Concept Vs. Technique (Cont)

Concept Vs. Technique (Cont)

I grew so very, very weary of being told that my Thai Boxing punch, perfect in Thai class, was now wrong in Karate or Gung Fu. My karate kick, perfected under strict supervision by experts, was improper in Silat. Everything relates to the system you are. Skill in those eyes. Finesse in those eyes. Competence in those eyes.

I also grew so very weary of fighting the mirror image of the person in the same system in was in. Standing in a fight stance in front of me, squared off and solving specific problems for specific, in-system attacks. Myth of the Duel. Two stick fighters standing in a face-off duel. Entire martial arts are built on this stand-off as a platform, completely forgetting the "asses and elbows" platform and that is what is most likely to occur. if you like the art for art's sake-that's fine. I really don't. Never have and have always been unhappy. Military and police training got a hold on me early on and shaped my perspective.

I threw my hands up and left all systems in 1997. But my stomach was upset for two decades beforehand. I swallowed the rolaids and perservered. I never drank the Kool-Aid

I think that in scenario training, first one should learn to fight against the high percentage attackers.

Define the mission (where do you go and why)
develop generic tactics handy to use in most situations
Situational (what are the situation most likely to be?)
Positonal (try to take the time to get skill in the small details)

Criminals have patterns of attack. So to do the military. This forms a board base of practical study. Start with the high pecentage ones and work on down. This includes common grabs and positional problem-solving. Etc.

For over ten years, when we test, or work freestyle scenarios, I never tell people how to respond to an attack. I give them the tools. Many tools. They freestyle with their favorites, because everyone is a different shape, size, age, etc.

I dislike cookie-cutter systems with one-size-fits-all solutions.

Anyone who works with me knows this and for over ten years seen me change situations inside scenarios. In fact, scenarios constantly shift. I may toss in a new pedistrian to be taken hostage, etc. etc. But I have found I must maintain a scenario list with rotating options. Without a list I could miss some important teaching point. OTHERWISE, I may not include an important option! I repeat...

But I have found I must maintain a scenario list with options. OTHERWISE I may not include an important option!

And for over ten years, "Thrive in Chaos" is a motto on our shirts and outlines. This speaks to the mission of the program. Expect chaos. Prepare for Chaos. Thrive in Chaos.

This semi-"wheels-off" approach has also been used by police force-on-force training, since I attended the Military Police Academy in the 70s. This is were I was first taught this sceanrio-based, crisis rehearsal idea.

(I have invented very, very little, just some small tricks here and there) And I constantly pay homage to the smart people who inspired and taught me. It is just a common human courtesy (and Larry Hartsell told me to in the 1980s).

But I believe in starting with the high precentage of commom attacks for scenarios. (somewhere you have to maintain some kind of list, if even in your head) This high percenatge of criminal attacks is usually against untrained people. How do untrained people fight? They throw their weight around, they charge and they bear hug, and they tackle and they throw haymakers. Not in that order! And not all of the steps. Once this is covered, we can get more system specific.

Hock

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