What really works?
From Spirit Warriors Martial Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
I have studied martial arts for over 25 years. I have been involved in traditional styles
such as Goju Ryu Karate, Hakoryu Jiu Jitsu and Tai Chi Chuan. I have also played a little with Brazilian
Jiu Jitsu and other sport oriented styles.
My true interests lie in reality based martial arts such as Krav Maga,
Russian Systema as well as the Philippino and Malaysian stick and knife
fighting systems.
As you can imagine there are many different approaches and
ideas as to what works best and how it works.
I have watched people do one step and three step techniques. I have observed students learning rote memory
attacks and defenses against completely impractical movements. I have walked up and down the floor throwing
punches and kicks into the air at imaginary opponents. I have sparred with so much protective gear
covering my body it did not matter what my partner or I did to each other, it
didn’t work. Thus the question, “What
really works?”
I do not pretend to have the answer to this question. That is why I am a student. Tonight in class I was working with one of my
students. He has several years of
martial arts experience and is up to what people would call a Black Belt. He moves well, knows his stuff and trains
hard. We started off slow working with a
wooden knife trying techniques and skills we have done before. As we progressed the speed accelerated, the
intensity increased and we both started getting cut, a lot! If it was a real knife we both would have
ended up dead.
We worked on trapping, grabbing, redirecting, striking, you
name it we did it. When I have done this
in the past with a cooperative partner it worked well and looked great. I was the skilled warrior ready to take on
any knife wielding attacker. But wait,
he wasn’t cooperative. He didn’t stand
still with his arm extended and wait for me.
When I moved he moved, when I attacked he defended. Sometimes he attacked my attack. OK something is not working here. I am doing everything I have been taught from
some of the best and my student is cutting me.
He is doing what I taught him and he is being cut and stabbed. What are we doing wrong? What are we doing right?
I decided that I need to look at things a little
different. As I said earlier I have
studied traditional, sport and reality based martial arts. I have done all the things martial artist do
when we train. Most of it is a complete
waste of time therefore we are very particular about what we do and how we do
it at our school. Even with this very
realistic, practical approach we need to change.
How are you training?
What is the primary focus of your school? How does you teacher present the material to
you? Will it work on the street as well
as it works in the dojo? Will it work on
a moving, aggressive, uncooperative attacker as well as it works on you
compliant training partner? We spend
hours training and learning, make sure you are not wasting your time. Take a good look at what you are doing and
how you are doing it and ask yourself. “Does this really work?”
Let me know what you come up with. I would love to hear your stories,
suggestions and comments.
Classes at Spirit Warriors are offered weekly in Santa Fe,
New Mexico. Come check out a class.
Raven Hicks
