|
|
| Mission Success: Combat for the real world |
| By Tracy E. Barnhart |
| Published: 08/13/2007 |
Mission: Success – Combat for the real worldby Tracy Barnhart Readers have asked me to write a third part about using force in certain situations they may face on their shift at any give time. I was asked about techniques officers can utilize that actually work during restraints. This is one of my favorite topics to write about, but I must admit that no technique can really be learned and applied correctly just by reading an article about it. I can, however, provide some basic principles. I encourage anyone wanting further instruction to seek a good martial arts program. “The responsibility for preparing men and women for battle should never be taken lightly. What you say and do, of fail to say and do, may be the difference between winning and losing. More importantly, it may be the difference between living and dying.” I have made this statement hundreds of times, and it is why I continually strive to get as much job- specific continuing education and training so the information I provide will be the best and most current knowledge I can offer. Most agencies think that a defensive program is a collection of techniques, and tend to associate a given martial arts system with the most distinctive techniques as the best for their employees. This response is a natural enough consequence, seeing that most martial arts styles put an emphasis on techniques as the basis for their art. But as you will gather, this is an unfortunate state of affairs. The truth is that technique by itself is of little value. It is only as useful as the degree to which it can be used by an officer under actual combative conditions. All the techniques in the world are useless if they cannot be applied well. The missing link in most fighting styles, which was quickly revealed in UFC competitions, is an adequate training regimen that allows officers to master a technique under combative situations. By making it impossible for officers to train with their specific techniques in live situations, traditional departmental defensive tactics never exposed their officers to the pressure and feel of applying those instructed techniques in a live situations. It is one thing to know the theory of applying a technique on a cooperative partner; it is a completely different reality to apply it on someone who is doing everything they can to resist your techniques and then try to escape or apply their own. The way that you train is the way you will fight. Martial arts that allow you to apply your techniques at close to full power in daily training and sport will allow you to constantly use those very techniques in almost exactly the same way during a real fight. This consistency creates a tremendous familiarity with the technique and its real world application. This is what I was seeking when I started my journey into the life of a professional combatant. This is what you must call yourself today in the law enforcement profession as we get paid to utilize combative techniques to bring about restraint and stability of aggressive individuals within our facilities. Does the study of martial arts actually allow you to defend yourself from attack? You often hear stories about people who have studied a particular martial art in depth, only to be soundly trounced when they actually got into a real fight. Thus, there was a legitimate concern among many that martial artists walk around with a dangerously false sense of confidence that is not based on any real fighting skill. Asking martial artists whether their fighting style is really effective is never a reliable means of answering your questions. Most martial artists are convinced their style is more effective than any others. Indeed, few human activities have more claims that are as grandiose or made on such weak evidence than those of the martial arts world. I have studied many different martial art styles from Karate, Tae-Kwon-Do to wrestling and Aikido. I have taken several courses from Krav Maga, as well as Judo, and all have fallen short of what I needed to accomplish my mission in the law enforcement profession. I could not very well utilize the kicking or punching techniques of Karate, Tae-Kwon-Do and Krav Maga. The wrist-locking or throwing techniques of Aikido and Judo, or wrestling, were difficult to obtain in real combative situations. I wanted a practical art where the techniques worked well, trained at real-life speeds allowing me to go full-force and train my body to adapt and transition into another position when the initial applied techniques either failed or did not work as applied. I was seeking a fighting style that when performed in uniform and was video taped appeared to be soft and less brutal, but could bring quick compliance and stability to the situation and keep me injury free. What I found was that today’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was the best fighting style for me. The grapplers were the only fighters who consistently demonstrated a real ability to act out a claim made by all martial arts – to enable a smaller, weaker fighter to overcome and defeat a larger, stronger fighter with a minimum amount of violence and bloodshed. I contacted a Tae-Kwon-Do instructor one time and asked him what, if any, grappling techniques that he taught. His actual reply was, “With our art, you will never have to go to the ground, so why teach it.” This flawed way of thinking has been proven wrong time and time again within the octagonal and other professional setting where no-holds-barred fighting is allowed. Going to the ground is a reality, as well as an asset, because it allows trained fighters to dominate larger and more aggressive opponents. I often laugh when instructors say when you do this you will kill your attacker, or break their arm or leg. How do they know this to be true? How many lives have they taken or arms or legs have they broken? What you will find to be true is that many martial art instructors have never been in a real street fight utilizing their chosen martial arts in real world situations. These instructors possess a false sense of security around a knowledge base that has rarely, if ever, been tested. The fact is, I never want to kill an inmate or break their leg or arm when I am restraining them. I most definitely never want to introduce blood into the situation. What will a video tape truly reveal when it shows you punching an inmate or kicking an inmate in the head during a restraint? I want to appear as if I am the victim and the non-aggressor in every restraint that I take part in. And no matter how confident I am, I never want to be alone. I want as many officers present during the restraint as possible, so I can better my odds for success. Inmates will tempt you to fight them one-on-one because they stand a better chance of defeating you. They will challenge your manhood and taunt you for days as scared or weak when you don’t restrain them one-on-one. You know what; I can take that criticism any day over the beating I may take by letting my ego and pride take over. You never know what set of fighting skills an inmate may have or how much fighting they may have done professionally, in a ring, before they were incarcerated. Watch your inmates as they play fight and test each other in shadow boxing events. You may not come out on top during a one-on-one real world combative situation. Violence and fighting might be ingrained in an inmate, and they may truly believe in their effectiveness. The reality is that it may not be one-on-one when it starts, because whenever you start a restraint, there’s the risk that others may jump into the fight. That’s why practice, a strict adherence to certain fighting techniques, and a dedication to sharpening your combative skills are key elements to your survival. Go to your training classes and learn from them. Then enhance your skills by getting outside professional training that best replicates the real situations you might face on your job, like the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu I mentioned above. The truth is, every correctional restraint needs to be addressed as a multiple combatant scenario, because whether or not is starts that way, there is a very real risk that it ends up that way. Related Resources: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu information: History of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu On the mat jiu-jitsu.net Other articles by Barnhart: When the “never happens” happens to you, Part II, 7/24/07 When the “never happens” happens to you, Part I, 7/18/07 Methods of attack, 7/6/07 Indicators to assault, 6/21/07 The art of manipulation, 4/18/07 |
Comments:
Login to let us know what you think
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Nice Post...... Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam Tere Naam