Today our old buddy and occasional contributor Steve Forester returns with an article on the subject of Competition or Reality. For anybody new to the forum, Steve is a retired career Army Airborne NCO who's been around.
Competition And Reality
And Who Should Do What And Why
by Steve Forester
Today's Topic is competition and reality. My thesis is they are much the same these days. Life intimates art, and art imitates life. Let me explain.
I watched a a pistol and carbine training video last night by a guy who was with the Central Intelligence Agency's SAD (Special Activities Division) during the recent mid-east conflicts. Now conventional wisdom has it that these boys are supposed to be some of the best in the business so I was interested to see how he did things.
I was mildly surprised to see almost all the techniques were competition derived. He was a sport shooter and mentioned his carbine was set up for competition. Interesting.
It struck me in a blinding flash of the obvious just how competition has become THE belief system for combative activities. I guess after years of training in our pajamas and believing in mystical Asian martial arts, our illusions died with the advent of the UFC, which exposed much of tradition exactly for what it was- tradition.
The US military gobbed off of the popularity of MMA. The MACP (Modern Army Combative Program) was, at it's start, 100% sporting BJJ. After criticism of not meeting the criteria of "train like you intend to fight", it evolved into a BJJ based combative program. In large part, no doubt, due to the imminent realities of Mid-East combat.
Techniques evolved into training in full kit, and integrating weapons use, including retention of the M4 and the transition to pistol and/or knife. However, MACP never forgot it's base art, BJJ. Because the overwhelming belief system is that if you are not trained and tested against a fully resisting opponent, then one is reverting back to the TMA fantasy. We absolutely must get in there and roll around and "fight".
Firearms techniques are divided today (for those living under rocks) into Pre 9-11 methodology and Post 9-11. Pre 9-11 techniques and weaponry being before the WTC came down, and 9-11 weapons and techniques developed during the decade of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan afterwards. Without going deeply into it, todays firearm methods evolved much like unarmed combatives. It is sport based that was modified for combat.
The SOCP (Special Operation Combatives Program) is probably the highest form of this evolution. Greg Thompson took the MACP (which is the official US Army H2H program) and evolved it into a use of force method for when you can't shoot and seamlessly transition back and forth. All done in kit and all "alive", meaning force on force testing. He developed unique training gear that provided realism while maintaining a degree of safety. He also developed the SOCP dagger which is a standard part of SF kit today, along with other kit.
Post Afghanistan, the SF community started changing yet again back into a more covert mission of singletons, and small groups of operators, deployed overseas. Sometimes in plain clothes and in countries that were unsafe and restricted weapons in the hands of foreigners. Greg did an excellent job during this transition also, coming up with programs that taught self-defense in hostile areas, and covert 'spy skills'.
The program is currently called the SOCP- Low Visibility. The following of the program is from the SOCP website
"An extension of SOCP®, the SOCP-LV® course has been further customized to address discreet/covert and low visibility operating profiles and paradigms. This course expands the operator knowledge base and skill set with niche techniques purposely designed to overcome challenges associated with: plain clothes operations, minimalist weapon(s) concerns (including field expedient weapons), CQB MOD(s) and deviations, and myriad lone operator essential survival skills. SOCP®-LV (Low Visibility) is based on current feedback from Soldiers, Marines and Federal agents traveling all over the world".
Here is a You Tube video of the SOPC-LV to give you a break from my dry, verbose commentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi_VnBL83i8&t=123s
The website has some other cool videos. On the knife defense video, Thomson states the MMA base for the program from about the :55 to the 1:12 mark. Notice the part where he says students must win and lose contests many, many times before they are even 50% ready for a real fight. Which leads me to my next point.
Do I think programs like the SOCP and SOCP-LV are good. Well, yes I do. Very good. But, think about who is taking these courses? The average person is a 28 year old Special Operations soldier who job is being proficient in combatives skills and physical fitness. When they attend courses like the SOCP-LV they do not pay out of pocket, or take vacation time. It is part of their job.
They are also some of the toughest and best of the best. A soldier in these units has passed numerous selections and tests. Heck, just being fit enough to meet the services' minimal physical standards is beyond most young people. These folks are the top .1 percentile of the best the country can offer.
My point? Glad you asked!
My point is what about the remaining 99.9 percent of us? A civilian interested in self defense for example. Let's take a mythical guy (who is actually based on an acquaintance of mine) who is in his mid-60's and is in fair condition for his age. He has a CCW and carries regularly. He has taken a basic handgun class involving safety, weapon/holster selection, carry methods, basic range marksmanship, and Use Of Force law. He goes to the range once a month and shoots a 50rd box of ammo.
Now, this guy wants to improve his skills even more (and he actually does). What is he to do? Now, this guy is light years ahead of most just having some physical capability and some training. But is he going to be physically and/or financially capable of taking a course where he is physically fighting people, rolling around, do force on force training? Is he going to spend years obtaining a BJJ and boxing base, then transition into these type skills.
I don't think so.
So where does that leave us? I think that leaves us with the WWII methods pioneered by Fairbairn & Sykes, and further modified for the street by my old Instructor Carl Cestari. We can do as Carl suggested in 2002 and 2003 at the seminars he gave, and get a BOB and start ingraining some basic strikes. Study how attacks happen and develop a plan to deal with them (also known as tactics). Start lifting weights or whatever form on physical conditioning you can do and/or prefer. Get Tough mentally. In Carl's words: "Grow some hard bark on your ass". Toughen the body and natural weapons.
In addition, realize that unarmed combat is the bottom rung on the totem pole. Unarmed combat must be seamlessly integrated with self-defense weapons. And all that comes after a robust avoidance and deterrence strategy (prevention), and evasion & escape skills. Then, study things like travel security, vehicle operations, TAC-MED, etc.
These are things anyone can do to improve their personal security. Anyone can develop avoidance and awareness skills that will keep us more safe than 8 years of BJJ classes. And, all of this stuff is available out there to civilians and in books or on-line, or through DVD training.
The drawback is being willing to actually do it. Most people do not really want to train. Or, they just do not have the time to train. They are doing others things like earning a living and spending time with their families.
Carl knew this. That’s why he came up with short term and long term training. Short term was a a few weeks, or a few months at most, of the simplest and most efficient methods of close combat. Then, if the student quits training, they at least have something of benefit. As opposed to studying 3-4 months of BJJ which provides very little real life benefit.
I have an old article in which Carl talked about short-term, and "long -term" training. As with much of Carl's stuff, it took me years to fully understand, but short-term has a definite goal and a start and a stop point. Short-term is a good grasp of the fundamentals of unarmed combat, combined with weapon integration. And, a healthy dose of street smarts, and physical/mental toughening up. Could be done in 3-4 months if worked at daily, and have some natural talent. More realistic is 6-8 months.
It has taken me 24 years now and I'm still learning. I guess I must be really slow. I have developed a good set of additional skills such as I mentioned before (avoidance and awareness, escape and evasion, travel security, etc.) However, for my close combat, I mainly train the material on Carl’s Old School DVD series, as well the close range pistol techniques of William Fairbairn. The essence of Fairbairn’s unarmed Close Combat is in the OS 1 and OS 2 videos, plus the OS Grabs and Holds Video. Additionally the OS Ground Fighting Video is a necessity today.
Most importantly is the fact that one can set up a BOB and a weight pile at home and do all the necessary training. As Carl often said, you can teach yourself close combat. No need to pay someone $200 a month.
While a good close combat instructor can help you through pitfalls and prevent going down rabbit holes, I now understand what Carl meant when he said you learn through your training. You teach yourself through your training. Your body will teach you the best techniques and ways to move - for you - instead of an instructor teaching by-rote what he does.
So, if you are a full time Special Operations type, the SOCP type programs are probably best. For the rest of us, basic close combat & self-defense is going to be the most we can hope for. I have been living this daily since 2017, and my first exposure to Carl was in 2001 - 24 years ago. And short-term is all I'm capable of.
Short term is not bad. In some ways better than long term if you go with the theory that less is more.
However, if a civilian really must experience SOCP, the Warrior Poet Society training group offers a two day civilian version for the low, low price of $750.
warriorpoetsupplyco.com/edc-combatives-force-on-force/
Myself, I think anyone would get more bang for the buck by doing as Carl suggested 20+ years ago:
1) Get the Old School DVD's
2) Get a BOB or at least a Heavy Bag
3) Start to train hard
4) Get a plan and develop some street smarts
5) Lift weights/do a Bodyweight program/etc. to get strong
5) Get Tough.
A better approach, IMO, than paying someone hundreds, or thousands of dollars, for perhaps little in return.
