Having spent the better part of the last twenty years focusing my training on reality, what would really work outside a take-away on a Saturday night, what would really work in a traffic jam if the driver in front gets out of his car and tries to drag me from mine, what would actually happen and work in a whole bunch of scenarios that I’d be by myself and responsible for my own safety, I can honestly say that what I teach will always bear fruit. I am not concerned with the flashy or the fancy, only with what will work when safety and health, or in some cases life, depends on it.
With this in mind, I have taken the majority of what I have seen and been taught in what we think of as ‘traditional’ martial arts classes, and as-ever, tweaked it.
If honesty and truth is really what you’re looking for, then the following suggestions should be right up your ally. If you don’t give the following games a try, I’d ask why not?
I have no problem with people doing an art for the sake of the art, but if you’re promoting your club as teaching self-defence and you don’t cover any of the things I’ve written about in this series of articles, then not only are you lying to yourself, but you’re also lying to your students, which is fraud and makes you a conman. The martial arts world is filled with charlatans and con artists, and it is up to us all to expose them upon sight.
Should we see something that we are not sure about, we should ask questions right away, immediately get clarification. We can train as close to reality as possible without crossing the line into seriously hurting someone (I suggest you give Geoff Thompson’s Animal Day DVDs and book a look, and then be thankful you don’t have to train that way), but we can only do this once we know what will work and what will not work.
A good way of doing this is to look at your system/style, and investigate the rules, and then start to think about what the outcome would be if those banned techniques were used. For example, in Judo there’s no punching, so when we take a grip or turn for a throw, what would happen to us if someone did start throwing punches? In Boxing, grappling is a no-go, so when we clinch we usually wait for the ref to break us up. Well, what would happen if we clinch and as you wait for us to be broken up, I grip a body-lock and throw you? Also, from the boxer’s clinch, what if as you’re looking for a ref, I knee you in the groin?
Look at the rules of your style and then intentionally break them, and document how that then affects the outcome of the technique.
Games: Here are a few games or exercises you can run in your club, as well as the previously-mentioned aggression line-up, to help decide if you really are training for reality or just playing. This is applicable to all styles, from striking to grappling and everything in between.
For the Judo players, have persons A and B stand facing each other. All other students stand around them in a large circle. It is A’s job to throw B with whatever technique A chooses. Now, as soon as A takes a grip on B, it is the job of the other students to rush A and put him or her down. As soon as any part of A’s belt touches the mat, game over, you start again. This is to show that although you might be able to have an effective-looking throw, can you recover your posture and readiness in time for the next animal attacking you?
Once A is down, the rest will back away, you do not execute any finishers, it is purely to show how quickly you can be taken down. This can also, of course, be applied to any of the grappling arts that utilise throws, from BJJ to the amateur Wrestling styles to Sambo et al.
For the BJJ players, once you slap-bump-roll, you have fifteen seconds to finish your opponent. That is all, just fifteen seconds. There is no restriction on technique, but if our aim is reality, I would suggest you keep it to chokes/strangles if you’re both going for it. Alternatively, a version can be played where A must get to his feet and clear (anything 12 feet and more) away from B, all B has to do is keep A on the ground. The reason for this is if you’re on the floor having to wrestle with someone, fifteen seconds is more than enough time for that person’s friends to join in or for a knife to be brought into play.
All of the RBUD self-defence ground work syllabus is aimed at getting back to our feet as quickly as possible. Armlocks and leg locks are not fight stoppers, just look at UFC 48, Frank Mir broke Tim Sylvia’s arm and Sylvia had no idea about it until he saw the replay on the big screen.
For the boxers, it’s a very similar game. A and B stand facing each other in the ring. A gets one shot, any punch they choose, to drop B. As soon as A throws the punch, the rest of the group are to rush A and take him/her to the canvas. This is to show that we do not have the luxury of a ‘match-fighting mentality,’ in that every shot must be significant. If you don’t drop the adversary with the first punch, then you will undoubtedly be facing both the original adversary and his/her friends.
For anyone and everyone, start your session with 10 sets of 30 squats, one minute break between each set. Then 5 sets of 10 push-ups, 30 seconds rest between sets. Then 10 sets of 20 crunches, 30 seconds rest between each set. Then do 5 sets of 10 burpees, 30 seconds rest between each set.
After this, you run the gauntlet. For this, you stay on the mat and face everyone in the club. They line-up and get to rest as you keep fighting. If you’re a striker, you stay in the ring and do the same, only you’ll do it in rounds. You fight for 90 seconds, with 30 seconds between rounds. Your opponent switches after three rounds, you stay on until you’ve fought everyone in the club. This is after the above-mentioned body weight exercises, remember. This is to show you facing multiple opponents is dangerous not only because there are more people to stop, but because you will fatigue before they do as a collective.
The above writings are based on my own, real-world experiences and what I have found to be most productive when the situation goes live.
Train Hard, Train Smart, Stay Safe.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Did you enjoy Martial Journal contributor James McCann’s advice on self-defense drills and games you can work in class? Be sure to also check out part 1 (on aggression), part 2 (on the impact of your clothing choices), and part 3 (the truth about your favorite techniques), and part 4 (on how to handle a large number of attackers)!
He can be contacted at rbud.co.uk
- Training for Reality Part 5: Games - May 14, 2021
- Training for Reality Part 4: Numbers - May 13, 2021
- Training for Reality Part 1: Aggression - May 12, 2021
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