. Why put yourself at risk? Swallow your pride and cross thestreet. You will soon forget about it and iife will be grand. But should youchoose to walk by the aggressive beggar, a situation might unfold thatcould be costly in terms of your well-being, his well-being, court time,lawyers, and so on.
o One ofyour uncles is an obnoxious alcohoiic and a pervert to boot. Everytime there is a family gathering he grabs at you and says awful things.During the last few family events he has gotten progressively worse.Before the situation explodes, you need to talk to other family membersand let them know what is going on. Maybe even tell them that you're notgoing to participate in family events as long as he is invited.
Voice and presence
M osl, h igh-risk situations * bullies, drunks, road ragers - canlrc controlled with a commanding presence, an authoritativevoico tone, and weli-chosen words. Accept the blame for theproblem, apologize, and sprinkle lots of "sir" or "ma'am" inyour talk.
Most of the time these things work. Those times they don'twork is why we train so hard.
l,r'1,'s proceed up the ladder using these same three characters: the bully, therrggressive beggar, and the drunken uncle.
Strong presence and firm voice
> A bully reaches for your arm.
o Standing straight and tall, you look at him sternly and say in a clear,strong voice, "Don't touch me."
) A street beggar approaches you from your side and asks for money.. You look directly at him and say in a clear, strong voice, "Not today."
> Your drunken uncle at the family party says something inappropriate toyou.
. You look straight at him with a stern expression, and say clearly, ""Please don't talk to me that wav."
llr20 21
Hands on with little or no pain
> The bully grabs hold ofyour arm
. You jerk it away.
> The street beggar steps in close to block your path and then demandsmoney.
. You nudge him away with your shoulder or hands.
) Your drunken uncle at the family party touches you in a way that makesyou feel uncomfortable.
o You grab his hand and push it back toward him.
In such situations, you can use a limited amount of force to escape a grab, cleara path, and knock away an uncomfortable touch. Then you proceed on yourway while making quick glances back to watch the person.
Hands on with pain to control
> The bully grabs your arm and resists your escape.
. You quickly maneuver his arm to where you can apply a pressure holdagainst his elbow.
> The street beggar steps into your path and slaps his hands on your chest.
. You knock his arms aside, push him into a wall and apply a controlhold on his arm.
) Your drunken uncle grabs you inappropriately and pulls you into thebathroom.
. You knock his hands off you and push him down onto the floor.
. You sit on him and call for others to come and help.
llarrrlrq on wil,lr lirrr:r', irrrrlurlirrg irr.i rrr'.y, t,o si,o1r l,hc tlrrc:rt
> 'l'lrr lrrrlly 11'rrlrs y()ul'ill'nr rrrrtl rosist,s your os(,rr1)o. Hr: reaches fbr yourllrlorrl. wil,lr lris ot,lrcr lurntl
. Yorr purr
> Llitting youl'perverted uncle in thc head wiLh l,ltc virst'r,nlv rrrrkt'rr ltitttmore determined. He grabs at you.
. You twist around so that your weight helps to pin his arms.
. With his head braced by the cabinet, you slam your knee into histemple to make him release you.
To reiterate, vou don't have to go through all the continuum steps in progressiveorder. If, say, a street beggar approaches you and you respond with a firm, "Nottoday," and in anger he jabs a hype needle at you, it's legally permissible foryou to jump to the top rung of the ladder, the lethal force rung. That is, if youcan't run away.
ttAvenue of escapett
Understand this legai term because not considering it can get you into troubleeven when that street beggar jabs a hepatitis C-infected needle at you.
You're going to get asked in court, 'Yes, the street beggar poked a needle atyou, and yes you had a right to use lethal force against him with your rnartialarts-trained feet and hands. But answer this: Couldn't you have backed away?Could you have turned and ran? Isn't it true there was an unobstructedsidewalk behind you?"
Your heart goes kuthunk, and you mumble, "IJh..."
'Yet you chose...," the attorney says dramatically as he looks at each jurorin the eye, "...to crush a homeless, hungry man's face with your martial arts-trained fist and trip him with some martial arts-trained move that caused theman's head to smash into the concrete."
Suddenly, your life is about to change.
I nstrur:tors: donot oven joke about itAl't,r'r I hlrrl bccn teaching the police academy for a number of.y();rrs, t,hc brass decided, and wisely so, that the instructorsnccclcd to use caution when making funny remarks aboutrrnvthing related to using force on someone. They were findingLhat some comments made in jest were coming back to hauntthem.
Wfrite instructors always want their profound teachings to stickwith a student, sometimes, according to anecdotal evidence, it'sthe wisecrack, the funny comment, the exaggerated techniquethat some students remember most of all.
ttNow that you have your opponent's wrist locked, what do youdo? You break it. Ha ha."
otokay, you've knocked the guy down onto his back. Now, runaway. But as you leave, give him a nice kick in the ear. Haha"
ooYou've trapped his knife arm. Twist his arm so that that hestabs himself in the gut. Hey, that was so fun why not makehim do it two or three times. Ha ha."
Mlght these little jests, underscored by humor and the mentalimage of the teacher's exaggerated technique, remain in theminds of some students and reappear in their actions understress?
Yes, and that is why we were ordered not to joke around inany class that involved functioning under stress: empty-handfighting, police baton, and firearms. Some students will onlyremember that you leaned on your subdued attacker's eyesocket and forget that you did it for a laugh.
Iru
24
30 Questions to Ask Yourself:You Will Fight the Way You Train
By Loren W. Christensen qncl Lt. CoL Daue Grossmqn
l'otr. will fight the woy you train.I've been around the martial arts long enoughl,o remember when no one said this now often-repeated phrase. Back in thellXj0s and early 1970s, most martial artist never thought about it or, if theytlid, they just assumed they could alter their training to fit a real situation.( )r worse, they assumed their bad training habits and methods would win therluy.
While driving home after our first karate class in the summer of 1965, mybuddy and I were confronted by a road rager, long before there was even theterm "road rage." He puIled up along side us and threw a beer bottle at ourcar, missing the windshield by inches. Psyched from our introductory class,we just laughed at the bearded giant, convinced that what we had just learnedwould. be more than enough to whip this guy into confetti. Fortunately, oh sofortunately for our dumb hides, the guy cackled madly out his window, thenturned right at the light.
28 29
iOver confidence is a terrible thing, and sadly, thcrc rtrc ljtt'l,oo tn;rtt\ ttr:tt'l,trtlartists walking around convinced that their tournament trrrirrirrg or t,lrt'ir'aerobics kickboxing class is going to save them.
The problem isn't an isolated one in the martial arts. It's also a problem irrpolice work and in the military. Fortunately, cops and soldiers are more awar(lof it now than ever and the problem continues to be addressed and fixed intheir training. Also fortunately, more and more martial artists understand thcrconcept, though, in my opinion, they are still behind cops and soldiers.
Lt. Col Dave Grossman and I wrote about this phenomenon in our book OnCombat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflicts in Wctr and Peq'ce.Here is an excerpt titled:
Whatever is drilled in during training cornes outthe other end in combat - no more, no less
Whatever you would make habitual, practise it; and if youwould not make a thing habitual, do not practise it, but habituate
yourself to something else.Epictetus (lst century A.D.)
How the Semblances of Things are to be Combated
In January 2003, Col. Grossman went to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, totrain the 2d Marine Division. He filled up the base theater twice, each timegiving a four-hour block of instruction to Marines about to deploy to Iraq. "Asusual," Col. Grossman says, "I taught them, and they taught me. One marinetold me, 'Colonel, my old Gunny taught me that in combat you do not ttse to theoccasion, you sink to the level of your training."'
We can teach warriors to perform a specific action required for survival withoutconscious thought but, if we are not careful, we can also teach them to do thewrong thing. Some trainers call these "bad muscle memory" or "training scars."They are "scar tissue" in the midbrain that is counterproductive to survival.
I ltrl 'titttrlr1,'r,l'llttr r';ttt lrc ollllr,t'vr,rl irr Ilrr. wlty lrolict'olf iclt's t'orrrluc{,r'rl ntngt'
It;rtntttgl wrllt t'r'volvt'r's lirr';rltttosl,;r r:cnl,rrr'.y. lirr:lrrrsc (,lroy wirrrl,crd t,o avoidIrlr'rrrpi Io picli rrlr:rll l,lrt.sllctrt, llrirss af'Lorwards, the ofTicer.s would fire sixulrnlrr, rl,o1r, rlurrrp l,lrcir cmpty brass from their revolvers into their hands,lrlrrr'r, llrl lrrirss in l,lrcir pclckets, reload, and then continue shooting. Everyonenrrrrrrrrrcrl l,lrirt, of'li
Disarm practice
When you practice gun, knife, club, and arnis stickdisarms, do you hand the weapon back to you partnereach time?
After readingthis chapter you might want to reevaluatewhether that is a good way to train.
Whatever is drilled in during training comes out the other end in combat. Inone West Coast city, officers training in defensive tactics used to practice anexercise in such a manner that it could have eventually been disastrous in areal life-and-death situation. The trainee playing the arresting officer wouldsimulate a gun by pointing his finger at the trainee playing the suspect, andgive him verbal commands to turn around, place his hands on top of his head,and so on. This came to a screeching halt when officers began reporting to thetraining unit that they had pointed with their fingers in real arrest situations.They must have pantomimed their flrearms with convincing authority becauseevery suspect had obeyed their commands. Not wanting to push their luck, thetraining unit immediately ceased having officers simulate weapons with theirfingers and ordered red-handled dummy guns to be used in training.
Consider a shooting exercise introduced by the FBI and taught in police agenciesfor years. Officers were driiled on the firing range to draw, fire two shots, andthen reholster. While it was considered good training, it was subsequentlydiscovered in real shootings that officers were firing two shots and reholstering- even when the bad guy was still standing and presenting a deadly threat! Notsurprisingly, this caused not just a few officers to panic and, in at least onecase, it is believed to have resulted in an officer's death.
Today, in most police agencies, officers are taught to draw, fire, scan, andassess. Ideally, the warrior should train to shoot until the deadly threat goesaway, so it is best to fire at targets that fall after they have been hit witha variable number of shots. Today, there are pneumaticaliy controlled steell,irrgets on which photo realistic images are attached. The shooter might fire
twtr t'ottttrlrt irttrl I.lrc l.:tt'gir,l, ljrllrr, or llrt,r,xr,r'r:irrr,t'rur lrr,rlcsil-';rrt,rl so l,lrr, l,:rrgr,llx nttltlrortrtllv wlrrrirrll lrorly;rt'trror lrnrl rcrrrrins st,irnrling ovcn ir[1,or it, is shot,trttlltlrlr. lrrrrr,r.'l'o krror:li il, rkrwrr, t,lrc sh
. Has never been hit: Because students arc taughL t,o prrll l,lrt,rrtechniques several inches short, they are not conditionecl plr.ysicirlly orpsychologically to take a hit.
r Take one, give one: Never been trained to take a hit and respondimmediately by hitting back.
. Train to pass by or pass over the target: High kicks are thrown sothey pass over the opponent's head.
r Ingrained ritual: Every drill or sparring exercise is preceded with asalute (sometime elaborate), a nod, a grunt or an "ooos," and a pronouncedstep into a fighting stance.
. Excessive politeness: Accidental contact is fbllowed by a partial saluteand an apology.
. Acknowledgement of getting hit: A poorly controlled punch or kickhits and the recipient grabs the spot and calls time out.
. Acknowledgement of hitting: A punch or kick scores and the hitterraises his fist in triumph, turns his back, and walks back to his startingposition.
. Over recognition of an error: An error in a drill receives a curse, a footstomp, a shake of the head, or some other overt sign.
o Stop on an error: When a defense move misses or a takedown techniqueis done poorly, the action stops and everyone starts over.
r Stop in range: A technique is stopped for whatever reason and theattacker stays in range without doing anything.
r Stop after one hit scores: The attacker slams one in then stops, backsaway, and basks in his gIory.
. False confidence: Believes his weak hits that earned points in atournament would stop a real attacker.
.'l'uo rruur.v Ilorrg l(orrg nrovit.s: Al,lrrt'licl rlocs rur ('x(:('srr ol'llippy rlilrp.yli tclt l t, l iot rtr,r'r-r:r t t I I s, ;r r rr I I,orrr;rrlo li ir:lis.
r llroltlring lrunds within range: l3eing in range with guard down andtrol rrl,lrrt:li irtg.
r ( )vrrr rcliance on safety equipment: Relying on the protective helmetlo l,lrc cxl,cnt that the head isn't covered well. Relying on padded handsrrrrrl lcct too much.
r 'l'r-.lcgraphing: Excessive wind up before punching.
. Ncver hitting low: Low blows are not allowed because they are illegal ins 1lort.
. 'l'ilr'gets ignored: Grapplers struggle for a hold while the opponent'sc.yr:s, throat and groin are open and vulnerable.
. Opponent can't punch or kick: Grapplers defend against othergrapplers who are not trained in how to throw quality kicks and punches.
o Focus on one technique: Over relies on his favorite technique, nomatter how many times it gets blocked, misses, or fails to have an effect.
. Hands the weapon back: Defender disarms a knife, stick, or gun andthen hands the weapon back to the attacker.
. Doesn't consider other attackers: Takes opponent down and then failsto look around for other attackers.
r Doesnot get up strategically: When moving from the ground to astanding position, he doesn't do so in a way that he could instantly defendhimself.
o Practices only in the air: Punches and kicks are only thrown in theair and never on a bag. He has no idea what they feel like impactingsomething solid.
. Always trains at the sarne intensity: Never pushes for greater speed,greater power, and greater explosiveness.
34 35
. Never trains with rnental intensity: Just gtres Llrrorr|,lr llro nroi,iotts ;*;if they were half-hearted aerobics.
. Doesntt ttsee" the opponent: Practices in the air, on bags, and on themakiwara without visualizing an opponent.
. Never trained all-out: Never pushes training intensity into theanaerobic zone, that place where most fights occur.
o Doesn't weight train: Never uses resistance training to increasestrength, explosiveness and speed.
Lor"r'W. Christensen's biography appears in the "About the Author" ptg.at the back of the book.
Lt. Cot.Dave Grossman, U.S. Army (Ret.) is an internationally recognizedscholar, author, soldier, speaker, and one of the world's foremost experts in thefield of human aggression and the roots of violence and violent crime. He is aWest Point psychology professor, Professor of Military Science, and an At-yRanger who has combined his experiences to become the founder of a new fieldof scientific endeavor, which has been termed "Killology."
In this new field, Col. Grossman has made revolutionary new contributionsto our understanding of killing in war, the psychological costs of war, the rootcauses of the current "virus" of violent crime that is raging around the world,and the process of healing the victims of violence, in war and peace.
He is the author of the Pulitzer Prize nominated book On Killing, which hasbeen translated into several languages. The book is on the US Marine Corps'recommended reading list, it's required reading at the FBI academy, and atnumerous other academies and colleges.
CoI. Grossman's most recent book, On. Cornbat, co-authored with l-oren W.Christensen, is the highly acclaimed and bestselling sequel to On Killing.
(ln1. (lrorr:rrrrrrrr lrrrr lrr,r,rr lrrllr,rl uporr l,o wril,r'llrt,t'nl,r'.y orr "Agglt,ssiott rrttrlVlr'ls'11,',," irr l,lrt.Oxlirrrl (lorrrlr:rrrion t,o Anrt'r'ir:rrr Milit,rrry llist,ory, t,lrrcc crrt,ricsiu llrr,Acrrrlr,rrric l'rcss l,)rrcy
10 Ways to Make YourSparrittg Street Smart
By Iain Abernethy
Almost all martial artists include sparring in their training. However, thereefe many different types of sparring and there is some debate as to what typesere most realistic. It's even fair to say that some question if sparring has anylolevance to self-protection situations. To my mind, the amount of relevancethat it has to the street is determined by how that sparring is structured. Withthat in mind, I'd like to raise some of the key issues to consider when structuringyour sparring and share 10 ways to help make yours street smart.
A word on awareness and avoidance
From the onset it's vital that you understand that fighting is what happenswhen self-protection has gone bad. If you are truly serious about keepingyourself safe on the streets, it's not fighting you should be focusing on, butawareness and avoidance.
38 39
i'lhc way I brc:rk down self'-protection {br nry sl,udcrtl,s is:rs lirllowri. 1)i) l)('r'('(.nlof self-protection is awareness and avoidance skills couplcd wit,lr ir lrcrrlllrl'attitude to personal safety. If you are unable to avoid a situation, you nccrl I,obe able to control the dialogue and distance, strike preemptively, and usc 1,ht'opportunity to escape. This ability to control a situation before it becomes a figh l,makes up 4 percent of self-protection. The remaining 1 percent is the fightingskills you fall back on when all else fails. In my experience, it is common folmartial artists to overly fixate on fighting (the last 1 percent) and hence theyare not effectively addressing the issue of self-protection.
The point I'm making here is that you can be one hell of a kick-ass fighter, andyet still be incapable ofkeeping yourselfsafe. Ifyour awareness skills are poor,you'll be taken out before you are even aware there is a threat. You simplywon't get the opportunity to use your fighting skills. Consider that no matterhow good a fighter you are, there will be people who are better. The way tokeep yourself safe from more skilled fighters is very simple: don't fight them!Avoid the situation entirely, and if you can't, control distance through talkingwith your hands (keep them between the assailant and you), use dialogue anddeception to facilitate a first strike, and then use the moment of confusion toflee. In this way, it can be possible to protect yourself from people you may notbe able to out fight. However, if all that fails then you have no option but tofight.
As we've established, in this section we are iooking at training for that last1 percent should all your other skills fail; it is therefore not appropriate todiscuss in detail awareness and pre-emption. The reason I mention them isthat it is vitally important that the sparring methods we are going to examineare viewed from the correct perspective. Remember, fighting skills aren't thekey to self-protection: fighting is what happens when self-protection goes bad.
liltrrrrirrg itn(l t,lrc ntrl,urc ol'a st,r'cct light
llirr'rrrli lrl;rlrlislrt,rl wlrt'rc sJrirrring iurd lighting fit into the grand scheme ofllrrrrllrr, I lrc rrcxl Lhirrg wc ncotl to cover briefly is the nature of the environmentivl nn, l,r';rirrirrg lirr. ln thjs book we are talking about the street and thereforeIlr. rrrrlrrlc ol'(,hc sl,reet will determine how we should spar to prepare for it.ll w,' looli ir1, t,l'ro sparring used in the various combat sports, it is immediatelyl;rprrlr,rrl, l,hirt, many differing methods of sparring exist. They vary betausewlrirl is nccded to win varies. What is needed to win is determined by therrr!,'l.r, iurrl hence people sometimes assume that seeing as there are no rulesirr llrr,st,rcct, getting rid of the rules will make sparring like a street situation.I lowt,vor, it's not that straight forward. Aside from the lack of rules, there arenrrrrry ol,her things that make a street situation what it is.
A fight is whathappens whenself-protection goeswrong.
40
The reality of street fights
A detailed discussion on the nature of street fights is beyond thescope of this look at sparring; however, here are a few key pointsthat need to be considered:
o The vast majority take place at close-range.
. Real fights often involve multiple assailants and weapons.
. Real fights are fast, frantic and chaotic.
. Real fights do not resemble a skilled exchange between two martialartists.
. In a real situation, you need to keep things really simple.
. The fight might begin without warning (awareness being the key toensuring it doesn't).
r Deceptive or aggressive dialogue will frequently precede anyphysical exchange.
. Real fights are terrifying and wholly unpleasant (assuming you'renot a psychopath).
To make our sparring relevant to real situations, we need to consider all thethings listed above. When they are factored in, sparring can be quite a bitdifferent from what is seen in most dojos. This does not mean other types ofsparring have no value: far from it. As a martial artist, it's very likely thatyou will train for a variety of reasons and have an interest in many aspects ofmartial training. It is therefore entirely possible that you will spar in more thanone way: different types of sparring for different aspects of your training.
1',,ii 111111, rrprrt in onr,wlry li rt'lr:rlrlri11lrl, li1llrl, wrt,lr ol,ltr,t'ttltt'l,irrl ;rrl isls, rtttrlriltnl ltr,t' wrrt' lirt' l,lrl sl,r'r't,1,. Sortrt' irt'1"1ttt' {,lr:rt, lr.y sllitrrilrg irt tttorc Lhirn utrt:wa\,\,r,n nlrv in;rrlvr,rl,crtl,ly rrsc t,lrc wronfl rrtothod nt the wrong time. I canfnlllw llrir logir:, lrtrl, it,'s nr.y vicw that the dojo and street environments areBr, i'n(lrcrrll.y rlil'lirrcnt, l,hat it is unlikely you'Il mix up the various methods sol',lH ,r',
.yorr licoll t;hc various types of sparring totally separate. (Almost all thelr.;rrlrrrlt rcrrlist,s that I know and train with also engage in sparring methodsllrirl ru'r'rr'l,
it I'urther away from a real fight. The trick to ensur:ing t,hrrt, l,lris rlril't, I'rorrrreality is minimal is to be aware of the flaws and their effects.
By way of example, let's say you and a partner were about to engage in heavycontact sparring. To maximize safety, one precaution you may take is to wearboxing gloves. Before you start sparring, you should think about the flaws thatdonning them has introduced:
. Your fists are now much bigger than they would be in reality and henceyour hit rate may increase.
. You can hide behind the gloves to protect yourself.
o You can't grab or effectively set up a datum and neither can your partn@r,meaning you use one hand to locate and control the opponent's head sothe other hand can strike more accurately during the chaos of combat
. The blows have less of an effect than they would in reality.
. The nature of the gloves means that open-hand strikes cannot bedelivered.
. Your grappling techniques are severely limited.
By being aware ofthe flaws introduced by any safety considerations, you ensurethat the reality of the street stays at the forefront of your mind. Sparring is ameans to an end; it is not the end in itself. Being aware of the flaws in sparringalso helps keep that distinction clear.
It's not just safety that introduces flaws. You may also purposefully introducesome limitations to enhance certain skills. As an example, when sparring youmay wish to, isolate striking from a clinch. You limit the sparring to strikingfrom a clinch, and therefore throws and takedowns would not be allowed. It'smy observation that as soon as you limit what techniques are allowed
- which
can be a very useful training method -
people forget about the methods thathave been omitted and hence leave themselves vulnerable to them. So evenif you've agreed not to permit throws when working on clinch striking, youshould still ensure you don't get into bad habits by being aware of the flawyou've introduced.
,ril.rrrl, w it,h itggr'cssivo
I!'
Start without warning
Some situations will start without any warning, i.e., if your awareness wasrr't,what it should have been or if you are the victim of a well-executed ambush.It can therefore be good training to also have your sparring start withoul,warning.
Sudden and unexpected sparring
Seeing as the sparring can start at any time, all participants need to wear theirprotective equipment throughout the entire session. The students will thenengage in normal training (fitness work, drilling techniques, and hitting thepads). Whenever the leader of the training feels like it, they will shout out thecommand, "Fight!" At that instant all students should begin sparring with theperson or people nearest to them.
The great thing about this type of training is that you are never sure whatsituation will develop or when. You might quickly respond to the commandand attack an unsuspecting class mate, only for someone else to attack youfrom the rear. One second you thought you had the advantage, the next you'refrantically doing your best against two opponents. After a certain amountof time, the person leading the training will shout, "Stop!" and the studentsreturn to whatever they were doing previously.
If you are training as part of a small group, another way to have sparring startwithout warning is to agree that anyone can attack anyone else at any pointduring the session (you may want to make some exceptions in the name ofsafety: i.e., agree that you can't be attacked when handling weights). The lackof the command to start makes the sparring al1 the more unexpected. It alsoensures that all training done between the sparring is done with the correctattitude. If you start doing things in a haif-hearted fashion, your partners mayvery well decide that it's a good time to attack you.
Surprise sparring is a great training method that can get you used to havingto fight without warning. It is also a great way to give a training session thatadded edge.
[,'ight! Now!
l{,'s inrlrort,:rnt, that the person giving out the commandsrlot,s lris bcst to ensure that the sparring is unexpected.I'rrr llirrtial to shouting "Fight!" during water breaks,irr t,hc middle of drills, straight after a previous bout ofsplrrring, while the students are performing push-ups,irnd immediately after I've told them the surprise sparringis over (my personal favorite). The students quickly beginLo expect the unexpected and start to fight well regardlessof'the situation and position they find themselves in.
Keep the combat up close and personal
Most, exchanges between skilled martial artists take place at a greatlyr,xrrggerated distance when compared to what happens on the street. The vastrrrrr.jority of real fights start close and they stay close. In the street there islrrroly a gap to be closed and there is rarely any back and forth. This obviouslylrns a significant effect on how we structure our sparring for the street.
As we've established, real situations will begin with dialogue or withoutwilrning. The distance at which words are exchanged is typically the same aspunching distance. So in the case of dialogue, the distance has already beenr:losed when the situation gets physical (people don't try to intimidate you fromli'r feet away). If a situation begins without warning, then the distance hasrrlready been closed.
46 47
lllllr
tl
Iriilrl
rill1ll1
ilti
rlili
A fight is about tobegin in the dojo.
Notice the distancebetween Tim andme. Street fights
take place at amuch closer range.
When two martial artists fight in the dojo or competitive environment, theytypicaliy begin the fight from outside kicking distance. This rneans that a keypart of martial arts sparring is to effectively close that gap. These skills areessentially irrelevant for the street.
This is typically how asituation develops in thestreet. Here I piav thebad guy as Tim takescontrol and lines me up fora strike. Notice how Lhedistance has already gonebefore things get physical.The verbal exchange andthe ciose proximity shouldbe replicated in streetsparring.
lirr,llri t l,rl: ,lrlli'r'{'rr'('lrclwtltt llt. l;l t'r'r'1.:rttrl :r rlr,.;r, r,xclr;ur11r'lrr'(wcctt lworrt'rt I trrl :rr I rr;lr; r:: I lr:rl I lt,' I lrlrc ir, rro lr:rt li :rrrrl lirrl,lr. lrr l,lrt'sl,r'r'r'1,, prroltlc tlorr't,l',r, l, ,,11. :rrrrl llt.tt t)tovr':tt'ottttrl lirr lr lrit, looliing firr an opcning bcfbre closingllr', t,irl' ;rli;rrrr All ,l l,lris rrrr':rns t,hlrt, whcn training for the street we need to!.=r lr'rrt'r. l.r'lrrrirlrrt.s;r{,
tl
.Lllllil
Don't bring trained responses into the mix
One of the most important things for martial artists to appreciate is thal, wht'rrtraining for the street trained responses are not a factor. As martial artisl,swe get trained to respond in certain ways to specific stimuli, i.e. when thoopponent does motion A; you are trained to respond with motion B. Whentwo martial artists meet these trained responses are invariably exploited:martial artist 1 will move in such a way that it looks to martial artist 2 as ilhe is attacking with motion A. Martial aftist 2 counters with motion B, jus1,as martial artist t hoped he wouid. By responding with motion B, martialartist 2 makes himself vulnerable to motion C; which was martial artists 1'strue intention. He attacked with motion A to illicit a response which would setthings up for motion C.
In a street fight, you can't use trained responses in the same way; hence youneed to do your best to eliminate such practices from your street sparring.
Why trained responses fail
Trained responses aren't relevant in the street fortwo key reasons:
. Your opponent is highly unlikely to be trainedin the same martial discipline as you are andhence won't react as predicted. But what if he is amartial artist, I hear you cry.
. The street is so very different that even ifyourattacker is a trained martial artist he won't fightlike he does in the dojo or competitive environment.Street fights are far faster, more emotional, andmore chaotic than martial bouts.
lllr.r,t't',' lwo wrrt'lrl rtlitttrl;tt'rl ttr;rllirrl ;rrlirls lililrl, rrrrrl r:orrrrl, llrt. ;rvt'r':rggolliiittlrr,r'ol'llllrtrirlrtll l,lrtowrr irr lr l5 scr:orrrl lrcriotl. Yorr'll rrot,ir:
Escape: Don't stay and fight!
At the very beginning of this discussion we said that a fight is what happcrr,,when self-protection goes bad. Real fights are thoroughly unpleasant affairs th rr Ican have severe medical, emotional and legal consequences. If you therefore gt'lthe opportunlty to stop fighting and run you should take it without hesitatiorrMany a wannabe tough guy will frown on the idea of fleeing a fight, but thr.smart and experienced people who have "been there" will always advise flightover fight. The true warrior doesn't risk his life and liberty over his ego. Hcalways does the smart thing.
Real life isn't a kung fu rnovie
I recently received an email from a martial artist who a few dayspreviously had been approached by two men armed with knives. Hequickly assessed the situation and ran away. In his email he saidthat he was disappointed with himself because all he could thinkto do was run. He asked what martial techniques he could haveapplied in that situation. My advice was that he shouldn't feel badas he had dealt with the situation perfectly. His awareness wassuch that he had spotted the situation early enough to allow escape,and he had the presence of mind to act in what was undoubtedlythe right way.
Fignt two armed men and at best you're going to have some prettybig medical bills. Because he had run away, he didn't even getscratched. I'm certain that anyone who understands the streetwould advise nothing but running in that situation. Puttingdistance between yourself and a dangerous situation keeps yousafe and ensures you're able to spend your time on the fun thingsin life. So for your sparring to be street smart, you need to practicerunning away.
Fleelrrg is tttorr. l,lrrur .f rrsl, r'rrrrrring
fl1,r,ttt11 rr lililrl, ir ttol,;ts st,r'rriglrl, lirrwrrrrl rrs.iust, turning tail and running. Iflll,r'r' rrr rr rrrrl'lit:icrrl, grrp lrc(,wccn you and any would be assailant, you can dofttsl llrrrl (rrlJrrirr, t,his trnrlthasizes the importance of awareness). However, ifllru arrrrrril:rrr1, is t:losc onough to strike you, or the situation has degeneratedIilln rr li11lrl., vou nced confusion and distance. If you don't have confusion andlli*lrrrr,',, wlrc11 yolr begin running, you witl be giving the opponent your back.llnrl l.lr irrgs cilrl occur when you do that.
lf vorr lrrrvc managed to incapacitate the opponent, even for a moment, thenItt llurl, trtoment of confusion and disorientation you should flee. Because theilr!oncnl, won't be able to imrnediately react, you have the chance to generateatrl'lilit'rrt, distance to allow a successful escape. When a gap appears in theelrrr,l,,
.your self-protection training should have conditioned you to maketl lriplgcr. Much bigger! You should not be thinking of closing the gap andrnrrl irrtr ing the fight.
A grcrrt; way to practice fleeing in training is to make part of your dojo a "safer.r'n('. Your aim is to reach this safe zone while your partner (or partners)Ir'r,vcnts you from doing so. The full range of martial techniques are allowed,lrrrl il'a gap is created (they rarely appear on their own) the aim is to extend itHrrrl rrrake it to the safe zone.
Anol,her good way to practice escaping is to have two people at either end of thetl,rio, while the person practicing fleeing is in the middle. The middle personw ill run towards the first person and they start sparring (using bobh grapplingnnrl striking).As soon as the fighting begins, the person who started in therrrirldle must break contact and create a gap. He then runs to the other end andlr'pcats the process. This drill is a great way to develop the skills needed tolroate a gap, and engrain the habit ofrunning when you have the opportunity.ll,'s also one fantastic workout.
ll,unning away is the smart and practical thing to do whenever possible. Hence,vou need to ensure fleeing is included in your sparring.
52 53
I)on't lirnit the techniques or rilng()sIn a real situation, anything goes and hence you need to ensure vour sl,r'r'tsparring isn't limited. If your background is in a striking system, ensure tlr:rtyou bring grappling into your sparring. Likewise, if your background is irrgrappling, ensure that you bring striking into your sparring. The more widt'ranging you make your sparring the more realistic it will be.
Allow banned techniques
You also need to ensure that you include the techniques not allowed by tlrr,rules. In combat sports, there are two gror.rps of techniques that will be bannerl,First, there are those banned in the name of the purity of the sport, i.e.,boxingis about punching so anything that can stifle the exchange of punches isprohibited. All combat sports have similar restrictions in order to maintairrthe purity of the sport and give the spectators what they want to see. Secondly,there are the techniques that are banned in the name of safety, such as lowblows. A1l of these banned techniques are allowed in a street situation.
Modifying dangerous techniques
A real fight has no rules, and hence you need to ensure you ignore the rule bookofyour art when you structure your street sparring. It's pretty easy to ignore thepurity-based restrictions, but great care needs to be taken when ignoring thersafety-based ones. In some instances you can substitute dangerous techniquesfor less dangerous alternatives. For example, if your partner secures a gripon the knot in your belt, it's a safe assumption he could also have attackedyour groin in the same fashion. Likewise, putting the thumb on your partner'sforehead above the eyebrows can be used as a substitute for eye gouges.
Substitutions like these ensure that you develop the skills to use and defendagainst such attacks. The flaw in this training is that if you're not mindful ofthe intent of the substitution, you may find yourself using the substitutionin the street at a time when you should be using the real technique. As Isaid at the very start, always be aware of the flaws of any drill. Because thealtornative is to omit tlae tectrrniques cornpletely, I feel substitlrtion is the bestway forwards.
Itt :r'l,litlrtt lr) rirrlrrlilttltott. \,ou clut irlHo lcrlut r, llrc inl,t,n:lil,y ol t:t'rl,;rirrler lrtttrltt,'rr l, r'ttrltrrc rr:rli'1,y. l,irr cxlrnrplr., il'yorr trill
.yottr llrrrt,rtcr wil,lr yotrrl::r'llr. lr,','rrn lrc stttc lto wottlrl lrc rttissirrg llcsh i1'Lhe light was fbr real. It isllrlr,rr lirrrl llrrrl. your spr:rrrirrg is closely supervised by a suitably experiencednrrri rilrrrlilirrl pcrsorr whcn bringing potentially dangerous techniques such ashilitrti ;rrrrl llrrrgirrg into your sparring. The person supervising the sparringwlll lr', rrlrlr'{,o:rtlvise you on substitution, omission and intensity.
llr,rrul lirnit,ingthotechniquesorrangesofyoursparring,youensurethat"blindelrrrlrr" rlorr't, tlcvelop and that your sparring has relevance to a real fight.
l,lrnphasize simplicity & high-percentage skillsll rr, vilrrlly important in the street to keep things very simple. The simpler al:,r'lrrrirlrrc is, the more likely it is to succeed. The more complex a technique is,I lrr, rrroro tikely it is to fail.
I l,,w,,vcr', it doesn't always work that way in a dojo or competitive bout betweenl\!, nrilrtial artists. In that environment, using complex and sophisticatedrrri,llrorls can catch your opponent off guard. The simple methods will be morer';riily rccognized and countered so it can be advantageous to use methods thatlt'r' "ol'['radar." In almost all combat sports, much of what was winning fightsn li'w
.years ago is now obsolete because it is easily recognized and hence easilyror111l,1lrsd. Competitors need to enhance, disguise, and evolve their techniquesrl' llro.y are to keep winning. Complex and indirect can work fine in the doio orrrr sport. The complex and indirect won't fare well in the street, however.
Arlvanced isnot always better
W lrcn sparring for the street, be sure to stick to the basics. Many martial artistsrrrrrrlvertently associate the term "advanced" with "better." That is not how itworks in the street. There is the basic stuff that works; and the advancedrl.rrl["t,hab doesn't, work. There a]ie no such things as "advanced selt'-protectiorr"or'"advanced street fighting." When sparring for the street, keep everything
54 55
Al'cw years ago, I wtrs teaching st,rcct, lrirsctl spitrlirrg rlrillr; Lo;r rrrixr,rl:rlrlrlrgroup. As part of this session we were practicing two-oll-orll sprrlrirrg. Al ,,rr,end of the room was a young, relatively inexperienced martial ar'l,isl wlro wrr,visibly nervous at the prospect of having to simultaneously face two oplloncrr lr rAt the other end was a group of extremely experienced martial artists. 'l'lrlmembers of this group had multiple black belts and were al1 skilled fightcr':,.This group was actually excited at the prospect of getting to test their skilllagainst two opponents.
When I signaled for the fights to begin, the experienced martial artists werr Ioff with all guns blazing ... but invariably were quickly taken off their feet anrlbeaten up by their colleagues. By contrast, the inexperienced martial artist dirlnot want to test his skills. He wanted out of therel He ran all around the dojt,and hardly had a punch land on him.
The moral of the story is that when faced with more than one person, don'l,stay and fight them but instead run away the instant you can. As I said earlier',you don't need to outfight multiple opponents to protect yourself from them.Sparring with multiple opponents really brings this lesson home and lets youpractice your escape skills.
Spar two to understand how to spar one
Sparring with muitiple opponents also teaches you a lot about how you shoulclface a single opponent in the street. What begins as a one-on-one situation inthe street or bar can quickly escalate. Criminals frequently work in gangs; justbecause you can't see them doesn't guarantee they are not there.
As an example of how the possibility of multiple opponents changes things,let's briefly discuss ground fighting. In the dojo taking the opponent to the floorand trying to finish the fight on the ground can work great. However, if youuse the same methodology in the street, a second person could get involved andyou would get stamped flat. Fights can go to the ground so it's something youneed to include in your training and sparring, but it's never the smart choicein the street.
i !tr"rr,l ,l rrrrrrr.wrri on{'r,rrrrr;i1i,.rl ;rl. lrn z\'l'M lrv wlrrrl ltr.irrili;rlly Llrorr11ltl.l*rti! irrr:l lrr'l)('r'r ior. llr.'rr :r lriil;1rrv:rrrrl lolrl l,lro rrrrrggcr t,o lt'rtvc lrittt:rlot'tol*i'll, tlrrrl :r trol wlr;rl lrr,s:rirl, [rtr1, l,orcrr Olrrist,onson's writer''s guide saidtlrt.rit'i'irr'rn'i). Al, llr:r1, p0irt1. Lhc muggcr pointed across the road where hisIrtr,r.irrr:rl1,unr.j(,(,n r:ollcirgr"rcopenedhis jackettorevealahugeknife.Myfriendtti;rr,lr' r1,.,'rrlcrl I,o lr:rrrtl over his cash. He could also have hit and run, but I feel|1r, rrrrrlr,rrr:rlrly nlrrlo the smart choice. However, what would have happened ifIrr''rl rlr,r'rrlt,rl l,o light? Or worse yet take the fight to the ground? I think we canaol.l\' rrrrv l,lrrrt, l.he initial one on one exchange would not have stayed that wayfrrt l,trli rrrrrl rnv liiend would have been stabbed.
ll r',rrrr sl,r'cct sparring be sure to play with the numbers: one-on-two, one-rl lllr'('(', t,wo-on-three etc. You'll learn a lot about how to approach realailrrrrl iorrs.
Spar when exhausted
ll,'rrl sit,uations are very stressful. Your heart rate wiil go though the roof,i'nn nrl.y feel nauseous, your muscle control will be greatly reduced, you wills,irrrl, l.o be anywhere else on Earth, and you may feel frozen to the spot. Beingtrr'ttl:rlly and physically able to deal with these sensations is a key part oflrlr,lrrring for the street.
r\ ;ioo
Iight. Ncxt, l,o surprise, the chaos:rnd vrrri:rlrilil,.y ol rcrrl lili'is l.lrt, lrirlrL'r rtfactor to train for.
When you bow into your dojo or shake hands at the start of a match, you knowwhere you are, what the goals are, what to expect, and what it takes to win. lrrthis sense, martial arts training is unitary. Whether you study arnis, judo or.mixed martial arts (MMA), you're studying to a single context.
It can get really messed up when what you're training for (say, winning tht'next submission grappling tournament) doesn't match what you thinlz you'r't'training for ("I'm learnin'to fight.") Believing that you already have the answer.to a problem not only limits your adaptability in seeking other answers but carrprevent you from clearly seeing what the problem really is.
There will be tons of good advice and hard-won lessons in this book about tht'street: things to do, things to notice, and mistakes to avoid. The goal of thischapter is to look at your training and see it a little differently.
Concept 1: the tactical matrix and complexity
There are four ways a fight can happen:
1) You're surprised: you're the victim of an ambush.
2) You were suspicious: you knew something was happening but youweren't sure what.
3) It was mutual combat: you knew there was going to be a fight and youwere ready.
4) You attack with complete surprise
tltllr.t',' rrt'r'Ilttr.r,lr.r,r.lrr ol lirlcr,;rvlril;rlrlc Ilurl rrr;rV lrr,:rppropri:rlr':
I I Il,'rr rrol, olilry lol yorr l,o r:irusc rl:trnitgc.
'.1) ll,'s ol
StrategycanalsoboplacedonthctnrtLrix. l,irt'r.x;rrrplr,, l,lrr'('ss('n(('ol li;rt;rl,'is to close the distance and do damage. We can arguc ubout, t,hc lcl,lr:rlil,y ol'llr,fist, but in general, striking is about damage. We can also argue whcthcr or rroIstrategy can be useful under surprise, but for sure if it's not practiccd unrllconditions of surprise, it won't be.
Sosuishitsu-ryu jujutsu was designed for a last ditch effort to survive:rrrassassination attempt, or when a combatant's weapon was broken on ;rbattlefield. It's a brutal fighting system, one designed specifically arountldeaiing with situations of surprise and disadvantage. But it generally sucks;for mutual combat or attacking; that's what swords and spears were for.
The defensive tactics (DT) I was taught at bhe police academy were based ontaking a threat down and handcuffing him without injury. We were also tiainerlin firearms, the Big Equalizer.
Cornparative strategy rnatrix:
Notice that there are few or no strategies for surviving an ambush withoutcausing injury. That is a simple fact that is hard for some people to stomach.Surviving an ambush is difficult. When you're harnpered with restrictions onhow you're allowed to survive it becomes even harder.
When you consider your training, look to see where it fits in the matrix. Canyou execute a trap when you're surprised? Can you justify using your reversepunch to get a senile grandparent to quit swinging his cane at the nurse?
Dojo training is much, much simpler than real violence. The matrix is a wayto show that. In a simple list of 12 possible contexts for violence, it's rare tofind a style, strategy or technique that is appropriate for more than three. Thisis just a taste, because this matrix is far too simple. You could add an entire
lll!!tr,nrtrrn wtl lt rttt\' r';rt t;rlrl,. \,oil r'lt()olir. lo cor*;trllt .
l'llr"t,l,'r'wcll)()n:r.'l'lrcrr';ttt'lirttt wirvsw(fll)olls(:iult:otttcinLorrfight:| 'l'lrc rlcli'rrrlrrr hirs a wozrpon.1' 'l'lrt' ;rl,t,;r
Concept 3: Discretionar'.y tirnc
How a person uses discretionary time is the defining difference bctwct'rr ,'professional and an amateur. To put it as simply as possible: if you have-'tirtrr'to think, think. If you don't have time to think, move.
The people who get stomped are the ones who felt something hit them frorrrbehind, and then they froze for a second to either figure out what was going orror to make a plan. Should this happen to you, the fact that you're under attat:liis all the 'what' you need to know. Each second of planning or thinking is ont'more second of damage.
Conversely, if something is about to go bad but hasn't yet you have time tothink and plan, to evaluate options, available weapons and allies, and to lool
