Self Defence and Combat Conditioning (diary entry)

25.10.14 My client requested a double session. The first part consisted of self-defence training and the second, combat conditioning. He is a long-time client of mine and an experienced martial artist with a wide range of different systems. We began with a look at the fence and how it works conceptually. There is a lot of confusion put out about the fence, as is often the case with any concept that has been in circulation for a while. Martial artists, like all humans, cannot help but either over-analyse a concept or fit within their own ideals. This is where a lot of misunderstandings emanate. I don’t hold with this idea that the fence is a reactive method and I fear it might have come from martial artists who were so used to being taught to always passively block an attack first before launching their counter attack. The only reactive part of the fence is in the way that any self-defence technique can be argued is reactive, it is reacting to the unwanted violent actions of another. Otherwise the method is proactive. The fence sets a boundary line that is defined by the range of the assault. The fence is not simply someone putting their hands up in a type of guarding fashion. I am pretty confident that all the early advocates of the fence would not use the same boundary line they would set against an unarmed attacker as they would against an attacker pointing a firearm. In simple terms, a person using the fence fights off his boundary line. Once there is an attempted breach of that line, he immediately initiates his attack. The line or fence might be set by a variety of objects or it might even be invisible, simply defined by what constitutes personal space. If the hands are used then it is often better to keep them mobile and to not resemble obvious form of fighting guard. We ran through several exercises using straight and hooked hand strikes. Restriction was then brought in from a cornered position. It was important for me to emphasize a continued flow of strikes and we moved onto incidental combinations. We also covered referencing a target and choice of natural attack tools. The palm is always suggested due to the lower risk of injury that can incur if the fist hits the dense bones in the skull, but trained individuals might have a natural preference for the fist. This is okay if he can be sure to be accurate. Otherwise punching is best applied to the body or in the form of a hammer-fist. Likewise, elbows and forearms can be very potent short-range weapons. However, they are less dextrous than hands, so are not my primary selection for the interview range that we were mainly covering. Focusing on owning the technique and transitioning, we went through the postures of kneeling, sitting and lying down whilst striking. This brought us onto the combat conditioning and how it can serve for promoting better movement and stabilizations. As my client pointed out, many martial artists tend to view techniques like a series of still photographs. Fighting is constant movement and it is a point that should be always present. Transitioning from one direction to another or from one individual movement to another requires increased energy and muscular strength. Deck squats are a great example of a transitioning exercise. We looked at the momentum bodyweight version, a kettlebell/bridging version and a technique-specific exercise where you roll from your back to combat base/kneeling position. Stepping up onto a tyre to knee strikes is also a great specific exercise for increasing balance and using the right muscle groups required to improve knee strikes. We also covered the sprawl/dead lift combination for takedown defence, movement on the Swiss ball for better ground fighting from the top position, and both resistance band and tyre leg-pressing to work the mid-range and long range guards from the back.  With posture being such an important area for martial artists to train I also introduced my client to the supinated grip overhead press. This is an excellent warm-down exercise that stretches out the spine, tightens the core in general and promotes better awareness of posture.