How You Train Depends On You

 Another Post from regular guest contributor Steve Forester. As always, well worth the read.

 

 How You Train Depends On You

by Steve Forester

I thought I would write tonight on a Basic Truth I have discovered. "No one way works for all people".

Even in training just Fairbairn's Defendu, one will discover some techniques that work better for them than others. Discover those 2-3 techniques, then need to train them into the ground and forget the rest.

NO one can give these to you, you must discover them for yourself in your training.

Same way with one's personal style. For example, I prefer hand strikes and elbows. The only kicks I use are (sparingly)  knees and finishing kicks. I am rarely going to pick a foot off the ground in a real situation.

BUT, that is just me. Might be totally different for others.

Why this is important is because most martial arts and combat sport training is based on "hero worship", or "systems worship".  Both are bad.

This is my contention. It doesn't really matter - so much - WHAT one studies. As long as they do it correctly. Meaning, to find what works for them.

Any street worthy system will eventually evolve into certain basic principles and methods. Distilled into it's essence, many street-worthy systems looks similar, no matter where they were originally derived form.

People that become "masters" are those that are successful in distilling whatever this or that system is down into something they can execute well.

If one is blindly following a system or a master than you will never really discover your true potential, IMO. You are only engaging in ego-masturbation.

I think how one knows when they are on the right path is when they start having a deep-seated feeling of self-confidence.

REX Applegate wrote on self-confidence saying that an average individual can obtain great self-confidence IF they have been correctly trained. A big IF.

 In "The Close Combat Files..." book, Applegate touches on what is correct training: "...the average American lacks the time and  patience...but can quickly be turned into a dangerous, offensive fighter by concentrating on a few basic principles... and advocating principally the use of blows...”

Applegate goes onto say that: "Fairbairn added not to consider yourself an expert until you can carry out every movement instinctively and automatically".

So, OK! So what?  Just empty words unless one knows what they really mean. Twenty five years ago, I read these same words and thought: "OK, sounds good. I guess".

But, I didn't know what they really meant. Just words until my training made me understand.

Only through your training, I found, that you really learn to understand.

The litmus test, I believe, is "self-confidence" Do you REALLY feel able to take on a REAL attack? As Ralph G. (one of my instructors) once said: "Not your grandmother or an aging college professor, but a big man trying to kill you".

If you don't have this level of confidence then something is lacking in your training, IMO. When you has it, then you'll know it. If you have to wonder, then you don't.

When you go out of your house, do you reasonably feel you can respond to a violent criminal attack? Given, of course, that nothing is 100%. You may do everything right and still die. May just not be your day.

But, do you feel like you’re ready to respond to a violent criminal assault?

If the deep seated answer is "not sure", then maybe it’s  time to revise your training. This is the litmus test.

Only you can answer that question for yourself.

I would just recommend to be honest with yourself.

Martial arts and combat sport are filled with those with stars in their eyes and "believe" in a system, or person.

But, that will not save you when a thug who doesn't care about any of that attacks you. Stories abound of "black belts" whose training failed in a real attack.

You must be honest with yourself.

I first started formally training in martial arts more than 40 years ago. Informally, much longer than that.

It wasn't till I discovered Carl Cestari over years ago that I found a path worth following.

It wasn't until a couple of days ago I felt that I was getting a handle on it.

A path of continuous self-discovery, and day-by day, I continually get just a little better. With every day of training, the fog of confusion dissipates just a bit more, and the certainty of knowledge grows.

I'd better stop now before I start sounding like a zen master.