Soft Skills/Pre-Emption/Recovery

22.04.13

Private Lesson – Self-Protection – Soft Skills/Pre-emption/Recovery

We began with a discussion on practical awareness. This is not as easy a topic as many self-protection instructors would lead you to believe. Different people have different levels of awareness and, going by their own experiences, judge situations in different ways. For example, my two clients who booked me for this series of lessons are aware that they lack a degree of confidence. The last thing they need to hear is horror stories about dangerous people. This could very well push them into hyperawareness and paranoia. This is not helpful personal security. The truth is you will never be able to sustain constant vigilance and by jumping at shadows you are more likely to not see real threats.

A healthy state of awareness is a conscious type of learned alertness. No one can always be in Jeff Cooper’s code yellow no matter what your teacher tells you. Code yellow’s ideal is “comfortable awareness”. However, there a multitude of degrees of this and I don’t anyone who really can sustain this without slipping into code white. Everyone gets caught unawares and the improbable occasionally happens. Awareness should be adjusted depending on people, places and times. Your level of awareness walking down the high street in a quiet suburb you know very well should be lower than when you walking down a road in New York or (hopefully) driving down one in Johannesburg!

Training began with a warm-up through the various postures. These exercises are great for conditioning as they hit the legs immediately. They also have a functional purpose, as they train the student to fight from various positions and to get their feet as quickly and efficiently as possible.

We then moved onto the fence and pre-emptive striking, confirming the work we had done previously. I brought in a resistance band to increase the power in the straight shots. This provided noticeable results.

We finished with an introduction to the cover. This is a counter-offensive tool designed for the student to recover after being hit and to regain the initiative.

Recommended: "Take Cover!" Article