Solo Training: Where There's a Will, There's a Way

Before I found the dojo that I've a member of for the past 15 years, I spent a lot of time training with friends without a teacher and in classes that weren't quite what I was looking for. Trying to combine what I saw on television to what I was learning in class wasn't exactly ideal, but it did help me learn to think for myself at a young age. I remember a time in my early high school years when I had worked out a three-way barter system, because I was determined to train but had no money for classes and didn't know of any schools that were teaching what I wanted. When there's a will there's a way.
I was a pro wrestling fan for as long as I can remember and back then there was an underground extreme wrestling promotion that was banned from most TV stations. As a result, you had to call their 800 number and order the tapes (yes, VHS tapes. Shut up, I'm old). I had a friend at that time who explained to me that the roots of pro wrestling came from CACC (pronounced "catch") wrestling and that if I liked the show they were putting on then I should look into the real thing. He then lent me some Karl Gotch instructional videos. I was hooked. This chain reaction of events was one of the best things to happen to me. My friend had told me that he'd been watching the tapes for a long time and wanted to try the techniques but he didn't have a partner and couldn't afford lessons at a gym. He proposed that he would keep buying the tapes if I agreed to meet him twice a week to practice. Sold!
Shortly after that, another friend of mine had started training in Hung Gar Gung Fu; a style I always had an interest in. He consistently invited me to join him, but I didn't  have any money to sign up and very little free time with rugby practice and my wrestling practice twice a week. Luckily for me, my Hung Gar friend got into a fight with a kid in his neighborhood and he was rendered helpless when the bully tackled him to the ground. He approached me to learn some of the grappling I was practicing. In exchange for some wrestling practice, he would share what he was learning in his Hung Gar classes with me. This gave me an extra way of practicing my grappling and a way of learning a new style. None of us were qualified teachers, of course, but we did the best we could with our options.
We trained this way for a long time. We eventually branched out into boxing and other styles. When I eventually ended up in Kempo Jujitsu I knew I found my new home. They both joined as well, but ultimately stopped training shortly after high school.
Years later, I would eventually realize that I happened to live in the same city as one of the best instructors in the world, so I promised myself I would never take that for granted. I experienced not having access to the training I wanted and I've met some very inspiring men and women over the years that traveled long distances to seminars to bring new information back to their humble clubs. Not everyone has access to what they want and it's important to remember that. I'm always happy to see that there are so many warriors that don't let that stop them from learning. The following are some ways of training when you're on your own or with a partner that I still keep up with now. Just being part of a large martial arts community doesn't always mean that we have the same schedule, so here are some tips that work for me and hopefully you also:

Conditioning and Bio-Mechanics
Keeping up with your conditioning and cardio exercises can keep you busy for hours every day, if you want them to. There are many ways of training your body both with and without a partner. Running, skipping, kettle bells, free weights and yoga are just some of many that I practice on my own all the time. Also, when studying your techniques, isolate the movements required and practice them on your own, without any resistance from a partner. This will train muscle memory and proper mechanical structure. Not only will this come in handy for execution, training this way can also help prevent injuries later on.

Partnered Drills and Technique Practice
Training with a partner doesn't always have to be sparring; a lesson we quickly learned when we stopped improving. At first, most of the footage we were working with were sparring sessions. Every time someone executed a technique successfully, we would break it down into stages and then isolate those movements. Repetition became the name of the game. We weren't experienced enough to train our skill sets any other way so we took the literal approach. We worked with no resistance until we felt comfortable to to try it out in sparring.

The Age of Information
As the internet continues to become the main source of information for the world, it's that much more important to have some kind of online presence. Not just to make yourself known, but to find what you're looking for. You'll find instructional videos, instructors and training opportunities that you might not have been aware of otherwise. I've met people who have created and joined online martial arts communities and travel the seminar circuit almost exclusively. Connect with others of similar interest and build a network of information sharing. It's easy to set up and free!

Teach
Another decision I made, despite being part of a dojo, was to start teaching in my community. I found a cheap venue close to my home and started a club. This was an excellent way of reviewing what I was learning on a regular basis and an easy way of training more. I've met teachers who don't have any schools in their area who manage small clubs via online videos. They receive lessons from a distant instructor and film themselves training. The footage is then sent back for feedback. It's a great system that can keep everyone motivated and working hard!

These are some tactics that have come in handy for me over the years and that I still practice now when I need to train more on my own. I've been inspired by some stories I've heard of humble beginnings into training that have lead to great things. The heart of a warrior doesn't care about circumstance, they'll find a way. Hope this comes in handy one day.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die


www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.combatsystema.com
youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts

P.S. Please feel free to share any solo training tips you practice! There are lots of great practitioners out there that could use that info!

P.P.S. Also don't forget to check out our new Articles section on the site! New content will be added there on a regular basis so make sure to keep checking in!

Irish Stick Fighting with Glen Doyle

This weekend I had the honor to train with the one and only Glen Doyle, as he shared his family's time-tested methods of Shillelagh fighting. This was my first experience in Irish stick fighting and I have to say it was amazing to learn so much and in such a great environment. Glen Doyle's teaching method complemented how I like to train and teach very well and I could tell I was learning a lot of new information that will be integrated into my training immediately. This style had been passed down from father to son for generations and it was a real privilege to share some sweat with everyone present. We learned about the roots of the system, how it changed over the years and for what purpose, how Glen learned it from his father and, most importantly, how to be an effective stick fighter! Also, a big thanks to Kevin Secours for hosting Glen and introducing all of us to his great methods.

Tried and Tested
Glen shared some of the rich history of Irish stick fighting with us this weekend. He told us about the Whiskey Wars, which was a period in time when major whiskey companies were sending gangs of stick fighters to their competitors, some to please their English consumers tastes and others to maintain the honor of family recipes. The style teaches a lot of spacial awareness and proper footwork, sure signs of a battle-tested fighting method. I'm a firm believer that a martial art style or instructor can instantly prove its legitimacy by answering questions before you've had a chance to ask them. When I'm being taught why swinging my stick to wildly might accidentally hit someone on my side or that stepping a certain way will make sure I don't trip over bodies, I know I'm being exposed to the real deal.

Personal Touch
We were also given the opportunity to hear about how Glen had been taught this family art from his father. Starting with boxing at the age of four, he then went on to learn the fundamentals of stick fighting and he demonstrated some exercises that his father used to teach footwork and movement by making him work empty handed first. He shared with us many fond memories of training with his father and family lessons that had been passed on to him. Glen also shared with us that we wouldn't have had the opportunity to learn about the Doyle Shillelagh fighting method if his father hadn't agreed to let him teach outside the family for the first time. For that, we owe Glen a big thank you. With each  new lesson, there was a sense of history and personal memories that Glen shared with his father and it was humbling to be a part of that.

Choices and Variations
With the accumulation of injuries and an aging body, I always appreciate learning variations. It's important for me to have options when it comes to delivery mechanisms. The techniques we learned also came with options that the art has developed over different generations and contexts. The first generation often held the stick in one hand, more like an armed boxing style. To counter this, fighters developed a two-handed style that would confuse the more traditional fighters. With the incorporation of the two-handed style, fist were still used for punching in a much less telegraphic way. We were shown variations on hits to prioritize speed, power or balance and encouraged to try them all and decided which worked best for us. Due to knee injuries and feeling particularly sore that day (thanks, Kevin) I opted to work with the more stable stance. I enjoyed the option of trying variations on just about every thing we practiced that day. This is also a good sign of a battle hardened fighting system. No two fighters move the same and I'm glad that was addressed as well.

I highly enjoyed training in the Doyle stick fighting system and I'm happy to have months of homework and practice ahead of me. Glen shared some of the amazing history of the style with us so that each exercise always had a sense of context and we always knew what situation we were training for. It was very interesting to hear about his own path in martial arts and learning under his father, who we all hoped to honor in our own training. Glen taught with humor, humility, respect and an assistant instructor who had a lot of really good tips to share with me and help me learn faster (thanks, Chris!). For more information on Glen Doyle and his martial arts, just check out www.doylesmartialartsclub.com. Also, another big thank you to Kevin Secours for making this seminar possible and all the participants at Integrated Fighting Systems for the great experience.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com

Rules vs Policies

In my experience, people can often be categorized into two groups when they're training: those seeking "Golden Rules" of fighting and those who want policies for surviving a violent crisis. The first group of people are the same ones who will throw a slow-motion punch at your face and ask you what you'll do. If your answer is longer than 4 words, you'll probably lose their attention. I often call this "martial ADD". I'm not saying that attention disorders are anything to be laughed at, but some students can't seem to focus enough to learn how to think for themselves. As an instructor that can be frustrating. The second group of people typically have a hard time taking anyone at their word and need to understand why something is taught. In my opinion, this is the healthiest attitude to have when learning anything, especially self defense.

Rules
When people are looking for the "Golden Rule" of fighting, they want to be relieved of the responsibility of having to think for themselves. Sadly, there is no universal answer to winning a fight. Training to defend yourself against the unpredictable dangers of the world is one of the scariest and most challenging journeys you can take. If there was an easy answer, someone would have found it and everyone would be a black belt. Rules are  for sports and games. This way, everyone is on the same level and know what they can and can't do. My favorite example are poker players. I have a fair amount of experience playing poker and I've noticed that online poker players and those who play in person are very different. It always reminds me of the difference between sport fighting and combat. Online players tend to have a pre-conceived set of rules for every scenario. Lacking the human psychology of the game, poker is much more like a video game to these players, sitting at their computer for hours and often playing several games at once. These players at a table are often easy to read. They might lack the "poker face" needed to trick players and hide what they're holding. At a table, you manipulate your opponent into doing what you want while they think it was their idea. Two very different skill sets. This is just like fighting and training. There are, of course, always a "right" and "wrong" reaction, but when you lose control of the situation you've got to be able to adapt. Train to stay calm and roll with the punches. Don't panic when the scenario doesn't follow any "rules", because they're just an illusion constructed for your comfort.

Policies
A policy is something that you can question. Concepts, principles and theories are logical solutions to a problem that have been tested under pressure. We present these policies with explanations of what the consequences are if they're not followed. This was explained to me very clearly in my first year playing rugby. My fist coach explained to me that there are no rules in rugby, only laws. Not the same thing. Laws can be interpreted by the referee to judge if there was any advantage gained by bending them. If there isn't, no need to stop the game. If you punch someone in the nose, fail to recover the ball and your victim steps on your face...play on. This might be an extreme example but the point remains: question what you learn and everything will make more sense. Now I know why punching the guy who picked up the ball was a bad idea. If consequences aren't presented, we're just all training to omit free thought and train to be robots, ready to malfunction as soon as we lose control of an uncontrollable situation. This "do what I say" training method will doom us to failure. You can question your teachings in a respectable manner. Anytime a student has questioned something I taught (very rare occasion, of course!), it made two things clear for me as their instructor: they're listening and I wasn't clear enough on this particular point. I often encourage students to do the opposite of what I'm saying so that they don't just have to take my word for it. My sensei, Kevin Secours, often makes us warm-up with the "wrong" reaction to train our psyche to feel why this isn't working. We're often brought to the point of structural failure to ingrain the opposite response. In my experience in live combatives, this has been extremely helpful. We can't train "rules" this way because we need to remain cognitive and sharpen our judgement.

As with many lessons in my years of training, this method of learning has served me well in every aspect of my life. Life is easier if you're acting out of free will and not because you're following rules that you don't quite understand. Rules create a fear of consequence mentality, whereas policies explain the alternatives and make it clear why they are undesirable. Critical thinking and proper judgement are the keys to real freedom. You'll feel more confident all the time. Question everything, fear nothing.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.combatsystema.com
youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts
twitter.com/scrapyard514

5 Stages of Guilt

In training, there is always a chance that someone is going to get injured. This is the unfortunate truth that no one likes to think about too much. Personally, when I get injured, I can accept that as being an unfortunate part of the the job. What I can't handle too well is when a training partner gets injured. No matter what the circumstances are, there's always a certain level of guilt that comes when you've been involved with someone getting hurt. This happened to me recently and, since others experience this sometimes as well, I thought I would discuss it here. I was grappling with a fellow instructor and training partner of 15 years and it ended with him getting hurt. I insist that I forced too hard on his ankle and he politely maintains that he should have tapped earlier. Either way, there was an accident and I was involve and I don't like that one bit. So I know from experience of having to hurt people through fighting and security work that I would have an emotional roller coaster ahead of me. There are generally 5 stages we go through when feeling guilty about something and I knew I would experience them all. Over the course of 48 hours, I decided to document the process.

Stage 1: Denial
The obvious first reaction is denial. As soon as it's clear that someone's hurt, you want that to not be the case anymore. The closest thing to going back in time and fixing the problem is to try and convince yourself that the injury isn't as bad as you thought. In my most recent and unfortunate case, I heard a crack in my friend's ankle and let go immediately, asking him if he was ok. He kept his composure and told me he was fine, so I immediately started to tell myself that I imagined the whole thing. That wouldn't last of course as it became evident that an injury just happened.

Stage 2: Anger
When denial doesn't work and we realize that this situation isn't going away, we often need to find something to blame. For me, I was instantly furious with myself. I was mad that after all these years of training I could still let an accident happen. I should be experienced enough to know when to let go and never should have been generating enough force to even come close to hurting someone. These are all true, of course, and became my main focus for a full 24 hours afterwards.

Stage 3: Bargaining
Denial leads into anger and, when that doesn't help, we try to "cut a deal" with ourselves. This is usually some kind of promise to ourselves to accomplish 2 things: to make sure we don't repeat the unfortunate incident and to make our guilt go away. I spent the whole next day going through various "deals" with myself. I started with "I'm never sparring again" to "I'm only going to train my defense from now on" and then I ended up promising myself that I would take some time to focus on teaching the newer students and less time on fighting for the sake of my ego.

Step 4: Depression
When all the previous stages fail to yield results, the first step to accepting the truth of the situation is depression. To be clear, the stage is referred to as depression, but it isn't always that extreme. I was, and still am, sad about the whole incident. I feel awful that a friend got hurt and that is a totally normal reaction. In my experience, this is often the longest of the stages, rivaled occasionally with stage 2.

Stage 5: Acceptance
After taking some time to meditate on the situation, a certain level of acceptance can be reached. I'm still mad at myself for letting an injury happen, I still want to shift my focus in training for the next while and I'm still upset that my friend is hurt but I know we've both been through this over the years and we'll both be alright. I've had to cope with being responsible for people's injuries before, mostly from working in private security, and the duration of each stage can vary. Sometimes the guilt goes away in a few hours and in some cases it takes months. Acceptance, when reached, is the only permanent stage. Unfortunately, it's a tough road to get there and isn't always reached.

My best advice for anyone going through this is to meditate. Get yourself through the stages by tackling your feelings head-on. Avoidance will just make the guilt worse. Dealing with an injury is an experience that most martial artists have to go through, so being the one who inflicted that on a friend is never easy to accept. You will beat yourself up for it, the injured person will often insist that it's not your fault and friends will offer kind words but, unfortunately, none of that will work. Take the time to acknowledge how you feel.

Wishing my friend a fast and healthy recovery. I'll be nagging you frequently for progress updates. Heal up, brother!

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.combatsystema.com
twitter.com/scrapyard514
youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts

The Belt System

Having a ranking system in your martial arts training is a subject of some controversy. Many argue that the ranks are irrelevant, while traditionalists maintain that it is necessary to learning. I'm far from a traditionalist, but this system has worked for so long and helped me set and achieve goals in my own training. I also train and teach styles that don't have any kind of rank distinction, so I have a base for comparison. I respect the fact that everyone has their own reasons for their preferences, but the following are a few reasons why I support ranks and belts in my training curriculum.

1. Structure in learning
By establishing a curriculum, a ranking system will help distinguish what techniques and concepts should be emphasized for each student. Obviously students with a strong foundation will be advancing at a different rate than others, so the belt system will also help each student learn according to their needs. The lower ranks should work mostly on the foundations of the style, intermediate level students should be training to learn counters and strategy to execute their techniques and advance level practitioners will focus on advanced techniques and applications. Ranks also help us determine how to properly test certain students in exams to evaluate their progress. It really helps to organize the best way to teach a new student.

2. Setting the standard
When you achieve certain ranks, you will develop a certain standard of performance of yourself. This is a good thing, because with every rank comes more confidence. Belt exams have been some of the hardest accomplishments of my life and when you're putting that new belt on for the first time it feels amazing. Acknowledging your level of expertise will force you to admit that you're getting better, therefore removing all excuses in your training. In certain styles (like Kempo Jujitsu, for example) it is also possible to be demoted a rank. This added stress also helps in staying motivated and focused. Overcoming these challenges has directly improved my ability to deal with stress everywhere in my life. Stay confident and proud of how far you've come.

3. Beating a higher rank
As some of you may have experienced, there are few experiences as satisfying as beating someone of a higher rank. In most styles, your belt level isn't solely based on your ability to compete (there are specific requirements at each level), but their rank does indicate that they've been training longer and been through more exams than you. It is a great achievement and should just fuel the fire to train more. My belt was never a limit to how much I could learn, just a constant reminder of how much further i should push myself. I'll admit now that in my more arrogant days higher belts were a sort of target for me in training. Don't worry, most of the time my ass was promptly handed back to me. That just kept me training and trying harder all the time. My rank always made sure that I was always humbled and always hungry. That should never change.

4. Target on your back
Reaching higher ranks will continue to train you in stress management. As I mentioned, it feels great to tie off that belt for the last time and putting on your new one, but that feeling is quickly bumped aside when you feel the lingering looks of everyone in your dojo. Like it or not, the higher your rank the bigger the target on your back. I admitted earlier that I would deliberately seek out higher ranks in training and I quickly learned that it goes both ways. This constant pressure will also keep making you better. I often sign off with "Fight or Die" and this is because of something my sensei told me on the day that I earned my black belt. He explained to me that most people see black belts as being indestructible, so the challenges won't just increase in numbers but also in intensity. He wasn't lying! I've been fighting my ass off ever since that day and that has allowed me to really improve fast. I'm challenged every time I teach a class or seminar and I take no offence to that at all. I enjoy the challenge and appreciate the people who would like to train with me.

These are just some observations I've made that differ from when I'm training or teaching a non-ranking system. There isn't the same level of pressure or accountability, but these aren't fatal differences in your training. Just some reasons why the belt system is a preference of mine. We each need and look for different experiences in our training so make sure you're clear on what works best for you. Find the methods that bring out the best of what you have to offer and stick to it!

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com
www.CombatSystema.com
youtube.com/ScrapyardMartialArts
twitter.com.Scrapyard514

Fighting Angry

Every sport fighting fan loves a good grudge match, myself included. It's always fun to get into a good dramatic story on why two people should throw down. The best fights are often motivated by the need to win something, like a championship or avoiding an elimination in a tournament. A grudge match, however, is totally different. Often the fighters' top priority is to hurt their opponent or make them look bad. The audience usually eats this up because the need to assert dominance is often more entertaining. When there's something like a title on the line, fights are often defensive and highly technical, which doesn't always sell as well. Angry fights, on the other hand, are all about offense. This is not always the most intelligent approach. Good for fans, bad for the fighters.

Lost Focus
For me, the most important thing in a fight is to keep the brain goal-oriented. This enables us to stay cognitive and keep the reptilian brain from taking over. By staying engaged with our thought process, we can focus on ending the fight while taking as little damage as possible. We can control the pace and keep our strategies sharp. Your ability to adapt goes out the window when you decide to just rage out. A fighter who can keep his cool will solve this problem in no time. If you're only goal is to hurt your opponent, then you might be at a loss after you land your first punch. If he's still standing after that and you can't come up with a new plan, you'll inevitably just repeat your plan. You'll be stuck in a loop, so to speak, because you've shut off the intelligent part of your brain and can't adapt. Stay sharp and stay smart.

Tension
Letting yourself indulge in anger when you're fighting won't just make your mind freeze, but your body also. Anger leads to tension, which reduces mobility. This will also increase your heart rate (like it needed to be higher in a fight) and tire you out faster. Your muscles will tense up and you'll feel stiff. Your mobility will be greatly reduced, which will make it challenging to keep up. So now you'll be unable to stick to a smart strategy, run out of breath and not be able to move as much. This is all before your opponent even throws a punch! Fighting is hard enough, don't make it worse.

Taking Damage
There's a common expression in sports: "Defense wins championships". This is a strategy that requires some fore brain activity. You have to be able to think to enforce this concept. The idea for intelligent fighters is to win while taking as little damage as possible. This isn't such a priority when someone loses their temper. I've seen it happen and felt this myself (younger days, thanks to my corner for correcting that). When you're motivated by malice, you stop caring about your well-being. This shortens careers, kills brain cells, will get you killed in a street fight and often cost you the match. Also emotional control is a matter of discipline, which is a reflection of your training.

Getting mad and losing your temper often means that there's an insecurity that has been exposed. In fighting, people are often angry because they might not think they can win. Not every time, but often if someone makes it personal with me, I see it as an act of over-compensation. Losing your temper is losing control. Train hard, stay disciplined and push yourself regularly. Keep cool, stay healthy and keep winning.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.ScrapyardFighting.com
www.CombatSystema.com

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Visualization: Keep it real

"Visualizing" is a word that gets thrown around a lot, especially in the world of fighting and training. The concept is often encouraged, but rarely elaborated. Guided meditation drills and role playing in your training can help you focus on the context of what and why you're training. Sometimes, however, we get too caught up in the idea of fighting for our lives in an alley somewhere and we get carried away in training. Out of fear, we compete instead of practice, which can hinder us just as much. It's hard to learn anything new or practice your timing when your stress is too high. A careful balance needs to be established in our training and one of the best ways to find this "sweet spot" is to meditate on the two extremes.

Not Enough
If we don't remind ourselves why we're training and take some time to imagine the scenario that would cause us to fight then the greater purpose is lost. Instead, we risk getting caught up with competitive drills and unrealistic techniques. We forgot how/why we'd be fighting. It's like seeing someone with perfect timing on the pad drills, but have never punched someone or been punched. Warning signs of this include getting distracted with irrelevant details, concern with how you "look" when doing the exercise and overly concerned with labels and names of everything. A punch to the nose and suddenly everything is grouped into two piles:  techniques that will make this stop and everything else. Those are the important details. To fix any issue resulting with under-visualization, train harder. And by "train harder", I really mean "hit harder". Any kind of role playing or reality simulations you can add to your training, periodically, will greatly improve your ability to understand the reality of defending yourself.

Over Visualization
Don't over do it. I see people become too competitive in their training (usually beginners) and they stray from the focus of the exercises. A lot of times this comes from a fear and over compensation. When someone is insecure with an aspect of their training or their overall abilities, they often try to avoid confronting this area by being over aggressive in their drills. This is like pretending you didn't hear the question because you don't know the answer. There's only one way to get better and that's by constantly visiting your weak areas and improving them, not hiding behind your comfort zone. When this happens in training, you're not only removing yourself from the exercise, but also depriving your partner of the chance to improve also. Stay focused. Save the fighting for the street.

Meditate
Keeping your training in context shouldn't be difficult for you. You know why you're training and each drill should be relevant to some kind of fighting context or skill set development. When you see someone stray from the focus, this usually means that they need work in this area, but opted to go to a place that is more comfortable for them. No one is improving anything this way. If you're partnered with someone, frequently take them out of that zone, stop the drill, remind them what the focus of the exercise is and reset. Stop them every time or you're running the risk of getting lost in some competitive battle of egos. Meditate regularly on the two extremes of focus and keep yourself grounded in the middle. You showed up to the dojo to leave a slightly different person. Make sure you get what you're working for.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

www.scrapyardfighting.com
www.combatsystema.com
twitter.com/scrapyard514
youtube.com/scrapyardmartialarts

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