Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Archives
Hey guys all new posts will be on this page from now on but if you would like to read my older posts they can be found here
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Sport Fighting vs Combat
The Difference
Sport fighting has always been a popular phenomenon in society, going back to the earliest days of our history. Something about watching people test their mortality and pushing themselves to the absolute limit can be inspiring. Thankfully this has been modernized and regulated in the realm of sport competition, making it acceptable for fans to release their blood-thirsty side. From the days of the gladiators to the first Olympiad to boxing and wrestling and now to cage fighting, the masses have assembled to watch warriors battle for centuries. I would argue that this does not imply that we have a violent genetic code, just that we’re curious about how far we can push ourselves. This is why most people turn away from war footage. The realm of combative violence doesn’t necessarily trigger the same response in us. Combat and fighting are not the same. In combat, there are no rules that the opposing sides have agreed to, there is no limit to how far someone can go and there is no governing body present to stop the action before it goes too far. The rules in any fighting sport are designed to make it easy for the fans to follow, but more importantly to protect the competitors. The opposite is true for combat. So, understanding that these are different realms with different objectives, the training methods can’t be the same. Naturally, there are similarities in the training and concepts shared in both contexts, but the main objectives between self defense and tactical operations are far from the same.
Sport to Combat
Hand to hand combat is trained and taught in many different ways, depending on the goals of the practitioner. For example, when training close quarter combat to military personnel, there is a strong sense of urgency to lethal force, due to the context. Training a security guard, however, in hand to hand is a little bit different, due the laws of security work and the emphasis being more on restraint tactics. When this comes to sport fighting, almost all of what you would have taught the security guard or military personnel goes out the window. Obviously lethal force is never allowed in sport and the restraint tactics of a security worker won’t necessarily be useful. The objective of sport fighting is to beat the opponent within the agreed rules of the contest. This places restrictions on both contestants. In the realm of combative violence, there are no agreed rules and the game plan changes by the second. Multiple attackers, a drawn weapon, a loved one in danger or a lethal wound are some of many examples of elements that can change the reality in a second. These are just a few reasons why someone trained in sport fighting can’t necessarily transfer their knowledge into another context. I wouldn’t recommend getting tied up on the ground working for an armbar when a second attacker could just come along and stomp your head. This doesn’t mean that sport fighting is easy in any way. In fact, it requires an entire lifestyle of training and discipline. The training methods of a professional fighter are very specific and designed for maximizing their performance under strict rules. The methods are geared specifically for this reality. Although to the casual fan this might seem like “real fighting”, this is just the result of good marketing. That being said, cage fighting is still as close to real violence as you can safely get.
Combat to Sport
Because of the chaotic nature of real life violence, professionals of this field need to be ready for anything. Literally. That, in itself, is no easy feat. Due to this requirement, many of the "starting points" of their training are similar to that of a sport fighter. They need to travel the same road and continue on, further than the fighter. Or at least in a more refined and specific direction. Combat provides many more game changers, where the sport literally remains the same in each round. For a professional to engage in a contest of fighting with restrictions, he (or she) would have to eliminate a large majority of their trained tools and sharpen a very specific few to compete. Being over prepared in a situation where someone is trying to beat you into submission is what you could call a "good problem". It's always better to know too much than too little. Especially when it comes to your survival. I would learn how to hold, load and shoot a gun with no intention of ever shooting anyone. I just need to understand how that works for defensive purposes.
Train for your life
We can't help but wonder how far we can challenge ourselves. This is why sports are such a draw for people, we need to test our mortality. Sport fighting is as far as we can safely go. We our curious about our mortality, but often terrified at the idea at the same time. For these reasons, I recommend training for everything. This way, we can assess every scenario accordingly and react appropriately. The alternative would be to risk finding yourself unprepared in a serious crisis or having been just barely ready and incapable of adapting to a paradigm shift. This will greatly enhance your training and give it real purpose. Have fun with it because you'll never run out of ways of challenging your body and mind. Being good in the ring doesn't always mean you could defend yourself against a knife, but being trained for almost any threat can definitely give you the edge in sport.
Sport fighting has always been a popular phenomenon in society, going back to the earliest days of our history. Something about watching people test their mortality and pushing themselves to the absolute limit can be inspiring. Thankfully this has been modernized and regulated in the realm of sport competition, making it acceptable for fans to release their blood-thirsty side. From the days of the gladiators to the first Olympiad to boxing and wrestling and now to cage fighting, the masses have assembled to watch warriors battle for centuries. I would argue that this does not imply that we have a violent genetic code, just that we’re curious about how far we can push ourselves. This is why most people turn away from war footage. The realm of combative violence doesn’t necessarily trigger the same response in us. Combat and fighting are not the same. In combat, there are no rules that the opposing sides have agreed to, there is no limit to how far someone can go and there is no governing body present to stop the action before it goes too far. The rules in any fighting sport are designed to make it easy for the fans to follow, but more importantly to protect the competitors. The opposite is true for combat. So, understanding that these are different realms with different objectives, the training methods can’t be the same. Naturally, there are similarities in the training and concepts shared in both contexts, but the main objectives between self defense and tactical operations are far from the same.
Sport to Combat
Hand to hand combat is trained and taught in many different ways, depending on the goals of the practitioner. For example, when training close quarter combat to military personnel, there is a strong sense of urgency to lethal force, due to the context. Training a security guard, however, in hand to hand is a little bit different, due the laws of security work and the emphasis being more on restraint tactics. When this comes to sport fighting, almost all of what you would have taught the security guard or military personnel goes out the window. Obviously lethal force is never allowed in sport and the restraint tactics of a security worker won’t necessarily be useful. The objective of sport fighting is to beat the opponent within the agreed rules of the contest. This places restrictions on both contestants. In the realm of combative violence, there are no agreed rules and the game plan changes by the second. Multiple attackers, a drawn weapon, a loved one in danger or a lethal wound are some of many examples of elements that can change the reality in a second. These are just a few reasons why someone trained in sport fighting can’t necessarily transfer their knowledge into another context. I wouldn’t recommend getting tied up on the ground working for an armbar when a second attacker could just come along and stomp your head. This doesn’t mean that sport fighting is easy in any way. In fact, it requires an entire lifestyle of training and discipline. The training methods of a professional fighter are very specific and designed for maximizing their performance under strict rules. The methods are geared specifically for this reality. Although to the casual fan this might seem like “real fighting”, this is just the result of good marketing. That being said, cage fighting is still as close to real violence as you can safely get.
Combat to Sport
Because of the chaotic nature of real life violence, professionals of this field need to be ready for anything. Literally. That, in itself, is no easy feat. Due to this requirement, many of the "starting points" of their training are similar to that of a sport fighter. They need to travel the same road and continue on, further than the fighter. Or at least in a more refined and specific direction. Combat provides many more game changers, where the sport literally remains the same in each round. For a professional to engage in a contest of fighting with restrictions, he (or she) would have to eliminate a large majority of their trained tools and sharpen a very specific few to compete. Being over prepared in a situation where someone is trying to beat you into submission is what you could call a "good problem". It's always better to know too much than too little. Especially when it comes to your survival. I would learn how to hold, load and shoot a gun with no intention of ever shooting anyone. I just need to understand how that works for defensive purposes.
Train for your life
We can't help but wonder how far we can challenge ourselves. This is why sports are such a draw for people, we need to test our mortality. Sport fighting is as far as we can safely go. We our curious about our mortality, but often terrified at the idea at the same time. For these reasons, I recommend training for everything. This way, we can assess every scenario accordingly and react appropriately. The alternative would be to risk finding yourself unprepared in a serious crisis or having been just barely ready and incapable of adapting to a paradigm shift. This will greatly enhance your training and give it real purpose. Have fun with it because you'll never run out of ways of challenging your body and mind. Being good in the ring doesn't always mean you could defend yourself against a knife, but being trained for almost any threat can definitely give you the edge in sport.
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| Online psychic |
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Thoughts on Grappling
I've been a grappling enthusiast for the last 12 years and I would like to share some thoughts on the matter. At the time of this writing (2009), I hold a 1st Dan in Kempo Jujitsu (now in 2011 I hold my 2nd Dan)and I encourage grappling in all training programs. I've trained in many different styles in my life, but the ones that truly spoke to me were methods such as Sambo, Wrestling, Judo and other grappling systems. I remember being a very cocky and immature student learning how to escape a guard for the first time and thinking to myself "what kind of weird style is this?" I continued on reluctantly and it was when I got into my first bar fight that everything changed. I clearly recall landing a nice straight on his chin and I thought that I had just landed the greatest knockout ever. Unfortunately, he had some more left in him. The hit rocked him and, as a fear response, he ducked his head and lunged at me. He couldn't afford to take another hit so he shot in to take me down, much like when a boxer seeks the clinch to avoid getting knocked down. The night ended bad. As I lay there sprawled on my back watching boots crash down on me, I thought to myself: "I wish I knew what to do down here other than cover up..." That's when I really started to understand that fights finish on the ground. From play fighting to self-defense, grappling is a part of our survival instincts.
Cardio
At it simplest, grappling trains cardio and endurance like nothing else! Before any martial training (and during) I was involved in team sports from when I was five. My sports of interest were soccer, football and rugby...all running sports. Cardio was always very important and we trained it in as many grueling variations as possible. None of that mattered when I went to my first Jujitsu class. Lungs on fire, muscles cramping and mental panic ensued and I realized that I had a lot of work to do. There's no better feeling than rolling with someone and beating your time. A good, evenly matched sparring session can lead to some of the most satisfying breakthroughs. Along with improving endurance, grappling leaves you with a good, healthy and rewarding experience in your training.
Rule out Striking
My Sensei Kevin Secours often goes to great length to ingrain us with "distance permits striking". This is an important rule. It's one thing to just say it and think that this will stay with you under pressure, it's quite another to properly train it. When someone is pushed to the point beyond thinking, whether it's due to fatigue or injury, the concepts that are most trained as survival methods will kick in. In a defense setting, the ability to invade someone else's space can quickly change an aggressor into a victim. It goes far beyond just being more comfortable with grappling. It's an entire psychological invasion of an attacker and gives the defender control in a violent crisis.
Restraint Tactics
Years later, I became very comfortable with grappling. It was now a strong part of my game, so to speak. I quickly grew out of the bar fighting scene, for obvious reasons, but I still wanted to test myself. Private security opportunities started to come up and I pursued that line of work for a number of years. I noticed right away that being familiar with grappling and submission techniques gave me an edge. It wasn't only just being a better grappler that helped, but being more comfortable than most of the other guys on my team to know how to enter and take down someone who's acting aggressive and aiming to hit anyone who comes near. Although grappling for the purpose of restraint was quite different than sport submission, I still felt like I had an edge on most.
It's Natural
For the most part we see grappling in some form or another all over the place. Lions teach their cubs how to defend themselves by rolling around with them. Kids are always grabbing onto each other for some fun wrestling. I've even read that tickling a child is a parent's way of teaching the child to protect it's space. Because the child is laughing, the parent is comfortable poking the child. For the person on the receiving end, there's a panic-like response taking place, despite the smiling and the laughing. We want to be close, for good or for bad. Fights usually start on the feet, but they almost always end on the ground. So whether you use grappling training for conditioning, sport competition or professional work, I highly recommend incorporating it into your life. Nothing will teach you how to move better and understand your healthy limits than trying to control someone else's!
*For a more in-depth exploration on grappling and what it means for our natural instincts in the modern world, check out "Primal Power" and "Primal Power 2" by Kevin Secours. For more info visit montrealsystema.com
**For older blog posts, see our archives
Cardio
At it simplest, grappling trains cardio and endurance like nothing else! Before any martial training (and during) I was involved in team sports from when I was five. My sports of interest were soccer, football and rugby...all running sports. Cardio was always very important and we trained it in as many grueling variations as possible. None of that mattered when I went to my first Jujitsu class. Lungs on fire, muscles cramping and mental panic ensued and I realized that I had a lot of work to do. There's no better feeling than rolling with someone and beating your time. A good, evenly matched sparring session can lead to some of the most satisfying breakthroughs. Along with improving endurance, grappling leaves you with a good, healthy and rewarding experience in your training.
Rule out Striking
My Sensei Kevin Secours often goes to great length to ingrain us with "distance permits striking". This is an important rule. It's one thing to just say it and think that this will stay with you under pressure, it's quite another to properly train it. When someone is pushed to the point beyond thinking, whether it's due to fatigue or injury, the concepts that are most trained as survival methods will kick in. In a defense setting, the ability to invade someone else's space can quickly change an aggressor into a victim. It goes far beyond just being more comfortable with grappling. It's an entire psychological invasion of an attacker and gives the defender control in a violent crisis.
Restraint Tactics
Years later, I became very comfortable with grappling. It was now a strong part of my game, so to speak. I quickly grew out of the bar fighting scene, for obvious reasons, but I still wanted to test myself. Private security opportunities started to come up and I pursued that line of work for a number of years. I noticed right away that being familiar with grappling and submission techniques gave me an edge. It wasn't only just being a better grappler that helped, but being more comfortable than most of the other guys on my team to know how to enter and take down someone who's acting aggressive and aiming to hit anyone who comes near. Although grappling for the purpose of restraint was quite different than sport submission, I still felt like I had an edge on most.
It's Natural
For the most part we see grappling in some form or another all over the place. Lions teach their cubs how to defend themselves by rolling around with them. Kids are always grabbing onto each other for some fun wrestling. I've even read that tickling a child is a parent's way of teaching the child to protect it's space. Because the child is laughing, the parent is comfortable poking the child. For the person on the receiving end, there's a panic-like response taking place, despite the smiling and the laughing. We want to be close, for good or for bad. Fights usually start on the feet, but they almost always end on the ground. So whether you use grappling training for conditioning, sport competition or professional work, I highly recommend incorporating it into your life. Nothing will teach you how to move better and understand your healthy limits than trying to control someone else's!
*For a more in-depth exploration on grappling and what it means for our natural instincts in the modern world, check out "Primal Power" and "Primal Power 2" by Kevin Secours. For more info visit montrealsystema.com
**For older blog posts, see our archives
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