Fighting predisposition & self defence

Anyone who has worked in the security industry for any length of time will know that there are some people out there who love to fight. They are always ready and willing to get into a combative encounter should the need or opportunities arise. These people are sometimes the ones who eventually turn to combat sports, door work or other less savoury means to satisfy their need for combat, to satisfy their predisposition to fighting.

But can this attitude be learnt or applied to self defence through training and indeed should it?! I am of the honest opinion that it cant.

To say that in order to be effective in a self defence situation you need to be switched on or ready to fight at all times is simply not an option for most people if they are not predisposed to fighting. It is not a practical solution to the problem as it takes mental effort and focus that can often burn a person out, cause tensions and illnesses.

This is where the idea of ‘switching intent’ comes in.

Switching intent is simply going from one thing to another.

But there is more to it than that of course, It is going from one thing to something extremely different in a split second, and remaining functional in both. That is to say it is not simply to react, as reaction can be out of our control.

It can be said that the act of going from Wuji posture in Xing yi to san ti is mind training to switch on to the task to come. To manifest the intent and use it to direct movement. This can be a bit abstract for those that don’t do xing yi however. It is much simpler to describe it thus.

Lets say I am walking along a street and a car mounts the Kerb towards me, in a fraction of a second my intent, focus and body state will change in reaction to the change in situation. However, if I freeze and cover up, I will get hit by the car, this is an example of untrained reaction not being useful. If I leap out of the way then the reaction is useful, I was prepared to act even though I was not thinking of acting.

This is the process of ‘switching on’ to a threat or change in circumstance.

Do we need a predisposition to fighting to go from nothing to something? No. We can learn to focus our natural response reactions so that they become useful to us in a combative situation, so that they become recognisable to us. The action, reaction and focus of intent become one. It is easier said than done however as the majority of this work resides in the mind and can be difficult to consciously recognise.

If I get into MMA or another combat sport and start to heavy spar, compete or train with great coaches, does this reflect the mental change required to go from relaxing drinking a pint with friends to fighting for your life? Simply put, no it doesn’t!

This is not to say that MMA or another combat sport wont give you the tools to finish the encounter once you have switched on... in most cases it certainly will! But will it train you to actually switch on?

So there needs to be a layer of mind training in whatever art you do that will afford the awareness and Trained natural response reaction needed to save yourself. This is accomplished in many varied ways by many difference self defence trainers. But we can say that the need boils down to this:

‘In training,  do not let the mind be comfortable with the situation you get into.’

This is a process of targeted struggle as i have mentioned in previous articles.

If I am in my gym or dojo and we are about to do some combat work, sparring or similar i already have a level of mental preparation that i have set up to deal with the reality that is about to come. This is also true of competition, even though it is a random situation in some respects, it is also mentally preparable. Even if its hard heavy sparring my mind is still prepared for this.

So the training drills need to be focused on how to remove the security of knowing what is to come. This can be achieved in many ways as i have said. But here are a few examples.

1.       Recognising the switch (opening a form)

If your chosen art or method has forms then this is a good way to begin to train to recognise the switch of intent.

-          Stand completely still eyes closed and empty the mind of any notion of form or training

-          The millisecond you open your form switch your mind very clearly onto the task at hand.

-          Repeat.

This is actually a very hard mind training method. The process of loosing thought of training before training is a difficult thing to achieve!

2.       Unplanned Pad slaps
Here we are looking to take the mind from a state of calm to a state of reaction without preparing the person for the work.

-          In groups of 4 have 3 with focus mitts on a 1 without.

-          The one without leaves the room.

-          The three with select a person to make the initial attack.

-          Invite the partner back into the room

-          Walk in a group around the room talking and making idle chit chat. This can go on for 5 minutes or however long it takes for the person to become distracted by the conversation.

-          At that moment the pad man selected to initiate the attack makes his move with a high tempo of slaps to the body and head of the partner.

-          They have to react naturally to the threat

You can layer this training up and up and it becomes a very interesting process, much like Kato attacking Inspector Cluso in the Pink panther movies!

The really important thing with this drill if for the person being attacked to recognise how they switch and for the pad men to wait for however long it takes till the partner is lost in the conversation or whats happening.

In conclusion

It is not necessary to be ‘on’ all the time. Indeed it is an impossibility for most people that are not predisposed to fighting or combat.

As Self defence trainers we have to find other ways to switch someone on when the time is right. This idea of training the ‘switch’ itself is very helpful if it can be zoned in on and trained as a component unto itself.

What we end up with is a practitioner who leads a normal life without thought of combat, but when the time is right Naturally switches their intent to the task at hand.

Pressure Testing & Internal Martial Arts

It is clear that the general consensus among the martial artists of the world is that martial arts like tai chi are mainly for health and have lost any connection with real combat. Although this may be the case in many, many instances the Internal arts were and are actually based in the idea of ‘testing’. But this does not only mean getting in a ring and duking it out! There is a huge amount of testing in the Internal Martial Arts that may surprise most people with its vigour and rigours attention to detail.

Pressure testing the Body

One of the earliest forms of testing that the Internal Martial artist undertakes is the pressure testing of their body. This means both its ability to maintain internal principles under load (positional and external) and under combative pressure.

There are a vast array of ‘testing’ methods for the body in Internal Martial Arts, From pushing hands in Taiji to simply holding postures for long periods of time to work out alignment and muscle usage. But the basics of testing are these:

• Find where tension builds either under load or from static holds so that you can re-align or relax the area and release the tension.
•  Find out how breath and internal pressures are affected under load
• Find gaps or ‘sticking points’ during dynamic movement
• Find movement instability of problems from load or pressure.

These points, once worked out can prove invaluable for the next type of testing that we do in the IMAs.

Pressure Testing the Principles & Skill sets

After we have refined the body and tested it against force we are able to begin pressure testing the principles we train in order to become combatively viable.

This process is a gradual increase of test, adjust and retest but can often start with ‘being thrown in at the deep end’ to give an honest impression of how the mind is acting when conscious control is lost.

As we layer up the Testing of our combative skill set we can begin to test refine and retest the following:

• Movement fluidity
• Listening skills
• Reaction and action capabilities
• Our ability to deal with large volumes of force
• Power generation and Power redirection.
• Ability to change

Both of these testing Phases are then fed into the next phase of IMA pressure testing

Pressure testing the mental Capacity

This is one of the most interesting phases of pressure testing in that it aims to bring out the nature competency (or incompetency) of the individual through focuses but randomised training methods.

From Free sparring to Wrestling to Free Push hands there are many training methods that help to really put the randomised element into the testing of the two above phases.

During this phase there are many layers and ways of maintaining a randomised movement dynamic while still staying within the boundaries of a specific drill. For instance, in a free push hands session you can move with the aim of touching the chest and not, as is common, to push the other guy. This changes the force dynamic and can result in real time movement that will help you or your coach to find deficiencies.

It is also in this phase that people can go off out to other arts and test their skill set and body against other arts and styles.

Return to the First Phase

Once you have been through these phases you can then return back to the first phase, refining your body skill specifically in line with the deficiencies that were highlighted in the preceding phases.

As you can see, there is a good structure to testing ones capability in the IMAs. 

Developing the Legs (Part 1)

One of the key methods in Martial arts training, especially when you read about the old masters, is the development of the legs through deep stance training and a lot of hard focused work!  Often you hear that an IMA master would have spent many years training an external style and mastering its basic foundation training before moving into IMAs. Much of that time would have been devoted to training the legs so that the tree has good roots.

Beyond Kicking there are plenty of good reasons to develop good leg skill. We need good legs to transmit and receive force from the earth,  we need them for good powerful and connected footwork, we need to them to lift and throw people ... the list is a long one!

But what attributes are we specifically trying to develop in our leg training, well here are a few of them:

- Freedom of movement and mobility in the joints,

- Strong lines of connection 

- Endurance

- Power

- Sensitivity.

How do we train the legs to achieve these things?

Here are some basic training exercises to help develop functional leg skill and bring out some of the above attributes.

SQUATS

Clearly the Squat is one of the most fundamental excersises no matter what the discipline. It is a great tool for developing leg strength and how to align the bones of the legs with your direction of force. However beyond the basic squat we have several other ways in which we can train this basic exercise.

- Speed variation

Try performing a squat with variation in speed. You may go down very slowly and then shoot back up, you may fall into the squat as if someone took away your support then stand very slowly. There are a lot of ways you can try this .. but here are a couple of specific drills which are both challenging and useful.

1. 30 breath squat

Perform 1 squat but take 15 breaths to sink and 15 breaths to rise. This should be a very smooth and slow motion with not jerks or pauses.

2. 5 as fast as you can then 1 slow

Perform 5 full squats as fast as you can remembering to breath, then perform 1 squat with 5 breaths down 5 up. 

3. Explosiveness

Using a jump squat drop down very slowly, as soon as you reach the bottom point explode up into a jump, when you land again, very slow drop.

- Height Variation and holds

One very useful way to mix up your squat training is to hold the position every so often at different heights during the squat. Try the exercises below:

1. Step and Squat height variations

Take a forward step and then make a full squat, another forward step 2/3 squat, anther ½ squat, another 1/3rd ... Then turn around and repeat backwards.

2. Hold variations.

No in a static position try to hold  the ½ squat position for 5 seconds as you go down into a full squat. Then the same when you come back up. You can hold for longer and longer or at different points in the squat range.

Integrate breath

Clearly we need to breath to live! But when we  train any sort of loading exercise it can be useful and increase your performance if you actively think about how your breathing as you move through the exercise. The squat is a very useful exercise to start this training on as it acts very much like a pump, changing the pleasures in the body as you move through the exercise. Try these ways to begin to integrate your breath and movement.

1. Breath Pump

As you squat breath out for the entirety of the movement, then as you stand breath in! Its fairly simple, but you should remember that the breath should go out for the WHOLE movement down and in for the WHOLE movement up. Focus deeply on this cycle and repeat very gently and slowly for 8 repetitions. 

2. Listening to the Natural Breath 

The natural breath is what your Body requires in terms of oxygen. This natural cycle is very smooth and precise when there are no mental/physical blockages making the breath become stuck. Try performing relatively slow squats and breathing in accordance with your bodies requirements. Here you are merely watching what your body does and not trying to enforce any set breathing pattern. 

Breath integration can be continued in all exercises but it is good to start out with something very simple like a squat.

HIP MOBILITY AND LEG CONTROL

One of the most important factors in training the legs is training their ability to move and change direction at will. There are some very simple exercises that help to build the mobility attribute.

1. Leg hanging & swinging

This method is used to help the hip joint soften up and move unimpeded in its joint.

- Stand on a step with on foot on the step the other off the edge, so the edge of the step should be on along the inside of the supporting foot leaving the other leg hanging.

- Ensure the pelvis is level and that you have something to hold onto for support.

- Gentely swing the leg back and forth, extremely softly. 

- Focus deeply on the hip and release any built up tension with each out breath.

- Repeat for an equal amount of time on each side.

2. Tag the Target

This exercise is suprising demanding to do well! It is a simple game of touching targets that you have laid out for yourself with your big toe.

- Pin small circles of paper to a wall (or use post-it notes) These should range from next to the floor to hip height . You can extend this to shoulder height when you get better.

- Stand close enough to the wall so that you can touch it with your big toe with a bent leg.

- Stand on one leg ensuring that the pelvis stays level. Touch the targets in a random order continuously without dropping the foot to the floor for 30 seconds.

- Change legs

Note: Make sure that you are not leaning the body or tilting the pelvis as you go through the exercise.

3. Kick Walks

This one can look a little funny but has great benefits to the mobility and movement involving the Psoas and adductor muscles.

- stand feet together body upright

- Without adjusting the body at all or moving the arms or pelvis raise the knee and kick out the front holding the leg in place. Knee should be bent and the feeling of lifting should be in the hip. 

- Holding the leg up allow the body to fall forward so that you end in a front lunge with the kicking leg supporting.

- The rear hip should be open and stretched

- Pulling up with the original kicking leg drag the rear leg up and then kick up forward. 

- Repeat the process

4. Leg rolling Adductor/Abductor

Very simple exercise this but it can cause some difficulty in the rest of the body.

- standing on one leg raise the knee out too the side as high as possible.

- swipe inwards with the leg until it is just past straight ahead .

-drop the knee back in line with the standing leg and then repeat.

Be sure to change direction as well to work the outside muscles.

One important point with this exercise is to not have any resulting movement visible in the rest of the body. Make the body tight and tied together so that the arms are not flapping around and your not leaning or wobbling around.

In part 2 i will aim to talk about Power, Sensitivity and Connection training methods related to developing the legs for Martial Arts. Try the exercises above for a month and let me know how you get on. I think you will find a good improvement in mobility and strength fairly quickly.

Some basic two man drills

Information on what these drills are training to come later but as a basic rundown we are training:

- recognisation of lines of force or attack,
- fine alteration of incoming force
- angulation
- flow
- structural feedback
- dynamic (not fixed) stepping and footwork
- focus
- co-ordination