FUNCTIONAL COMBATIVES & FITNESS

Saturday, November 7, 2015

WEAPON DEFENCE TRAINING - FANTASY vs REALITY



Here's the PROBLEM:


Many Self Defence / Combative Sports / Martial Arts Tactics FAIL in real situations. This is especially so when WEAPONS are involved. This can be due to several SYSTEM and/or TRAINING issues:

1) The Tactics / Techniques are poorly designed without a thorough understanding and respect of the physiological and psychological effects that the stress of life/death assaults incur.

2) The Tactics / Techniques are based too much on 'Fine' and 'Complex-Motor Skills' that deteriorate under significant stress.

3) The Tactics / Techniques are too complicated and learning would take too long (years and years) for them to be remembered under stress and more importantly... to be useful right now!

4) The Training itself doesn't replicate the reality of a Weapon Assault.

5) The actual attack is too static and doesn't look and feel like the real way that Bad Guy's attacks with a weapon.

6) The Bad Guy role in training is too compliant. The behaviour of the Bad Guy lacks intent, is too static and doesn't move and react the way a real Bad Guy does.

7) Does your SPORT Combative toolbox transfer to a STREET Weapon Scenario?



Take a look at this short video that shows these Fantasy vs Reality issues: https://youtu.be/j55d8uqvKDQ


Here's some SOLUTIONS:


1) Use Tactics / Techniques that are designed to maintain their effectiveness under the effects of a real weapon assault.

2) Use your body/mind's natural and instinctive reflex's and responses as your starting point, to survive the initial assault. Go with what your Survival System wants to do; not against it! Millions of years of evolution has made our Survival reflexes highly effective. It makes sense to use this resource and design our Tactics from it!

3) Use Tactics / Techniques that are based on 'Gross-Motor Skills' that thrive under the effects of Adrenaline. 'Gross- Motor Skills' will be there for you always, (they are the last part of your skill-set to deteriorate!). Where as 'Fine/Complex-Motor Skills' work only under certain low-stress situations and require thousands of repetitions via hours of training to be effective. Even then they still may breakdown during high stress deadly force encounters. Think of the times you will see a Professional Boxer throw Haymakers, rather than a Complex Combo, at a pre-fight weigh-in altercation! 



4) Training should replicate the reality of a weapon assault as accurately as possible... this includes the general behaviour of the Bad Guy such as the pre-fight stage, but also the actual type of attacks (that are statistically most common) and the dynamic way in which they are often used.

5) Training should eventually Pressure Test the skills learnt, in a safe but realistic way as possible.

6) The Bad Guy role in training is so important. Replicate; don't Simulate! The Bad Guy should be reacting naturally to whatever the Good Guy is trying to do - natural instinctive behaviour, such as trying to regain control of the weapon, if the Good Guy grabs it! All too often, you will see a Bad Guy standing still after a single attack and then be totally compliant to whatever the Good Guy is doing! Have a search of You Tube and see how REAL attacks happen! Observe how they are far more chaotic and dynamic than most of what you actually see in training.


The Bad Guy doesn't care whether you have a Black Belt or whether you are a National Champion or not!


As a Self Defence Coach, I am continually researching, analysing, training, pressure-testing all types of methods and tactics to teach others. That is my responsibility - to ensure that what I teach, actually works to the best of my knowledge in order to keep people safe!

I hope you will also embrace this responsibility for you and your families safety. Adopt a healthy look at your Self Defence training by asking the correct questions, to get the right answers. Avoid blindly following a system of training, just because it's packaged to look cool or because the teacher is a 15th Dan Black Belt. Do your research and make sure you get to the best training possible. Keep an open mind and never stop learning and exploring! No single person has the answer! Seek your own truth!


Train Hard; Stay Safe!

Zeb Glover


Here's a link to our next coursehttp://bit.ly/1Qaryev

Weapons Defence Course - Sunday 22nd November 1-5pm - Brighton