THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF CLOSE COMBAT by Peter Ratcliffe.
A prime motivation for people taking up study of the Martial Arts is to become skilled in self-defence. After a short period of training many fall into the trap of believing that the techniques they are studying will transpose directly into a street situation. Often techniques are emphasised in training because they easily catch the eye of a judge in competition or combination techniques are practised to show flamboyant displays to the public. There is nothing at all wrong with any of this, providing it is recognised for what it is and not confused with self-defence.
I encourage my students to develop their own physical self-defence repertoire using techniques from the overall system, but within a fairly strict framework of selection. The techniques should be few in number, perhaps only four or five, be able to be used pre-emptively, versatile in application and based on Gross Motor Skills, not intricate or complicated, resulting in breakdown under pressure.
An analogy I like to use when explaining the formulation of personal self-defence drills is that of a motor mechanic with a garage packed with tool chests containing specialised equipment to carry out work on all vehicle systems. If we now place our mechanic in the situation of planning a driving holiday with the family, where space will be at a premium, it is obvious he cannot take all his equipment along in case of breakdown. What the mechanic can do, however, is select a small number of his most versatile tools, wrap them in a cloth and store them in some convenient place where they can be accessed without the need to unload the rest of the luggage.
Providing our mechanic has chosen wisely, if a breakdown should occur, he can gain access to his emergency tool kit instantly and will have a good chance of effecting a roadside repair sufficient to get him out of a spot. It is fair to say that some tools may be used in a manner which is not technically correct, but if they get the job done ..........what the hell!
As Martial Artists we can regard our full system as equivalent to the mechanics garage full of equipment. As the equipment was too space intensive to take on holiday, so our Martial systems can be too extensive for a sudden, in your face situation. So we must develop our limited, but versatile emergency tool kit, which we can access instantly.
The practise of the total Martial system is not wasted effort, because it provides support to cover 'the unknowns' or 'what ifs' of an attack. If we recognise that winners and losers are determined in the opening seconds of a confrontation, the emergency tool kit will get the job done in the majority of cases, with the Martial systems in support if needed.
A student should beware of adding to his emergency system as his overall repertoire of technique increases. The secret here is to substitute techniques, if they are identified as being more versatile or effective than those already in place. Think how easy it would be if one single piece of equipment could undertake roadside repairs to all the systems of a car!
Because we are all different in height, build, weight, skill etc., it is important that the emergency self-defence system is designed by the student instead of him struggling to perform techniques of somebody else's choosing whilst in a highly stressful situation.
All chosen techniques should be practised regularly and realistically under pressure situations.
The physical techniques should be considered only a small part of self-defence with non-physical and psychological aspects of personal security providing the foundation upon which everything else is supported.
If you have found this article interesting you may like to return to the MENU and open CLOSE COMBAT ARTICLE 1.
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