Increasing Punching Power with Resistance Bands

Here is an interesting video clip on exercises to increase punching power.  We had the pleasure of training with Dave Schmitz (aka Rubberband Man) back in the fall of 2008.  Dave is a tremendously knowledgeable guy and has so many cool ideas on all things related to fitness.  The thing about Dave, too, is he tests everything out on himself and walks his talk.  His exuberance is very infectious–he’s so darned passionate about his work.  Anyway, check this out:

 

Post on “Hooded Box Drill”

Here is an interesting post on the things worth believing in weblog, with video, on training dynamic warriors.  I fully realize this is geared towards law enforcement and operators, but these concepts can be applied to civilian training/real-world self-protection because, in the end, a hostile environment that endangers our lives requires decisive action no matter who we are or what our mission is in life.

We’ve talked in class about hooded drills.  The hood comes off, and you have to deal with whatever threat presents itself. . .

http://tgace.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/reboot-your-ooda-loop/

 

Blog post on the concept of “aliveness”

This post brings up an interesting point about “aliveness” training.  We had arguments this summer about this, because in a seminar I attended, instructors overemphasized full-throttle training before students really had any skills to speak of–before they had truly been brought along so it was something they could handle, in my humble opinion.  There is reality training, and there is kicking the crap out of people who have no mental preparation, and who, frankly speaking, you may lose forever if that is their first experience. 

Without further blabbering on my part, here is the post on that great blog, TDA Training, and a video clip explaining aliveness :) :

http://tdatraining.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-aliveness-most-important-thing.html

NLP and CQB

We are starting to delve more deeply into the concepts of Neuro Linguistic Programming so we can apply it to rapid learning in class.  Feels like I’ve just been reading a lot of metadata, now I am finally reading about the nuts and bolts.  If we can learn to use these techniques, students can absorb Combatives Concepts more quickly and be able to use them immediately.  Even beyond conceptual information, we want them to acquire skills more quickly.  I already know that some camps say NLP is a pseudoscience.  I am not so much worried about that because I keep reading about its application and find arguments quite compelling in light of other material I have read about the brain. 

Here is an interesting article by Lee Morrison (Urban Combatives) on his experience training with Marcus Wynne and applying NLP to CQB.  He was not able to go into a lot of the specifics because Marcus has developed his own approach.  If only we knew what that man knows! 

http://www.urbancombatives.com/marcus.htm 

I am currently reading a book that lays out the NLP concepts.  It applies them to maintaining health, but one should be able to apply them to anything in life.  I remember Marcus mentioning the book in another article, so I went digging for it.  All of this reminds me of another book I have that I didn’t get to reading yet.  It is entitled Sources of Power, and it is about how people make decisions, under duress, that save lives.  Do you ever feel like you have all the pieces of a puzzle, to unlock your understanding and take what you do to the next level, but you just haven’t figured out how to arrange everything yet?  Of course, there is always more to learn, even if you finally do put one of the puzzles together.

Gutterfighting Combatives Seminar

Chin Jab!

Knife to throat

Catcher's mitt pistol disarm

Gun disarm

Group shot!

On Saturday, Combat Hard conducted a three-hour seminar on combatives.  We put things within a scenario-based framework and drilled empty-hand techniques, knife and pistol disarms, as well as improvised weapons (magazines).  Everyone had great questions.  As much as we would like to fill in all the blanks of what could happen and what people should do, of course, some of the variables in any given situation would be anyone’s guess until a real-life encounter unfolded.  We all need to certainly use our imaginations and become critical thinkers, and scenarios are a great way to play with the possibilities, as well.  Emotional content is essential.  I try to feel as I would feel in a lethal encounter, complete with facial expressions and feeling the aggression surging through me.  One important point we stressed was training like we wish to perform out on the street.  Whatever we repeat in training, including bad habits, will come out!  This is why it is critical NOT to do things like hand the pistol or knife back to the training partner after disarming him or her.  This is just one example.  We cannot put this into our motor programs.  SO IMPORTANT!

Thanks so much to all students who participated, and to KBX Gym for making the seminar a success!

Imagine versus Visualize

In my last post I talked briefly about helping students to imagine all aspects of a scenario through imagination, using language that speaks to all the senses, not just visual.  Some people really struggle with mental pictures, or have none at all.  For me, it simply became a habit not to visualize.  I once had the ability to vividly create mental pictures, but I was told as a kid to “stop daydreaming!”  Now, I was not able to hold onto the images for long stretches at a time, but I could nevertheless create them.  This could be true for you, as well; maybe you are just rusty!  OR, maybe you need to imagine things with other sensory information.  It is an individual thing.

Brian Willis talks about this very dilemma of visualization in his blog post.  Interesting reading:

http://excellenceintraining.typepad.com/excellence_in_training/2009/10/imagine-vs-visualize.html

Training Notes

What is the best way to train Combatives?  We have been putting our thoughts together in preparation for a new class and re-vamping our current training methodology.  Our goal is to give people something they can use on the street as soon as they walk out into the world.  We have to create an immediate need for the training.  Unfortunately, many people have mental obstacles that prevent them from seeing the immediate need even though they express a desire to protect themselves.  This may be because they don’t really have a concept of what self-protection or real-world violence really entails.  You can hit students over the head with it, which is what some instructors try to do—you can scare them half to death with the brutal reality, but then you run the risk of losing students forever.  These are the very students that need help the most.  People have to be engaged as the individuals they are, because each of us has our own experiences, conditioning, etc.  We have to meet them where they are and bring them into the fold, so to speak, slowly.  People have all these wild ideas in their minds about fighting, based on what they see on television and in the movies, and the sports they watch.  But for real conflict that involves interpersonal human aggression, real mental preparation is required. 

We can tell people that fighting is not a goal, and we express this whenever we have an opportunity.  Certainly people need physical skills, also, for the times when all other measures fail.  Marcus Wynne talked about Combatives training, and expressed that people need to have the end in mind—what do they want to achieve?  Ah.  Imagery.  This keeps coming up in our research.  Students also need scenario training; we lead into this by again, creating the need in the beginning, and sharing real-life stories of survival and winning.  It is important to create a positive learning environment for our adult learners.  Even before running an individual through a scenario, the student needs to witness a trained response to a threat.  This way, they can model their own behavior after a successful response.  The scene should be set with descriptive imagery that appeals to all the senses, which helps to draw their minds into the situation.  Keep in mind that not all people can visualize.  We talked a lot about this in the Brian Willis’ Winning Mind seminar this past winter.  Some people struggle with mental pictures because they are simply not visually-oriented.  In fact, when they are told to close their eyes and visualize, they see NOTHING.  However, they can imagine with other sensory information.  If they are more kinesthetic, help them to imagine feeling.  If they are more auditory, help them to hear the sounds.  Assist them in imagining smells, and taste, if it is warranted.  Make an effort to paint the whole picture with more than just visual data.  

In his book, Sharpening the Warrior’s Edge, Bruce Siddle outlines design methodology and four goals for training.  I have paraphrased, here: 

• Increase the student’s confidence in a skill at the subconscious level.  Quickly.
• Increase the student’s situational confidence through stimulus-training-response exercises.
• Utilize imagery [he calls for visualization, but go further!] to prepare the students for the threat stimulus, and a correct response to that stimulus.
• Train students on breathing techniques to gain control of escalating heart rate. 

He also discusses the seven phases of dynamic scenario training.  Now, in the text, he is specifically referring to shooting scenarios and room-clearing techniques, but these principles can be applied to any combat scenario, in my opinion.  I have paraphrased here: 

• Introduce fundamentals, letting students know what to expect, especially in terms of survival stress.  Give students techniques for diffusing the effects of survival stress.  Students must make a mental checklist of potential threats, the primary response and the secondary response options [what is a “failure drill”?].  Students may not remember stress management techniques initially, so remind them and explain how to apply them to combat performance.
• Perform slow-motion walk-through of the steps and procedure.  This is the soft-wiring of the motor program they are creating in their nervous systems.
• Perform segmented scenario, in sequence.
• Slowly begin the process of engaging a static target while moving.  Speed picks up only after consistent practice in this phase.  If the scenario includes shooting, the students are introduced to target discrimination.
• Role players wear protective gear and exhibit threatening actions—the threat is alive, now.  Students will become more nervous with this new variable and must be encouraged to practice stress management techniques.  Between three to five reps of the sequence improves accuracy.
• Role players can now fight back.  Again, the stress level will increase for students.  The threat is only a single target at this phase, and should be simple and quick, which helps enhance visual reaction time.
• Several scenarios should be designed to test students’ reactions to the fullest extent.  Role players must maintain control; students are still learning to react and are gaining situational confidence.  Survival stress management MUST be reinforced, and it takes several repetitions at this phase for students to become automatic and fluid.  If shooting is involved, scenarios should be varied so students experience both “shoot” and “don’t shoot” situations.

Notice how students are not just thrown directly into the meat grinder with this careful process.  It serves no practical purpose if we want the students to successfully reach the goal.  Variables are changed one at a time.  Role players must be properly coached. 

So, what if practitioners need to perform better?  Following a scenario, instructors can walk them through what went right, and what could be improved.  It is important to NOT focus on the negative.  The scenario can be broken down into segments, so as to work on each individual facet of a situation.  Instructors should minimize corrections, because realistic fights are never perfect or choreographed.  Students must feel successful following scenario training. 

We have talked in previous posts about the critical elements of close quarters battles, and they are: speed, surprise, and violence of action.  Kelly McCann says that martial arts is something you do with someone, and combatives is something you do to someone.  Just as Ignatius Piazza said in his blog the other day, “action is faster than reaction.”  Once the assailant has broken into your decision loop, you are playing catch-up, and it becomes more difficult to regain the upper hand.  If you sense an imminent threat, you cannot wait for confirmation because it may be too late.  Intuition, or sensing intention, must be your guide. 

In addition to becoming unconsciously competent through scenario-based training, students must learn how to articulate their actions for the legal investigation that invariably follows.  They become unconscious competent articulates.  Students must understand when to stop the onslaught when the target is no longer a threat.  If the situation has been diffused, people no longer have the right to physically engage the assailant, within the eyes of the law.  In our minds, it is important for people to win from a physical, mental, and legal standpoint. 

 

References 

Siddle, Bruce K.  (1995).  Sharpening the Warrior’s Edge: The Pscychology & Science of Training.  Millstadt: PPCT Research Publications.

Flow and the “Failure Drill”

We talked in class last night about a very important concept we term the “failure drill”.  A lot of people bristle at the idea of a failure drill, and don’t like the negative connotations associated with the terminology.  I won’t get into all that.  The real concern is this: how often do we have a backup plan (A, B, C, or even D) when a technique fails?  The tendency of many people is to beat the dead horse—they keep working on the technique in a scenario in the event that it will eventually succeed.  Now, I am not talking about the process of learning a brand new technique.  That is totally different.  I expect failures as I work to acquire the new skill and get a feel for it through repetition.  I am talking about the situations we create in training wherein we have to use some defensive tactic, or even a pre-emptive, offensive maneuver, and due to timing, body position, or a whole litany of other reasons, the technique just fails.  So, we try, try again as seeking a new result from the same actions—hey, isn’t that the definition of crazy?  I’m sure the adversary is going to patiently wait while we get it right. 

Why not move onto a new technique?  Many of us were simply not taught that way.  We were not taught what it means to flow, which is one of the pitfalls of static training.  This is not to say that static training is bad.  On the contrary, it is a necessary step in the process of learning flow.  Nevertheless, many people get stuck in static training and camp out forever.  Training must evolve from static, to changing single variables, to something that mimics real life: dynamic flow.  Having more than one option to be able to branch to in a given situation is very important.  Then, having too many options gets into the whole Hick’s law problem regarding slower reaction times.  We must find balance! 

Flow can be encouraged and facilitated by good instructors.  A positive training experience helps students the most, but some learners are going to have a more challenging time becoming dynamic than other students.  I find those that are more rigid in their thinking patterns, highly self-critical, and very analytical, will have the most difficult time.  I can say that because this used to be me!  With the right mentor, I was able to relax and flow more than I ever thought possible.  Luckily, being dynamic in one area truly carries over into others (most importantly, the street).  I remember reading an inspirational little book about Parkour practitioners.  They talked about the practice of free running, and how it helped them see more possibilities and make decisions more rapidly in other areas of life.  The beauty of tapping into our subconscious processing!  Flowing with the body helps the mind flow.  We are energy beings, after all, made for movement—really before we are consciously thinking about anything!  I feel myself about to launch off onto some crazy tangent, so I will stop there.  Suffice it to say, it’s important to jump into the flow.

Training With a Master

This past weekend we attended a seminar with one of our instructors, Guro Dan Inosanto, and his faithful sidekick, Joel, at the Francis Fong Academy in Norcross, GA.  As always, it was an inspiring experience spending time around a true master, who is 73 years young.  I have often looked to him as a model of how I want to age, and he shares his philosophy of training and how he adapts as he ages.  I remember Dan saying one time, “I would rather wear out than rust out.”  Certainly both my parents “rusted out” at relatively early ages due to their lack of physical activity, and I see Dan as an example of what to do differently.  

We trained JKD concepts and went over a lot of basics, including the various attacks and fakes, and the importance of timing.  He brought up an interesting point about how even the best fighters among us, can have days when their biorhythms are off, and therefore their timing is also off—even the most skilled can be beaten on a bad day by the most unskilled practitioner.  We played with plenty of Silat (always hard for me), Krabi Krabong (parent art of Muay Thai) basics, and Kali.  As usual, by day two of the seminar, my brain was totally full and I was having trouble shoving more into it.  But, I diligently took notes—sure hope I can remember what it all means. 

I gained a renewed appreciation for how amazing our instructor is, and for the sheer vastness of the Filipino Martial Arts.  He talked not only about all of the instructors that influenced his JKD and Kali, but about the many different cultural influences of the Philippines: European, Tibetan, Japanese, Mexican (believe it or not!), Chinese, Persian and Arab.  We always get a history lesson during seminars.    Everyone’s system of “Kali” is different, which is why no one agrees on exactly what Kali is (many students ask this question), but then again, everyone’s JKD is different, if he or she truly embodies the ideal of absorbing “what is useful”.  Guro embraces all styles and systems, and emphasizes that none is “better” than the other; Bruce Lee recognized and wrote about the strengths and weaknesses in all systems.  Lee also focused on what he preferred based on what worked best for him, his body type and abilities.  Lee’s Jeet Kune Do was different from Dan’s, as my JKD is different from yours, or anyone else’s.  Interestingly enough, Guro Dan trains ground fighting 7 or 8 times a week, though it is not his preference to go to the ground; it is so he understands how the game is played and can defend against it.  He knows what to look for and avoid.  We talk about the same concept in our Gutterfighting and combatives, in general: avoid the fight whenever you can, but if it is time to be mean, fight as fiercely and aggressively as the predator that seeks to prey upon you, and become like the predator–your odds of winning the street “game” significantly rise.  This is more like self-offense, really.  Understand your environment as best you can—context is everything!  Dan brought up one other interesting point: a culture cannot exist without a martial art because in order to survive over any length of time, that culture must defend itself.  It reminds me of why I continue on with martial arts; it never gets boring and though many arts share so much, you could spend many lifetimes studying and never get it all.  There is always more to know!  

Check out the Inosanto Academy website:

http://inosanto.com/ 

and, the website of another great master, our gracious host, Francis Fong Academy:

 http://www.francisfongacademy.com/

Cheryl Watterson Gets Steven Mosley’s Take on Firearms

On blogtalkradio, Cheryl Watterson interviews Steven Mosley, of Combat Hard Fitness & Fighting, on firearms, the importance of training on your gun of choice and basic combatives skills, and our new course, hosted by KBX Gym: Home Firearm Safety and Basic Pistol Course.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/letstalkhomesecurity/2009/09/18/Lets-Talk-Home-Security