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Just completed a refresher safety / judicious application of force continuum by a certified state police weapons instructor / trainer in order to qualify for concealed carry permit renewal ! He also has considerable martial arts experience ! I thought it would be interesting to outline the classroom discussions in addition to range work with a .45 colt under simulated stress conditions at ranges from 3 ft to 21ft [ typical street encounter] :

1] The tough part of self defense is to make up your mind to do whatever it takes to stop someone from hurting you so you can disengage and get away ! Although your primary objective is not to hurt or kill your assailant , you may have to do this in order to stop him and survive ! This may mean doing something very nasty to someone , including shooting him , because you will be really scared and in animal survival mode !

2] Do not believe that size and strength of the opposition won't matter to you if you are a trained martial artist ! What usually happens on the street is that both you and your assailant will be in gross motor mode , because of the chemical cocktail , and but with a few exceptions , the fight will be decided by superior strength !

3] Under savage attack , you will be scared , partially frozen in denial , inaccurate with your shooting and or with your karate targeting techniques [ some of you will never reconcile with this fact] ! Manual dexterity will vanish , your skill level -both armed and unarmed - will diminish by 40% --your knees will weaken and you will do lots of flailing ; you will drop things , fail to go for cover , slip and fall on slippery surfaces and otherwise 'go totally stupid' unless you have been properly programmed under realistic conditions and over a long time span !

4] You will be astonished at the real possibility that the big crazy, adrenalized , mean , determined assailant[s] will not go down or even stop, after being hit by your strong empty hand techniques and or several pistol bullets center mass ! A crazed attacker with strong momentum will not feel kicks , punches or even nerve strikes ; will not even realize he has been shot or cut /stabbed until after he closes the distance and cuts your throat ! [ true life documented events] !

5] The way martial arts are taught today , are very marginal in street application ! Most of the techniques will not stop a big tough guy ! Thus the need for a force continuum concept with weaponry escalating from empty hands to less than lethal to full lethal !

Comments

Lots of our techniques as we practice them in our bunkais , going to the body and even face , are going to be ineffective against some thug twice your size chock full of adrenaline coming at you ! Think of nasty blows , soft tissue strikes i.e., throat , eyes, etc. ! Most effective ! Modify your bunkais for soft tissue strikes only . For example , stay away from nukite strikes to the rib cage [ useless] and bring them up into the throat area ! Bob Campbell showed me some variations that are truly devastating to the throat area ! think of upgrading your techniques to a no-nonsense delivery ! Embrace the mindset -will to survive - as an enhancement to your training experience ! Try to bring some of the real world into each training session !

Van Canna

In "ViewPoint" http://uechi-ryu.com/viewpoint I posted a couple clips on Konshiwa Bankai, showing parts of a multiple attack senario I've been teaching for many years. Tony posted a question on the "SoundOff" http://www.uechi-ryu.com/viewpoint/soundoff.htm asking the proper way to perform the kick. . . with a step forward or back after blocking punch.

To follow-up Van's point of "real world" encounters, I'd like to offer that we can do a lot in class to provide our students with a more meaningful training environment, by varying the tools we use, to reflect:

1. The rush experienced in a real fight.

2. The uncertainty of real attacks. Following a strictly rehearsed script is fine for new students, but not for seniors.

3. The test of one's skills under as realistic conditions possible.

4. The wide range of applications available within the Uechi system that are more reflex than technique, but comes from the practice of kata.

I like the Konshiwa bankai for this training, since the attacks can be set-up using the kata as a template, but varied in direction and intensity. The most important mind-set to break, is the idea that attacks, defense and counterattacks take place in a nice, orderly and predictable manner. Instead of reinforcing the idea that one must move in any prearranged manner, students should learn to "act" instead of "react". . . jamming attacks when possible, instead of always reacting with a move to the rear, then counterattack model. . . which most teachers stress in class.

Sparring is a valuable tool in our Uechi training, but cannot replace the realism possible in multiple attack bankai, practiced in a creative manner.



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GEM

[This message has been edited by gmattson (edited 01-18-99).]