Hock Hochheim's 2006 Blog

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Sgt. 1st Class James Burcham tests new flexable arm and leg protective armor developed by the Office of Naval Research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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30 August 2006: Uncomplicating the Process

This topic came up again last weekend. What does simplification or uncomplicating mean? The conversation was leaning toward the many Filipino systems. For example, and using a family alias name or two, lets say we are confronted with these numbers:

 

Johnson Family Kali - Main drill has 5 angles of attack

Jones Family Kali - Main drill has 8 angles of attack

Gonzal Family Kali - Main drill has 10 angles of attack

Loredo Family Kali - Main drill has 14 angles of attack

Paso Family Kali - Main drill has 3 angles of attack

Presas Family - Main drill has 12 angles of attack

Many more for many families

Taking a good look at all these angles you would find several common denominators. The majority have attacks from above, right, left, and below. Not all, but most. Many of the attack angles resemble each other from family to family.

Yet, all are very limited. And, many double and sometimes triple up on the same angle and/or target. Many contain only one stab, the rest slashes! Many have no continuity or semblance to a common sense progression. Many work for slashes, but not stabs. Many ignore the variety of hand grips. Most ignore pommel strikes. It is an interesting study to dissect all of them from a big picture perspective.

Studying and memorizing ALL of them is best left for the true-blue, real Arnis/Kali buff. Someone who truly loves the subject and wants to know what every family does, as a collector's piece. Some Arnis/kali/Escrima students crave complication and crave multi-system study.

Someone else, most people that is, just want the most organized, effective approach to hit a guy with a stick, because they are interested in practical and tactical information. I fall into this category. That is why I processed all these angles and deduced that using the clock pattern is best for most people.

- insures top/bottom, right and left: 12, 3, 6, 9 on the clock

- easily allows for any needed nuisances of numbers in between the big corners

- works easily with all stick grips

- works easily with all slashes, stabs, handle strikes and blocks

- works easily with all hand grips

- offers a thorough attack system for a trainee to react to

- it is IMPOSSIBLE to forget! The Clock!

- this covers all of the families attack angles. Not one is missed or ignored.

Not only is this easier, it is less complicated. The essence of all the families put together. An official treaty. A simplification of ALL families. This is what appears in the SDMS Impact Weapon course and the single stick program of the Pacific Archipelago Combatives course.

Now, take this same equation and run any martial topic through a similar process. All the punches, the kicks, the gun shots, the throws, etc. Most people really want the essence of combat. A smaller percentage want a hobby-esque experience of their favorite subject. Stripping it down like this, removes the hobby, the mystique and destroys the fun for them.

Be aware of this, of the many valid interests of people.

 

Any comments? Continue the thread on the talk forum!

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27 August 2006: Ripples

Psychologists say that when you hear of someone else's sudden or tragic death, the very first primitive, instinctual response is to first be relived that you are the one not dead. This may produce a feeling of guilt, but normal people, understanding normal psychology just let the natural feeling come and then go. It is normal to think this.It is normal to feel a tad guilty for that passing thought. Then...that ripples out to saner observations.

Last weekend when I sat in an Austin, TX hotel lobby and heard of Comair flight 5191 crash, I immediately took natural stock of myself. "I am not on that one!" Then started more mature and sane thoughts. Fact is, I have been on hundreds of Comair flights running from Atlanta and the cities north of the central, east coast. During the four years I lived in northern Georgia I took commuter flights to and fro big airports weekly, about two sometimes four a weekend. Weekly for years.

I thought about the 50 or so people dead, and I had blurry flashbacks of general memories about the people I wait at the gate with. The many faces. People I stand on line with. Common people. Everyday people, of all shapes, colors, ages and sizes. Vacationing people. Working people. People with families.

I was taught in policing that just about every homicide as a rippling effect in the community. Normally, each victim has a circle of family and friends, then there are people on the outskirts of this ring, that feel the mental effect of a death. A plane crash ripples the world.

A crash such as this, or any, is a brutal event with many ramifications. Flying is still tons safer than than driving. You really have to be unlucky to be caught in a plane crash. Really unlucky.

 

Any comments? Continue the thread on the talk forum!

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24 August 2006: THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR FREQUENT TRAINING

by Deputy Chief John Hinton, Phoenix, AZ Fire Department

 

(Hock's note- though this relates to firefighting? It also relates to all of us who instruct and train. We share the same burdens.)

 

Any discussion of training is incomplete without addressing the frequency of training; that is, how often is often enough? I have seen experienced crews that have gone some time without formalized training exercises do well on the fireground, consistently. But this is only true until one day it is not. Discounting that we all have bad days, it is bad timing (and bad luck) to discover in the middle of fire operations that it has been too long in between training cycles.

The best argument for regularly scheduled, routine training cycles is that, at the very best, measuring skill degradation is an inexact science. Too often, it is not noticed until something goes wrong on the fireground. A good rule of thumb: If you think you need training, it probably has been too long since your last session. My guess is that very few of our members feel they "need" training when they are scheduled to attend. But it's a scheduled, routine piece of our operations. It is not uncommon for instructors to hear, "We didn't feel like coming down, but it was good training." It's a peculiar phenomenon, but oftentimes we don't know we need something until we get it (or lose it). No truer statement could be made regarding training. Train often, even if things have been going well.

Training should be challenging, even extremely demanding, but not to the extent that sets an inherently unsafe standard on the fireground. We must teach margins of safety in a training setting, and we must structure our training in a realistic way, so that our work can safely mirror that training.

Those with the experience to know better should do better. A worthy goal for the new guy: Gain the experience of your veteran counterparts, while maintaining the high degree of respect you have for this work. It's a great job. The only way we can continue to "live the dream" is to stay safe while doing it.

John Hinton has been with the Phoenix Fire Department for more than 29 years and is currently a deputy chief and shift commander. His duties include training recruits and active firefighters. The longer version of this article can be read at: http://www.firerescue1.com/training/articles/230772/

 

Any comments? Continue the thread on the talk forum!

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22 August 2006: Lesser-Known, Lesser-Talented UFC & Pride Guys

You know, I am fond of saying that we cannot judge the quality of a fighting system by its best fighter. He will make everything look great and successful. I am also fond of saying that we fight three kinds of folks, untrained, moderately training and highly trained (and in that order!). Having established those fond remarks, I will now start this short essay...

I cannot watch the UFC on television if it's too late at night. The fighters and what they are doing hypnotize me. What is working? What isn't? Why? My blood pressure goes up and when the shows are over, I can't sleep.

The thought occurred to me that these fighters are the ones that are good enough to be on television (many experts will argue that point). Probably for every one on TV, there are 1,000 (?) or more that are not good enough. What do they do? How do they fight?

In the self-defense training world, we must work within the statistics. Almost all criminals are untrained. Almost all irate, agitated party and bar fighters are untrained. How will most of the common criminals attack? Most of drunken, brothers-in-law? Angry car drivers? Rest assured it will not be a single leg sinker to loop/scoop butterfly slam to a zip lock canker....six ways deep. Very, very few know even the loop/scoop-to-a-poop!

We have to first study how counter the common attacks from the common attackers - the untrained- the great inwashed - then spend time working on the moderately trained and finally - the higher trained.

As a quick aside, most martial arts systems most fight only the attacks that are found within their "attack system," which usually ignores the common criminal or common knucklehead's methods. This is another verson of the "myth of the duel."

While it is educational to watch the UFC, it might be even more educational in terms of self-defense to watch the untrained and moderately trained UFC-ers. How do they fight? What do they do. Even more interesting, watch people that have no training. See what they do. Having been at the old FOX Toughman shows, I saw a lot of roundhouse punches. Couple that with wild, non-sport tackles and you have two very common attacks.

Remember what those criminal justice universities and Calibre Press released on how they attack us.

Sucker punches

Roundhouse punches

Sports punches (way lessor percentage - few know how)

Tackles (involves grabs and bear hugs)

Pulldowns (involves clinches, grabs and bear hugs)

 

Post script on this...

I enjoy these fights until the parties hit the ground and often start up brief wrestling matches. I often see the grounded guy get tied up in a pretzel capture. I see the many ways he could easily escape or spark the steps of escape with dirty tricks like eye and groin attacks - hair pulls - well, anything that is deemed illegal in the rules. These little, sport-ditty segments on the ground really frustrate me. Finally the ground and pound starts up and looks real again. Anyone who doesn't think they can learn something from watching the UFC and Pride fights, should really reconsider. They are fascinating. I also find it interesting how many high kicks and spinning back hammer fists and so forth are fairly successful.

 

 

Any comments? Continue the thread on the talk forum!

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20 August 2006: Thanks and Problems

Quick thanks to the 23 people from PA, MD, NJ, NY and Kentucky who attended that sudden Lambertville, New Jersey seminar yesterday, showing up with only about 8 days prior notice of this quickly thrown together event. Thanks! We did have a blast. I did knife and UC work and MCCann did his usual dynamite ground and pound session.

 

Any comments? Continue the thread on the talk forum!

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15 August 2006: Habits

There is an old Army saying - "Bad habits become worse in combat." When you think about it, that means both safety/tactics and your vices.

 

Any comments? Continue the thread on the talk forum!

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12 August, 2006: Shadows and Glass: Multiplying your lines of sight.

It is not uncommon these days for police and military entry and search training to have a few paragraphs in their Powerpoint presentations on the use of glass reflections, shadows and light. In summary, while searching for the enemy or suspects, one should take advantage of any glass windows, clock faces, picture frames, and certainly mirrors, etc. to see beyond where they can't see in their normal straight line of sight.

Also, an acute awareness of all available light and "bouncing" light in your search area, might eventually lead to your detection of a shadow cast on a the ground, wall or floor, that might reveal the position of your opponent. This is all documented in Training Mission Two/Gun 2 DVDs and books of our training series.

May all your enemy be untrained and ignorant! In the time-sensitive, half-seconds of a running hand, stick, knife and/or gunfight, these two tactical points - reflections

and shadows, are points easily ignored by the bad guys...and the good guys.

But! Remembered for some. Forgotten also for others?! In most common street survival training, these two important subjects are almost ignored and left to the searching courses. In fact, an everyday person, agent, cop or soldier may need these tips a hundred times more in their everyday lives than the smaller percentage, probability of searching buildings. These dual, life-saving power points must be used in our daily lives, not just on SWAT call-outs or Baghdad raids.

In the 1980s, I did not really grasp the official concepts about shadows and glass, as instruction as such was not common place instruction. Those kinds of tips were passed down by the old, savvy hands. Around that time, as a detective, I experienced a life-changing lesson in the middle of working a series of robbery/kidnappings. Once, one of the kidnappers accidentally called his partner by nickname, overheard by a victim. (This was 20 years ago and I cannot remember the nickname so let me say the closest thing "Shock Knee." It was something like that). Even with the rudimentary computer systems we had back then, there were records in major cities and by the State of Texas Corrections that maintained a nickname and tattoo file. It was a tedious search to request, but I started a hunt for the nickname of Shock Knee.

At the time our city sat atop two of the top five major crime capitals in the entire country, Dallas and Fort Worth, and we were consistently going there to find criminals and work our cases. It only made sense to check with the State, then Dallas and Fort Worth nickname files. Sure enough there was a violent offender nicknamed Shock Knee in one of the two worst projects in Fort Worth, Texas.

Long-story-short, since this is about tactics, not a torrid detective magazine tale, I went on a hunt for this Shock Knee. I went to the gambling houses, bars and street corners, to the card games and domino folding tables under the shade trees that lined the projects. I was met with incredulous faces as I badged them all and dared to interrupt them on their turf with my questions. This was a very racially tense era.

One street corner group of 20 and 30 year-olds played a word game and a verbal dodge and dance with me, and as I turned to leave, I put on my sunglasses causing me to look down just a bit. I walked to my car. The setting sun on the street under me cast long shadows and I spotted a rushing shadow dashing up behind me! It flew across the ground like a shark in the water! I instinctively spun, as anyone would do. My hand went up as I saw one of these guys suddenly stop cold just a few feet from me, his face in an expression of surprise. His onlooking friends had faces of anticipation. In fact, my shadow-man was also caught in a mid-smirk, not an insane or angry face, but that of a prankster.

I turned the fingers of my hand into a fist with a pointed finger, "ONE more question!" I declared with an emphasis on the word "one." The guy remained frozen like a still picture of someone caught mid- jog. As on him first, I then walked right past him, zoned out a bit and addressed the group. It was like a "Oh, oh, one more thing," Peter Falk/Colombo moment on his TV show. My response was completely instinctive.

I left again. As I got into my car, I wondered what would have happened had I not been alerted by the shadow of this shark on the ground? My gut instinct was that this idiot was going to run and just slap me on the back of the head or maybe kick me in the rear and dash back. Of course, he could have hit me and knocked me down, took my revolver and killed me. Looking back, my Colombo routine actually defused this little strange situation. I had outsmarted the dasher. And I de-escalated the whole thing with a quick Colombo act. I was alone in deep, enemy territory, and in this case Colombo was better than Rambo. If I need to explain that further to you here? You are worse than a rookie.

A strict tactician with no street savvy would have me back away from the group with my hand on my gun handle (ever have those police instructors tell you to always do that in every traffic stop?). This makes you look like a chicken-shit, an idiot or a militant radical, and frankly? This does not facilitate your street persona in the long years to come as you work these people and these mean streets. And, a strict textbook instructor would tell you never do such work alone. But, all my felow detectives were juggling the same backbreaking caseload as I was. Nothing would or could get done if we paired up and spent time like this.

I never forgot the "shadow trick." But glass and shadow applications work in many more countless ways than orderly retreats like this one and in hot searches. I have been on numerous surveillances where I have used glass reflections to observe hotspots, track and follow suspects. When you set up on a location, try to calculate these reflection factors into your positioning. Turn your "line of sight" from two eyes into four or six eyes!

When contacting, passing by or interacting with questionable parties, you must check out your surroundings and maybe you can see if your departure, exit or escape is successful by watching yourself and them in the reflection of nearby windows, car windows or by the shadows cast on the ground from lights or the sun. Even many darker painted cars, or their chrome accessories, will offer you a reflection to work with. This must come to you as an instinctive process through time. You may even spy a 3-D version of the person you are talking with, or other views of opponents and their sides and backs, plus watch the movements of multiple people.

Remind yourself of this in the reflection of your mirror each day. Reflect in the reflection. Or when you walk up to your car door window and see yourself at the beginning of each day. Remind yourself. Remind your colleagues. Surprise your enemy. Play the glass and play the shadows. They are all around you.

The winner of the hand, stick, knife or gun fight is not the startle reflex master, the wrestling champ or range trophy winner, it is the savvy cat that out-smarts and out-thinks his enemy.

You don't just go to work. You prowl.

P. S. In the aforementioned projects I stopped a lone man walking with groceries. I asked him casually, "hey man! Where's Shock Knee?" out the window of my car. He so casually told me where right where his mother lived. That was Day 3 of my canvassing. Days later I and a Texas Ranger caught and arrested arrested Shock Knee. He did 12 years for armed robbery.)

 

Any comments? Continue the thread on the talk forum!

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8 August 2006: Dynamite in the Water!

"Settle-Fors"...Sport-based competition is superior than combat-oriented training because...(?)

 

The sportsman's answer? "Sport-based competition is superior than combat-oriented training because the stress of competition more closely mimics the anxiety and adrenaline of a fight."

 

True or false? Talk amongst yourselves... or here...This is a discussion point many talk about frequently. The key phrase in the statement are the words "more closely mimics." But frankly, many debates on the issue do not contain that exact phrase. In debates you will also the comparison -"same as". Some even argue, "better than." The exact semantics may vary, but the general message of "close/same/better" remains.

 

 

For starters you'll have to quickly define...

1) Sports-based competition (football? baseball? Rugby?)

2) Combat-oriented sports (Karate tournament? UFC? Hockey?)

3) Combat training (training to replicate the predicted combat situation)

4) Anxiety (nervousness, jitters, anxiousness. At times depression)

5) Adrenaline (chemicals excreted to fire up the body in serious emergency)

 

 

Big Picture, Small Picture

Okay, lets dare follow that logic to the extreme. If sports-based competitions were so close, near or even better? Why then should the US Marines bother with combat training at Paris Island? Why not just start a giant, Marine Corps, football league? Or have Delta Force partake in Kick boxing tournaments instead of war maneuvers with simulated ammo? That "combat sport competition is close-as, or as good as, or -superior" concepts just doesn't play out in the big picture.

What about the small picture? Inside your guts? Can you do anything for any adrenaline rush? Sports? Challenges? Thrills? Not for all all of us. Whether sports or combat, the personality and experience of the individual takes much into account. Let's just start there with individual people.

Personality and Experiences

Everyone's body callous and jitter switch is different. Individually for me, when normal life throws me a curve, like a road rage incident, or an unruly, knucklehead at the bar, or brusk counter-help at a restaurant, or a nutty relative, people ask me, “Hock, why are you so calm about this?” My answer is,

“Hey, I've been shot at. What else could be that bad?”

Most people in normal life do not have a standard to compare their problem of "cold broccoli" with. "Waiter! Waiter! Damnit! My damn Broccoli!" Most martial arts instructors, even reality-based, do not have continuum standards to compare with either. ..in their guts. Their guts and doctrines have not faced the stampeding elephant.

Sadly, I myself simply do not care about being in a sports competition no matter the hoopla because they are just not the real thing. I would like to return to my blissful days of worshipping the New York Mets as a child. Or the Dallas Cowboys, but those days are over now. Fighting in a weekend sports fight doesn't excite me to juice up some real adrenaline. Hell, I've caught hit men and serial killers, being in and watching sport competitions just doesn't cook my soup. I just don't care enough to get too excited. I am not alone in this.

For example, many of my police friends participate in annual SWAT competitions. They train specifically for the events. They attend the events with the same social fervor of a bunch guys going to a bowling tournament. They like to win. They try to win. They want to win. It facilitates team-building. But they the know distinct difference between the event and a real hostage takedown.

Years ago in a short car trip with a group of new acquaintances, the male driver talked about his wife being an avid hunter. Over his shoulder, he asked me, Hock, do you hunt?" My thoughtless, quick response was, "Yes...people." Everyone laughed and I realized I'd made a funny. They all knew I was a detective and had tracked people across the country. But the moral of the story was hunting animals really bored me. After one hunts armed people, hunting a woodchuck or a damn dove, or a deer...just doesn't boil my potatoes. I have done all of the aforementioned as social events, really. Had fun. Ho-hum.

Shooters rage and cheer on about their police target competitions and "getting that trophy," and getting 100 points instead of 95 on the last run through. They talk about how much they like shooting competition because it gives them an adrenaline boost. Range contest shooters think that's adrenaline? Wha? Sweet Jesus! Have they got a surprise in store for them! I get almost zero adrenaline on a competition shoot or tournament when compared to my real moments of violent conflict in real life. I'd much rather be in a good, realistic, sims, shoot out scenario any day to touch my adrenaline. Range, target shooting is like ironing a shirt compared to combat.

Look, I am not saying cheering the Mets, sparring on Wednesday nights or shooting at a range or contest is wrong or misguided. Everyone has hobbies. Many military, police and citizens are already competitive by nature and can get overly excited over a game of cards. But when I do all these things, all I really get is frustrated because I can't cheat.

I can think of someone walking up to a piano recital and passing out onto the stage floor from nerves. People can psychologically work themselves into an adrenalized, frenzy over any event. A few weeks back I was a finalist in a book writing competition. At the banquet, I nervously awaited the results. I recalled having these jitters before and found it strange that though my life was not in danger, I was having some version of "butterflies." Some version. Which leads us to the next topic of versions. All nervousness and adrenaline is not equal. All nervousness does not equate to an adrenaline burst, it just equates to...being nervous.

 

Contest adrenaline is different than combat adrenaline

In the chemical becker on the lab table. Adrenaline chemicals all look the goopy same. But when it is pumped into play, the heart rate, the brain, the body and the situation all come into chaotic play. What manifests is a situation specific result. If you are a kick boxer, you might start kick boxing. If you are a footballer, you might tackle. If you are a trained mixed-weapon, reality combat guy, you'll be different still. The point being, despite the universality of the chemicals, the situation plays a part in how you feel in your gut and what you'll do.

 

I recall serving some warrants on armed felons one day, then later that night, coming up to the plate to bat on our police department softball team. I remember noting that I was more nervous about batting than I was making the earlier arrests. Plus, it really was a different kind of nervous.

 

Contest jitters are different than pre-raid jitters. Non-combat nerves, jitters, butterflies and adrenaline are different than the combat nerves, jitters, butterflies and adrenaline. Unless you have worked yourself into a alternative, psycho-frenzy making something less into something more. In which case, I would hate to predict what you would do in the real deal if a target match or a piano recital wipes you out. Pre-karate fight anxiety is different than those prepping a house raid in Tikrete. Get a grip on the real continuum of life. The real stampedes. The big picture.

Such abstractions like sports and recitals are better than nothing, but the best combat training must resemble the actual combat as closely as possible for a host of reasons, such as probability factors and muscle memory. Crisis rehearsal of the most realistic combat encounters is the highest form of training. There is always something better to try than settling-for a sports competition. I emphasize the term settling-for!

The suggestion by many is to experience a sheer adrenaline rush in a roller-coaster ride, sky-diving, a karate tournament or a pistol target match. But, know that thrill and sport adrenaline bursts are "settling-fors," because adrenaline is different for different things. Being shot at, flying in a para-sail and kicking a field goal are very different things.

Is your time well-spent? You have to ask yourself, is getting an abstract, unrelated dose of an adrenaline rush more important than learning proper, combat muscle memory, along with some adrenaline? In competitions you strive to win, within the rules. Those rules do not apply to real world combat. Instead, the abstract methods and strategies that evolve to win in a certain sport, become your muscle memory.

Sports advice and reality cross-training is a very hard split. Even just within the sport's world, cross-training is hard enough. A pro baseball player is a fine athlete, but he cannot succeed in pro football. His raw, athletic skills will carry him to a point, but specific skills must take over. Think about the amazing basketball star Michael Jordan. Despite his amazing skills, he pretty much sucked in baseball. Now, suddenly drop Michael Jordan in a firefight northern Afghanistan, or a Camden, New Jersey gang fight.

These topics are heard to delineate because as trainers and instructors we CONSTANTLY leap-frog in and around sports psychology and athletic performance trials and studies to prove a point or make statements on combat training. These sport borders can become hazy and confusing if you do not draw succinct lines and articulate your points. For example, the skill of running fast, or heart rate endurance are universally important. We rely on sports to train us in these areas. This does not mean we have to join the high school track team and win the state trophy. Nor do the pressures of a track meet really relate to run-and-gun movements, such as the "Mogadishu Mile."

Also, and this is very important, being nervous or having an increased heart rate before a shooting match or karate fight is not always connected to an official adrenaline release. You might just simply be nervous, not adrenalized.

Really Defining Combat-Oriented Sports

This is a tricky point we touched on earlier. I know Tae Kwon Do people that think their tournaments are combat-oriented. Some karate people, too. There's lot of combat in a boxing match. Some people think hard-stick dueling in the park on Sundays is all the adrenaline-related combat you need. Once you do it? "You'll fear no man ever again!" Lots of folks stand up and say their judo or kendo match helps develop their combat edge. Would you consider paintball a combat-oriented sport? Some brag on the power of mental visualization!

We once featured former SecState and General, Collin Powell in our old CQC Magazine and he told us of a "Combat Football" one of his Army commanders invented in South Korea to keep his soldiers tough. It was sort of near-to-no-rules football. Looked like Australian football, or...soccer with punching and elbows. That was not to be mistaken for trench warfare.

The 21st century UFC is leaving more of its high school wrestling methodologies behind and becoming more and more of a practical source for training, yet is still riddled with rules and sport restrictions. An enlightened mind picks out the skill sets and makes real-world applications. (more on the UFC connection is another upcoming blog)

A teacher must know not to compare sports directly to goal-specific training on how to fight a rapist, a kidnapper, a killer or a terrorist. Really switched-on, Force-on-Force programs can also raise the adrenaline, train as rigorously as a UFC contestant, plus still teach proper, survival muscle memory. This is the apex of training, not combat sports. Combat sports can teach many subtle, dangerous things. The smarter the instructor, the better the reality course.

But really making this sport-to-reality transition? Really! Doing so completely turns a martial arts school upside-down at its very core. This idea is a complete, utter, sea-change in traditional, even nontraditional martial arts. This is met with reluctant, deep resistance, or financing problems. The physical building itself cannot resemble a martial arts school found in strip-center-America. The facility needs replica streets, bars, banks, homes and battlefields. The facility needs an obstacle course. It needs...well...the mock-ups that modern military training facilities have, not a football field, not an octagon fence, not a boxing ring. All those things we must...settle-for. (Unless that is what you know you want to do.)

In summary? The Couch To-Combat Continuum. Get off the Couch!

As far as true, modern, reality-based, training programs, striving to win sport fights and games are an abstract distraction and a dangerous and poor doctrine for reality training. Sure, I would rather see people get off the couch and be in - say - a karate tournament than do nothing and sit on the couch. This way, they at least touch upon these issues. Proper combat, survival doctrine works to improve reality with the best, Force-on-Force training. Combat sports is an abstraction. But, you do the best you can where you are and understand what 'settle-fors" mean in a bigger continuum of reality.

 

Trainers remained cursed with the hard fact that - It never gets real-real...until its really real. How do we do it? That is your challenge. The answer to the "versus" question? In the pursuits of reality-laced, adrenaline and training? Sports competition "settles-for," and is "in leau of" smarter, better, more efficient ways to train for reality. Anything is better than sitting on the couch. Do something. Chess is better than staring at the wall. Ballet is better than sitting. Its a continuum thing. Combat-oriented sports are better sports-sports like tennis or baseball.

 

NOTHING replaces replicating your predicted crime fighting or war fighting, with adding stress in the mix. Not abstract stress, but realistic stress, like using sims ammo and battling opponents in padded suits, for two examples.

 

When stuck somewhere within this couch-to-combat continuum, know what you are doing and why. Know you are settling for an abstraction. You usually make the best with what you have in your local neighborhood and your daily schedule.

 

Sports do not closely mimic, closely resemble. Sports are not "as-good-as, or same-as. They are not better. Sports settle for an abstract replacement. In almost all cases, the abstract is extreme and misleading.

 

 

"Vs." Addendum: Sports vs. Reality - tactically speaking?

If I am pressed to go fishing? Screw the rod and reel! Seems to me that throwing dynamite in the water is a smarter, quicker idea. Need quiet? Then there is that electricity trick...well, anyway...within this "vs." topic, I leave you with the wise words of a true hero and combat vet MSG. Paul Howe, survivor of several elephant stampedes (Somalia for just one), who advises the following on contest vs. reality training, and makes relative statements about sports and combat::

 

"Let's face it, competition is fun and if applied correctly, can help you in your marksmanship, weapon handling skills and confidence. With these attributes, also comes bad habits of moving too fast for the tactical situation. Who dictates the speed of the fight? The bad guy and how fast he falls, does. It might be a fast or slow process (the bad guy dying), but one should get in the habit of solving one problem at a time before moving to multiple threats.

 

You can shoot two rounds on paper or ping a piece of steel and move to the next target, but in reality, two rounds or the sound of steel being struck may not solve your problem. I remember servicing a bad guy one night at about 7 yards with night optics. I was trained to do double-taps throughout my military career. I punched him twice with two 5.56 rounds and stopped for a split second in my mind and on the trigger, looking for a response from the bad guy. The problem was that he was still standing with an AK-47. I hit him with two more rounds before he began to fall the ground. To my amazement, he stood back up before collapsing a second time. Lessons learned, shoot until they go down. Not one, not two, or three.

 

I now teach a four in the chest, one in the head failure drill with the rifle. Why four? It may take the human body that long to react to the amount of trauma you are inducing (5.56). At the time of this incident, we were using military green tip ammo and the energy transfer was minimal. Realizing we had a stopping power problem, we developed a drill that would work on any determined individual and made it part of our training package.

 

As a final point, I would be cautious on using competition shooters to drive the equipment and training in a department. While generally faster shooters, I have watched them err on the side of equipment that was great for competition, but took away from simplicity and the common goal."

 

 

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7 August 2006: Attention You Main-Lander LEOs! Come to Hawaii!

Attention Law Enforcement! 6 October, 2006....Paradise! I have been invited to teach a Police Judo seminar by Honolulu P.D. and when we talked about the cost, no one knew what to charge and that agencies and officers could afford. I decided do it for free since I will already be there for another seminar anyway, providing it would open and free to all active and reserve law enforcement in Hawaii, and well...EVERYWHERE else too! http://www.hockscqc.com/shop/product229.html

Subjects will be hand, stick, knife and gun Arm Wrap traps combatives. This also includes mixed weapon, ground fighting, arrest and control process. Police Judo? Read here - http://www.hockscqc.com/judo/index.htm

Then join us in the following weekend seminar on Knife and Gun CQC. Remember, it all a tax write-off! http://www.hockscqc.com/shop/product209.html for 7, 8 October. (That one 'll cost ya'.)

(Well now coppers and G-Men, there is a secret fee, however! Everyone owes me a Pina Colada - hold the umbrella!)

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5 August 2006: Issues in Knife Grappling

After an enemy has been sufficiently stunned and/or wounded, you may have to take him down to the ground as quickly as possible. He may be:

 

* unarmed,

* was armed and you've disarmed him,

* still armed with a knife, or a stick or a gun.

You can batter him down, or sheer blood loss may cause him to drop.

If you only have a knife, you can use your free limb/hand as a takedown tool and this free arm and hand does offer some catching options. Your free limb can wrap him or grab him. Your knife limb can wrap him, but since your hand is busy holding a knife, it cannot grab. You can body ram him into off-balance positions and your legs may be used to strategically attach to him.

You will either be in a saber or reverse grip. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Many would agree that the reverse grip offers more "catch and pinch" for grappling.

Another major concern is the righty and lefty issues. What side of him will you accidentally be on? How will that affect you and your tactics.

Whether you capture his weapon bearing limb or not, you can not let his knife cut you on his way down to the ground, or get you when he hits ground. Remember, when he is put down, he is not out! There is still more to worry about when he hits the ground.

Through the years I have constructed my own knife grappling checklist and teach this theme in seminars. There are pushes and pulls takedowns unique to the knife, plus knife modifications to the common, shall we say for simplicity, "ju-jitsu" takedowns and throws with saber and reverse grips, with lethal and less-than-lethal finishes. It is an interesting study in problem-solving.

 

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3 August 2006: Tom Molineaux-America's First Bareknuckle Champion.

By Jim McCann

Tom Molineaux America's first Bare-knuckle champion and sports celebrity was born into slavery on March 23 rd 1784 in Georgetown Virginia. Tom matured at an early age and at only 5 feet 9 inches tall he developed and possessed, uncanny strength, agility and speed.

Trained by his father, Zachary Molineaux, Tom began fighting other slaves from local plantations. Soon he developed quite a reputation for being unmerciful to his opponents, and tales of his greatness spread throughout the state.

Now this angered one particular slave in another part of Virginia. He was a giant of a man who wanted to prove he was the greatest battler in the state. Soon afterward his master sought out and challenged Molineaux to a battle. Molineaux obliged - and using the rough and terrible Style of battling which was the popular American style of fighting in those days, almost annihilated his adversary .

It is not known how many of these battles Molineaux had but as a result of winning one of these matches against a rival, his owner won $100,000 by betting on him and as a result was granted his freedom and a payment of $500 .A few months later after being a free man he had traveled to New York and on to England where he pursued a title in London's boxing rings.

Upon reaching the shores of England in 1809, it was the title America's First Champion that he claimed. And with it he proceeded to challenge the world. But, there were no records to back his claim of his so-called championship battles. So England scoffed at his claim as a fighter and for a long time he was ignored .

Almost broke, Molineaux got a match with a prominent English fighter of that era who figured it "easy pickings" to whip this so called American champion. So on July 14 th 1810 this English fighter was beaten quickly and easily by Molineaux and the purse of $125 went to the American challenger.

Word of his victory spread throughout England and soon afterwards he fought Tom Blake, better known by the name of Tom Tough. By the eighth round Tom Tough Blake was laying senseless on the ground. After defeating Blake, Molineaux defeated a half a dozen fighters for purses ranging from $10-$150 pounds.

Now that he had commanded some credibility with the English public, Molineaux now boasted that he wanted to fight for the championship then held by Tom Cribb. In East Grin stead on December 18, 1810 the two boxers faced each other outside . The weather was bitterly cold, and rain down poured upon the large crowd who had waded knee-deep in the mud to get to the ring.

Despite the incredible odds against Molineaux, he methodically beat Cribb to the point of exhaustion. In the 28th round Molineaux knocked the great Cribb to the ground with a telling series of blows. Cribb was then dragged to his corner by his corner men and worked on feverishly. Then the referee signaled time and called the men to scratch. Molineaux rose ready to continue the battle. Then Cribb rose but his knees buckled and the champion fell face first to the ground. The referee for the second time called time out. Cribb tried to get to his feet but to no avail. The referee called time out for the third time and Tom Cribb was no closer to scratch than he was at the first call. Cribb's corner then accused Molineaux of having bullets in his hand. The referee then turned and checked Molineaux's hand to find it empty. A melee ensued as men from the warring factions broke the outer ring. It was a good fifteen minutes before order was restored and the fight could resume.

From that round on it seemed absolutely certain the American challenger would win. He was in far better condition than his bleeding and battered rival but in those days they fought bare-fisted and a round lasted until one fighter was thrown or knocked down by the other. Fights could be extremely grueling and violent with not much technique and finesse. When the 31 st round began it seemed only a matter of time before Cribb would no longer be able to fight, but then Molineaux stumbled and fell head first into a stake nearly smashing his skull. Molineaux survived and continued on fighting until the fortieth round when Cribb bumped into Molineaux sending him crashing to the dirt. Molineaux made two feeble efforts to rise to his feet only then to fall back and moaned "I can fight no more"

The great Pierce Egan, who described the American as "The Tremendous Man of Color," wrote of the contest: "Molineaux proved himself as courageous a man as ever an adversary contended with ... [Molineaux] astonished everyone, not only by his extraordinary power of hitting and his gigantic strength, but also by his acquaintance with the science, which was far greater than any had given him credit for."

So goes the tale of Tom Molineaux who was born a slave, fought his way to freedom and ultimately a shot at the heavyweight title of the world.

(Get ready to see Jim McCann's excellent Art of Boxing DVD series, coming soon. Jim currently teaches, all forms of ground fighting, SFC material, boxing and wrestling.)

 

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2 August: "You know you've been dissed..."

Not many people bother with talk forums. Many more people read this blog page than participate or read our attached talk forum. Talk forums are for...well..talk forum people. Some people only read one or two forums, never looking elsewhere. Many more people look at it. We have about 1,000 people registered but on any given day, many more outsiders appear as guests and read them and never say a single word on them.

 

I am not a talk forum junkie, yet, I have one here on this webpage, but just never read anyone else's. But, I have one here! So, therefore, I am not a non-talk forum person, huh?

 

Usually I am at work in the office, doing a myriad of chores and one of the lap tops is on with the talk forum page up on the screen, just because it was the last thing I looked it before I got distracted with another chore. Last week, for example, I was working on Jim McCann's Boxing DVDS on another computer system beside the laptop. I come and go, even run and exercise. ( I ran a 8 minute, 43 second mile three weeks ago-wich is not bad for me, my age and my back-this is important infor for later!)

I began to detect the subtle disrespects that come from some short guests on the forum and I thought that there are probably a list of anti- talk forum put downs. "Disses," if you will. Recently,

You know you've been dissed...

When the visitor suggests that you are a "keyboard warrior." You catch a remark like, "Well, goodbye...I am off to the gym."

This gym zinger recently came from a forum visitor who took precious time away From selling his TOP SECRET SAS films and took a break from making "Questions Answered" films that...fails to answer any questions. The zinger suggests that if you waste time reading a forum? You are not working out enough. This is a typical dig for martial talk forums, huh? Crushing! Crushingly boring and unoriginal.

You know you've been dissed...

When someone who deems himself a competitor, cannot stick around and answer some simple questions and instead remarks on the ticker-counter that records entries of the members. "I am going now, and oh, I only have one star...one entry. (unlike the others wasting time with their high numbers - too much forum time!") (Tear avitar. Sarcastic Boo-Hoo.) But, that person will return to another, less challenging talk forum of koolaid drinkers and think-alikes. Where his or her numbers are quite high there. (Smile avitar) But, alas, Boo-Hoo left. Its too late! He is gone, and you've already been...dissed!

Then I got to thinking, I am sure there are many such disses. It would be interesting to compile an official Forum Dis List and submit it the AOL or whatever. Then, an official Dis List would exist in the internet universe. Then, when someone uses a dis, you can refer them to the official Dis List and reply, " Looky here, you simple-minded, uncreative, boring slug, can't you think of a better dis than that one! That one is so over-used, it even appears on the AOL Dis List."

Eventually of course, that clever "Dis" would appear on the official Dis List.

Cycle of life. But, I think of theses things? While working out....

 

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1 August 2006: Buffalitus

The next question comes...what of Buffalo Nickels?

By January , the Buff will have his own webpage, operated by us. With his sick, twisted, George Carlinesque-with-a-machine-gun columns since 2001, the Buff has amassed an entire book of perverted observations, which will be pitched to book agents late this winter.

I know, I know, some of you just don't "get" the Buff. But when I heard from a reader a while back that every Thanksgiving when his whole family gathers, they read Buff's Coffee from a Monkey essay as annual tradition! Remarks like this and the sale of the Buff shirts, tell us we must get the webpage up and finish the book of essays. They have a case of Buffalitus, a malady cured only by psycho-tropic drugs.

Many news and entertainment vehicles have the humor ending. Andy Rooney finishes televisions 60 Minutes show. Dennis Miller finished up a news show. Many magazines end with a humor column. A police magazine now finishes up with a "Bullet Head" column (inspired by CQCs Buffalo-by the way) but no way a conventional magazine and a tame sergeant trying to sound wild and funny, can trip the insane, light fantastic ala Buffalo.

To simulate these traditional humor endings, the wide and woolly Buffalo was corralled. My friend said, "I have more than two cents to add, but what I say isn't worth a plug nickel." But, it is. Nickel become the pseudonym"Buffalo Nickels." The column was born and soon will be the book. Called Buffalo Nickels - "Mysteries of the Universe." Now if I can just finish organizing the damn thing before they remove his frontal lobes and issue him a permanent OD green straight jacket.

Imagine calling George Carlin and just talking to that insane bastard. Every two months for 5 years I called the Buff and asked for a new column. He answers? " I got nothin'." Okay, says I and I know to talk for a few more minutes. That is all it takes as he begins to tell me of some ridiculous idea or mis-adventure he's had.

"That, you ding-dong," I tell him, "is the column." I then must type and organize these ramblings. YES! I embellish them as I try to capture the essence. We swap the results two or three times and he reminds me of something or adds something.

His favorite line to me is, "If you ain't airborne, you ain't shit." In an effort to remind me that I was a mere ground-pounder in the Army compared to his glory days of skiing, sky diving and shooting Viet Cong. I will here and now declare back to him, "If you are in the book market and need a co-writer? You ain't shit!"

 

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