© COPYRIGHT 2010 BY BRADLEY J. STEINER - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
[Reprinted With Permission]
American Combato
Seattle Combatives
SHOT placement is the most important thing when determining the potential man-stopping probability of a hit from a handgun bullet. Interestingly, that is also one of the most important factors for determining the results of smashing into an enemy using an unarmed combat move. Surely a handaxe chop delivered with great force to the windpipe will kill. But the same blow across the side of a strong man‘s upper arm might only cause him to shrug.
One very popular training item is the full padded body suit that permits students to flail away wildly and hit the padded "attacker" full force — presumably gaining, as a result of this practice, some kind of "powerful striking capability" so that they have confidence that they will be able to stop a real adversary.
We disagree.
Padded men present completely unrealistic and misleading, oversized targets. Far better to practice, using the same control that has always been employed in combat karate and ju-jutsu training (ie stopping just short of contact) with a real, live, unpadded training partner. That way, there is no problem at all in locating and focusing on the truly vital target areas. This cannot be done in competition or in sparring, but competition and sparring have nothing to do with combat training.
"But what about experiencing contact?" one might ask. Get that by smashing into insentient targets. Striking posts, heavy bags, dummies, padded trees, etc. will all allow you to kick, jab, pound, strike, and chop with all of the power that you are capable of generating — safely. Combined with practicing skills realistically with a partner (ie not by substituting targets so as not to injure anyone; but by never bothering with any targets but the most vulnerable, and practicing in a controlled, well-regulated manner) this approach will result in a laser-like focus on the body‘s most dangerously vulnerable attack points, and the power and speed required to devastate those targets.
That is what real world combat and self-defense demand.
If you wish to have your training partner dress in anything besides a gi, have him wear a bala clava ("ski mask") or street clothes — just like the vermin against whom you are preparing to defend yourself wears. But do not have a partner wear artificial padding that alters his entire shape and appearance.
Hit inanimate objects for training the natural weapons‘ power, speed, and force delivery capability. Do not hit fully at all, in training. This way you‘ll memorize and never deviate from training against the enemy‘s most vital points and dangerously vulnerable target areas. Your training will not be such that you go after one set of targets in sparring or competition, but try (impossibly) to "remember" and to "remind yourself" not to go after those targets in an actual attack, but instead then focus on the "real" targets.
We shall shortly be posting some new material on www.seattlecombatives.com and hope that you‘ll visit that site regularly, too.
May 2010 be a prosperous, healthy, and happy New Year for you and yours.
We‘ll be back next month!
Stay Combat Ready,
Prof. Bradley J. Steiner
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