Training to Confront

For information purposes only. Exercise and diet at your own risk


IF YOU PARTICIPATE in martial pratice for the combat element/street self protection, then your training will be different from that of the sport competitor. Although some aspects will run parallel, other elements will differ greatly. A serious student of the combat arts trains hard and daily for a violent confrontation that may never occur, though it could equally well happen tomorrow, next week, next month, whichever! So you train hard, beating boredom and training your mind to be disciplined because you just never know when your skills may be called upon.

By way of comparison, a competitor knows the date, time and venue of a fight. He will know the rules and regulations, his opponent's size, weight, attributes and former record. When the bout comes around he will have wisdom and guidance from his trainer/coach/corner-man before, during and after the fight. His hardest task is entering the ring and fighting.

The combat student probably has none of the above data. You may suddenly find someone in your face and that will be the first time you ever see them! You will not know their abilities, reputation, fitness, or anything at all about them, except for their size and apparent attitude. You may be on your own with no one to give you advice and spur you on and there will be no referee and no bell!

So your training must prepare you properly. It must include the tactics of confrontation - fear control, threat assessment, decision making and finally combat. As part of the combat element, you must take into account pre-emptive blows, multiple strikes, grappling, chokes/strangles, gouging, biting, head butting, ground grappling and much much more. So train with anyone who has got something to offer, be it a Judo man, Boxer, Wrestler, Thai etc. Learn their strengths and weaknesses in case you ever come up against such an opponent in the street. If you are a grappler, then learn striking and impact train with bag and pads, if you are a striker then learn upright and groundwork to experience the differences. You must cross train and round out your knowledge to try and prepare for every eventuality. You need to train against all manner of weapons and become used to confronting an attacker armed with any of these weapons. You need to know how these weapons are used - in fact you need to know everything if you are to survive the confrontation. Also learn how to used everyday articles as makeshift weapons.

Work out situational scenarios: against a wall, multi opponents, weapon hold ups, on the ground, on the stairs, sitting down etc. Train als to condition the body to withstand punishment and work the cardiovascular system to develop good endurance and stamina.

All these elements, plus an understanding of the mental conditioning will help prepare you for confrontation. So no matter how long you have been training in martial arts or what grade you may hold, you can go on learning if you want to. Just because you are teaching, don't let your own standards drop.

Remember: to succeed you must keep training with the same passion and spirit you did when you were coming up through the ranks. Always keep in mind the reason why you are training - for the confrontation that may never happen - and by doing so, ensure you are as prepared as possible.

You can contact me on Kevin O'Hagan 0117 952 5711

http://www.bristolgoshinjutsu.com/
Disclaimer: Consult your GP before changing diet. Follow any Training regime or diet on this site at your own risk