The
Ultimate Guide
To Fighting and Winning
By Dr. Russ Horine, President, Fight-Fast Direct, Inc.
Part 29
TRAINING
METHODS:
A
complete review of proper training and conditioning
methods for combat is beyond the scope of this book
however I do want to point out that the average guy
looking to defend himself on the street doesn’t need
to endure a lifetime of training. On the contrary, the
entire purpose of this book and my many DVD packages
is to simplify everything. I’ve received emotional letters
from dozens of customers who simply watched a certain
program – did NO training – and were able to recall
and use it correctly when they needed it. Doesn’t
get much better than that. But if you’re serious
about implanting this information deeply into your body,
you’ll want to consider training it.
Street fighting
does not require the same level or type of conditioning
as sport fighting. Surprisingly, cardiovascular endurance
isn’t a significant factor in a street fight, I now
this is a controversial claim but research and 18 years
of study and observation backs it up. Remember, true
street fights (as opposed to mutually agreed combat)
rarely last longer than 10 seconds. Understanding and
employing the 4 D’s (Deception… Distraction… Disruption… Destruction), will trump cardiovascular
conditioning.
So with that in
mind, having the ability to initiate and maintain continuous
explosive action for 8 to 10 seconds will give you a
huge advantage in a fight. Design your training accordingly.
For street fighting focus on anaerobic
conditioning (strength and power training). Eight
to ten seconds may not seem very long but try going
all out on a heavy bag for that amount of time…it’s
pretty tough.
The more realistic
you train the better. This includes the emotional component
as well. Here are some tips:
1.)
Practice initiating a pre-emptive attack and counter
attack from multiple positions and stances. If you practice
the 4 D’s you won’t be initiating the attack from a
classic boxer’s stance. More than likely your hands
will be up, open, and forward in an “I don’t want any
trouble” submissive posture. This is the position you
want to practice launching from.
2.)
Practice maintaining a constant barrage. And if training
with a partner, maintain constant forward pressure.
Constant Barrage
is more important than Strike
Accuracy. Practice Target awareness. If working
on a heavy bag, imagine different targets being made
available, if working with a partner, make sure he or
she offers you a variety of targets to attack
3.)
Practice your verbiage as you initiate an attack as
well as anything you might say during the attack. Make
it as real as possible. If you working with a training
partner have your partner play the part; yelling, threatening,
cursing, etc. His goal should be to drive up the emotional
content as much as possible.
4.)
Develop a “Strike” mentality - Start hitting
a heavy bag. A partner with “strike mitts” is even better,
because it allows you to get used to movement.
Practice striking with your hands, elbows, shoulders, head, and
knees and mix up “Hi-Line” shots (at the head
and chest) and “Lo-Line” shots (at the stomach, ribs,
groin and legs).
5.)
Get a “Battle Cry” - As I just discussed,
this does a couple things. First it throws off your
adversary for a couple of crucial seconds at the beginning
of your action sequence. His brain will be burning up
valuable seconds trying to process what all the yelling
is about (“what
the hell…”) while your attack is under way. Very
effective. The second function of the battle cry is
to prompt your brain into action.
There’s a big difference between thinking about taking
action and actually taking action -- and it’s easy for
most people to get “locked down” in planning . Your brain needs a kick in the butt to transfer
it’s energy from the thinking and planning mode into the
action mode – the battle cry is a verbal “go” that’s
imperative to getting yourself moving forward. It’s
nothing new -- soldiers have been using this for thousands
of years as a way to overcome freezing and to strike
fear in their enemies. But you’ll want to use this verbal
battle cry in training ONLY when you launch into an
attack so that it holds power and is an “internal trigger”.
6.)
Always practice proper execution: Watching
countless videos of actual street fights as they happened
has only cemented what my research has already strongly
suggested -- that real-world fighting is sloppy. It
is the rare exception for a fighter to properly execute
a complex martial arts move. This is why it’s important
to practice proper execution as you’ll be more likely
to retain a percentage of it when “crunch time” hits.
As expert shooter Bennie Cooley points out, if you can
group your shots with 3 inches of each other during
practice, you may just retain a grouping the size of
a paper plate in real combat (which is considered excellent
shooting in the real world). Or as Bruce Lee once pointed
out: “I do not fear the man who as practice 1000 kicks
one time… I fear the man who has practiced one kick
1000 times.”
But Bruce
was a little off in his numbers. Studies show that it
takes about 2,000 repetitions of a move before it’s
actually “implanted” into your brain’s neural pathway
for easy recall even under stress. Now 2,000 sounds
like a big number, but it’s not. The key is to practice
a move correctly.
Here is
a proven method for developing your skills.
1.)
Level 1
a.
Practice a move in front of a mirror slowly. This allows
you to “self correct” anything your doing wrong. Keep
practicing until you are satisfied that your technique
is correct.
b.
Practice the same move in front of mirror at full speed.
Again… this allows you the opportunity to self correct.
c.
Try it again… this time in slow motion with your eyes
closed. You’ll want to periodically sneak a peek in
the mirror to see if you’re still on track with your
technique.
d.
When your satisfied with your technique, perform it
at full motion with eyes your eyes closed. This will
start hardwiring the move into your muscle memory.
2.)
Level 2 – Get your hands on a heavy bag…
they’re not expensive and the exercise value alone that
you’ll receive it is worth every penny.
a.
Now practice the same move on heavy bag – slowly. Use
a mirror again if you can to periodically check your
technique. If you see that it’s flawed, go back to Level
1.
b.
Practice the technique on heavy bag at full speed. Try
to visualize how you’d use the move on specific target
areas.
3.)
Level 3 – Practice with a partner. Now
I realize not all of us have someone willing to act
as your punching bag, but for those who are committed
to taking their skills to an expert level, having a
live person to practice on is important. For any specific
move you want to:
a.
Practice with partner slowly… then when you’re both
comfortable....
b.
Practice with partner at full speed.
Of
course this is only a brief description of how to train
-- the DVDs will take you through specific moves and
techniques in detail. But it’s important to remember
to always be careful with your partner – especially
if you’re just getting started. Make sure your partner
understands how to “tap-tap-tap” on your side whenever
they feel uncomfortable.
Most
of the moves you’ll discover are ones that can be used
“straight out of the box”. They’re almost always simple,
easy to learn, and devastating --- so you must use care
during any practice. Avoid “showing off” your new moves
to unsuspecting friends or family members as it’s easy
to put them in the hospital or permanently injure (even
kill) them.
You’ll
discover some powerful information – which requires
you to accept some big responsibilities. Use discretion.
Til next time…
Dr. Russ Horine
Prez, Fight-Fast.com
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear,
not absence of fear.”
– Mark Twain
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