GM Tom Bolden Interview

Tuhon Roberto Torres Interview

Black Belts & Teaching in Martial Arts

                Yesterday I read an essay on another blog and thought that the author, Aric A. Gibson, a practitioner of Cooper Ryu Vee Jitsu, was on to something.  He entitled his essay “Martial Arts: Myths and Etiquette”.  He wrote in part:

>The Black Belt

>    There is a certain amount of mysticism in the black belt.  The general public assigns the >symbolism of a black belt to mean “expert.”  I think most martial artists would agree, however, >that this just is not the case.  Some students beginning martial arts practice look at the attainment >of the rank of shodan as the end of a journey.  Quite contrary, earning the rank of shodan, or 1st >degree black belt, is the beginning of the journey.  Be earning this rank, it has been recognized that >you are competent enough in the basics of your art to begin “real” learning.  The analogy of >mudansha rank being like >undergraduate studies in college and yudansha rank as graduate >studies was offered by a sensei many years ago and has stuck with me.  To quote author and budo >man Dave Lowry, “In other words, the black belt is a sign that you have walked through the door >and little else.  You are not an expert.  Not a teacher.  You are not even someone who can >adequately represent the art.  The belt means you have stuck it out long enough to warrant some >serious consideration as a student, period.”  Keeping that idea in mind lends to the virtue of >humility that >has come to be associated with traditional martial arts.

                I’m interested in knowing what others associated with this blog are thinking in regard to the ideas that Mr. Gibson has written?   Since I have not been part of a traditional martial arts system I can’t comment authoritatively on the idea that Shodans / 1^st degree black belts are not teachers.   My own impression is that Mr. Gibson and Mr. Lowry are correct based on my own observations of various people who have earned black belts in a number of martial arts systems.  In fact I would suggest that the problem is not confined to just traditional martial arts systems.  During my 30 years of training in Modern Arnis I have known only one teacher who opted to teach his students how to teach while they were still underbelts – my own teacher, Sifu Don Zanghi.  It appears to me that most martial arts students regardless of system or style they are learning are not given any sort of formal, organized instruction in the art of teaching.  Those students who do go on to open their own schools merely mimic the lessons as taught by their instructors.  These people are engaged in ‘on the job training’ within their own schools. 

                When I was studying Kenpo-Arnis under Sifu Don Zanghi, I was assigned the task of “showing” new or younger students various aspects of the basics on a one to one basis from orange belt through green belt.  These were the 2^nd and 3^rd belt colors in the Kenpo-Arnis System.  The term “show” was used by Sifu Zanghi when made the assignment.  I should also point out that I was already an experienced professional teacher when I joined his school, “Fight Back Institute”, so taking on a coaching assignment as soon as I finished my white belt wasn’t too difficult.  On the other hand, that early coaching experience reinforced my understanding of the basics and sharpened my skills as a teacher in both the martial arts as well as sociology.  In turn I’ve used Sifu Zanghi’s  method with my own Kenpo-Arnis students. Having the students coaching one on one, two on one and still later four on one, the coaches learn the basics in depth themselves as they learn through guided experience how to teach.

                Mr. Gibson’s essay is very interesting to me and I hope that everyone will share their ideas and experiences with regard to teaching with us.

Sincerely,

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.

Collecting Titles and a lot of ’staged dialogue'

           

The following essay has been a long time in the making.  Then genisis was actually a year ago when several friends and I attended a weekend arnis camp in Washington, DC.  We got into a conversation with a couple of people over lunch and the topic drifted into awards, titles and rank inflation in the FMA.  As we talked a couple of names came up and comments were made that got me thinking about the Sokeship Council and a particular internet forum which featured a number of threads that were less than flattering to that organization.  The conversation continued after I got back home and I made upo my mind that I would attend the next gathering of the sokeship group.  As discussed below, I did attend the gathering this summer.  My friends have been after me to follow-up my visit and publish my observations which I have done and present below. 

Over the weekend of, June 1st and 2nd, I had an opportunity to attend the World Head of Family Sokeship Council’s annual awards celebration.  The key word here is “celebration”!  The feeling and mood running throughout the weekend regardless of whom I met or just by watching others, was that of a celebration among friends and family.  Everywhere I went throughout the weekend, people were celebrating.  They were happy, they were laughing, they were talking, and hugging, shaking hands, smiling and catching up with one another as they greeted old friends and made new ones.

The seminars and demonstrations were spot-on beautiful, informative and instructional without being rigid, mirthless formalities, devoid of imagination.  There wasn’t a dud among the 15 or so seminars that I attended.  The Sokeship gathering is really a grand place to see the “world of martial arts” for the most part.  Of course the obvious truth is that not every martial art style in existence was represented, however I doubt that any program could make such a claim and it really is not all that important as far as I am concerned.  This essay is about who was there and what they accomplished.  The Eastern or Oriental martial arts were well represented in the general categories of karate, kung fu, kenpo, ju-jitsu, aikido, hapkido, aiki-jitsu, judo and arnis.  Given the diversity represented in the various arts, one can easily imagine that there could be some tensions generated among some of the participants.  It didn’t happen.  Everyone was very mellow and highly supportive of one another.  I believe that the diplomats at the U. N. could have used the Sokeship meeting as a role model on how to get along with others who have a different approach and ideas.   Black, white, yellow and brown got along and really  got down with one another.  It’s too bad that the political parties in Washington can’t do as well as the Sokeship membership.

I‘m posting this essay because I recently learned that someone who has trashed the Sokeship Council and the entire concept has recently accepted yet another Hall of Fame induction and I find that person’s behavior to be contemptible and highly misleading.  In the past I had come across some negative statements made by people when the issue of the Sokeship council came up, particularly in relationship to the FMA.  A good deal of this negativity is tied to the idea that the word “soke” is a Japanese term and some folks deem the word to be inappropriate for use within a FMA context.  The general gist of these nay-sayers is that the Sokeship idea is simply a way for less qualified and under-skilled martial artists to artificially boost their credentials without having the physical means to support their title claims.  For example, I read one statement that said:

“04-24-2005, 10:56 AM – Poster #1

In Tang Soo Do, it takes 5 years to reach chodan. 2 more years to reach Eedan. 3 more for samdan...ect. Eighth dan is the highest rank in TSD and I know of only a handfull of people who can claim this. As far as I know, this ranking structure seems to be prevelent among many other martial arts.

With this being said, if you add up the minimum time requirements to reach this highest of rank it equates to a minimum of 40 years of hard training. Therefore, I expect to see an old man claiming such a rank.

Some of these "soke" don't look too much older then me (I'm 28 and I came across a few that were 35-40 max). Moreover, they are claiming rank that if actually earned, it would take hundreds of years to accomplish. This is rediculous. Even if you take cross training into account, these claims are impossible.

                I’ve edited out several paragraphs that restate the same essential point, that the Sokeship concept is  a fraud being perpetrated on the American martial arts community by people who have not earned their ranks through training time in the arts nor have they acquired the requisite skills to support their title or rank claims.  I also omitted the screen-name the author used on the forum, since the site operator does not require posters to use their given names.

                Another writer posted the following comment which again raises questions about honesty, training and skill development:

“04-24-2005, 10:57 AM – Poster #2

Well I really don't think this is about Japan at all. Yes, I have ended up living in Japan and studying here because of my drive to improve myself. But I have also flown back to the states to train with American martial artists who have actually faced knife attacks multiple times- which is rare in Japan.

This is a very good point. There's wisdom and experience--experience from training, and from fighting--to be had wherever you go. Training in the States probably has some advantages, as does training in Japan--or rather, it makes sense to keep your eyes open and learn wherever and whenever you can. I'm sure there are places in Japan where you could get that kind of experience too; and I know there are excellent, traditional martial artists here.  It's not about Japan. It's about authenticity and honesty.”

                As a young martial artist and someone whose father was “badly burned” by a martial arts instructor after putting in and paying for 11 years of training at this particular dojo.  I was somewhat inclined to read comments like those cited above more favorably and less objectively than I should have.  In addition I had an added piece of information that the above posters probably didn’t because my dad’s instructor was a certified member of the Sokeship Council with the designation, “Head of Family”.  My dad had helped his instructor by teaching (for free) the new beginning students the basics of the system for 8 years.  His negative experiences at the hands of his instructor were so serious and painful that he never allowed me to join a martial arts school during my high schools years, even though I had several close friends training in karate.  I started my formal karate training in college through the campus karate club program.  The cost of the instruction was nominal and took place in the basement of my dorm.  I had gotten some previous training under my dad and an uncle for 3 years during high school so that I could keep up with my friends.  No teenager likes being out of the loop and dad recognized that reality, but was totally adamant that I was not going to become a dojo student, particularly at his former school or under his former instructor.  The whole formal martial arts package for my dad centered on disloyalty, disrespect, inflated rank and out of control ego on the part of his instructor as he explained the situation to me on a number of occasions.  So when I read comments such those posted on the forum :

04-24-2005, 10:59 AM – poster #2

I realize that this is a separate issue to some, but every single "soke" I've looked at also claimed bogus rank. In my opinion, the issue of bogus rank and the bogus use of the term "soke" are inseparable.

Those comments found a receptive reader, after all, my dad had direct experience with a person claiming an inflated title and rank from the very organization being panned by those folks posting on the forums.  I’d heard numerous times about the bad treatment that my dad had experienced as a student and assistant instructor at the hands of a person claiming to be a “soke” so I was open to the idea that “sokes” were fakers.  My dad’s experiences were so horrible and humiliating that he couldn’t go back to the dojo or allow himself to become a student of anyone else, even though my uncle was having a great time working with and learning from his instructor.  At the skills level, my uncle actually passed my dad and we all could see it.  When I read the following comments from a FM artist with an impressive title:

11-17-2005, 02:55 PM – poster #3

I'm currently away for the weekend teaching seminars this weekend so I'll keep this short. I've been inducted into several Halls of Fame and after going threw this process I think they're mostly crap! As far as the Grandmasters in the Soke council I see 3 that barely deserve the rank of Black Belt let alone GM!

                It turns out that poster #3 had by that time been inducted into 5 halls of fame and he had also received an award, but not Sokeship status from the Sokeship Council.  Yet here he is trashing members of the very same council that had positively recognized him.  Wow, what in the world was that all about?  

11-29-2005, 03:56 PM – poster #3

First off I would like to apologize for my delay in responding to your post. I was teaching ******* and when I got back there was backlog of work for me to do.

As far as my bio goes, I didn’t put it up… someone else posted an outdated bio. At one time I did claim my hall of fame awards, but since I was exposed to the inner workings I no longer do so.
As far as my comment goes I may have missed communicated my feelings in haste. What I was referring to was the quality of some of the inductees to the Hall of Fame. I don’t know the quality of the orgs training. There are many high caliber inductees, but there are those who barley rate as Black Belts.

Now my post was almost 8 months ago, so my thoughts aren’t that fresh on this topic. I also had a couple beers in me at the time. I’ve had a couple interesting experiences with these kinds of Hall of Fame which has left me with a less than favorable impression for the whole thing.

                Now that statement got me really thinking… there is clearly a mixed message being delivered by this poster and he had already accepted a number of inductions.  Could it be that I had been too quick in adopting my dad’s position?  Had I refused to look beyond his very narrow range of experiences?  Maybe I was not looking at these posts in an objective manner, nor was I seeking 2nd opinions or data to support the allegations being made?  Was I really reacting emotionally and not working toward finding out the facts for myself?

11-29-2005, 04:51 PM – poster #3

I would have to say that after being inducted into 5 different Halls of Fame, it seemed that only one of them wasn't about the money.

               The above statement really made my day.  The fog of emotion was lifted and blown away by the sweet, strong winds of reason and research.  Reading through all of those posts again, I finally saw the obvious things that had been there the entire time.  These people were jealous and committed only to themselves.  They were not posting to help or warn people about some kind of farce.  These people were engaging in a staged dialogue primarily to promote the virtues of one person.  This person was being presented as someone who was now above the fray and no longer engaged in the search for cheap easy low hanging fruit.  This person had seen the light.  This person after five bites of the rank/title/hall of fame nominations apple, now knew that ALL halls of fame and sokeships were mere shams.  If you are willing to pay enough money then you too will be issued some worthless pieces of paper denoting you as a “recognized master” of all that you survey in martial arts land!  With one grand sweep across the keyboard this person (poster #3) announced that he did not need any more of that shady stuff!

                It was an epiphany moment for me when I reads that statement, but I didn’t have any sort of concrete or circumstantial proof that these posters were in collusion with one another or who was working hand in glove with whom; however, I could very easily connect several of the posters to one another by way of friendships and/or membership in the same association.  And by some amazing coincidence, the newly enlightened poster #3 just happened to be the association’s founder-chief instructor.  But as fate would have it the newly enlightened one was “honored” yet again recently with two (read that again, 2) more hall of fame nominations in 2012, which he has so graciously accepted.   And this is the very same person who posted on 11-17-2005:

“…I'll keep this short. I've been inducted into several Halls of Fame and after going threw this process I think they're mostly crap! As far as the Grandmasters in the Soke council I see 3 that barely deserve the rank of Black Belt let alone GM!”

                And let us not forget that he also wrote:

“I would have to say that after being inducted into 5 different Halls of Fame, it seemed that only one of them wasn't about the money.” 

                So given the above quotes, why would this newly and positively enlightened person (2005) readily accept two more halls of fame nomination this year (2012)?  I know that I’m asking a highly rhetorical question, however, when I found out more about his latest “awards” that really tripped the ‘hypocrisy switch’ in my mind.  It was the circumstantial proof that I was hoping to find.  I felt like a cold case investigator who finally found that critical piece of evidence that allowed me to solve the riddle with regard to their trashing of the Sokeship Council awards.  The only thing left to do was to go to the Sokeship Council Awards Celebration and see for myself if the forum trash-talkers have any merit what so ever.  The confirmation threshold for the trash-talkers was actually quite low.  I just needed to find 2 or 3 presenters who were sub-standard in terms of their demonstrated skills.  Best of all, I was the sole person who was going to make that determination based on my very own empirical observations of the seminar presenters.  My comparative standards were my dad, my uncle and my system GM, plus my own 18 years of martial arts training.  I had seen enough excellent masters and grandmasters during my training time to have a very good sense of when someone knows their stuff and when someone is simply ‘skating through’ the motions without a clue to reality.

                As I stated at the top of this essay, the Sokeship Awards Celebration is exactly that, a celebration of skills, brotherhood, friendship and mutual respect.  These folks know what they are doing.  The members of the Sokeship Council are talented and highly skilled martial artists.  Obviously I didn’t see or meet every single person who has been recognized by the WHF Sokeship Council, but the people that I saw doing demonstrations and conducting seminars are the real deal.  I will be going back for years to come to witness and participate in this celebration.  No one has to give me an award in order to get me there, again.  The members in action that weekend have given me all the reasons that I need to return and learn.

Most respectfully yours,

Jamie Binjara

Dr. Mark Wiley audio interview

The blog is Here, Use It!

Hello All,

I just want to remind everyone that the SEAsian Blog is here for you guys to use and post statements as well as comments on.  Anyone who is interested in being assigned an "author" designation, shoould contact me at escrima_kenpo@hotmail.com and request a slot.  There really isn't a single line of orthodoxy at the blog, just use some common sense, good manners, courtesy and show respect for others and post away on any topic that fits into the SE Asian Martial Arts orientation of the blog structure and related martial arts ideas.

Hoping to hear from the people already assigned an "author" designation and new people looking for a place to share and exchange ideas.

Sincerely,

Jerome barber, Ed. D.

Hello All,

Just back from some interesting exchanges with some hard-core Isshin-Ryu players - real fighters in the older style of the late Sensei John Overton in Buffalo area.  Damn good stuff and I've only met one other Isshin-Ryu player like these guys in the area.  This was old school stuff from some old school players who were very much in "student mode" in spite of 25 to 30 years of experience apiece
within that room.  I liked the spirit and intensity within the room.  No egos but lots of self confidence and pride.  A very healthy mixture of attitudes, manners, courtesy, consideration and curiosity.  I am looking forward to working with these people again in the very near future.

I have to say that I found a lot more interest and support in these folks than I have found in the Modern Arnis people with whom I actually share more in common in terms of system orientation and training.  It has been my experience for quite some time that a good number of Modern Arnis instructors and school operators are too damn insular.  They do not want to open their doors or minds to different ideas or people within the martial arts and particularly people who are not tied into their particular singular lineage.  However, there are a few exceptions to that general rule and I appriciate being able to work and train with those folks.

I have generally had a much better reception wotking with Kenpo people and now this older set of Isshin-Ryu players.  It is a situation that I have mulled over for quite some time, but there doesn't seem to be a good explaination for this lack of cooperation within Modern Arnis.  Oh well... it is what it is and I'll just have to keep truckin' along. 

Sincerely,

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.

Midwest Martial Arts Brotherhood Event

Midwest Martial Arts Brotherhood Event

     An exceptional expression of Filipino Martial Arts Brotherhood was firmly entrenched at the Midwest Martial Arts Brotherhood Event held June 9 & 10, 2012 in the St. Louis, Mo. area.  Benefiting the Wounded Warriors Project as its primary purpose bound all of the participants and instructors by their patriotism. 

Mr. Eugene Nepangue, Mr. Joe Craig, Mr. Raul Marquez, Mr. Michael, Mr. John Malmo, Mr.

  Rick Lazo & Mr. Mike Schwarz

Mr. Nepangue presented the very fast close quarter techniques of the Teovel Balintawak system.  Mr. Nepangue presented the lifting & clearing drills as well as how to build from those techniques to remove holds, to disarm & the ability to counter immediately after the technique.  All participants had an exceptional grasp of the basic techniques by the end of the second day. 

Mr. Raul Marquez instructed in the blade based system of Kalis Ilustrisimo.  Mr. Marquez had the distinct honor to be a lifelong student of late GGM Antonio Ilustrisimo as well as the elders, the Vanguards & peers. 

The presentation seminar participants enjoyed the techniques of the Fundamentals of Kalis Ilustrisimo; the fighting stance, angles of attack, counters & basic drills.  Mr. Marquez’ presentation of the ‘Blade of Ilustrisimo’ was exceptional.

Mr. John Malmo represented the Kombatan system.  The knowledge that Mr. Malmo shares each time he presents the various systems within Kombatan are invaluable.  Mr. Malmo shared not only double & single stick technique, but also presented knife with empty hand translation to grappling technique as finishes.

Mr. Malmo has been kind enough to donate his valuable time at the inaugural event last year as well as this year’s event.  Mr. Malmo has been kind enough to volunteer his time for the upcoming event next year as well. 

Mr. Ricky Lazo was kind enough to come share his father GM Fred Lazo’s system of Luzviminda Arnis.  Mr. Lazo presented & displayed a tremendous amount of knowledge with double stick counters, followups & disarms.  Mr. Lazo’s calm and kind demeanor shown through with his patient instruction and his keen attention to details.  Mr. Lazo articulated the techniques of his family system with high proficiency.   Mr. Lazo spent a great deal of time under his father’s tutelage which shone through with each technique.

After GM Fred Lazo’s untimely passing, Mr. Ricky Lazo has continued to carry the torch as leader of the family system and Brotherhood as a whole. 

Mr. Lazo has graciously volunteered to appear at the upcoming event next year as well.

Most seminars are commonly featuring 1 or possibly 2 instructors sharing a weekend event.  There are seminars that frequently boast 4 to 6 hours of instruction.  The Midwest Martial Arts Brotherhood event benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project is a 2 day, 16 hour event with 4 world class instructors in the FMA.

It is truly remarkable to find 1 much less 4 world class instructors willing to dedicate their valuable time and experience to a charitable cause.  It’s fair to say that these are exceptional people in difficult economic times. 

Please remember out event each year and most importantly never forget our wounded veterans as well as fallen veterans.  Reach out to help make a difference for them whenever possible.

               Midwest Martial Arts Brotherhood Seminar group supporting Wounded Warrior Project

Mobility and Basic Footwork in the IEAA

                                                                                                                                                   

I was always taught that the long bladed knife or Bolo was the primary fighting tool of a number of FMA systems.  Modern Arnis, as taught by Professor Remy Presas, is an example of this general bladed orientation.  Sifu Don Zanghi, my first Kenpo-Arnis instructor made sure that his students were aware of this orientation and stressed that the rattan stick was a training tool and represented the bolo.  As I read through the introductions of Professor Presas' first 2 books, Modern Arnis: Filipino Martial Art: “Stick Fighting” (1974) and The Practical Art of Eskrima: The Filipino Martial Art of Attack and Defense with cane or bare hands otherwise known as Arnis (1975), it was very clear to me that the blade was the weapon of choice in the Philippines prior to the modern era of firearms.  All anyone needed to do was examine the number of blade types that Professor referred to in his 1974 book on page 10, “...kris, bolo, kalis, laring, barong, gunong, kampilan, gayang, pira, punal, itak banjal, bangkcon, lahot and the panabas” and any doubts about the bladed orientation would be easily removed.   

Given that array of bladed instruments, it seems to me that effective defensive skills, beginning with footwork and mobility are absolutely necessary if one is going to stay alive, healthy and retaining all of their body parts intact.  My first Asian Martial Arts instructor, Sifu Don Zanghi, taught a self-defense style that blended Tracy System Kenpo and Modern Arnis.  He placed a great deal of emphasis on good evasive footwork.  Therefore I am going to follow his lead in this booklet, as I have done over the past 30+ years.  I will introduce the basic fighting stance of the IEKA, the neutral stance and the footwork that drives our IEKA single stick blocking methodology.

One of the benefits of stepping as you stick block or strike is that you will naturally and very easily rotate your hips thereby adding power to both motions.  Since blocks are in reality your first counter-strikes, you want to have both speed and power as you execute your blocks.  The smaller you are in physical stature and muscle size, the more important it is for you to generate as much power as you can from the smallest movements that you make.  This is a form of “economy of motion” or the idea of making 2 or 3 positive things happen at the same time with a single movement.  The full economy of motion concept is beyond the scope of this booklet, but the idea can be found in many areas of movement within the FMA.

In the IEKA instructional format we use the “clock” system to determine where a person is stepping as they are attacking or defending.  This system can also be described in terms of compass directions.  The following schematic depicts the clock system:

                     12

     10:30                  1:30

9                   +                  3:30             

     7:30                 4:30

                    6

As the defender, you will begin your defensive actions from the center (+) spot in the clock and it is assumed that you are always facing 12:00 at the beginning of any sequence of movements.  Your opponent or opponents can be at any spot on the perimeter of the clock, including being directly behind you.  That latter situation will of course necessitate that you take some sort of evasive action in order to turn and face that person(s) as well as counter the opponent’s attack.

All of the directions for you, the defender, will be given in terms of the starting position in the center of the clock and moving in the direction toward one or more of the other positions listed above in the schematic.  Moving in a clockwise progression the compass points would be North (12), Northeast (1:30), East (3), Southeast (4:30), South (6), Southwest (7:30), West (9) and Northwest (10:30).

Neutral Stance:

The neutral stance is the key to our mobility training within the IEAA Escrima Amis program. While the horse stance provides the sturdiest foundation for the legs, the neutral stance allows us to move faster and easier than the horse stance. The reasons are very simple and direct. The horse stance is lower and wider. There is excellent side to side stability, but virtually no front to back stability and it exposes our entire center line or vital organs to attack.   The neutral stance corrects both of those defects although there is of course, a trade-off.  The neutral stance since it is higher is not as stable or strong.   On the other hand the greater mobility that it affords us is a very acceptable alternative benefit.

To establish a neutral stance, start with your feet together, shoulders on the 3 – 9 axis line of the clock and facing 12:00.  Take one (1) full step toward 12:00 with your right foot (RF), pivot on the balls of both feet, turning toward the left or counter-clockwise (CCW) so that you are now facing toward the 10:30 position.  Your feet are pointed toward 10:30, your shoulders are now on the 7:30 – 1:30 axis line.  Take a half-step or stride toward 10:30 with your left foot (LF).  Turn your head to the right and look in the 12:00 direction.  You are now in the basic neutral stance position with your hands at your sides.  Bend your arms at your elbows to raise your hands up on either side of the face in a guard position and bend your knees slightly so that neither joint is in a locked position.  Raise your left heel slightly off the ground.  This is your basic empty hand neutral stance fighting position.

In this position, your hands can protect your face, your elbows and upper arms protect your ribs, you right thigh is protecting your groin from a frontal or 12:00 attack and can rotate your waist to your left in order to further protect your groin from an opponent’s hooking attack originating from the 10:30 quadrant.    You can use inward or outward forearm blocks to protect your chest and mid-section against hooking attacks.  Add a stick to your right hand (RH) and you are in the right side (Rs) forward neutral ready stance for stick fighting using strikes and/or blocks.

Reverse the directions of the feet and establish a left side (Ls) neutral stance.  If you keep the stick in your right hand, place your stick against your raised left forearm, in a horizontal plane and you will be in the left side (Ls) forward neutral ready stance for stick striking or blocking from a backhand orientation.    In  both the right and left side neutral stances, the elbows are kept down and against your ribs thereby providing protection for the ribs.

Neutral Stance Basic Transition Drills - Stepping Through:

1.   Begin with a right side (Rs) forward neutral stance.  Step forward with your left foot (LF) and assume a left side forward neutral stance.

2.   Step forward with your right foot (RF) and assume a right side (Rs) forward neutral stance.

3.   From the current right side (Rs) forward stance, step back toward 6:00 with your right foot (RF) and assume a left side (Ls) forward stance.

4.   Step back with your left foot (LF) and assume a right side (Rs) forward neutral stance.

 These "step-through" drills allow us to make the basic stance transitions while maintaining the same type of stance, merely shifting from a right foot lead to a left foot lead and then back to the original right foot lead.  We can advance or retreat in a protected body positioning sequence.   One consideration that must  be kept in mind when using the 'step-through' transitions is the need for protecting your groin while moving forward or backward and changing the lead sides. The legs must never be opened too widely.  A quick natural turning of the hips must accompany the steps, so that your groin and bladder areas are not facing forward and unprotected. Your shoulders and hips must always be re-aligned along one of the lines of the "X" axis from 1:30 to 7:30 or 10:30 to 4:30, as quickly as possible in order to prevent a kick or punch to those areas.

Push-step:

The push-step is a quick forward or reverse movement to either close or open the distance or "gap" between yourself and your opponent.  Start from the Rs neutral stance and push off with your rear foot, and step toward 12:00 with your Right Foot.   Your rear foot should land in front of the spot vacated by your lead foot.   If the lead foot moved 6 inches, then the rear foot should move the same distance forward.  You should still be in a balanced, Rs neutral stance.  To move back or retreat, push back with your lead or RF, as your rear or LF steps back toward 6:00. You should still be in your RS neutral stance at the end of the procedure.  The push-step may also be used on a forward angle toward 10:30 or 1:30 or on a retreating angle toward 7:30 or 4:30.  This angled movement is sometimes referred to as "Triangulation".   It is a very important, yet basic, evasion maneuver.

 
Shuffle:

A series of push-step maneuvers used to cover a greater distance than can be accomplished with two or more push-steps in any direction.  The shuffle allows the user to remained balanced and in a protective neutral stance while moving.

In-place Stepping:

This stepping method is used to establish a strong base for blocking and striking by shifting your weight from one side of your body to the other while maintaining a solid well balanced neutral stance.  The transition from your Rs neutral stance to the Ls neutral stance is accomplished by stepping forward with your LF to the 12:00 position next to your RF and stepping backward toward 6:00 with your RF.  Returning to the RS neutral stance is completed by stepping forward to 12:00 with your RF, placing it next to your LF, then stepping back to 6:00 with your LF, to establish the RS neutral stance.   In-place stepping is used    to hold your position, without gaining or losing ground.   It is very effective and useful on wet slippery surfaces, where there is a strong possibility of slipping    and falling as you try to defend yourself against an attacker.

Lateral Shift Step:

This is a side to side variation of the in-place stepping technique. Starting from a RS neutral stance, step toward 10:30 with your LF, then step to 6:00 with your RF. You are now in the Ls neutral stance.   Return to your Rs neutral stance is achieved by stepping to 1:30 with your RF and to 6:00 with your LF.  The lateral shift step allows you to change your position to either side of your original starting point as you defend yourself against an attack and set-up your counter-attack.  It is a form of “triangulation”

V-Stepping:

The V-Step pattern is another angled stepping pattern.  It utilizes the rear step of the in-place pattern, however instead of stepping straight forward to change the lead foot, the second step is angled.  This pattern also has the added element of shifting from one point to an entirely different place or position that is not easily done with the lateral shift step movement.  The major advantages of V-stepping are in the positional changes that can be added to the initial rear step.  With the V-steps you can easily add a step to your left or right sides as well as a second rearward step of open a wider gap with your opponent.

Side Stepping:

The side step is fairly easy to do since it involves both feet moving in the same direction and maintaining  your shoulder width placement and neutral stance orientation without changing from the Rs to the Ls or vice-versa.  The stepping rule is quite simple, if going to your right, step first with your right foot, then move your left foot and place it in position on the floor re-establishing your Rs neutral stance.  If you side step to your left, move your left foot first, then your right foot and re-establish your Rs neutral stance.

Cover and Turn:

In a street confrontation, where there are no judges, referees or rules of sportsmanship being followed by your opponent(s).  It is very important that you have mastered some evasive movements and avoid being struck or cut so that you can effectively counter-attack with speed, strength and power.

Cover and turn allows you to survey the area around you and turn to either side or toward your rear quadrant, with relative safety and maintaining good balance and using only a minimal amount of movement on your part.  Place yourself in the Rs neutral stance and then assume that you want to turn so that you can face 6:00. To accomplish this goal, you will step toward 10:30 with your RF, pivot on the balls of both feet, with the toes of both feet pointing toward 7:30, your shoulders on the 10;30 to 4:30 axis, you should be looking toward 6:00 in the Ls neutral stance with your stick in front of your right shoulder.  You have just completed a cover and turn movement. 

To return to the 12:00 position, step toward 7:30 with your LF, pivot on the balls of both feet, with your toes pointing toward 10:30, your shoulders will be on the 1:30 to 7:30 axis of your clock and your head is turned toward 12:00 and you have reassumed your original Rs neutral stance.  (Please note that you will have moved 2 steps to your left after you complete the return to your original Rs Neutral stance.  You have NOT done anything incorrectly.  The Cover and turn maneuver takes you off the original 12 – 6 axis line and establishes a new 12 – 6 (or N – S) axis line with each turning movement.)

If your goal is to turn to face either 3:00 or 9:00 from your Rs neutral stance, cover and turn will help you accomplish going to either direction. To change and face 3:00, step toward 10:30 with your LF, pivot on the balls of both feet, pointing your toes toward 1:30 and your shoulders will be on the 4:30 to 10:30 axis and you can face 3:00, and you will still be in a Rs neutral stance with your stick in front of your right shoulder. 

To transition to face 9:00, from your Rs Neutral stance, that is oriented toward 12:00, step toward 1:30 with your RF, pivot on the balls of both feet and point your toes toward 10:30, placing your shoulders along the 1:30 to 7:30 axis, you will be facing 9:00, and in a Ls neutral stance with your stick in front of your right shoulder.

It is extremely important that you learn how to use the "cover and turn" technique, because you should never assume that you will always be faced by only one nasty person at a time whose intention is to hurt you. The ability to quickly turn and change your body positioning, correctly while covering yourself, is a vital skill that could be the difference between escaping serious injury or death on the streets.

Neutral Stance Four Directions Cover and Turn Drills:

The Right Side Orientation:                                The Left Side Orientation:

12:00 Rs neutral stance                                       12:00 Ls neutral stance

9:00 Ls neutral stance                                             3:00 Rs neutral stance

3:00 Rs neutral stance                                             9:00 Ls neutral stance

12:00 Ls neutral stance                                         12:00 Rs neutral stance

6:00 Rs neutral stance                                             6:00 Ls neutral stance

12:00 Ls neutral stance                                          12:00 Rs neutral stance

3:00 Rs neutral stance                                              9:00 Ls neutral stance

9:00 Ls neutral stance                                               3:00 Rs neutral stance

12:00 Rs neutral stance                                          12:00 Ls neutral stance

Close                                                                          Close

In the IEKA curriculum we train our students to utilize both their right and left side movements.  The reality of combat confrontations is that you do not know what angle or direction an opponent may choose to strike from, therefore, you must be prepared to defend every angle or degree of the clock.  You have to be comfortable moving to or from both your strong (dominate hand) and weak sides.  Therefore, above I have included the left side orientation of the cover and turn drill.  Practice these  drills on both sides and never allow yourself to develop a “sugar side” or a one sided orientation in the combat/self-defense arts.  Go back to earlier sections of the booklet and practice everything shown on both the right and left sides of the body.  An attacker will never willingly or graciously attack you only on your strong side and always after giving you ample warning that he/they are coming.  Please keep in mind something that I post in ALL of my curriculum handouts:

“Prior proper preparation prevents piss poor performance!”  

Jerome Barber, Ed. D.
GM and Mataw Guro,
Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates

SPEAK SOFTLY & CARRY A FAST STICK

-----------------------------------------------------------

Escrima, Kali, Arnis, or Eskrido--call it whatever you want, but remember within those names lies one of the world's most effective and most deadliest martial arts, an African/Asian system of martial arts that threw fear, and terror into the hearts and minds of the Japanese during World War II.

 

Recently, on May 20, 2012, at the Stars Recreation Center, located in Vacaville, California., a national, and an international large gathering of martial artists all came together as one force in order to welcome one of the legendary Bruce Lee's top former students, 10th. Degree Grandmaster Richard S. Bustillo.

 

Also known as the "Iron Dragon" GM Bustillo is the founder, and the chief instructor of the (IMB International Martial Arts & Boxing Academy) located in Torrance, California. As one of the original students of Bruce Lee, GM Bustillo performed, and gave an immaculate workshop & interview account regarding his personal experiences of what it was like training under the the legendary 'King of Kung Fu' Bruce Lee. Many of these stories can be found in GM Bustillo's new book/ autobiography titled: 

THE IRON DRAGON: By Richard Bustillo.

 

Also on board this event were the co-founders of "Angel's Disciple's" & WSEF Honorary Grand Master's Darren Tibon, and Jerry Preciado. Both of these extraordinary Grandmaster's are "Cabales Serrada System of Escrima" Master Graduate students trained directly by the late legendary stick/knife fighter *Supreme Grand Master* Angel Cabales. SGM Angel Cabales founded the very first official Filipino martial arts academy in America in 1966, in Stockton, California. Also known as the "Father of Escrima in America" Angel Cabales passed on in 1991. In honor, and in memory of his father's Filipino martial arts legacy; His youngest son, Master Guru Gelmar Cabales made a special guest appearance at the Stars/ WSEF martial arts gathering.

 

Bringing GM Richard Bustillo, and Master Guru Gelmar Cabales both together at the Stars Recreation Center was by no means an accident. This is because Grandmaster Richard Bustillo is one SGM Angel Cabales' 1st. generation 'Advanced Cabales Serrada System of Escrima' graduate instructor's, as was the famous Guru to the stars, Dan Inosanto.

 

The real Stars behind the scenes that pulled together in order to put on such an illustrious show were all "World Serrada Escrima Federation" (WSEF) representatives. Representatives include Master of Ceremonies; Bob Langley. Bob Langley is the owner and operater of: Langley's Karate School located in Rocklin, California. As the primary coordinator of the function, Master Langley conducted a flawless close-up candid interview on honored gueststar, GM Richard Bustillo.

 

Master Langley also presented three very special 'WSEF Honorary Grand Master's Awards' to Vallejo, California, 9th. Degree Kajukenbo Grandmaster Woody Sims, and also to former California Department of Corrections Officer & 5th. Degree Iron Dragon Tactical Weapons Instructor/ Steve Toscano. WSEF Honorary Grand Master Toscano was also commisioned to pass on a special 'WSEF Honorary Grand Master's Award' to his Former Chief CDC Supervisor Officer/ Retired Captain Ray Novencido.

 

As far back as 1984, retired CDC Officer Captain Ray Novencido assisted WSEF Presiding President & Grand Master *D*, along with SGM Angel Cabales in formally introducing the fine art of 'Cabales Serrada Escrima' into several California Prison Institutions, as well as into other California law enforcement angencies. In 1990, Grand Master *D* relocated to Germany, and while there he in turn established an affirmative 'DC/Serrada System of Escrima' "tactical close-quarter weapons training program" within Germany's special anti-terrorist task force known as (GSG9).

 

GM Richard Bustillo & GM *D* Anthony Davis

Today GM *D* in conjunction with Grandmaster Richard Bustillo, have trained several (SAS) & (GSG9) special anti-terrorists officers in the fine arts of Eskrido, Serrada Escrima, and Jeet Kune Do.

 

Grandmaster Richard Bustillo's life dedication to the spreading of both of his former teacher's arts, Bruce Lee's & SGM Angel Cabales', initiated him to be awarded the "WSEF Honorary Supreme Grand Master's Award". Indeed martial history was made in regal form at the place of the STARS.

 

To order a DVD copy of this historical event email ($39.99) to:

wsefmai@yahoo.com

Datu Tim Hartman Interview 2010

Dr. Jerome Barber Interview

Soke GM Gary Dill Interview

Founder of the JKDA

Tuhon Roberto Torres Interview

Guro of Sayoc Kali

Guro of Vee Kuntaw an original system of GM Vistacion

Founder of the Taleo System

     The foundational blade-based movements and tactics from Modern Arnis including those done with the Presas family styled bolo, and other bladed weapons, sticks, or empty hands were highlighted and explained at Dr. Jerome Barber's November 2011 in East Aurora , NY. Concepts such as preemptive movement, interception, and angling off-line with shifting and footwork were presented prior to blocking and countering. If the block was even used it was actually an attack or used with one. An analysis of tool/weapon characteristics and battlefield tactics helped place certain maneuvers in context and offered additional insight to some of the general practices and techniques found in the art. It is actually too graphic for me to describe in detail.
      In an Anatomy and Physiology class and in  many situations since I've heard that, "Form follows function." I continue to hear that theme in the teachings of Dr. Barber, Bram Frank, and other realists who explore functional movements in Modern Arnis as well as other arts and approaches. These guys are aware of the 'cutting edge' concepts in what many see as a stick art. From a self-defense perspective it seems that whatever will help you survive a threatening encounter--whatever tool or technique will work in that moment is the choice to choose if you have justification--therefore the correct form to use is the one that will work for you. Functionality becomes the primary criteria for form, especially when speaking weapons.
      Pedagogically speaking, I recall that Bram emphasizes learning the blade first to understand the stick versus the other way around. Certain things become real clear then; as the blade has a way of keeping us honest in practice. Practicing with edged training tools and proper protection is worth it as far as dealing with worse case scenarios, and it helps bring about so many attributes and skills like fluidity, footwork and body shifting, balance, targeting-acquisition, distancing, timing, agility, coordination, and flow.
     We worked back and forth with various partners in the small group seminar setting that session and would give or feed and receive attacks. I particularly liked how working with a weapon accentuated the flow of my counterattacks which may have served as a defensive necessity, but created the opportunity to give back more than what I was receiving. So when the high forehand or backhand strike would get fed to me during our training drill, I was able to practice evading and/or block with a counter plus two more shots. When that third strike of mine was fed to the same angle I responded to, my partner had his cue to work his entry and follow up just as I did. We ended up performing a mix of a feed drill and a flow drill. We were able to get in a great deal of good repetitions by doing what Bram Frank's book Conceptual Modern Arnis described, "Modern Arnis expects those that learn its abecidario to understand the translation between stick, sword, knife and empty hand." Actually he said so much more in that book which Dr. Barber contributed to also. I am thankful for the insights influence of these practitioners and would strongly advise those interested in investigating a weapons-based art to look into the resource I mentioned.

FMA Midwest Seminar event to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. 2nd annual event by M.Schwarz productions. The WSEF making significant strides towards FMA Brotherhood along with benefiting the community at large.

The Conceptual Framework of FMA Practice

     Many times have I heard teachers in my martial art training experience mention triangles, circles, and squares. One such example involved three sides of a "learning" triangle representing fighting skill, technical skill, and drill/play. You see this diagram, if you would imagine it, said something about the way one might learn to fight or develop skill in surviving violence.
    As the story had it, one could theoretically learn just by fighting a bunch, but at a cost. Then there could be learning through drilling--hopefully correct responses--repetitively. The emotional factor may get lost if application isn't obvious enough to excite the participant to keep repeating or applying such an awesome or important maneuver; otherwise good repetitions are required and worth the cost if we are to use such skills for survival lets say... Knowing that motivates me to work on some of the same stuff time and time again. The technical aspect deserves its attention too, and putting it into play, functional drills, and sparring allows for authentic assessment of said skills. That brings me to play which is well known for its ability to promote growth in children and those who engage in it. Now I don't think that play by itself could lead to much discovery in combat, but when combined these three elements offer a way to combine and cover material and possibly apply functional tactics and techniques too. So play with an objective can be productive, and the limits are endless as are the opportunity for exploring, discovering, applying, synthesizing, comprehending, etc.
     Depending on your objective, activities may vary but a few learning methods I have used are training alone, alone and with an object or two, with a partner and no object, a partner and an object we share, a partner and an identical object we each have, mirroring, shadowing, or mimicking are also primary ways of learning countless techniques or reviewing movements. Patterns are things are brain naturally picks up on, a naming allows us to identify and describe laws at work when we do what we do. A well rounded practice with a degree of directness and simplicity along with real life effectiveness is what I strive for, and model from others. So many have shared techniques, and others drills, and each the spirit behind the art, and science of Eskrima, Modern Arnis, Kali, KunTao. So many guides pointing us towards such good stuff that is just waiting for us to put in the time and gain the experience...Thank You to them and all of you for following this topic. I hope we can keep bringing these arts full circle as we broaden our triangles!

My Empty Hand Paradigm

Given the amount of time martial artists spend training for the unarmed combat situation, it is frightening how little time is spent on considering the circumstances surrounding those situations themselves. As with most issues in the martial arts, specific styles have a tendency to create a scenario that their skill set is best suited for, and then choose to believe that all scenarios will happen in that manner. This not only cheats them out of a variety of training opportunities, it is downright dangerous for the student. Instead of imagining combat as we wish it would be, let’s try to look at it as it really is.

Rory Miller’s book “Meditations On Violence”, does a very good job of describing the fact that violence is a very large concept that is difficult to easily define for every situation. Along those lines, let’s be clear that for the purposes of this article we are only discussing a one on one confrontation between two adults. Further, we are going to be talking about three distinct scenarios which we will define and then show how those scenarios both overlap and how training for each can better prepare you for the other. Those three scenarios are “The Duel”, “The Fight”, and “The Assault”.

The Duel

Whether we chose to admit it or not, this is the paradigm that most martial arts spend a majority of their time preparing for. What defines a duel in the context of unarmed combat? For our purposes we shall define it as: “A contest between two individuals who have both agreed to engage in combat under the guidance of a set of rules with a clear structure to determine a winner. The duel will take place at a designated time and location and civil and criminal charges will not be pursued for any injuries incurred by the participants.”

So what are we describing when we consider the Duel? It encompasses everything from a light sparring session, to a point tournament, to a randori session in Judo or wrestling match, all the way up to a mixed martial art contest. Every one of these situations involves participants who have a clear structure of the conditions they must compete in, what tactics they are allowed to use, what the possible outcomes are, and the maximum time limits the encounter can last.

We can note, that on the basis of these criteria alone, there is seems to be little similarity between the Duel and, let’s say, a street fight (which will be defined in our next section). The Duel is little more than an athletic contest between people who for the most part will be utilizing the same skill set and tactics to gain victory. This is largely the type of training most martial artists engage in. A judoka does not spend hour after hour in the dojo learning how to slip a boxer’s jab in order to execute a perfect O-goshi, nor does a Wing Chun stylist spend time learning to defend the single leg takedown of a skilled wrestler. Instead, most stylists spend an inordinate amount of time learning to defend themselves from someone attacking them with the exact same tactics they would use themselves.

This is one of the key drawbacks of the Duel mentality when we apply it to practical self defense. In creates in the practioner a set expectation of what combat will look like, an expectation where we impose our own ideas into the tactics our attacker will use. This delusion leaves many practioners unable to think outside the box and adapt to something unexpected. A fine example of this was the early Ultimate Fighting Championships when stand up fighters who’d never considered the ground game were being defeated left and right by wrestlers and BJJ stylists.
This brings us to a second danger of the Duel mentality and that is how the Duel deals with “Range”.

More often than not, the arts best suited for a Duel have a particular range of combat they are best suited for. Boxers fight in punching and clinch range, Tae Kwon Do stylists fight at kicking range, and BJJ practioners fight on the ground. They are able to specialize in these ranges because the rules of their contest are designed to keep the battle specifically in those ranges. Put a TKD or BJJ stylist in a closet where there is no room to kick or get a takedown and you will quickly see them revert to the most basic concepts of defense that are totally outside the guidelines of their art. This problem does not affect all Dueling arts to the same degree as both MMA and Muay Thai attempt to address a variety of ranges within the context of their competition.

Finally, the tactics that one might use in a dueling context could be completely inappropriate for situation you are dealing with, or might simply not be able to be applied in the same manner. Let’s take the concept of a boxer’s jab. In the ring, this is one of the boxer’s most effective and important tools than can be used to create distance, inflict damage, and set up combinations. However outside the Duel, your jab might strike the attacker in the skull and result in the breaking of your knuckles. Or you might immediately end up in a wrestling type encounter and not be able to use the jab. The same can be said for a double leg takedown. Perhaps your altercation is taking place in a crowded bar where there simply isn’t room to execute the maneuver or when you try to do so on the street; you slam your knee into the pavement and injure yourself (something that Renzo Gracie once told me happened to him in a street fight).

All of this is not to say that the Dueling paradigm does not have many benefits. Actually, there are a number of positive benefits that you can honestly only learn in the context of a competition. Matt Thornton of the Straight Blast Gym speaks often of the concept of “Aliveness” in your training. This means that once a technique or tactic has been learned by the practioner, it comes to be trained in a way that develops an understanding of timing, distance, power, and how to utilize that technique against a fully resisting uncooperative opponent.

This is one thing that is often missing in the non sport specific martial arts and its absence becomes obvious when practioners of these styles have to deal with practioners who train in a more “alive” manner. Realistic sparring (which is essentially Dueling) should include some degree of hard contact and movement where the goal is not so much to gain points but rather to stop your opponent. This hard contact teaches you both to strike with real power and timing but it also serves a callusing for your own body. Once you have had your bell rung a few times, you won’t be afraid of it anymore and can learn to deal with it in a more effective manner.

By this same token, to some degree your training should include the “unmatched” Duel. That means you are competing against someone who is fighting outside your preferred tactics. If you have good boxing skills, you should spar someone who is going to try to take you down or is going to work leg kicks against you. This will keep you from being stuck in a mindset of only using your favorite skill.

You can also make your Duel training more realistic by adding variables to the environment such as forcing yourself to fight with your back to the wall or in a smaller area, or if you favor ground fighting, force yourself to work for takedowns that are more “throwing” oriented as opposed to level change oriented.
If you add these concepts to your practice and also keep your mind open to the fact that the Duel is not the only vision of combat, you are creating an effective training methodology that will span across all three of our paradigms.

The Fight

When most people think of the situations where they are most likely to use “self defense”, what they are really thinking of is the scenario of “The Fight”. The Fight, defined, is: “A violent encounter between two willing individuals that is most often predicated by a verbal altercation and some degree of posturing. No rules or tactics are established, nor is there a clear criterion for what will end the encounter. There is no telling if both, one of, or neither of the participants has any training. Further, both participants may face civil or criminal charges for their role in the encounter”.

When many people say they want to learn how to defend themselves, they are usually saying they want to learn how to handle “The Fight”. Throughout our training, we often fail to realize that while we think we are training for “The Fighting”, we are in actuality training for “The Duel”. On the surface, it is easy to believe that the two are closely related but they are more like second cousins.

Our first difference is in the fact that unlike the duel, which takes places at a set time and place that allows for some degree of preparation, the Fight takes places more on the spur of the moment and can happen anywhere at all. Locations could include a bar, in the home, on the street, or anywhere else you can imagine. This element of surprise is important for two reasons. One, you do not know what type of opponent you are dealing with. He could be a random dude of the street who is more bark than bite, or he could be a five time Dutch Kickboxing Champion. Your only indicators of his ability will be gleaned in the build up to the fight, a period of time that Rory Miller refers to as “The Monkey Dance”, a time frame where both participants tend to posture and talk in order to both psych out their opponent and psych up themselves.

The second reason is the adrenaline rush that comes from conflict. In a Duel, you have forehand knowledge of what is about to occur and you have had the opportunity to mentally prepare for it. While you are bound to be nervous, you have already considered the possible outcomes for the situation. In the Fight, you are forced to deal with a great deal of stimuli in a short amount of time. The “Fight or Flight” instinct is going to be in full effect and you are going to be faced with all the physiological changes that come with adrenal stress, to include auditory exclusion, tunnel vision, and tremors. More than likely these factors are going to keep you from performing anything but gross motor functions, especially if you have never participated in good hard sparring and wrestling to prepare yourself for them.

Another difference from the Duel is that in the Fight there are no set rules or tactics. You do not have foreknowledge of what types of attacks you will have to defend against and common “illegal” maneuvers such as groin strikes, head butting, and eye gouges might be used (either by yourself or your attacker). Additionally, where as many Duels begin with the participants separated in such a way that they have the opportunity to use movement and tactics to control distance to their advantage, many fights begin with the participants no further than arms length apart and not in a prearranged fighting stance. This set up precludes many of the techniques utilized in the Duel, such as kicking and effective boxing. When grapplers make the unsupported claim “90% of fights end up on the ground”, they do not add the qualifier that it happens becomes many people do not know how to fight at this close of a range. Lacking this knowledge, then end up in a FUT (what we refer to as a “fucked up tangle”) and fall to the ground.

Knowing that we will not be able to dictate our range in a Fight the same way we will in a Duel, this calls for us to alter both our tactics and techniques accordingly. This is why some things that do not work very well in the context of the Duel can still be effective in the context of the Fight. Take the Jeet Kune Do Straight Blast for example. Essentially a version of Wing Chun vertical fist chain-punching, the Straight Blast can be a difficult tactic to employ in an unmatched Duel. When the opponent has the foreknowledge of your skill set, the ability to control range, and knowledge of takedowns, it is not that hard for them to counter the Straight Blast immediately with a double leg takedown level change. This has led to many MMA enthusiasts to claim that the Straight Blast is useless.

If we place the tactic in the context of the Fight however, things change. Since you are already at close range with your opponent, you have a very good chance of landing the first strike if you engage preemptively. After this first contact you do not let up and fire punch after punch until the opponent is backing up, and then you can move into clinching range. It is at this point in the altercation, where you have gained the upper hand, that you then might be able to employ tactics such as wrist or arm locks, foot sweeps, and other maneuvers that you cannot often make use of in a Duel.

Since I made mention of engaging preemptively, we have to consider the final major difference between the Duel and the Fight, and that is legal ramifications. We live in a litigious society where violence is punishable not just in a criminal context but where you may also be liable for the injuries you inflict on the person you Fight with. It seldom matters who threw the first punch or if you feel you were engaging in self defense. Engaging in a Fight is a slippery slope of legal problems that should be considered very deeply and in much more detail than I am going to address here. There is a reason why people say the best way to win a Fight is to not get in one.

This is where the Fight is unique from both the Duel and the Assault. In the Duel, both participants are free from legal action for their involvement and as such they both choose to participant. A Fight can only occur if both people are willing to engage in it. If you chose not to, and both make these intentions clear and try to escape the situation, the Fight transforms into “The Assault” and now we are faced with different considerations.

How do we as martial artists prepare for the Fight? The greatest aspect of preparation is psychological and mental. Learning to defuse potentially violent situations, if not avoid them completely, is a key component. This can be combined with scenario based training that includes verbal interaction that simulates the “Monkey Dance” in order to at least attempt to replicate the adrenaline rush that comes with conflict as well as hard contact sparring so that you can see which tactics work better at this range versus the ones you may normally utilize in a Duel context.

The Assault

Now we come to what we should most be preparing for if we are considered with self defense, yet what we spend the least amount of time truly learning about. An Assault is: “An act of violence perpetrated on one individual (the attacker) on another (the victim) without the victim’s consent or prior knowledge. This act of violence has no governing rules and the severity of the violence could range from a minor injury to attempted murder. While the victim has an inherent right to defend themselves from their attacker, they must exercise due regard to their own use of force as it relates to the law.”

This is the real deal folks. When we talk about assault we are getting down to the most ancient and basic interactions of human beings, the primal nature that has not changed for millennia, no matter how much we may like to think society has changed us and civilized us. At the core, assault is about one individual trying to impose their will upon another for their own gratification. That gratification could be monetary as in a mugging, sadistic as in a thrill kill, or sexual/power based as in a rape.

If we look at our three paradigms as a progression from most civilized to least civilized it is clear why we talk about the Assault last. We also do this because it is an extension, emotionally and mentally, of the Fight. As with the Fight, we are going to be forced to deal with adrenal conditions, a lack of rules, and no clear outcome or time frame for the violence to last. The Assault is the most dangerous of violent encounters because it is the one in which the Victim has the least amount of warning and control over the situation. You may have no notice of it prior to it occurring and you may not, initially at least, have the opportunity to escape it.

It is almost impossible to truly prepare for an Assault. Scenario based training, both in a Dueling and Fighting context, can provide some preparation but there are too many other variables that are impossible to replicate. The best things you can do outside of your scenario training is use awareness and avoidance to minimize your vulnerability, while also accepting the fact that Assault is something that CAN happen. When you train, train for the worst case scenario and work on your weaknesses more than your strengths.

Regarding your tactics, the Assault is the scenario where you must truly be able to think outside of the box. When your life is truly in danger, concepts of fair play are no longer valid. Eye gouges, ear slaps, and groin strikes become primary weapons. Your attacker has already gained an advantage over you due to the circumstances of the attack and the fact that he has probably landed the first series of strikes or gained some control of your body. We need to circumvent those advantages in the simplest way possible. We have to be more ruthless and mean spirited than the attacker. Essentially we have to want to survive and escape this Assault more than he wants to complete it.

Which leads us to the most misunderstood and difficult aspect of the Assault, the responsible use of force. Many instructors do not address legal considerations as they relate to an Assault scenario, choosing instead to go the macho route of “It’s better to be judged by twelve than carried by six”. While it is very true that you must do everything in your power to keep yourself alive, it is a very fine line between appropriate use of force and excessive force.

It is important to remember, that many situations that would fall under the criteria of an Assault such as mugging or home invasion are most often perpetrated with a weapon. Once we throw a weapon in the scenario, we are no longer in the Empty Hand Paradigm and will have to adjust both our own use of force and the legal ramifications as such.