Continuum of Violence: The Traffic Light System

In bushfire season in Australia, there's a warning system where they stick a sign by roads, which carries a kind of gauge or bushfire "speedometer". Fire danger ranges from green, which is low, to red, which is high. Yellow and orange are in the middle. An arrow points to the colour of the warning for the day.

I'm suggesting we use a similar, or "traffic light" system, in our minds to grade the levels of violence and avoid training bad habits and inappropriate responses.

There's a continuum of violence, ranging from, say, a Satpam putting a restraining hand on your shoulder, to a Hell's Angels Biker or Ambonese Preman wanting to fuck you up with a knife.

Our responses should also come in grades. If some Warung guy ogles your girl, it's better to just keep walking. Giving him a Shuto to the side of the kneck followed by Thai-knee strikes to the solar plexus is a bit much. We should defend our bodies, not our egos.

We shouldn't flinch from nasty moves when we have to. Society conditions us not to be violent and not to hit people. That's the reason for the "pre-fight ritual," so many bouncers talk about. It's a way for people to psych themselves into fighting mode. Criminals, however, those most likely to fuck us up, can do it in fairly cold blood.

I recommend we use a four stage traffic light system, with green, yellow, orange and red lights. (I could only find pictures of three light units).



Here's why:

You tend to fight the way you train.

Numero Uno tells a story of a BJJ guy, attacked on the street in LA. BJJ man downs one with a takedown, puts the other into an arm bar, but lets go when the man taps. BJJ man's performance was superb and a compliment to the style, except for one thing. His ring and Dojo training build bad combat habits.

Former FBI agents tell stories of colleagues killed in shootouts, who'd piled ammunition neatly, just as they did in training. Little stacks of empty cartridges sat by their corpses when they found them. Training programs certain habits into you.

1.Green Light: Normal state, no danger. Normal activties. Regular Rolling in BJJ, or Randori in Judo is green stage.

2.Yellow Light: Bad vibe, pre-violent phase. Heated arguments, posturing, swearing, the equivalent of dogs or apes bearing their teeth. (Yes, people human beings are animals as well and have animal responses hard-wired into us).

You might have to use your skills at yellow stage. I did recently when a drunken Englishman put me in a friendly headlock in a lift. He didn't mean any harm, but was volatile and started getting a bit aggressive. A quick lift to a gentle arm bar did the trick.

No immediate danger, maintain space, but get ready, it can escalate to orange in a flash.

3. Orange Light: Non-lethal violence. I'd say this goes from someone very aggressively invading your personal space, positioning themselves for a strike, or even initial pushing and punching. A brawl at an ice hockey match, or on the soccer field is orange.

At orange you use your skills. It might be a restraint, taking his back and sending him to the ground. You might simply intercept a strike and move away. Depends on the situation.

4. Red Light: Life or death or imminent extreme violence. Rape, murder, multiple attackers, armed attackers, and even people much bigger than you are all red.

I think we need to mentally flash a light on in our minds for each situation.

Different arts tend to be better at different stages. 99 percent of my dangerous encounters have been in yellow stage. Ironically, the art I criticize the most, Aikido, has served me the best. Aikido's unaggressive wristlock releases and conflict-avoiding attitude has been very effective in the yellow stage.

Traditional stand-up Jujitsu's also good for a transition from yellow to orange. In orange, Judo tends to come into its own, as does BJJ. Krav Maga tends to focus exclusively on red phase. They've got their reasons for doing so.

Train safe. Sumo Semar is keen to hear your thoughts.

A Blast from The Past - Shanghai Municipal Police Self-Defense Manual

And here we come to another edition of my favourite show, A Blast from The Past.

The show where we showcase ancient, venereal (honestly though, I don't know what that means, lest whether that word is actually appropriate here) self-defense knowledge from masters of old.

Remember W.E. Fairbairn with his classic book on self-offense, Get Tough? Here's one from his tenure as the Shanghai Municipal Police Chief, The Shanghai Municipal Police Self-Defense Manual, so kindly provided by our friends from Judo Info website.

If the Judo Info guys do not take kindly of me directlinking to files on their site, then they should come and get me! HAH *hides under a rock*

You will find many more thingies from that site. Enjoy.

Anyways, we leave you with a snippet of wise words mauled from the mouth of Kyokushinkai's Grand Poobah himself, Mas Oyama:

"SELF-DEFENSE is for WOMEN and SISSIES. REAL MEN would throw a STRAIGHT PUNCH to the MOUTH!"

As a note, that is one statement I won't be bothered to research the veracity of. I leave it as homework for you kiddies.

Keep safe.

Congratulations: Pak Saleh Sensei, Pak Ben Haryo Sensei

Congratulations to Cempaka Putih teachers Saleh Yusuf Sensei and Ben Haryo Sensei on their promotions.

In November, Saleh Yusuf Sensei was promoted to San Dan, by a European Judo Association.

Ben Haryo Sensei was promoted to Shodan in Judo. We're not sure yet if he was promoted by Pak Saleh on behalf of the European Association or by the European Association itself.

Details to follow.

Hup !

Ben Sensei on Aiki

Commentaries by Ben Haryo

Some of the interesting points from the above article by Mr. Tobin E. Threadgill:

1. Aikido is a MODERN martial art, thus it is NOT a Koryu, NOT a battlefield martial art, and thus was NOT used by Samurai in actual fighting.


2. Aikido is NOT Daito-ryu. Uyeshiba sensei, after receiving a high teaching license in Daito-ryu, was converted to the Shinto religion of Rev. Onisaburo Deguchi, and thus he LEFT Daito-ryu and form his own style, which does NOT emphasize battlefield techniques, but to teach SHINTO ideals!



3. Daito-ryu is not THE battlefield art of Aizu Warrior Clan! It was DEVELOPED by Takeda sensei by synthesizing various Aizu clan techniques AFTER the Meiji Era! So if Daito-ryu was synthesized in the late 1880s by Takeda sensei then Daito-ryu technically cannot be considered as true Koryu!. According to Sato Kinbei sensei (www.jujutsu.com), the best documented battlefield art of the Aizu Warrior clan is Asayama Ichiden-ryu, and it does share many similar techniques with Daito-ryu.



4. "AIKI" is not a magical or mystical concept! Aiki simply means a set of techniques which "employed mental inertia, disruption and involuntary reflex to defeat ones opponent", taken from Kenjutsu. Aiki Jujutsu simply means using Aiki tactics to enhance Jujutsu techniques, while Aiki no Jutsu is the methods of employing mental inertia, disruption and involuntary reflex to defeat one's opponent".



5. Aiki no Jutsu is NOT a monopoly of Daito-ryu and Aikido, because Kenjutsu concepts are employed by many other martial arts traditions as well, for example Shindo Yoshin-ryu, Yagyu Shingan-ryu, and many more.



6. However! Aiki Jujutsu IS a monopoly of Daito-ryu, so any martial art schools calling themselves Aiki Jujutsu but without having any legitimate connection to Daito-ryu is, technically speaking, NOT true Aiki Jujutsu!



8. BUT! A point of debate must be considered here though. First of all, there is nothing wrong with mixing some Aikido with strikes and practical Judo self-defense tricks, and calling them "Aiki Jujutsu", which is really Aiki(do with) Ju(do Goshin)jutsu added. So this is just an abbreviation. What is wrong is, if a school of "Aiki Jujutsu" which came from Aiki(do with) Ju(do Goshin)jutsu (added) suddenly decided to claim Daito-ryu lineage. This is illegitimate!!!



9. Aiki no Waza is more a study of mental and physical dynamics rather than true self-defense! Therefore, if a complete beginner wants to learn self-defense, don't go directly to learn Aiki arts! But rather, you have to learn something else first, like Judo, Karate or Kendo, then you can gradually learn Aiki no Waza and use them to enhance your existing techniques! All great Aikido masters started this way. Minoru Mochizuki, Kenji Tomiki and Gozo Shioda, all of them was highly experienced in Judo, Jujutsu, Sumo and Kendo before studying Aikido with Uyeshiba sensei.


10. Nevertheless, we should be able to take any style/school/Dojo that fits to our liking! Lineage or training method is NOT the most important thing! The most important thing is how much you enjoy the training!



Mr. Tobin E. Threadgill’s article was taken from one of the forums of www.e-budo.com (I forgot which).

Ian Abernerthy Sensei on the Vertical Vs. Horizontal Fist Question

Sumo Semar is now less confused. Ian Abernethy Sensei, described in an earlier post, kindly answered Sumo Semar's questions on the vertical vs. horizontal fist question. I'll leave you to guess who's who from the pictures. Abernethy Sensei's answer below.

Iain Abernethy is "Laid Back" on Bare Fist Striking

I've got a rather "laid back" view on striking with the bare fist. I know people can get quite animated about whether it should be vertical or horizontal, front two knuckles or back three, twist or no twist, etc. However, it's my view that the chaotic nature of combat tends to make such discussions a bit academic. Distance and position are ever changing and people are not flat (like a bags, mitts, or makiwara are). The key thing is that we hit them hard! The niceties tend to take care of themselves ;-) For example, if the enemy is close, he will probably get hit with a vertical fist. If they were a little further away, they may get hit with a partially rotated fist. That's not a conscious decision; just a result of the way I punch and at what point in it's travel it contacts with the enemy's body.

I recently read a report on a study that showed that "hand conditioning" did not actually make the bodes any denser. For me, hand conditioning is simply a case of impact training without gloves so people get used to striking with a bare first and don't become reliant on gloves or strapping. I do still make use of gloves though as Newton's laws (every action having an equal and opposite reaction) mean that if your punching with force, then the hands can only take so much. The thousands of punches thrown every week can therefore really mess up the hands if we always trained bare fist. We just need to be sure we take the gloves off a sufficient amount.

Also worth remembering that in a live fight, open hand strikes have the advantage that the hands are far less likely to be damaged. That's why I pre-empt with open hands and flow to fists if needed (fists flowing a little better for me). I'd also consider a few bruised knuckles a good result in a real fight. People forget that injury is almost inevitable (even when we win) and that's one more good reason to avoid fights ;-)

I think your right that striking is generally the way to go in live conflict. However, the grappling is key as it gives you the skills to control the opponent and land shots when things get "messy"; as they almost always do. It also gives you confidence in your striking as you know you have a good "back up". And let's not forget that grappling is loads of fun too! There's loads of stuff I've learnt and practised - both in grappling and striking (i.e. elaborate ground-work, high kicks, etc.) - that I would not use in a live fight. But it can be fun to do in the dojo and hence I keep practising it.

It's nice to hear that you feel I've cut to the heart of things. Endlessly simplifying and always looking for the key principle comes naturally to me. Not just in the martial arts, but almost everything I do. It's really nice to hear you feel that comes across. Thank you for that.

Right then, off to spend Christmas eve with the kids :-)

Speak soon mate.

All the best,

Iain

Weblinks ?

Anyone know how to do weblinks ?

This is a great one on American and Western martial arts.

http://ahfaa.org/unarmed.htm

How to Punch Bareknuckle: The Million Dollar Question

Sumo Semar is confused again.

How do you throw a bare-knuckle punch without injuring your hand ? The jury is out, especially amongst experts. Horizontal fist, with the top two knuckles ? Or vertical first, with the bottom three ?

To me, this is the biggest question with the fewest answers. Yet it could be the golden key to self defence.

Stand-up punching, it seems, is one of the quickest ways to end a confrontation when it becomes a fight. But you need to do it without getting the "boxer's fracture," or a shattered outer metacarpal.

It's been a great year for research. We've discovered pressure drills, made up our own minds on some of the most contentious questions in the martial arts. We've discovered that yes you need to know what to do on the ground.

But no, you don't want to go there in a real fight. Yes, it might happen by accident, especially to those with poor balance.

We've also learned the difference between sport, self-defense and art. There's a reason for each one.

Horizonal Fist

Used in sport-boxing, karate and similar styles and tactical Krav Maga. The Karate guys seem to know how to hit without breaking their hands. The tamashiwara or board-breaking is done with a horizontal fist. A 5th dan in Goju and a Muay Thai instructor in Karate visited Cempaka Dojo once and demonstrated in Sumo Semar's pale and spindly chest. With a tiny twist of the wrist, it hurt.

Vertical Fist

Teri Tom, a JKD author, traditional Savate, and writers on the Golden Era of bareknuckle boxing seem to concur on the vertical fist, or bottom three knuckles.

You guys go ahead and pursue the links.

Unfortunately, there's evidence on both sides. The Karate guys can smash boards, but look at this:

Now what about the hands? Why did they hold them vertical or with the knuckles pointing at the other guy? Until the use of gloves became common in the ring, pugilists struck with a vertical fist nearly all the time. Why did they use the vertical fist? First reason is that it is just plain safer to hit with a vertical fist than a horizontal one. There is less chance of injury, especially on any swinging type of punches. They did use a horizontal fist when the target warranted one. The side of the neck is a good example of such a target.

All, Dasaman, Numero Uno and Ainun Arabic Name Poster, your thoughts very welcome. Dasaman with his vast library must have some answers. :-)

Progression in Training

Sumo Semar has just survived being immobilized, cut, having his facial nerves jabbed with steel objects. The encounter left him with 6 stitches. The opponent was...the Dentist.

Here I'll talk about progression in training. Three teachers I've been looking at recently really stand out, Paul Vunak, Geoff Thompson, and Iain Abernethy.



Paul Vunak is a former student of Dan Inosanto and prolific DVD and video maker on Jeet Kune Do applications. Vunak teaches techniques drawn from the eclectic arsenal of Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun, Kali, Savate, Boxing, Wrestling, and even BJJ.



Geoff Thompson is a former doorman, or bouncer, and now an author and scriptwriter. He's a 6th dan in Karate and 1st Dan in Judo, but now promotes sparring-oriented arts, boxing and grappling as a self-defense solution.



Iain Abernethy is a Karateka in Britain who seems to rebelling against 'traditional' Karate. In fact, Abernethy Sensei says, he's restoring , the traditional purpose of kata, as a living text book and set of training drills for civilian combat.

The three teachers address similar themes. Their teachings highlight the link between martial art and combat training. They're not always the same thing. More on martial art versus combat training later, but for now, let's talk about progression.

They all emphasize a multi-step process.

1. Learn and drill the basic movement.
with or without a partner. If a jab, then train the jab, if osoto gari, then do osoto gari.

2. Move to semi-resistance and possibly semi-contact whilst still drilling the basics. Vunak in his excellent Domog DVD uses the hubud-lubud flow drill moving into different Dumog positions. In Abernethy's class, you'd be doing kihon or two-step sparring with a little resistance.

3. Controlled sparring with protection. In Judo, this stage would be equal to the "50%-90%" Randori concept, where you agree with your partner how hard you'll both go. The protection is the tatami. In Thompson's class, you'd be semi-boxing with a few hits with head gear.

Sumo Semar and Joey-San did this stage in a Krav-Maga boxing class using head protection.

4. Panic drills and pressure testing. This stage is left out of most martial arts, including probably BJJ, Judo, and Sambo. Krav Maga focuses heavily on this stage, designed to induce panic, adrenaline, and the physical feeling of an actual fight. It's a vital phase for self-defense.

The world is a very different place when you're panicking. Your brain reacts differently to a normal state, as does your body.

Sadly, many martial artists simply don't know what this phase is like and go into shock and shut down when it hits them.

Krav Maga probably has the richest armoury of drills and methods for pressure testing, but Vunak, Thompson, and Abernethy are pretty good as well. Drills could include, all out attacks for 30 seconds against multiple opponents, "mugging" simluations, where you're jumped by 2 guys, spinning around for 1 minute then 5 second sparring a line of guys.

But overall, progression is critical to building fighting and self-defense skills.

Progression, I'd argue, is vital to bridging the gap between martial art training and fighting. What's the difference, you ask (if you've stayed with me this long)? That's a subject for future posts.