Short Work in Combat

Excellent Workshop on Short Work
REAL Martial Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico

We had an excellent workshop on what is called short work yesterday in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Class was taught by Josh Fabia.  Short work comes from Russian Martial Arts, Systema, to be more precise.  It works on the premise that the most direct defense is the most effective.  There is no wasted movement, nothing fancy and you go directly to your preferred targets.  The preferred targets are the eyes, throat, groin and solar plexus.  The idea being if the attacker can not see, breath or continue his attack you have neutralized the threat and can get out of there as quickly as possible.

Short work is very effective.  The motions are small and direct which means the other person can not see the attack and has very little chance to protect himself until it is too late.  We worked with strikes from standing attacks as well as ground fighting with one and multiple opponents.  We looked at pressure points and how to control a person by manipulating their head and spine.  Short work is very effective and very real however few other martial arts include it in their training.

One thing I really like about the training we are doing at EastSide Combatives is that it is focused on real life situations and application.  We deal with single and multiple attackers, standing and on the ground.  We work empty handed and with weapons in real life scenarios.  We train in doors on mats and outdoors in more realistic environments on cement, stairs and uneven ground.  Skills are developed progressively and everything fits together and expands on everything else.  It really is a system and it all works as one.

This month we will be focusing on short work in our weekly classes.  Each month has a different focus so that students can develop a good level of proficiency in each area and then bring together what they learned from the previous months into a system of personal protection that is effective and reality based.  As each student grows in their knowledge and skill they begin to develop their own unique approach and preferences.
They bring their personalities and inherent abilities to the game and learn to express themselves in their movements and skill use.  EastSide Combatives is not about replicating the teacher or anyone else it is about discovering and unveiling your own abilities and gifts so that each student is different and discovers their own inherent strengths and unique approach.