It should be surprising, but one of the things most frequently lost in translation about martial arts training is that the whole primary point of the exercise is combat effectiveness. Yes, combat. That moment when bad guys want to do horrible things to your all-too-squishy anatomy and you must fight back.
This is not the time for culturally appropriate uniforms, exotic weapons, pre-determined forms, or platitudes about inner peace. It's also not the time for steel cages, championship belts, starter bells, or ring girls. Training around those things can help -- in different ways -- but when your life is on the line, it's just about you and your ability to deal out the damage.
It's all too easy to get mesmerized by all the accoutrements of most modern martial arts training. Every now and then, it pays to take a look at Combatives and see what they're doing. So over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to post some videos from Kelly McCann, a guy who is all about social engagements at close quarters. One of my self-defense gurus turned me on to McCann's material and promised me he was the real deal. My guru passed along the wisdom that the difference between Martial Arts and Combatives is that Martial Arts is what you do with people, but Combatives is what you do to people. You might think about that while you watch this video, and the rest in my series...
No comments:
Post a Comment