When the gunman walked into the Luby’s and started shooting a few years ago, one of the women there remarked that she wished she had brought her pocket gun. A friend of mine said it was too bad that no one had been trained in coin throwing.

But Luby’s uses heavy china. Anyone could have started throwing the plates.

The gunman at Columbine? He was in a library with hardback books. They throw. I once put someone on the ground with one strike of a textbooks.

But usually the point of training is to cope with events like this. As a kid I threw a number of attackers, landing on them and moving directly into a choke/pin. That was a fight ender every time. The training worked, but it was the right training.

I think you are correct when you say that the what you train is what you do. I recently was at a club where a police officer trains. He told us the story of how they train over and over in taking the gun from an assailant. They do it over and over. So when one of the constables in his division was faced with a gun he did the move, got the gun, and out of habit handed it back! He was apparently shot for his trouble but lived and now when they train they finish the procedure each time rather than just doing the disarming move.
Peter

Had the same experience; I’m 300lb and managed to land a flying roundhouse on an attacker — a perfectly-pulled point-scoring hit which did nothing at all.

Now, I don’t hit a pad unless it’s at full pelt.

I will say that 99% of people in any type of Martial art
know enough to receive a good ass kicking. Most have learned nothing more than point sparing if even that.
Adapt, Survive, If you train every day your reaction is a reflex. If you are dropping into a basic stance then your a beginner or have just taken up Karate as a hobby…Pack a gun or stay home.
Karate will just give you other options, it will not or does no guarantee your survival.

This is why I feel that karateka especially, are far too concerned with form/ritual and control.

I believe that controlling techniques is something very high level martial artist’s should focus on, lower level practitioner’s should be working on power and it’s practical applications, then on controlling themselves emotionally/mentally. Technique control comes last as it is an inevitable consequence of long training and the least useful element in practical terms. Let the white belts wail on each other with boxing gloves on so they start out with a practical appreciation for hitting and being hit, adrenalin and naturally generated (non karate) attacks.

As for form, I think that making the bulk of training time dedicated to semi free and open ended drills that make practical use of the kihon and kata techniques would develop better more adaptable form and more versatile less rigid individuals.

I think the throwing stuff idea

DavidAB: I agree with you in the thought process but not the execution. I would never be comfortable with letting kids wail on each other in boxing gloves. But there are some things you can do. For example, practice trading reverse punches to the stomach to learn timing and taking a hit. It obviously doesn’t have direct sparring applications but occasionally used it would be fine. I think karate could benefit a lot from extensive bag work like in boxing.

And as for the bit you mentioned about kihon and kata, Rob has an article somewhere on here about how the two aren’t related. I tend to agree with him for the most part. Kihon and kata is one part of karate, and sparring and self defense applications is a totally different part. But yes less rigidity is definitely good. I’ve personally start mixing in some dodging and weaving from boxing into my karate techniques. And I’ve also practiced some mixed karate and judo combinations too. So my point is lets just call a spade a spade. If you want free form just say that today your going to teach some judo applications that work with karate or whatever it is your doing.

It is a problem in other martial arts as well. Too many Judoka do not transition to the ground from a throw (whereas in every fight where I threw someone I also landed on them in a pin/choke which finished the fight immediately).

But it is something that can be readily cured, which is good.

I own a scar or two from my altercations in street fights. Not proud of that, but I am still alive and not otherwise mamed. You must accept the fact that you are going to take your lumps just as much as give them out so deal with it. Everyone get’s hit no matter what your rank or years experience, but maybe you just don’t have to die right there on that day. I took a hit in the face once when I “over-blocked” a single straight punch. It wasn’t very skillfull, or fast….just damned effective. Having spent so many years training with the reaction times of well conditioned atheletes in the “kumite-ring” at my dojo, I was used to having my block be out there just as fast as humanly possible for myself. Well if you have seen the average bar though’s punch…they are not as fast as the fighters in the competition end of the pool. My pretty looking techinically accurate block was there and gone before the punch had fully matured against my face. I am sure it looked very funny to any onlookers, but it pointed out some very real aspects of the self defense side of my Shotokan Karate study. It was at that very moment my sensei’s words crystalized within in my brain. He always said: “Position and timing in life is everything.” He was most certainly correct. My incorrectly timed out of position block was rendered useless by the lack of speed of the oncomming attack. My adrenaline, and tunnel vision combined with the fact that we had not verbally confronted each other and “decided to fight” added to my over reaction. The altercation just sort of occured out of nowhere and my block was more of a pure reaction rather than my decision to act. Maybe some fine tuning of my Mushin is in order? But the experience pointed out the very real need for as much variation in how we teach timing as posible, and I also needed to try and condition myself to remain calm no matter what was going on with me.
You just reminded me of an interesting dojo/life lesson Rob!
Thanks.
Rick

Thick pad work: one person holds pad over body part, the other throws close to full force technique. This is the best training I have had. It does much more for my basics than air training. We rarely train kumite or competition style any more. That is a waste except for kids who want to go to AAU. If you are concerned about timing, attention, etc, you can train in kendo concurrently without diluting technique. I have come to the conclusion that fighting shotokan is basically MMA superman punch performed off rear leg. This is real ikken hissatsu as it is effective but you must commit completely and perform correctly. Be prepared to get hurt a little and if you miss you are screwed. But without this level of technique commitment, I have seen only some gyaku-zuki and almost no oi-zuki that would do more than slow me down if I were an assailant.

Also, to be effective, you would have to train more like RR trained in the day than 3 eves per week as Funakoshi recommends. Gozo Shioda writes about getting in a bar fight where his aikido instinctively kicked in and worked effectively but he was training constantly. More applicable to us are witnesses to Japanese soldiers trying karate on Chinese POWs and finding tsuki ineffective (see Harry Cook).

Beautiful piece, Rob. The gap between self-defense and fighting is much wider than many martial artists believe.
Not to mention that I have my butt kicked in competitions more than once – just because of safeguarding partner’s fall during the throw (direct equivalent to controlled punch)

I wholeheartedly agree. As far as possible, make stuff into missiles and go for broke. I remember a story in American Handgunner magazine where two chaps (convenienvce store owner and brother) repelled two armed robbers with full 12 oz. soft drink cans. Just kept up a massive barrage using the counter as cover until the goblins ran away.

I have had numerous arguments (with a few, with respect, narrow-minded karate individuals) about the possibility of pulled punches in serious situations, due to training. A fair number of people will not be able to transition from pulling to following through their punches due to training to pull.

(Although, I think it may just take a few repetitions to cure this under stress-I suffered more than one nasty bruise from karate comrades after a minute or two during a recent kumite bout during a grading. It seems that if something is on the line, the adrenaline gets jacked way up…)

Furtunately, we do a lot of pad/bag work in class, so the karateka can feel what level of effect their punches, kicks and strikes are delivering.

If you train to score beautiful points in a match, no matter what kind of martial arts, it’s usually not very useful in a ‘real fight’. Training for sports or for self defense are two completely different things. A controlled match is in no way comparable to a real time situation. The match is control by rules and conditioned moves and techniques are used. In real live everything goes of course.

If you don’t determine your goal before you start training martial arts, if you don’t ask yourself that question ‘why I train this, for what purpose’ constantly, you are certainly risking the above situation. But if you do know what your training is all about, you know if you are up for the challenge. But you have to be honest to yourself.

Did you really questioned yourself about the things you learned? Do I train this technique to make a nice point, can I use it in a real fight, can I apply it, how can I learn to apply it, is it sensible to use it, what is the difference between kihon zuki and applied tsuki, where do you aim it?

If you don’t ask these questions, yes then you will become the karateka that is ridiculed because his technique is ineffective and only pretty for a match. This is of course not a bad thing, if you can see it as a separate thing. And accept that you know only karate as sports.

Don’t get so enthused about throwing things that you see your 38 flying out your hand.

“I think you are correct when you say that the what you train is what you do. I recently was at a club where a police officer trains. He told us the story of how they train over and over in taking the gun from an assailant. They do it over and over. So when one of the constables in his division was faced with a gun he did the move, got the gun, and out of habit handed it back! He was apparently shot for his trouble but lived and now when they train they finish the procedure each time rather than just doing the disarming move.
Peter :

In the old version of kill or be killed, the author wrote about Japanese troops so well trained in bayonet that they forgot the primary purpose of the rifle was to shoot.

Thank you for the very useful and informative article.

I am currently a Blue Belt in Shotokan at a dojo in Ferndale Michigan, and I took up Martial Arts to get myself in shape and to learn how to effectively defend myself if I am ever attacked while unarmed (places where I cannot use my CPL – like at work, at school, etc.).

I am very interested in learning all I can and in training for the practical and effective self defense.

Throwing things in the situations you mentioned would have been more effective than hiding under a desk or table – which is what the victims in those situations did. But it does require that you step yourself out of the “I will be quiet and hide and hope that I live through this” mindset.

Taking action does draw attention to you – you need to call upon the Warrior spirit and find the courage to fight back and hurt the attacker and not care if you make him mad and to focus all his attention and anger on you.

Just he ruined everyone else’s day so YOU are going to be the one to ruin his day.

I love the advice on using the pads (I assume either focus pads or full body pads) against the body while the other person practices striking at near full force. Sounds like good realistic training.

I’m a boxer and a Karateka, and have been involved in several fights of varying degrees of seriousness. Never once have I gone into an En Guard or Kamae position when i’ve fought. This may have something to do with my actual fight experience outweighing my competition experience, and also several sensei who beleived in a “Nut-him-before-his-arms-are-up” fighting philosophy.
I tend to fight close in, with knees and elbows, and the occasional throw, if it’s one-on-one and i feel playful (my favourite is harai oshi into an arm-bar, impractical against more than one opponent though, you’ll get your head stomped). But i practice this style with my friends outside of the dojo, training on hard floors, in the street, in gardens, on tow paths, to make sure i’ll always be prepared.
Whilst “traditional” dojo training has prepared me by giving me the confidence to throw a punch or put on a wrist lock, It’s often things i’ve discovered in my mates back yard with two of them bearing down on me with sticks.
Regarding the use of pads; we never use them. I do bag work to get used to hitting, but you’ve also gotta be able to be hit, and whilst it’s difficult to improve your chin through training, at least if you practice near full force, you won’t be surprised if someone hits you full force.

Rob,

Interesting article. A few points to consider:

On throwing things: I you throw things, you really don’t want them thrown back, or used to hit you. Throw glass – it breaks on impact and is dangerous to pick up when broken. Or throw people – very unlikely to be throw back at you.

On forgetting what you have learned: my teacher advises everyone going for their first dan to train for 12 months in full-contact muay thai first, and everyone going for second dan to train for 2 years in two different grappling or throwing styles. The different styles are still ‘duel’ formats, but tie in nicely with the core training of the style, which is practical self defense applications. The aim is to move on from your basic training and actually become a ‘fighter’.

On the struggle to survive: statistically, you can expect be seriously assaulted at least once in your life (Wiseman, J., Urban Survival Handbook), maybe killed if you are unlucky or unwise. If you put absolutely everything into surviving that one event, then you are probably good for life. The downside is that in the excitement you over-do it, and end up in jail.