combat

All posts tagged combat

Have you ever seen a drag race on TV or in person? They are pretty cool; a car can go a quarter mile in about 10 seconds, often finishing at speeds above 130 mph! Many amateurs take a normal enough car with a good engine and make some modifications to the engine and body and can typically double their time down the track for several thousand dollars. Now, once all of the obvious things have been done and the “low hanging fruit” has been plucked, they run into a wall, a very expensive wall… This wall is called the law of diminishing returns.

For this context this law means this: Once the maximum-median effort has been put into a process, your return will lower while your cost increases. Using the car analogy: To get a 15 second car to 10 seconds may only take a few thousand dollars. However, to take that same car from 10 seconds to 9 seconds may take tens of thousands…

Applying this to the self defense realm, shooting a dime is cool but what is the real benefit, and is it worth the time and resources? Now, before you get your feathers all ruffled up, hear me out! To shoot a handgun close range and be combat effective is not terribly hard. It takes some time and good training, but it can be achieved within a relatively short amount of time, then it is just a matter of maintaining your skill set. Being combat effective is a good goal to aspire to. Anything beyond that is just flash in the pan, yeah I said it. Frankly, I don’t care if you can put a whole magazine in the same hole. Further still, I can support why that is even less effective than a 6-9 inch well placed group through a little thing called compound trauma.

If you measure your accuracy, success, and abilities in the self defense world using a bell curve you will better understand my point. The middle of the curve is also the pinnacle. If you, continue to push beyond the pinnacle, your return begins to go back down. Why bother? I mean unless you are a professional competitor, what is the point? Why would you not invest your time and resources in to something new or different? What have you gained in being able to shoot a dime sized group, but you have no ability to fight to your gun? If you have no physical skill set to get to your gun in a fight, the gun loses a huge advantage and may never become part of a fight when you need it most.

This applies to more than just guns. How about striking? You can train for years to become a professional level striker and be able to take on pros in the ring. However, is all that time and money worth it? Do you really need to be a professional level striker in order to win a street fight? Of course you will have the obvious advantage, but what are the chances that you will be fighting a golden glove, or a MMA pro on the street? Not very high. However, reaching the pinnacle of the bell curve and having a good solid hand to hand game will give you a massive advantage over the vast majority of people, especially thugs and criminals.

Look, I am not saying that you should not train to be accurate. If you hear that, you have missed my point and need to go back and start this article over. What I am saying is this: Do not get so focused on mastering one niche that you allow yourself to become weak in other areas. The one who is most balanced in their self defense ability will be the most effective.

What can we learn?

  • Train to be good, but not the best. If you spend too much time on one thing other areas will be weak.
  • It is advantageous to be combat effective in numerous areas than master in one.
  • Think of the bell curve when you train, reach the top, train to stay there, and find something else to work on.
  • Diversify your abilities. If you put all of your eggs in one basket, you are more likely to to lose them all.
  • If you have no physical ability to fight to your gun, your gun becomes less effective and may never come into the fight.

Stay Sharp,

Adam

Have you ever had a flat tire? It is pretty lousy, huh? No matter the kind of day we are having a flat tire always makes it worse. Thankfully a flat tire does not directly effect our engine performance, interior climate or comfort, radio, brake lights, etc. Even though the only thing effected is 25% of our tire ensemble the car becomes much less effective, almost worthless for transport. It is essentially taken it out of service, even if only temporarily.

Combat effectiveness can be defined in this context as: Any means or cause that provides one with an advantage in combat. The car has become less effective, without totally destroying it. Translate that analogy to a fight. If you break a guys hand, elbow, knee, or gouge an eye you have not destroyed the opponent, however, he has become much less effective in the fight. He cannot punch if his arm does not work, nor can he chase you if his knee bends the wrong way. Oh, and don’t forget breathing and eyesight, damage those and you have the upper hand!

If you damage more than one system, ie: eye, knee, and elbow, you have what is called compound trauma. This wreaks havoc on your opponent and gives you a marked advantage. Before we get carried away, let’s take a look at a few specific target points that can make one less effective in a fight.

  • Eyes – can’t see, can’t fight.
  • Throat – Can’t breathe, again, can’t fight.
  • Knee – Fairly fragile and hugely important, can’t walk on a knee that bends the wrong way.
  • Elbow – Like the knee but more fragile, bend it the wrong way and they can’t use their arm.
  • Hand – Break it and they can’t grip. That means no fist, knife, or gun for that hand.
  • Liver – I’ve seen guys black out over a good liver strike. It disrupts your system and your body does not like it.
  • Ears – Clap these bad boys hard and you cant stand up straight due to ruptured ear drums.

These are just a few of a long list of combat effective points on the human body. Some more effective than others, and some more potentially lethal than others. For example, punching someone in the throat is potentially lethal, whereas breaking an elbow is not likely to cause death. So, you need to understand the level of force you are using and apply it appropriately.

Pain. Pain is good, and can help you win a fight. But let me make one thing quite clear, pain is not sufficient to end most real fights. In fact someone who is under the influence of adrenaline, drugs, and/or alcohol is not likely to feel pain, and certainly not to the extent that you would like. That is precisely why you did not see a kick to the groin on the list above. While you can do some real damage to a fella this way, it is primarily pain. If however you lower that kick to the knee, he is likely to lose his immediate ability to walk. In a fight, your goal should be to prohibit the body’s ability to function, not inflict pain.

You can be combat effective without a gun. In a very large arsenal of tools a gun has a very important place, however, it is pretty limited in its use and ability. Hands/feet, sticks, pepper spray, contact weapons, etc. are all tools you can use to be highly combat effective. What is most important is that you learn and train. Then, you train and train some more. Never become complacent.

What can we learn?

  • You can be effective in combat or a fight without destroying your opponent entirely.
  • Learn the human body and what makes it work, then you will know how to shut it down.
  • Pain is not enough to end a fight,  you need to stop the body from working.
  • Know and understand what level of force you are using and apply it appropriately.
  • Never give up, and never stop learning

Stay Sharp,

Adam

Let’s run a quick hypothetical. I give you a bounce house and a good knife. Then I tell you that your life depends on getting it deflated in under a minute. You can use the knife, but on to stab no slicing or cutting. How would you deflate that huge thing in under a minute? Would you stab the same place over and over, or would you make as many holes as possible all over? Yeah, I thought so.

Now, take that same theory and apply it to self defense. If your life depending on “deflating”  a threat as fast as possible, why do we so concern ourselves with shooting such a tight group as to make on hole? Hmm, interesting. Let me offer a quick disclaimer here: I am not advocating you do not train to proficiency. I am advocating that you train to be good, real good, then maintain that same ability over time.

Let’s take a closer in depth look at compound trauma. We will use guns and gun shot wounds (GSW) for our mechanism of injury here. If you shoot a bad guy one time, he has one injury. If you shoot him 5 times in the same spot, he has one big wound. But, if you shoot him 5 times (in a 6-9 inch group) different spots, he has 5 wounds. If you are shooting the chest, that kind of group could cover the heart, and both lung,  and maybe even the liver.

If you are looking to do serious damage to somebody, this is how you will achieve it. If all 5 rounds went into one lung, he has a major problem. However, that is quite survivable and he can even stay in the fight if he is determined, or under the influence. If however, you get the lungs, heart, and or liver, he cannot breathe and will likely collapse in just a few seconds due to loss of blood. There is no amount of determination of drugs that will keep him in the fight. The body will fail to function and that will be that.

Are you starting to see the effectiveness of compound trauma? Moving beyond the physical effects of it, we can take a peek at the psychological effects of compound trauma. One wound is bad enough, but when you have several different wounds and you are feeling the different effects of them, panic and maybe even shock will set it. This is good for you. If he can become focused on himself and not you, he suddenly becomes less interested in the fight and a lot more concerned with staying alive.

If this happens to you, being the good guy, you need to stay calm and do not panic. Finish the fight or die trying. Then start treatment. You can’t stop in the middle of a fight because of injury, that only gives them further advantage. You must press on and finish the fight. Once done there, you can use the first aid training you received to dress your wounds and call for help. It is of paramount importance that you do not give up mentally. There have been many cases of someone with a would that should have killed them survive because they refused to succumb to the injury. Stay strong and stay in the fight!

Compound trauma is not a topic often talked about or discussed, but I think it is important for you to understand. Not only for you own benefit if you experience it but also for inflicting it to use against a threat. Not just with guns either. You can combine and mix any combination of weapons and tools to inflict compound trauma, that is the beauty of it.

What can we learn?

  • Many holes are more effective than one when it comes to injury.
  • The body will stop working faster with several injuries as opposed to one.
  • Compound trauma works fast to shut the body down and keep it from functioning.
  • Train to be good and stay there! 6-9″ groups are very combat effective on the torso.
  • Get first aid training…

Stay Sharp,

Adam

I went running the other day. To some that may be an everyday habit, I assure you, for me it is not. I don’t care to run unless it is perfect weather and I want to be outside, this was one of those days. I started out and was feeling pretty good a mile in, after mile two I was still feeling alright so I decided to go for a 3 mile! About a tenth of the way into the third mile I started feeling it… I felt like I hit a wall, my side started hurting, and everything went to pot. However! I refused to stop, I was determined to go a full three miles, or until my body failed. I was not going to let my mind stop me!

Quitting is an option for many, particularly in America. We have developed a society that encourages easy living and removal of hardships. While that is nice in many ways, it has softened us as a society. When things get hard we quit or change the rules. Guess where quitting is not an option, ever? Go ahead, take a minute and think about it before you read on. You think you got it? If you said self-defense, combat or some equivalent then you nailed it! If you are in a fight for your life, you better believe you opponent(s) is not going to just stop and walk away because you are tired or hurt. If you need a lesson on not quitting no matter what read Lone Survivor  by Marcus Luttrell or watch the movie.

Just because you are hurt, tired, or just don’t feel like it, stopping is not an option. A fight for your life typically only lasts a few seconds. In a fight 15 seconds feels like 15 years but the reality is it is only a short time. Training hard and as realistically as possible to create stress and elevated heart rate comes into its own here. Mimicking real life scenarios is great as long as you are careful to avoid the injury side of reality. This simulation assists in fixing the perceptual change that comes with high stress situations. Like most everything else, exposure can lead to desensitization. In this case, that is a good thing.

I have yet to experience anything so exhausting as fighting… It wears a body (and mind) out! It makes you want to quit because you can’t breathe, your heart rate is 150+ BPM, it hurts, and it can be scary. We must train in a controlled and safe environment in order to help us overcome this fear and desire to quite. We are hard-wired to run away from danger. Look at nature for this. The list of animals and insects that go right to combat before first retreating is rather short. I say regularly and will say it again here: If a fight can be avoided, avoid it, however, if you must fight with extreme violence and ferocity!

Don’t take my word for how important preserving is. Look up survival stories and decide for yourself the resounding theme of survivors: Perseverance. You will not read quotes of: “It just got so hard and I was hurting pretty bad, so I just stopped fighting, I quit, thankfully the guy trying to hurt me saw I was tired and walked away”. Nope! You will see this however: “I couldn’t breathe, and I thought I was dying, but I was not going to let this scumbag take me away from my family!”.

Perseverance is a resounding theme for success not only in this realm of self-defense but also in business, relationships, and life in general. The decision to not give up may be hard, it may hurt, but at the end of the day if it is worth fighting for, it is worth persevering for!

What can we learn?

  1. The second quitting becomes an option, it becomes an inevitability
  2. Don’t quit, like seriously, don’t quit, ever!
  3. It may hurt, it may be scary, we may not have asked for it, but we must persevere through it anyway.
  4. If it is worth fighting for, it is worth persevering for!
  5. Train, practice, learn, repeat!

Stay Sharp,

Adam

If someone grabs you just like this you need to: drop down, swing your right foot around, bring your left knee up, reach across with your right arm to the left side of their face, jerk it to the right while using your left hand to take their wallet. OK, that may be a little silly but, that is about right for some of the techniques I have encountered. Silly manifestations of a good idea gone awry.

Before we move on let’s take a minute to define and understand the difference between technique and techniques. When I say technique, I refer to the style, aptitude, and skill in a particular ability or skill set. For example: punching, kicking, knife defense, shooting, etc. These physical actions require a certain amount of knowledge, training, and ability. The more you know and the better you are able to apply the knowledge, the better your technique.

Techniques on the other hand are a set of moves that can be taught and learned quickly that allow one to counter or mitigate an attack. These are specific moves that require a specific action by another party to work. For example: If someone throws a right straight punch, there are several specific actions you can use to counter and attack. However, if it is a left punch, it won’t work… Are you starting to see the difference?

You see, the danger with techniques is that when something is not perfect on either side you get all confused and screwed up and the technique you are trying to apply doesn’t work. I am reminded of an old Andy Griffith episode where Barney keeps trying things with Andy, and Andy is “attacking him wrong” when Barney can’t seem to get it. Voice of experience speaking: when you try to apply a technique to someone who is not behaving just as you need, your thought process will get all jacked up and you will fumble through the movement and likely cause yourself to fail.

Please do not hear me saying that techniques are bad. I have obtained a vast repertoire of techniques over the years; however, I would not use most them in a fight. Why? In order for a technique to be effective the attack must be just so, you must have trained to an intense level for that technique. There are some though, that are responses to very common attacks that I have trained to high level in that I would use in a fight.

Techniques have their place in combat and training, however, I am a firm believer that technique will get you farther. If you know how to strike, take a hit, where to hit and when, you will be a phenomenal fighter. Once you understand and have mastered proper combat technique you will be able to react with remarkable speed, precision, and effectiveness.

Flexibility and adaptation of intentions is critical to survive a fight. In the military they have a saying: The best of plans won’t survive first contact. This means that no matter how much planning you do, when everything goes left, your plan will fall apart. If, however, you are prepared for a dynamic fight and ready and able to adapt your plan and attack, you are highly likely to win that fight…

 

What can we learn?

  • Techniques have their place, but you must use and train with caution
  • Technique takes a little longer to develop but, will take you farther than any techniques ever could
  • Learn and develop your technique over time. Start out with some basic a simple techniques and you will become well-rounded over time.
  • There is no substitute for training! No matter your approach, you must train!

Stay Sharp,

Adam

Sometimes I go to training and see the guys with $3,000+ rifles, $1500+ handguns, and $1,000+ worth of accessories with the latest and greatest of everything Tactical; the latest 5.11 Tactical gear, hats, gloves, plate carrier, helmet, so on and so forth… Then I look up my gear and realize it’s a working man’s load out, I have maybe $1,000 into my rifle and then less than $500 in my hand gun.  I am sometimes embarrassed by my “Poor Man’s” load out; then I realized, it’s not just about high-end gear, it is about a whole lot more…

America has become pretentious as a whole. Unless you have the latest car, nicest clothes, and biggest house you are somehow inferior to everyone else. This worldview carries over into the tactical world, believe that. Tactical is synonymous with macho/ego at times, only serving to exacerbate this problem. Some folks look down on people for not being able to afford the all the highest end gear, others may not want to spend that much even if they can.

I understand the feeling, most intimately I assure you. As and instructor I get people of all walks come through our courses. Often I have someone come in with everything nicer than me, and that is ok. Other folks have what some would call “cheap” gear, but that is all they can afford. I don’t understand this attitude of: “you suck unless you have nice gear”. This irritates me to no end. I have known a lot of folks who do not have much money, however, they are good at what they do for this reason: They buy a decent tool, and spend time with it…

Now, let me clarify something real quick: I am not saying that you cannot have nice things, not at all. If you can afford the high end gear, go for it! However, you should avoid at all costs judging others based on their gear! On a related note: worn out gear, of decent quality, is a sign of experience and time, don’t let worn out gear fool you. In my construction days we would joke about the guys who roll up on a site with all new tools; this was a dead give away to that guy not having a clue what he was doing. His tools were all new because he has never used them.

Back on topic now, what is most important is learning to use the tool. Say for example you have a $1000 budget for a new handgun. You could buy a $1000 dollar gun sure, OR you could buy a $5/600 gun, spend a hundred bucks on getting some professional instruction, and spend what ever you have left ($3/400) on ammo and time on the range. You will learn more about your gun in a week like this than most learn in years!

The cold hard reality is %95 of the population does not need the best gear, they need good gear and the best training! So, next time you are at the range or a training and you see “Tactical Tommy” over there, wearing his AR-500 plates and carrier, ballistic helmet, 14 AR mags, thigh holster and 12 inch “tactical” knife ask yourself this question: “Will any of those things help me defend myself and my family”? If you wake up in the middle of the night, are you gonna throw on all that gear, or when you are at a Gala, will you be wearing your plates? I highly doubt it… Train for the fight you are most likely to have. All of the tactical gear is fun, believe me, and it has its place, but don’t get to caught up in all of the flash and forget the substance…

What can we learn:

  • Gear does not define a man, character does
  • Do not get so caught up in the gear itself, you never bother become proficient with it
  • Will all of the tactical gear equip you to better protect you and your family in the “real world”?
  • Do not allow yourself to judge others based on equipment, not everyone has the ability to have the latest and greatest

Stay Sharp

Adam

I will let you know right up front that this is where my heart lies. Traditional Martial Arts holds a place near and dear to my heart. You now know where I stand on this matter. I assure you, I will do an objective job of explaining both pros and cons of martial arts. Let’s jump right in shall we?

In Mike Tyson v Bruce Lee: Fighting Systems, we talked about, and broke down, what fighting systems are. Here we do the same with martial arts, but I am talking about real martial arts. Those that have been around for some time and have been battle proven. Let’s look at the words individually;  Martial: Relating to fighting or war – Oxford English Dictionary. Before we move on to art, let’s stay on martial for just a second. Consider the origin of martial arts. They were birthed from war. Professional warriors used these arts in combat, routinely. You are thinking, yeah right, I never saw anybody performing those fancy dance moves in combat. OK, so, those fancy dance moves are called kata; and your are right; kata are not performed in combat. However, each one has a purpose, but that is another article. Suffice it to say here, katas help the training process and memorization of skills. Trust me when I say the good systems have some very lethal knowledge.

Art as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary: A skill at doing a specified thing, typically one acquired through practice. That is the fourth definition provided, and the one I like the most as it fits the context. Arts are free flowing and malleable,  allowing you to express your ideas and thoughts. When we combine the two words into Martial Arts we get this definition: A system of knowledge and way of life applied during combat and peace where violence and peace are reconciled. I could not find a definition I liked in any way, so I created that one just now; I am open to input where the definition is concerned by the way.

What martial arts are: A way of life. A martial artist is not one who practices battle, but one who practices peace. At times, violence is necessary in order to maintain peace. If you wish to get into martial arts in an effort to become a fighter, I suggest you look elsewhere. Will you become proficient in combative skills, if the system is a good one? Yes. But it will come after years and years of dedicated practice and study, not a couple weeks, or months. Martial arts will change your body and mind over time; becoming more flexible, stronger, having more control over your body as well as mental fortitude & resiliency, patience, and clarity are all components of what comes with the martial artist life.

What it is not: A fighting system. If you want to jump in and learn to fight, find a good boxing gym. Can you study both? Absolutely! I have for years, and you can too. Fighting systems and martial arts balance each other out. Fighting systems are the quick combat training, and martial arts are the long term investment, but both supplement and support the other, they do not replace the other. Do not go to a martial arts unless you are looking to start a new lifestyle. If you only plan on studying for a few months or to achieve a short goal, don’t bother. This logic equates to going to medical school and dropping out halfway through, so you can say you went to medical school; you and I both know that is dishonesty in the highest order, to you and to everyone else.

I want to cut the conversation a little short and take a minute to warn you about a popular trend. I have personally seen more guys than I care to admit teaching “Martial Arts”. Be wary of “Gary’s Martial Art System”… If Gary is not teaching a traditional martial art (or fighting system) with a proven track record and reputation he may just be after your money. Gary is fictional but the point is not. I have seen a lot of guys teaching stuff that is dangerous; this goes for fighting systems too. The majority of these guys are just after your money, they know how to work it so you keep coming back, and feel accomplished, until it comes times to truly test you skills. I do not blame you, you don’t know what you don’t know, and besides, these guys are more con-artists than martial artists. This is why I suggest you do homework. Find out what they are teaching and research it. Now a quick note here. I encounter new systems that are of quality, and are worth looking into often. New systems can be good if they are well designed and put together. Just don’t be taken advantage of, I don’t want that for you.

Look, martial arts are awesome, but they are not everything. They are a piece to a larger puzzle. If you read nothing else, read this: There is no singular system! Stay away from anyone who tells you otherwise! I have a black belt in Shaolin Do, it is comprehensive in comparison to some others, but it is not everything. There are many ways I regularly supplement my knowledge with other martial arts and fighting systems. Find something that works for you and give it everything you have! I leave you with this saying, sadly the author is unknown, however, the wisdom is profound. A student said to his master: you teach me fighting but speak of peace, how to do you reconcile the two? The master answered: It is better to be a warrior in the garden than a gardener in war…

What can we learn?

  • Ancient martial arts were born out of combat and proven there too. Lousy ones didn’t survive the test of time. Those that used the lousy systems did not survive the combat to pass it on.
  • Being a martial artist is a way of life, not a title
  • Martial arts are not a short cut to fighting
  • Before you commit to a martial art, please, please! do some homework. There are too many good masters and martial arts out there to get caught up in a con.
  • There is no completely comprehensive system; in the words of Bruce Lee: Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own

Stay Sharp,

Adam