Martial Arts

Changing again

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Summer of last year I stopped my Kuk Sool practice.

It’s become evident to me based upon the past few months that my current “traditional” martial arts study is also going to go on the shelf for a bit.

My current study is under Ray Parra. Ray teaches Kali, Silat, Jeet Kune Do, Thai Boxing. It’s basically Ray’s blend of things and it works quite well. The study of it? Great. Ray’s a great guy, good teacher, good school, good curriculum. I like how they actually roll, hit, spar, throw down, and so on. The philosophy is very much in line with my own. It’s a friendly and useful environment. I really like how everything is done there. My backing away has nothing to do with Ray or anything like that.

Man, this sounds like trying to break-up with a bad girlfriend:

“It’s not you, it’s me.” 🙂

But that is the truth. Nothing about this decision has anything to do with Ray or what he teaches, his school, or anything of the sort.

It is me and what’s going on in my world.

On the one hand, I’m feeling spread too thin. Too many things going on in my life, and I just cannot give them all the attention they need. I’ve got some new endeavors, things with my kids, current pressures at work, all sorts of little things that add up. When the day is still only 24 hours long well, only so much you can cram in. Something has to give.

I don’t want to give up martial arts, because it’s something I enjoy. So I am not giving it up entirely, just the formalities. Fact is, if I can’t make it to class on a regular basis due to whatever reason, then I’m just fooling myself and wasting my money. So that’s what I’m removing. I will still practice on my own. I will still keep up skills as I can. Later this year Leslie Buck will be holding seminars on edged weapon defense; arrest & control / baton tactics; and weapon retention, disarming, and improvised weapons; it’s my plan to attend these seminars. I know I will also continue to have on-and-off private sessions with Kuk Sool instructors. So my empty hand work will not go away entirely, it just won’t be a focus.

What am I going to focus on?

Handgun.

Continue to take instruction. To dry practice every day and get to the range as often as I can (once a week would be ideal, but schedules aren’t always conducive to that). To shoot more competition (haven’t shot lately due to schedule conflicts). I want to really excel in this area, and to do that requires focus and dedication.

So martial arts aren’t leaving my life, just another evolution… just another step along the journey.

Thank you, Jens

/ hsoi

Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez @ WEC 47.

Great fight. Decisive win for Vazquez.

Of course, I was rooting for Pulver, not because I have anything against Vazquez but I know Pulver has been working hard and it just hasn’t been panning out. I wanted to see him win. That loss to Vazquez… the arm bar submission certainly looked painful, but I think it was the interview afterwards that was even more heart-wrenching.

Jens is a class act. Lot of respect for him and what he’s done for the sport. Couldn’t help but get a little choked up listening to that after-fight interview. If Jens does retire (and it sounds like it), he had a good run, always an entertaining fighter putting on a good show for the crowd (win or lose). My hat is off to you, man. Thank you.

Gun Sparring

/ hsoi / 6 Comments

Insert cartoonish picture here of a 1911 and a Glock engaging in fisticuffs. My graphics skills are weak so you’ll just have to envision it. 🙂

Caleb made a posting on the age old issue about action shooting sports (IDPA in this case) and how while they might not be realistic they’re still useful. Says Caleb:

So to answer the question, no, IDPA is not realistic.  But shooting an IDPA match is a great way to practice certain skills that you may need to save your life someday.  I don’t know about you, but the ability to draw and put accurate hits on target in under 1 second might be pretty useful in a self-defense situation.

The way I see it? I liken participation in action shooting sports to martial arts sparring.

If you want to get good at something, you’ve got to do that something.

Standing still in a lane at the gun range punching holes in paper at a slow and steady pace, well, that will get you good at that. I liken that to doing martial arts forms. Sure it teaches you a lot of mechanics and trains your body for the act, but there’s nothing dynamic about it.

Action shooting games like IPSC and IDPA would be akin to sparring. Yes there are rules. Yes there’s a lot that’s arbitrary. Yes there’s a lot that isn’t like “the street”. Yes you can get a false sense of security. Yes you can develop habits that wouldn’t be good for “the street”. Nevertheless, the boxer still gets in the ring and boxes. The Gracies still roll around on the mat. The MMA guy’s still get in the ring or the cage. I dare say these guys have a better chance of being able to handle themselves “on the street” than your average guy. They’re still developing the necessary skills within the limits of what they can safely do.

In martial arts there tend to be two lines of thought. One is to learn all sorts of wicked deadly techniques. These techniques involve bone and joint breaking, dirty fighting like eye gouging, and the like. While there’s really no question these techniques can be ugly if successfully applied, that’s the catch: can you successfully apply them? How do you know if you can or not if you can’t fully practice those techniques? Sure, you can practice these techniques in a more controlled fashion, but you can never go all out. The other approach is to limit yourself to a subset of techniques that may not be “t3h d3adly” but can be practiced full-on. This is the approach KanĹŤ JigorĹŤ took when he developed Judo, and the Gracie’s took in developing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. They took techniques that can be practiced in a full-on, all-out sparring situation. Yes there still has to be some sort of rules, there are obviously limitations, but here they can actually have resisting opponents and a lot of dynamic practice. Both approaches have their place, their strengths, and their weaknesses.

So if we apply that to firearms training, being able to shoot action competitions gives you some ability to “go all out”. You have to run, you have to gun, you may have to consider things like cover and concealment. You will be put into awkward situations. You will be given problems you must dynamically solve. We can’t go full out, we have to have some sort of control and restrictions, but it’s about as close as you can get to being able to go full-on. The only further step you could take would be Force-on-Force training with things such as Airsoft, paintballs, or Simunitions.

Of course, competition isn’t the only way to get this sort of activity. More advanced level training courses that provide similar sorts of shooting setups, timers, pressure, and decision making. Or it could just be a group of folks that get together to work on these sorts of skills. So it doesn’t have to be strict competition, just as long as the material is there.

In the end there’s no way to truly replicate a gunfight other than being in one, but I suspect most people don’t want to train that way. All we can do is get as close as safely and realistically possible. It’s going to involve rules, it’s going to involve restrictions, but it’s also going to involve the fundamental skills and activities. Boxing may not be a bar brawl, but a skilled boxer that gets in the ring and spars every day has better chances of winning if caught in a bar brawl. Action shooting may not be a gunfight, but it is akin to sparring: a controlled way to develop the fundamental skills associated with the activity. I mean, if I did get caught in a bar brawl, I’d be happy to have George St. Pierre on my side. If I got caught in a gunfight, I’d sure be happy to have Rob Leatham on my side.

Multiple attackers? Yes, you could survive!

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

In all the self-defense work I’ve been exposed to, the general feeling is if you’re dealing with more attackers than you have defenders (even as simple as 2 on 1), forget it. You will be overwhlemed, you’ll end up on the ground with them applying their boots to your head. The best defense for multiple attackers is to never get involved in the first place and a heavy dose of Nike-Fu (i.e. run), else you’re fucked. That’s the “common wisdom” of the matter.

Of course, it’s not always as simple as that, because you could have something that affects the force disparity, such as having a weapon like a big stick or a gun. But there’s just not enough groups out there that teach combining empty-hand combatives with firearms. Thankfully there is one such trainer that accepts this, Tony Blauer. His chief trainer, Tony Torres writes an article about dealing with multiple attackers which is well worth the read.

Yes, the reality of the situation is certainly not in your favor, but that doesn’t mean it’s a dead done deal against you as the conventional wisdom asserts. In fact, reading Tony’s article made me realize that we’re inconsistent in how we talk about surviving self-defense encounters. We talk so much about fight mentality and going into the fight with the attitude that you’re not going to lose, that you’re going to come out of this. But what do we do the instant someone talks about multiple attackers? We admit defeat. If our training is always admitting defeat, then that’s all we’ll ever have because we’ll be conditioned from the get-go that we’re screwed and in a no-win situation. Yes we should admit the reality of the situation, but then use that to find the positive and gear towards success.

For instance, I loved this bit in the article:

First Reframe: Addition
This starts as a psychological mobilizer. The additional opponents have now provided you with additional targets to hit!

That’s right, by using the BTS principle of Closest Weapon Closest Target (CWCT), the presence of more than one opponent just adds more targets for your tools to collide with. Capitalizing on this reframe will help you implement the next one.

That’s a great way to look at it! Instead of thinking more opponents means an exponential rise in your chances of demise, instead more opponents means more targets to hit! Win!

Reading this article was an eye-opener for me. It did make me realize that we don’t address the topic of multiple attackers in a proper way. We’re defeatist, we should be aiming for success. Yes the training must accept reality, but give Tony’s article a read because it accepts the reality but frames it in a positive way and provides tools that could lead towards success. Read the article!

Brock is back

/ hsoi

Well, now we know exactly what was up with Brock Lesnar, and what’s going on with him.

Brock (and Dana White) were on ESPN SportsCenter this morning telling the story. Video here.

Crazy thing. Glad he’s healed up. Glad also that everyone was willing to stick by him.

Looking forward to his in-ring return.

More Knife Blarg

/ hsoi / 6 Comments

I was able to stop into GT Distributors‘ Austin showroom today.

I looked at knives.

I saw nothing that interested me. Well, there were some interesting things, but in the end the more I looked at things and compared things gosh… I just don’t think I’m going to find something that fits the need I want. If I really want something that blends better I’m likely going to have to go fixed blade. If I have to stick with a folder, I might as well stick with my Delicas (tho something a bit bigger and heftier would be nice, like an Endura). I’m still curious about some particular knives, like the Kershaw ZT 0200. I also am pretty sure that any time I go into a store that sells knives I’ll look at them and fondle a few and continue searching. I may find something some day, but for now, I think I’m just going to have to make due with what I have. And to be honest, that’d probably better for my wallet.

I also got to do some side-by-side comparisons of Aimpoints. Yeah, the Comp M4s is what I’d want. I’m pretty sure of that now.

Also looked at some OC spray. I’m wanting to carry some OC on my person. Discussion for another time.

Bummed, but making the best of it.

/ hsoi

Work ran long today. I was determined to finish the compliance with the new open source software usage policy, so I could get back to more creative endeavors. I’m all done save hearing back from the CTO on a couple things.

Consequently I missed my martial arts class tonight. Bummer too, as it’s weapons night.

Tonight is also the sparring class. If all goes well, I’ll have something from the UPS man in a couple days that will make that class finally happen. Details will be posted after Mr. UPS stops by.

In lieu of proper class, off to the garage I go. Going to work out on the DIY mook jong. I think I’ll stick my blue gun in the holster too for a little “cross-training”. And on all that knife blarg I’ve been writing about lately? That is one benefit to the Delica: there’s a trainer version. Hrm.

Freedom in my martial art

/ hsoi

I love my new martial arts study. For the record, Parra Kali/Silat and Jun Fan Arts. Or to put it another way, Filipino Martial Arts, Thai Boxing, and Jeet Kune Do principles.

I like that it’s free. Not free as in beer, but free as in freedom of expression. I did some western boxing and while I love the science and mechanics, I don’t like how restrictive it is. Too many rules, so many options at your disposal and you can’t use them. Kuk Sool could allow me some level of expression, if you were allowed to do things. The art could allow you to do a lot of things, but the way the art is taught is too rigid and bound. Still, it was good that I participated in that “classical mess” (as Bruce Lee might refer to it) because it laid a good foundation.

But now, I feel free. Sure there are drills. Sure there are steps. Sure there are techniques. But overall what’s coming out of this is allowing your body to flow. For things to be natural. Sure we might spend a class exploring backhand strikes (as we did tonight), but it’s looking at the concepts of how they can work, how they don’t work, how they can be used to open things up and you can then create other entry points or where to flow next. Ultimately it’s conceptual, it’s principles, working at a higher level, allowing you to find what works for you.

It’s most refreshing.

On the other hand, I feel so clumsy in class. There’s much to unlearn, and there’s much to learn. Just being in a different environment is still a bit strange to me, even after all these months at my new school. My body and mind are still wanting to be rigid, and while my soul is striving to be free the body and mind are still locked up. I’m working on it. I’ve even noticed it in my handgun shooting.

What I’m looking forward to is more free-sparring. I’ve been unable to participate in the full-on sparring classes due to equipment limitations, but that’s soon to come to an end. It will be a humbling and educational experience, and I can’t wait.

Knife blarg

/ hsoi / 8 Comments

So since I’m looking for new knives, while I was running some errands this morning I stopped into a Sports Authority to see what they had.

They had a couple CRKT knives. That “Carson Flipper” feature is pretty nifty, mostly because it becomes some degree of a hand guard against slipping. That interests me.

There are many flavors of CRKT knives, but I recall the two I looked at were one flavor of a M21 and another of an M16.

The M21 was much bigger than I expected. It seemed almost too big. The length, the width (of the handle), big! I’m not sure how much it would lend to discrete carry, but it all depends on where you’re wearing it and what clothing you wear it with. That said, I did like having that larger handle in my hands. I’ve got larger hands so having the larger frame in my hand was more substantial. Using the pin to deploy the blade was a little awkward due to the pin being almost flush and touching the frame, but I think with practice that could be overcome.

The flipper feature is kinda nifty, and I can see how, with practice, it can become a fast and quick deployment motion. That said, I’m a little torn on it. It’s a special motion that no other knife has, so if muscle memory kicked in on a different knife that means failed deployment; given the size of this knife I might have to switch to a different knife (e.g. Delica) if I needed to carry something smaller thus keeping the same deployment motion is desired. As well, a few attempts at flipping didn’t extend the blade 100% and engage the lock. Speaking of the lock, I found the mechanism interesting. It’s not just a liner lock but there’s a little pin/bar involved as well to keep the liner lock from collapsing. Interesting thing, but it also feels like more little widgets to break or go wrong. If the liner lock notion has this weakness, might it be better to pick another lock mechanism instead of jury-rigging a problematic one? I’m not sure. I’ve always been partial to lock-backs since I grew up on Buck knives, so old curmudgeon me is just having to expand horizons. Back to the flipper, I can also see how the flipper can bump and snag on external things while the knife is in your pocket and partially deploy the blade… not sure I like that.

That all said, the M21 didn’t seem all that bad. Yes I’d have to learn the knife, from dealing with tip-down carry, to the deployment mechanism (I can see Wife quickly growing tired of me flicking the knife open and closed all day long), to how to disengage the lock and close the knife. It also didn’t have a tanto blade, but that’s not a total deal-breaker. I did like the size, the heft, and the deployed blade with the flipper acting as a guard did seem like it could help with hand slippage (I could only experiment with that so much with the sales guy standing over me and him not wondering what the heck I was doing). I’m not sure I’d get the M21, but it certainly has helped me refine my search.

I wasn’t able to fondle the M16 as it was in a blister pack, but the size seemed comparable to the Spyderco Delica. That was really all I needed to consider there. What I’m getting from my reactions to things is I in fact do want a larger knife. So while that M21 might have come across as “too big” it may actually be just the right amount of big.

The CRKT knives seem to be well-regarded and aren’t too expensive, but I’m thinking they’re not going to fit my bill. Still, checking a couple out in person did help me refine my search criteria a bit. Need to find some folks in town that sell Benchmade knives to do some comparison.