Tag: martial arts

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Bruce’s Self Defense Advice

Over the years, people told me they wanted to get into martial arts for self-defense. And there is some good reason to have some basic martial art training, such as learning to not “freak out” when grabbed, controlling your state of flow when your adrenaline is pumping or functioning when you are injured or tired, or the “fog of war”.  And one may never know when someone will just hit you on the head (like this poor minion).  

I respond by telling them you do not do martial arts for self-defense; you do it for self-improvement, conditioning, or other reasons.  Physical self-defense is different from training for martial art.  For example, there are plenty of stories of  “lucky punches,” fights, etc., but it takes dedicated training to be effective in a street situation.  Most people do not want to train to be a fighter, but everyone wants to be safe.  

So, I always tell them a list of things to do.  (DISCLAIMER – this list is not “full proof” and is only offered as advice.)

At home

  • Know your neighbors,
  • Invest in essential home security equipment,
  • Look at your landscaping, etc., as related to lighting, security, etc.,

Away from home

  • Make sure your car works. We have seen enough movies to know how this ends!
  • Walk where it is light,
  • Leave any bar or restaurant before 10 pm,
  • Remember, everything in your wallet is replaceable. EVERYTHING!
  • Notice your surroundings when you enter a room/building, especially exits,
  • Do not get drunk/intoxicated in public; this especially applies when you are on vacation. You do not know the “lay of the land”, and a false sense of security may result in an incident you did not want.

General Skills

  • Have some essential physical/mobility, such as being able to get up from the floor,
  • Be able to run a quarter of a mile – Notice I did not say run fast – just be able to run a quarter of a mile,
  • Be aware of what weapons may be at your disposal beyond a gun or a knife. A pen, newspaper, etc., can be effective in certain situations.

(One aside – Notice, I never tell people to get a firearm.  That is a personal decision.  If one does get a gun, there must be a dedication to learning how to use the weapon effectively, which requires constant training.  This may also require a change in mindset that you are willing to use the weapon when warranted, as there are legal consequences related to the degree of the attack and your response.  There are also legal obligations when one possesses guns in a home.)

I am sure there are many things to add to this list, but the list itself is unimportant.  The focus is on getting people to recognize their role in their safety.  By focusing on awareness and preparation, one will do well in reducing risks to one’s self and property.  However, please do not take my word for it.  This article from Lifehacker begins with the statement, “Prevention Is the Best Self-Defense”.    That author expounds with more tricks and techniques, and one can do a quick search to supplement my list.  But not all self-defense occurs not only in a physical space, as this list from Wagner College discusses, which echoes my thoughts on awareness before physical action is required.

Self-defense begins the moment one becomes prepared in a safe environment.  It does not mean one needs to engage in proving what one knows or does not know unless one chooses to do so.  If you must prove that you have the necessary skills to engage in physical self-defense, join a gym/dojo, etc., or find a friend and start training.  And once you think you have learned something, train it again.  (I can attest to paralysis analysis when one is sparring!).  Knowing martial arts will not make you safer if you do not know how to apply the technique, as Jim Carey demonstrated in this comedy sketch.

So, you are at least starting when you become aware and act in a manner that reinforces your dedication to self-defense.   And that attitude of preparedness can make all the difference.

  

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The Goal of Training: “You Must Be the Weapon Before You Can Use a Weapon”.

I was thinking about how to return to my martial arts training as gyms start opening up, especially about how do I improve both my conditioning and rusted skills. Unlike the Karate Kid, there is no Sensei telling me to “Wax On, or Wax Off”, as I must prepare before I can compete safely. The Karate Kid did not quite comprehend his situation until Sensei forced him to link his conditioning to skill development, but I know a little more than he did.

Frequently, the mind and the body tread divergent paths, unclear as to either the route or the destination. For Daniel, he had to have the techniques demonstrated before his eyes to see his own development. However, not everyone who trains learns, as the following video shows a young soldier struggling to feel secure in the African Savannah (Adumu).

In many ways, the lion killer was a warrior: he assessed, listened, and executed. The young soldier, scared, full of adrenaline, etc., was unable to defend himself, even with a more formidable weapon. In the end, the warrior remained a warrior, a weapon, even when he left the spear behind for the other.

In both videos, the more inexperienced fighter did not grasp what he learned until he was shown the deficiency of his training. So, not only must I prepare my body for training, but I must prepare my mind also. 

The moral of the two stories could be summed up by a quote from Jason Bogden, “You must be the weapon before you can use a weapon”.  Over the course of the Karate Kid, Daniel learns to effectively execute his training, much like the taller warrior was able to do at the moment of the lion attack. And frankly, that is good advice for anyone getting ready to face not only other fighters but life itself.

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Thoughts on Coaching A Novice High School Heavyweight Wrestler

I came across a few notes I made when I was a volunteer wrestling coach at  Mandeville High School.  It was a very rewarding experience, but I am sharing these as I thought there were some useful nuggets regarding training in general.

 

Who is likely to be a heavyweight wrestler in high school:

  • An athletic football player – tends to have already played sports and can understand coaching
  • A boy who has just grown into his body, so he will be very awkward when he has gained two inches and 25 pounds. I think of them as the big puppy as they do not necessarily understand their new growth.  
  • The kid who grew up fast, so he experienced a big advantage when he was younger. So while he learned how to use the body, his fight style may be influenced by subliminal messages received throughout his younger days about “not beating up on little kids or bullying” – creating a “gentle giant.”
  • The kid who played no sports nor does he understand the rigors of wrestling or even the challenges of moving his body. He may want to wrestle because of TV fighting (MMA) or his friends doing some other martial arts.

Techniques to Teach:

Standing:

  • What not to teach: Do not immediately teach a single or double leg (Stay with Blast Doubles)- most big wrestlers will have problems coming up off the ground, especially if they let go of a leg and plant an arm on the ground. They may get discouraged and will be less willing to learn the technique until they have some success with fighting off the bottom.
  • What to teach: teach hip toss, over-under positions, bear hugs, or even old school blast doubles from a collar grip, Russians, etc. 
  • The focus is on movement and angles, as if heavyweights don’t move, they are subject to certain setups from more experienced wrestlers.
  • A heavyweight wrestler should not stand in the same spot for more than 3 seconds, and if this is not broken earlier, it’s hard to “unteach” later. (I would teach hip toss after they mastered other positions.)

Referee’s Position:

  • Always emphasized teaching confidence in the bottom before teaching any top techniques. A bigger kid will struggle to get up, so the fear of being out of position should be addressed first. As beginner top wrestlers will tend to push more weight onto the hands of the bottom wrestler, this makes “fat man rolls”, sit-outs, somewhat easier to execute.
  • Top position – remember to focus on pushing through, and not over the bottom position. While this sounds easy, the bigger frame can occasionally lead to wrestlers getting out of position easier.  

Escaping from pins:

  • Generally, larger heavyweights are less flexible, so may give up a pin that a smaller, nimbler wrestler may not. As such, they may need more reminders regarding pin escapes as they have the potential for giving up a fall if they are out of position or fatigued.
  • The focus should be a progression on pins here and then incorporated with escapes to reinforce both positions. Stress pin escape drills that last 20-30 seconds to create a clear feeling of progress and control points.

 

Some Mental Aspects:

  • Do not stress that heavyweight wrestling is boring.  This can create a negative message to your wrestler to not try as hard, or his contribution is not merited.  In many ways, the creation of “boring” heavyweight wrestling is a lack of teaching sound standing techniques, which may result in wrestlers remaining locked in a clinch for most of the round.  
  • Some big guys will rely upon up outmuscling their opponent, which may result in initial victories, but without additional technical development, they may see frustratingly slow progress.  This default towards outmuscling tends to lean itself to a slower match. A better focus would be on footwork, teaching the wrestler that movement will generate more opportunities, especially if they are in better shape than their opponent.
  • The heavyweight wrestler should learn to use his weight to “wear out” his opponent where possible while catching his breath in a match.
  • Big guys can fall into a counter wrestling mindset, as they learn that their size will enable them to counter techniques from other, smaller wrestlers. Avoid this at all costs, as they will turn into wrestlers who will only be able to beat opponents who make mistakes. They will learn to be less aggressive and will actually move less, as they wait for the other person to screw up.

A Special Note on Football Players

If they play football, wrestling should teach:

  • Beat the man in front of you.
  • Leverage and footwork can outperform weight only.
  • They will likely quit wrestling to focus on football if they feel this wresting is too hard, or if they completed a football season and want a break. The problem is this these players may lose the gross motor skills and mental disciple that wrestling will afford them, both in high school and beyond. And their opponents are not taking training breaks.

Techniques for incorporating football players into the middle of a wrestling season:

  • Start them on the stand-ups and bottom first. Once they are conformable in not getting pinned, then start with standing and turnovers. This is because the other kids will already have had the benefit of two months of training, so you have to get them where they feel they will see progress fast, which means “you are not being pinned!” If they know they can escape, they are more comfortable learning how to wrestle.
  • Also, many will quit if they get repeatedly pinned after a few days of practice, so one has to learn to manage expectations.   Football is not wrestling: one is a team sport, the other, an individual sport on a team.
  • Several will see powerlifting as getting them stronger. It should be stressed they can still do both.  Oh, if I had the recovery time of my 18-year-old self!!