From the desk of Steve Drake – Wednesday 14th June 2023

Due to the government’s response to the covid 19 pandemic in 2020 several training dates that had been planned to coincide with the official launch of my first published book 'Blueprints 4 Success' never got off the ground. However, we are going for a relaunch in the summer of 2023. 🚀 This time I am leaning towards the e book route to cut out the extortionate delivery costs. There is a new chapter that is not in the original book and the 'Power of One seminars are right back on the agenda. Exciting times ahead 📅 

You know I don't hide behind a fake email address or any address, and I DO return phone calls (as time permits). And I answer my emails. 

I am currently in the U.K. (Manchester) but plans are in the advanced preparation stage to move out to Thailand. The wait is almost over. I have put together a totally unique package of low tech and high impact team building events incorporating education and entertainment. 

Let me give you a heads up. You have heard me say many times that our brain is the most powerful bio-computer ever created, but unfortunately, it does not come with an operator’s manual.

Let me explain what I mean.

You can't get wet from the word water! The downfall with many Team Building presentations is that people can get inspired by the achievements of others and even feed off the presenter's enthusiasm. However, this enthusiasm often wears off.

The key to having a highly motivated workforce is employees learning how to motivate themselves regardless of the situation or circumstances. If you have been taught through the usual tried old patterns of explanation, demonstration, and drill, then the most important and useful part of your ability to learn has been left out. 

My events are performance targeted and light years away from the standard ‘chalk and talk’ style still so beloved by traditional trainers, This isn't about business theory, and I am really looking forward to sharing the secrets of self motivation in 'The Power of One'. 

If you would like to get a head start on proceeding or more information on personal coaching please email: bp4strainingacademy@gmail.com

FINALY!

Well with the publication on my book that's the last of my goals all done and dusted for this year.

How are you doing? Need any help?

I absolutely know this book can work for you. Why. Because it has already worked for thousands of people just like you in the past and it will continue to work for thousands of other people in the future.



You can now purchase your own personal copy of Blueprint 4 Success here
https://abc.nl/book-details/blueprints-4-success/g9789492563644?fbclid=IwAR1xbM2PJW8AECLigb8glv2cWVC3Le8zRepNF1h7ApxyYs40CRrW--T4hCI

Success and happiness are not accidents that just happen to some people and not others - they are predictable results created by deliberate ways of thinking and acting, Within the pages of Blueprints 4 Success you will very quickly discover a proven trusted formula that is used by top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields. They give you long-term vision and short-term motivation. They focus your acquisition of knowledge and help you to organize your resources so that you can take full advantage of everyday opportunities. And the best part is it is all very user-friendly to apply.

Think of it as not needing to know everything about electricity to turn the light on. You just need to learn to flick the switch.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen Drake is a British Expat now living in the Hague area of the Netherlands He believes that when your biggest asset is your people around you it pays to investigate what factors make them the best they can be.

His journey as a training specialist and consultant has certainly evolved from the early days of being brought in almost as a ‘last resort’ - to work with teams and groups who were ‘resistant’ to change and traditional training methods – now he is more often thought of as a first choice when it comes to
‘leading-edge’ experiential events that have seen him collect several awards of recognition for his contribution to training & personal development, as well as appearing on local radio and T.V. and contributing to industry press and publications.

He now shares this success through public speaking at management conferences and industry seminars and exhibitions.

Over the last 20 years, his range of clients span almost the entire commercial spectrum from international finance to pharmaceutical giants and recruitment specialists to real estate developers and one of the worlds biggest producers of aluminum

Steve also has a Martial arts background. While he admits his quest in Karate was more about winning tournaments than learning the art and discipline, his drive still led him to join the Self Defense Company and recently celebrated 10 years of teaching Self Defense Company Programs with clients such as the British Government & United Arab Emirates Government.

Today his recent workshops such as The Power of One & Miracle have helped many individuals, like you, realize the confidence and potential they didn't know they had using martial arts disciplines with a spectrum of exercises on Visualization, Transformation Linguistics, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Turning Fear into Power.

So with the new year 2020 almost upon us where would YOU like your staff feeling motivated, excited and renewed? ……… apart from when they are at work, of course.

For all availability, booking and further inquiries to drake_base@hotmail.com

Nobody on the road, Nobody on the beach, I feel it in the air .....

The summer's out of reach



Today was a public holiday in the UK, known as bank holiday Monday and a day off work for some people (not all) and that's it now until CHRISTMAS.

So how does knowing that make you feel?

It's good to ask yourself how you are feeling (emotional state) because that is the first step in the framework for creating change, How you look at a situation influences what happens around you. Ask yourself what's my focus? Am I focusing on something I want or don't want?

Then ask yourself what do I want Vs what do I really want.

Am I seeing the opportunities or am I only seeing the obstacles, am I focusing on the problem or the solution.

The next 90 days are crucial to staying focused on those goals you set at the start of the year, hopefully, the short term goals are done and dusted, the midterm goals are now your short term goals and you need to focus on the final weeks and months of your midterm and long term goals.

We need to focus on what needs to happen and focus on where you want to go. The summer holidays are over and you now need to switch your focus to what you want to achieve in for the rest of 2019.

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up and never give up.

I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU 5 WAYS TO GO FROM A “CAN’T DO” TO A “CAN DO” MINDSET:

1. See problems as opportunities
2. Tell negative people it’s really time for you to go
3. Eliminate limiting beliefs from your life
4. Refuse yourself permission to settle for anything less than you can really be
5. Maintain an ALL IN I can-do mindset

The above is a simple strategy, don't dismiss it because of its simplicity.

You can solve very big problems with very small actions. Ask yourself what is the smallest action I could do right now to start and make a big difference to what I want in the future.

Time to kick on with the final phase. See you all in 90 days.

99.8 and feeling Great.

Some goals are more personal than others.

Just a few days before my 60th Birthday I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and the doctor told me that I have been walking around with this for some time. The good news is that it is reversible, but I needed to lose weight (27Ks) so I immediately set a health goal entitled the 60-day challenge



I knew i had to create some better health habits through better diet and getting back into exercise, and so 60 days is a good chunk of time to springboard myself into it.

My start date was the 1st of February and I weighed in at 115Kgs

Today was the end of my 60-day challenge and I now weigh 99.8Kgs.

I Still, a fair way to go, but my overall target has been reassessed, The Doctors say if I could get under 91 KGs I would be in what they call recessive, and they will see me again in June. I'm on it. Phase two starts now,


This phase two is not going to be as brutal and with the better weather coming eating choices will be much better. To be honest, I am very positive and somewhat motivated by the whole thing, if I can lose half as much in the next 3 month that I have in the last two I will be over the moon.

So hows it going?

NEED ANY HELP?

It's been several weeks since I published the goal setting steps and thought I would drop by and see how everyone is getting along.

Question one is are you still on track> Does your daily actions take you nearer your goal or are you starting to drift off course?



Have a look at the cycle of success above

For those of you who require a little extra boost, I have something very special for you.

DNA – Decision / Navigation / Action

This very simple exercise is based on the story called A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

In the story Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, they came to challenge certain beliefs and attitudes that where having a serious impact on Mr. Scrooge and the people around him.

Use this powerful technique to visit your very own ghosts by doing the following step by step exercise.

First recognize now that there is nothing you can do to change the past, just except all that has happened in your life without regret, judgment or blame. Then realize that even though you’re past thoughts and actions have had a certain influence on who you are today, THE FUTURE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THE SAME AS THE PAST.

Now close your eyes and take a moment to think about the present. Consider the beliefs which could be limiting you from realizing your fullest mental potential.

For example: Consider you may be holding onto a belief such as you have a bad memory, and the older you become the worse it will get, there is no use trying to improve it so why bother, facts just slip your mind and that’s the way it has always been so you except your forgetful and it is just the way you are.

Now as you feel the weight of this negative self-talk reinforcing these limiting beliefs about your mental capacity, ask yourself:

How much has this type of self-talk already cost me in my life? What have I lost and missed out on as a result of these beliefs? In how many ways have I cheated myself and others around me because of my limiting beliefs? What unpleasant emotions do I experience on a daily basis as a direct result of these statements I constantly make to myself (and those around me)? How many things have I not even attempted in my life as a result of these beliefs?

Feeling the full weight of the consequences of holding on to this type of self-talk, I now want you to ask yourself WHAT THESE BELIEFS WILL COST ME IN THE FUTURE.

Now mentally take a step into the future (just as Mr. Scrooge did) and visualize the effects of another whole year telling yourself “I have the worst memory” Think of the challenges you wont attempt, all the people you will shy away from and getting to know, all the stimulation your brain will miss by not trying to take on new challenges. Now consider the cost, the burden of these beliefs affecting your life for another FIVE YEARS. Drag the consequences of your self-limiting beliefs with you five years into the future and ask yourself.

How much more will in cost me in the next five years if I continue to uphold these negative beliefs about my minds limited capability and potential? How many regrets will I have if I don’t change my self-talk? What will I have missed out on? What will I have given up? What will happen to my career in the next five years if I hold on to these beliefs? How will this affect my relationships? My health? What will my children think of me? What kind of role model will I turn out to be?

In your mind I want you to step forward ten years into the future, See, Hear and Feel what life is like for you ten years from now if you don’t change your self-talk or limiting beliefs!

Ask Yourself:

When I look in the mirror ten years from now, how much heavier do you feel as a direct result of these limiting beliefs? How bad do I feel about myself? What are some of the things I haven’t accomplished by not giving up these beliefs?

Now imagine yourself twenty years from now. What profound effect will twenty years of self-talk programming these beliefs into your master computer have had on your life? What will have happened by then? Defeat, failure, disillusionment, despair? Ask yourself now.

How much have I missed out on? How much more could I have accomplished if I had only changed my self-talk twenty years ago? Has my life been an example or has it been a warning to others? Is that what I want?

STOP!

THE GOOD NEWS IS… You can open your eyes … IT IS STILL THE PRESENT! You haven’t reaped the disastrous rewards of twenty years of negative SELF-TALK.

Its Christmas morning. There is plenty to do. As you commit yourself to a new outcome NOW, YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO DETERMINE YOUR OWN DESTINY.

NOW THINK OF ONE YEAR, FIVE YEARS, TEN YEARS, TWENTY YEARS OF SAYING TO YOURSELF AND BELIEVING:

“I have a great mind”

“I have excellent powers of retention”

”I enjoy mental challenges and reaping the rewards”

“I am building my brain power and improving my brain potential day by day”

“I am meeting more people, remembering their names and enjoying the experience”

“I am doing all I can to develop my mental strength and to condition my memory and continuously improve in all areas of my life”

As you consider the future, answer these questions for yourself.

How much more will I have gained by living my life with these new beliefs? How much more will I have been able to learn, grow, know and accomplish as a direct result of this new self-talk? What has been the true benefit of these new beliefs to my children as they look at me as a model of excellence? How has that changed our lives? How grateful, happy, proud do I feel about having cared enough to change those useless, old fashioned beliefs into productive, empowering new beliefs and create the DESTINY I so richly deserve.

I want to end this exercise with a great self-talk statement to remind you about this important principle:

“Simply by making the choice to watch what I say when I talk to myself, the beliefs I hold will instantly improve and my future will be dramatically influenced”

GO FOR IT

Your Date with Destiny

Step 7) finally put today’s date on each of your goals and then the date you aim to achieve your goal(s).



The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.

Write down your goals. Only three percent of people have written goals and only one percent review those written goals daily. Be in that elite one percent. Visualize the attainment of your goals often. Goals are dreams with dates attached. You will only become as great and as happy as the goals you choose.


Let us recap the goal setting steps



Step 1) Write your Goals down in a Journal / Diary.



Step 2) for each one of your goals write a paragraph as to why you want to achieve that goal.



Step 3) Identify the obstacles you need to overcome to reach that goal.



Step 4) Ask what you need to know in order to reach your goal.



Step 5) Identify the people you need to work with in order to achieve your goals.



Step 6) Devise a specific plan of action.



Step 7) finally put today’s date on each of your goals and then the date you aim to achieve your goal(s).



Now focus on the contribution you can make


Ask yourself these three simple questions at the end of each day


1) Did my actions today take me closer to achieving my goal or further away?

2)What was the one positive thing I noticed today?

3)What am I looking forward to tomorrow?


Goal setting techniques are used by top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields. They give you long-term vision and short-term motivation. They focus your acquisition of knowledge and help you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your life.

By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. You can see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind. By setting goals, you will also raise your self-confidence, as you recognize your ability and competence in achieving the goals that you have set.

If you have followed the goal setting steps may I take this moment to congratulate you and wish you every success in the future.

F I R E P O W E R

Big thank you to the Kooheji Group who recently invited me out to the Kingdom of Bahrain to deliver the 'FIREPOWER Experience.



CONTACT MR. SAMIR HAJARNIS @ DESIGN TECH TRAINING CENTER ON
00 973 36191214 TO BE ON THE NEXT FIREPOWER EVENT.

NON-STOP Work-out for "Forgotten Child Charity"

First of all i was truly delighted to be asked to provide a Self Defense Clinic at such a fantastic event at the Halo Wellness Center / De Haagse Hogeschool

This was fun and fitness activity for all, a marathon of different workouts and workshops in aid of raising money for the forgotten child charity. Thanks to all participants for their enthusiasm, commitment and contribution in what was well over 2 hours of NON-STOP sessions that included Zumba, Power Hour, Circuit Training, Body Shape, Boxing, Attack Yoga, Streetdance, and Self Defense that featured drills from Jeet Kune Do, Krav Maga and The Self Defense Training System. Altogether the event raised a magnificent sum of 622 euros.



I got a chance to work along side some great fitness instructors, and I would like to say a Special Thanks to Hanna van Vreeswijk, Andrea Demirhan, Maurice van Rijthoven, and HWC for making me feel so welcome.

More pictures of the amazing event can be found @ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Halo-Wellness-Center/370117846387744?sk=photos_stream

What! are you even serious?

Yes, in a moment of insanity (admittedly, one of many), I've decided to take several of my most popular personnel protection programs ... stir them together in a single pot ... and serve them up to you at one extremely tasty Ultimate Crash Course in Personnel Protection...and WHY would I do such a thing?

Well first of all because I can, but mainly because recent events over the last 18 months around the world have cemented my beliefs that true civilization is just an illusion, and it only works when people believe there are consequences for their actions!

Hey, it's taken me well over 25 years to make personnel protection more effective for many others before you. Now, because of the data base that I have collected over the last eight years from people who requested information in the past I have the opportunity to reach out and ensure I DO get my methods into the hands of as many forward thinking people as possible.

So just what IS included here?

We begin with "Functional Jeet Kune Do" – Let’s not get this mixed up with Theatrical Jeet Kune Do, What you watched Bruce Lee do in the movies was not what I am teaching. High kicks are for Hollywood. We will stick with the core concept of simplicity, Direct and non classical approach.

"COMBAT+" – All right, it is no secret that I have been teaching Krav Maga, this was always going to be an issue when I lived in the United Arab Emirates because of its origin. I was going to call it Contact Combat, which is what the name Krav Maga translates to. However I felt at the time the Contact bit would put certain people off, but it was not long before people who were attending COMBAT+ classes were saying to me “hey, this is just like Krav Maga”

Even through some of the books shops in Dubai have started putting books about the subject on the shelve I am not convinced that would give me the green light to directly advertise it, but I continued to teach the basics of the system under the COMBAT+ banner.

"The Self Defense Training System" – This WW11 Combative system has stood the test of time. Easy to learn, easy to remember and totally devastating to whoever is on the receiving end of it. I was fortunate enough to be with Damian Ross and Pete Barry in New Jersey in 2012 and got first class tuition on the most up to date guardian tactics used by Military, Law Enforcement, Correctional Offices and Private Security Contractors who are working in some of the most war torn areas of the world were simply this stuff has to absolutely work.

...and what else?
In my youth I learned both Karate & Jiu Jitsu to Black Belt level. There is very little in those two traditional martial arts that I would or could call upon in a violent assault in today’s world. Traditional Martial arts have not evolved; they were all developed before people used guns. All traditional martial arts advocate that the teach self defense, however the truth is they only teach a very small percentage of it, you may not be too familiar with the likes of Judo, Karate or Tae Kwon Do, But almost everyone has heard or seen boxing, sure boxing is a combat sport and also teaches you how to look after yourself … Until you are on the floor!
Now, this is my point. It only teaches a very small percentage of personnel protection. In my professional opinion as a qualified World Boxing Council Referee, boxers on the floor are waiting for me to say seven … eight … nine … YOU ARE OUT!

I certainly don’t want to disrespect traditional martial arts, they are still popular and they are very good for building confidence and self esteem and they get people active and many other great things, but total self protection is not one of them. If you are invited to fight in one of those combat sports there are rules and regulations to what you can and can’t do. Just remember the rules and regulations are not understood and respected by another person who attacks you in the street. "All you need is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu" – Until you meet someone who is a better BJJ Practitioner than you. Grappling is not ground fighting.

Grappling is a skill that involves subtle maneuvering and positioning. It requires years of practice and a lot of dedication to become proficient. Ground fighting entails doing whatever it takes as fast as you can do it to end the fight or at least to improve your position.

Never choose the ground. It limits your mobility, it limits your striking power and ability and it leaves you vulnerable for getting stomped by friends of your attacker. If you get on a mat with one of these guys one of two things will happen. Either it will take all of you to contain all of him, or it will take all of him to contain all of you. What it does not do is stop someone else from sticking a screw driver in one of your ears and out of the other (sorry if that a bit too graphic for you at this hour of the day) oh did I mention that the ground hurts? Broken bottles, debris, rocks, stumps and just the hard ground or concrete itself will wreak havoc on your body. No to mention concealed weapons that can be pulled and used from any grappling position.

When you’re in a fight, the clock is ticking. It is in your best interest to end the fight as soon as possible. Methods that teach you to wait and look for an opening are not tactically sound.

Listen, methods like wrestling, judo, BJJ and MMA are great sports and will help you in self defense if trained you simply remember that in a real street fight there is no referee, judge, or doctor looking out for your well being. Make no mistake, you're primary job when on the ground is to either get off the ground or end the fight immediately.

So here's the deal: I have limited space in the timetable for one on one, private tuition at my home, so first come first served. My Fee is €60 per hour. Call me for details
Day Time Number 06 18 50 26 58
Evening Number (After 6pm) 06 22 35 95 25

Group classes will start a week on Sunday (11th January 2015) @ Halo Wellness Center, Laan Van Poot 363, 2566 DA Den Haag (11am – 12:30pm)

Personal Protection Seminar for up to 20 delegates – Daley Rate €1,000/- plus travel & accommodation with two hot meals. What to know more? stephend@theselfdefenseco.com

“Tough is not the way you act. Tough is the way you train!”

I remember the early days in the Karate class were you would stand in front of your partner, adjust your distance accordingly and wait for that little nod of the head to show they are ready, a split second later he would lunge forward delivering a straight arm punch for you to step back and block, a split second later he would take another step forward delivering another straight arm punch for you to step back and block again, then he would come at you one more time, stepping forward and bringing a third straight arm punch, only this time you stepped off to one side, blocked the punch and then very swiftly delivered a counter strike your partner with a reverse punch to his kidneys ... KIAI, job done. I guess way back then many of the people who trained in that same class must have imagined things like this: they’re walking down a street late at night when a mugger jumps out of the nowhere and demands their money. Picturing himself as the hero, the Karate man remembers those very same karate sanbon kumite, and drops into his fighting stance, and blocking the attackers best punches before he counters and makes his attacker wish he had have picked on someone else.


The more likely scenario: our well-trained person is stumbling down a dark street, either drunk from a great night out, or just cold and distracted. He sees a shadowy figure step out from a shop doorway, but before he can even get his hands up, someone grabs him from behind. His legs are knocked out from under him and he wakes up on the street, battered and bruised after a good kicking, without his wallet or phone.


What is this all about?
They say knowledge is power, I for one don’t agree with that, I believe it is what you do with the knowledge that makes it powerful, I can only provide you with a comprehensive program to prepare you to survive an attack on the street. While being in the right kind of shape will certainly improve your odds of survival, actually taking time to practice self-defense strategies and techniques is essential, and the concepts in on this page are meant to support a self-defense program. In my experience, most self-defense classes tend to neglect the fitness of their participants. Combat sports are, as the name implies, sports, and thus physical conditioning is usually incorporated into the training. Self-defense, on the other hand, requires a deep and involved study of a much wider variety of situations and attacks, so time for fitness and conditioning is much more difficult to incorporate.



Self-Defense vs. Combat Sports
There are few similarities between a real street fight and any kind of combat sport. Thai Boxing, Judo, Mixed Martial Arts, Olympic Tae Kwon Do, all of these has the following traits in common when it comes to fighting:
a) You know who your attacker is, their size relative to you, and possibly even their fighting habits and experience
b) You know when the fight will happen, and you know the environment
c) You know the number of attackers
d) There are rules preventing serious injury or death
e) You are wearing protective gear, not just to avoid injury, but to allow you to hit harder without fear of breaking your hand.
f) Your attacker is not trying to kill you, or even to injure you. They are trying to win. (Tempers and egos do sometimes play a part in these fights)
g) Nobody else will get hurt during the fight.
h) You know the environment and the arena.
i) You know the duration of the fight.

In contrast, an attack on your way back to your car has none of these rules. In addition, there are certain assumptions you should always have regarding an attack:
a) The attacker wants your property, your body, or your life. They will threaten your safety accordingly.
b) Your attacker will have some advantage--size, numbers, a weapon--and/or you will be at a disadvantage--isolated, lost, confused, sick, drunk, and injured, etc.
c) You will most certainly be surprised.
d) You will be seriously injured, even if you win.

These assumptions don’t apply to social fights, like a good old night club fight, but even they can very quickly escalate. A common scenario is two guys ‘taking it outside’ to settle some difference, only to have the fight escalate to a lethal encounter when the loser won’t go down quietly and grabs a weapon or his friends jump in as tempers flare.



Please note, this isn’t meant to diminish the exceptional people out there who excel at combat sports, nor should it be taken to suggest that they can’t hold their own in a real attack. It is simply to point out that the fitness requirements of winning a boxing match and those of surviving an attack are very, very different, on the street and should be trained for with that in mind.

The Elements of an Attack
To get a better idea of what you need to accomplish to survive an attack on your property or your life, let’s look at the elements of this kind of scenario.

Timing
Most self-defense scenarios last only for a few seconds, from the initial contact to one of the combatants being incapacitated or escaping. However the flip side is that in very rare situations these fights can last up to a couple of minutes.

Combatants
The attacker always has the advantage. Since the attacker initiates the fight, they would not do so unless they perceived that they had an advantage. It is possible that they are mistaken - you may have a concealed weapon, but if an attacker makes a mistake in choosing a target (and survives it); they usually learn very quickly how to screen their future targets.


For the most part, attackers are cautious. They risk arrest and serious injury if they choose the wrong target, which is one that will put up a fight, take too long to drop, or cause a loud and noticeable disturbance. If someone chooses to attack you, you should assume they have a very good chance of winning, and if there is no apparent reason for their confidence, you can bet there is something you don’t know. Their advantage can be in the form of back-up, a weapon, or size. This is why self-defense classes teach their students to always assume the attacker has a weapon, even if it’s not visible, and to always be looking out for the attacker’s friends. One notable exception to this is attackers who are on drugs or are drunk. In these cases, they are still a serious threat because certain drugs dampen or eliminate pain sensations.

Goal
Unlike a sport fight, the goal of a self-defense scenario is to protect your life and escape. It is not to defeat the attacker. That’s not to say taking your attacker down, or even killing him isn’t the most efficient and effective way to protect your own life, but it isn’t the primary goal. If the opportunity to run presents itself, you should always take it. In some cases, the safety of a loved one may also be at stake. Generally, property can be sacrificed, but some people may decide that risking their life for the contents of their wallet is worthwhile. That is a personal decision you will have to make for yourself, and which may vary depending on the situation.

Cost
You should always assume that you could die or be permanently injured. Even when an attacker doesn’t intend to kill you, they have little concern for your safety or well-being and might simply kill you accidentally. Considering how easy it is to crack your skull on a pavement, it doesn’t take much more than a bad fall to end things. If you are cut or shot and left unconscious, you could simply bleed to death. In short, you can die, and should assume it is a very real possibility.

Requirements for Surviving
Knowing all that, what do you need to be able to do to survive an attack?
You must be able to go all out for a least 30 seconds to 2 minutes. You don’t have to last twelve rounds, so the fight usually goes to the person who can inflict the most damage in the shortest amount of time. If you knock someone out cold in the first 5 seconds, which saves you 25 seconds in which you could have been killed.
You must be able to stay on your feet while being attacked. The quickest way to lose a fight is to end up on the ground. Remember the attacker’s mates? As soon as you’re down, they will be playing football with your head. Getting back up is very difficult under these circumstances.
You must be able to run. There is no substitute for this, absolutely none what so ever. You can do your cardio workouts in the gym on a rowing machine or a bike, but if you are training to protect your life, you need to be able to sprint 80m and then run a fairly fast half mile...after a fight.


In terms of fitness, here are the benchmarks:
1. Extremely intense cardio-activity for 30 seconds followed by an 80m sprint and 800m jog. You should be able to operate near or at your maximum heart rate for 1-2 minutes.
2. Good coordination and balance to stay on your feet, probably the best way to ensure your survival.
3. Muscles that can generate a lot of explosive power in short bursts. Think throwing or Olympic weightlifting instead of power lifting.
4. Exceptional core stability and strength to protect vital organs and postural integrity while your hands are protecting your head.
5. Durability in the form of supple joints and the ability to absorb shock, whether from falls or hits. Muscle helps here, but so does flexibility and mobility.
6. Ability to hit small targets accurately and quickly. Your targets in an attack are eyes, throat, and groin.

What you don’t need:
1. Endurance. Beyond the ability to run a short distance to escape, you won’t need to go for very long. Training intervals can be longer, but only if they assist short-term performance.
2. Strength beyond a certain point. Your attacker will almost certainly be stronger than you, and getting into a contest of strength is a sure-fire way to lose. Be strong enough to maintain your body’s integrity, and then focus on power and speed, and don’t ever rely on your strength to win a fight. A small woman can learn to generate enough explosive power that her strikes crush an attacker’s windpipe without being able to bench her bodyweight. It’s not about big strong muscles.

The basic training methods for strength and conditioning program designed to improve survivability in a self-defense scenario will follow the following criteria.
Mimic the real movements as closely as possible, your training should be as close to the actual requirements of the scenario as possible. This means that short circuits using kick shields and punching bags are a great way to improve cardiovascular capacity for a fight.


Training for Toughness
One of the distinguishing features of an effective self-defense conditioning program is that it takes into account the fighter’s toughness, both mental and physical. Mental toughness is the ability to perform well under less-than-ideal circumstances without losing focus or intensity. Physical toughness is also called resilience, and is simply the ability to absorb shock without sustaining permanent damage.

Training Techniques for Mental Toughness
Training for mental toughness requires that you train in uncomfortable situations. The classic example of this is from the movie Rocky IV. We see Rocky turn down state off the art training facilities for some log cabin in the middle of nowhere in despicable weather.


Environmental Stress
I love training outdoors; some of the best classes I have ever conducted have been in local parks, low lighting, and uneven ground along with unpredictable weather. It’s just perfect, no mugger it will ever attack you in your gym so he won’t hurt himself on the four inch mats. If at all possible, commit to training at an outdoor location on a regular basis. Simply going for a jog, rain or shine, can do wonders for your ability to tolerate environmental stress. You will be subjected to rain, mud, snow, sleet, cold, heat, and variations of all of those. The important thing is to learn to function when the environment dose not wan't to cooperate. Also, try to train on surfaces other than flat. Even a grassy field has lumps and divots and worse traction to challenge your balance and foot placement. The ability to adjust for unusual terrain can save you in a fight.

Social Stress

In my Combat training we made use of a special kind of exercise called a stress drill or sometime known as the pressure drill. These were not especially physically taxing, but were socially uncomfortable because they involved other people trying to touch you or even grabbing you. If you have access to a training group, consider implementing these into your training:
Example Drill: Several people surround you making a circle, the instructor gives each person a number, except the one in the middle, and the object of the exercise is to be aware of your surroundings and your personnel space. The instructor calls out random numbers in quick fire succession, example one, four, three, five, eight, each time the student on the outer cycle hears there number they walk forward in a straight line and try and touch the person in the middle, If you the one in the middle your job is to be aware of someone entering your personnel space, and avoid any contact by side stepping there approach. More advanced versions allow a successful attacker to grab the player in the middle, who must then use a defense technique to force an escape.

Balance
Balance is the ability to control your center of gravity. It is essential for surviving a fight because the surest way to lose a real fight is to end up on the ground where your attackers can easily surround you and play football with your head.

Many fighters will disagree with this claim, citing a commonly heard statistic that 90% of fights go to ground anyway, so you might as well be the one to take it there.


The statistic is often cited as a reason to master grappling technique and forgo stand-up fight training. This number is a myth. Nowadays, we have a generation of people raised on MMA as the dominant combat sport, in which many fights do go to ground, because in MMA, you can safely drag your opponent to the ground without making things worse for you if you know how to grapple. In real life, even a skilled grappler would want to avoid going to ground in the street because they would be rolling on concrete, often with uneven terrain and debris, there is no rule against striking (or biting), and you cannot effectively control spacing or arrangement of multiple attackers. If you’re on the ground, it means you can’t run when the chance presents itself.

Balance helps you stay off the ground because it allows you to manage your center of gravity effectively, even when you are in compromising positions. It encompasses more than just the ability to walk across a narrow or unstable surface, but also includes the ability to move over and around obstacles while maintaining control of your center of gravity, to rise from the ground or maneuver low to the ground without actually falling, and recovering stable footing when you are tripped or fall over.
Balance is also essential for force transfer. By keeping your center of gravity where you want it, you make sure all the power of your legs goes into your strikes rather than keeping your on your feet.

Hand-eye Coordination

Hand-eye coordination is especially useful for fighters because we use our hands to defend ourselves and respond with attacks. Martial artists have always known the value of fast hands, and have developed numerous drills to develop this skill. The boxing speed bag is the classic and perhaps the best for the specific conditioning fighters benefit from.
Throwing/catching

Throwing and catching drills are great for hand eye coordination.

Basic: Simply toss and catch and object between you and one or more partners. The object can be anything, but unusual objects provide more of a challenge. Objects that require you to adjust your grip to catch it in a specific way, sticks or poles, training knives that could spin in the air or pieces of cloth are examples of these. Catch with one or both hands.

Power

In the context of a fight, power means the ability to generate a lot of force in a very short amount of time, as opposed to maximal force generation. Think about the difference between a short, powerful punch as opposed to a slow push. The push may have more weight (force) behind it, but it is delivered slowly and so causes no damage. The punch, on the other hand, might just be a jab with very little bodyweight behind it, but if it is done fast, it will still hurt and might break a nose.
Power is important because most street fights are over as soon as one party gets a good solid hit in, causing the other fighter to stagger or leave an opening that allows a finishing attack (if the initial hit wasn’t) or an escape. Real fights don’t allow for long drawn out exchanges of blows. Conserving energy is useless.
Power obviously relies somewhat on sheer strength, aka muscle tension, but it is more reliant on neurological activation. For this reason, power training is different than strength training. The classic illustration is once again the difference between power lifting and Olympic weightlifting.

Non-weight-bearing exercises for power development include jumps for height or distance, and depth jumps. Since power in a fight is transmitted from the hips to the arms, drills to develop power in the arms should be focused on this hip-to-extremity transfer; clapping pushups are not as useful as heavy push presses or medicine ball throws.
The ideal training methods that emphasize this hip-to-extremity power development are Olympic lifting and kettle bell. Olympic lifting, allowing for higher weights on a barbell held by both hands, develops a deeper foundation of power development, and kettle bells allow you to train unilaterally, the way you’d use your limbs in a fight: one at a time.
Pretty much any of the traditional kettle bell movements will be applicable here, but the Primary movement pattern is the clean and press.


Speed
Running is a necessary skill. You can’t get around this. In most fitness training regimens, running is lumped in with biking, jump rope, or swimming as generic cardio, but from a self-defense standpoint, running is treated as a specific skill that needs to be developed.
This is because the primary goal of a self-defense situation is to escape danger and it is easier to run from danger than to neutralize it with violence. The best strategy in a fight is to run away from it, and if you can run fast enough, your attacker may never even lay a hand on you.
Failing that, protect your vitals, fight back enough to create space, and then run away. Unless you are the attacker with the goal of killing or injuring your target, sticking around to “finish the job” is a waste of your energy, brings down legal culpability, and increases the risk of further serious injury.
So learn how to run and how to run fast.
Luckily, running in the context of self-defense is very short-duration. Half a mile is the longest you’d ever have to run in most cases to reach the safety of a populated and well-lit area or to simply lose an attacker.

Sprints
The beginning stage of your escape from danger will take the form of a sprint as you seek to put as much distance between your attacker and yourself.
Singles (40-80 yards): Set up a marker 40-80 yards out and run as hard and as fast as you can to it. Rest for 60-90 seconds, and repeat 3-10 times.
Intervals (400m, 800m, or distance with interspersed sprints): Interval training is a staple of effective conditioning programs because it teaches the body to maintain a high output of energy for a defined time period, recover quickly, and then do it again. This closely mimics the cardiovascular demands of a fight, in which you will go all out for 30 seconds to 2 minutes and then run away.
Measure out your distance (400m or 800m. A running track is 400m long). There are two ways to run intervals: pick a pace and try to maintain it over all the intervals you are planning to run, or try to run each interval as fast as possible. Both are useful. Do 3-10 intervals with 60-120 seconds of rest.

Intervals
Interval training is a popular form of programming because it allows trainees to get a lot of movements into a short workout. It is useful for real-world self-defense as well because it trains the body to transition from one kind of activity to another with minimal rest in between.
A good example of interval training would be 30 seconds each of five exercises, with the whole cycle repeated five times, with no rest between individual exercises. Variations might include rest after each cycle is completed.
Scenario simulations
An effective self-defense program should utilize scenario training to allow the trainee to exercise his skills in the context of a complex situation. That is different from scenario simulations in the context of a conditioning program.
Most fights contain a series of complex movement patterns performed in a kind of sequence. You might encounter an attacker, wrestle for a moment, sprint away, become cornered, fight with strikes, and then run and escape.

Simulating the fitness demands in that kind of scenario might look something like this:

1. Medicine Ball pick up & drop
2. 30 seconds of sit ups with striking into focus mitts
3. 30 second cover & fight drill
4. 50m sprint
5. 30 free style striking into kick shield or focus mitts
6. 400m run





Training Programs & Basic Structure

The basic structure of a fight conditioning program follows the general rules of any good exercise program. It starts with a warm-up meant to prepare the body for exertion by priming the muscles and nervous system, transitions into the main phase of the workout, and finishes with a cool down, stretch, or rehab session to aid recovery. The main phase of the workout is itself divided into three parts: a technical part, a strength/power skill, and a conditioning segment, done in that order to allow you to get the most out of body systems before performance tapers off. Fine motor control fatigues first, followed by maximal muscle activation, and followed by actual muscle fatigue.

Beginner
The beginner workout published on the older posts is ideal for the new student or someone who is returning to physical activity after a long period of inactivity. It can also be used as a pre-training workout before a martial arts class.
It is can be performed in a more controlled environment, such as a gym, or home workout area, however taking it all outdoors where terrain and climate change would add an additional challenge.

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The Combative's Manifesto

Close Combat, Hand To Hand,
World War II, Self Defense
Mixed Martial Arts and Beyond



By Damian Ross
The Self Defense Company

Close combat or “Combatives” comes from the root word COMBAT – “to fight in direct contact”, “active fighting between enemies”, “any fight or struggle”.

What is the singular glaring absence in the above definition? Notice it? There is absolutely no mention of Fairbairn, Applegate, Biddle, World War II, Sykes, O’Neill or anyone else for that matter. Furthermore, there is no mention of any particular style, Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing, Savate or any member of the Gracie family. No mention of the Punic Wars or the Spartans. No mention of any techniques, Juji-Gatame, a smashing overhand right, an edge of hand blow, or even a good old kick in the ass!

What’s the point?!?

There are no specifics that define what is or isn’t so-called “Combatives”, Close Combat, Self Defense, Martial Arts, Hand to Hand or Whatever else people are calling it these days! So why do so many people feel such an overriding need to “define” combatives into a narrow scope of limited methodology?

Now anyone how thinks of world war II era hand to hand puts it into that “Fairbairn stuff”. A few months ago this same guy (or girl) thought Fairbairn was what you got when you had too much sun and Applegate was the entrance to an orchard!
Now everybody who is an “expert” in self defense is also and authority on combatives.

Well what exactly are you an expert at? I’m not sure even “they” really don’t even know.

This document won’t presume to speak for anyone else that uses this term “combatives”. Actually I wouldn’t want to! All it can do is offer a CORRECT semantic observation based on HISTORICAL FACT on what encompasses my study, training and understanding of so-called “combatives”.

The Roots of Close Combat, Self Defense and Mixed Martial Arts

If you really do your research you will see that even in manuals describing man to man combat that are centuries old, there exists a very comprehensive survey and presentations of many forms of armed and unarmed combat. You will find a vast array of weapon skills and “unarmed” combat that is a diverse mix of “techniques”.

Before the use of London Prize Ring rules and the Marquis of Queensbury, “pugilists” used and relied on a great number of different grappling, striking, kicking and gouging methods.

Ancient Greek Pankration was a combined system of “all powers” combat.



The original Koryu Bujutsu fighting systems of the Samurai included a comprehensive catalog of both armed and unarmed skills. The unarmed combatives of the Japanese Bushi also DIDN’T limit scope or method. Grappling was stressed when that was the best method of gaining tactical superiority. Striking, kicking and even biting was resorted to when that was deemed the most appropriate method.

The Chinese have always maintained fully robust systems of combat that included all manner of striking, punching, kicking, throwing, strangling and joint-locking.

Original Okinawan Te (Ti) included percussion methods as well as “tegumi” and “tuite”. Punch his lungs out if that did the job best. Kick his gonads out the top of his head if THAT worked best or grapple him into submission and control or grapple him into a spine lock and neck break.

No matter what culture or style, when it came to real fighting it was whatever was called for and whatever GOT THE JOB AT HAND DONE, PERIOD!

The 19th century saw many methods of “combined” self-defense systems develop in the West (READ: Mixed Martial Arts.)

The French combined elements of Chausson/Savate (Basque Zipota as well) with Boxe Anglaise, Parisian Lutte, and even the “new” Japanese Jiu-Jitsu.

The British did the same. The “BARTITSU” of Barton-Wright is a classic example. In the United States a number of self defense methods became available to the public that combined methods from Boxing and Wrestling. EVEN before any organized mixed martial arts systems were presented, men who fought even for sport used virtually ANY device to insure victory. Just read Elliot J. Gorn.

The Twentieth century saw even more “mixed” martial art combat systems. (It didn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to figure out that in a real fight ANYTHING goes.) Any and ALL manner of grappling, throttling, kicking, kneeing, butting, biting, punching, gouging, stomping and whatever other methods of mayhem could be employed were all “FAIR” when “fair” meant the difference between life or death and it certainly didn’t just end at “unarmed” fighting!

A gentleman of the day who beset upon by a rough and tumble “footpad” on a lonely and desolate backstreet would feel perfectly justified in running said “footpad” through and through again with his sword cane or bashing his brains in with a “lifesaver” even when the highwayman wasn’t even armed with a lowly brickbat. What’s that old saying? All’s fair in love and war. Often it’s not a matter of whose “right”, but simply whose LEFT!

This is the soul of combatives or self defense for self preservation is clear, pure and simple. Whatever WORKS BEST at the time! A mixture of varied fighting skills, a “mixed” fighting system, what a NOVEL IDEA!

Systematic Self Defense in the Industrial Age



The advent of World War I (the war to END all wars) brought warfare into a new and foreboding era of man to man killing and slaughter. Air power, mechanized warfare, chemical warfare and the general widespread use of machine guns changed the face of battle almost completely.

The static and stagnant lines created by entrenched warfare demanded new and innovative tactics and strategies. Among these was the advent of “raiding” parties.
Small groups of lightly armed men who ventured out into “no man’s land” behind enemy lines for the purpose of recon, probing, intelligence, prisoner grabs, and psychological demoralization missions. The nature of fighting under these conditions became popularized as trench warfare. This was close-in, knife to belly, hand to hand combat.
For this all manner of expedient, purpose designed and improvised close-combat weaponry was developed and deployed.

While technological advances were being made in all other forms of warfare, this particularly nasty and vicious man to man fighting reverted to the most barbaric, primitive and bloody “methods” imaginable. Despite these changes in technology, one solitary fact remained that in the end it was STILL man against man in a desperate, brutal and deadly struggle for survival. Just as it has been since Cain slew Abel and how it will be until the last two humans left on earth clench fists or seize stones in raging anger during the final melee of the Apocalypse. When it comes to hand to hand combat, NOTHING CHANGES!

Fostered by this fact, most military forces researched, developed and implemented fairly comprehensive and rigorous training methods specific to close-combat and trench fighting. The bayonet, the knife (especially the trench knife) and hand to hand combat became prime training doctrines along with advancements in general physical conditioning and battle preparation.

Unarmed hand to hand methods were drawn from any and ALL sources of man to man combat. Boxing, wrestling, savate, jiujitsu, and any number of rough and tumble, gouge and kick back alley tactics were employed. Those charged with the task of developing such training programs were well aware of the fact that no one single approach to combat was sufficient in real man to man kill or be killed battle!

Punching, kicking, striking, butting, stomping, biting, gouging, throwing, tripping, choking, strangling, bone breaking and the use of any and all weapons of close combat expediency were stressed!

The foregoing should satisfy and fulfill anyone’s definition of mixed martial arts tactics and techniques (even though Muay Thai or more accurately Siamese boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu were not included).

But to be fair, there are English language books circa the late 1920’s and 30’s that detail Siamese boxing quite well. One manual details the favorite attacks of Siamese style boxers as being directed at the liver with brutal kicks and at the throat while grasping the hair with one hand and smashing the throat with the other fist (gloves were NOT worn at this time). One should note: the liver attack was lethal in many cases because of the widespread epidemic of malaria which left the liver swollen and distended. Deaths occurred frequently in these matches and were considered just a routine hazard of the “trade”.



Proven Self Defense to the People

The years after WWI saw an increase in self defense “systems” designed for and marketed to the average citizen. Law Enforcement organizations also began to pay more attention to this area of training. This was part of a movement to increase the professionalism of law enforcement personnel in general. Virtually all of these systems advocated an all-around well-balanced approach to personal combat.

Elements of boxing, wrestling, foot-fighting and jiu-jitsu were put together in a toolbox of personal self defense tactics. The mixing of different martial art styles became quite popular. Even methods that relied primarily on western boxing and wrestling maneuvers acknowledged that a well rounded combatant must be able to both strike effectively as well as grapple.

Other methods of self defense touted “jiu-jitsu” as the singular answer to personal attack and defense. The reason is because most Japanese methods for self defense already included a comprehensive system of blows, strikes, kicks and grappling methods.
You should also know that it’s difficult to pin down a style of jiu-jitsu because during this period any method of Japanese self defense was given this moniker. Combine this with an influx of Japanese immigrants and emissaries promoting judo, their culture and the individual’s personal training and experience, it is impossible to determine a specific style or “ryu”. Add to that the Japanese effort to promote Judo above all of these methods, most of the older systems became outdated and lost. From the early 1900’s forward most English manuals and books refer to these systems as jiu-jitsu, jujutsu or judo.

It would be VERY good to remember here, that for all the “talk” about W.E. Fairbairn, during this period the Shanghai Municipal Police academy trained their recruits in boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu! One veteran of the Shanghai Municipal Police put it, “Our training in this area was a MIXED BAG of physical skills.”

There was virtually no “authority” or “expert” in this field who did not advocate a “MIX” of striking, kicking and grappling either as a combined “method” or as found singularly as in “real” Japanese jiu-jitsu.

When it was “for all the marbles” no one would be as short-sighted as to negate any and all possible methods of attack and defense. As far as reality training goes, jiu-jitsu (NOT Kodokan Judo) “free practice” or randori of this period allowed virtually anything. This included atemi (striking) to all kyusho (vital) points, including the testicles, base of skull etc. The only “advisement” was NOT to hit so HARD as to KILL your training partner, SAVE that for “matches” against OTHER jiu-jitsu schools!!!

Which Martial Art is the Best?

Only in the arena of sporting combat did this division of method, pitting one against another become a somewhat popular past time. Matching wrestlers against boxers, either of the two against jiu-jitsu men, or savate fighters against boxers (Biddle fought in such a match while in Paris). These matches were done under a constantly varying set of rules so that it became virtually impossible to ever really determine what “method” or martial art was superior. Even then, as some sportswriters of the time pointed out, what did ANY of this have to do with REAL fighting when NO rules applied?

Even the founder of Judo, Jigoro Kano’s nephew got involved in promoting these types of matches between western boxers and native Japanese Judoka. They were called “JU-KENTO”.“Ju” as in Judo and Jujutsu and “Kento”as in fist-fighting.

Even Choki Motobu when asked if his Kempo-Karate was “superior” to boxing (after his Knock Out of a western style pugilist) said that in order for his “method” to be used against a boxer specialized training specific for that type of match would have to be undertaken.

Judoka interested in these JU-KENTO bouts sought out specific instruction in just how to make Judo work against boxing. An entire book on this subject was published in Japan in the early 30’s. It is of the utmost importance to remember that all of these bouts had strict rules and regulations of engagement! Few if any of these mandates would have had much bearing on what one could do in a real pier-six back alley brawl. As an example: Judoka (Judo practitioners) were almost always forbidden to use any methods of atemi waza (striking, punching, kicking, butting and smashing). However, Judo experts of the time have advocated often and in their writings that atemi would be the MOST preferable method of attack and defense in a serious engagement.

The bottom line here is simply this: for use in a REAL violent assault NO ONE, but an utter FOOL, would suggest an attitude or method approaching anything LESS than that of an all-in, “anything goes” doctrine. In regards to deciding which martial art is best: NOTHING was ever, or could ever be, conclusively proven to be superior to anything else. At one time or another any of these various “methods” had both big and impressive WINS and equally impressive FAILURES.

The Question is: What makes effective Self Defense, Close Combat or Combatives? The point, I am sure, will be missed by some but it must be emphasized that these conclusions are based on historical fact and is accurate in substance and detail. This is an objective view of combatives and NOT a subjective opinion or personal “definition” designed to fill an agenda of one sort or another. The definition came first, the training came second!



Self Defense in the Modern Age

The Battle of Britain began in early July 1940. England was isolated, cut off and alone. The miracle retreat from Dunkirk and the German “Blitzkrieg” across Europe, including the crushing tactical defeat of the famed French “Maginot Line” proved the Third Reich war machine to be virtually unstoppable. Hitler’s plan for the invasion of England, named “Operation Sea Lion” was a daily focal point of danger and concern for the British.

Dunkirk had decimated the British forces and moral was at an all time low. Two recently returned veterans of British colonial rule in Shanghai, China approached the War Office and offered their services at this desperate time. William Ewart Fairbairn, retired as a ranking officer of the Shanghai Municipal Police force and his partner Eric Anthony Sykes, a private arms dealer who served as a volunteer in the Shanghai Municipal Police and where he headed the sniper unit of the famed Shanghai Riot Squad, promised the War Office that their training and methods could in short order make “any one man the equal of ten”.

After the debacle at Dunkirk this was a most important and dramatic statement. Initially dismissed, these two men went on to prove the veracity of their words and convinced the power that be as to absolute effectiveness of their methods. If that meant that an over middle aged W.E. Fairbairn had to place several young bucks in the hospital to prove his point in an impromptu, but extremely realistic “demonstration”, so be it. Those who “tested” Sykes fared NO better. So the methods that these men had developed during decades of very dangerous work in Shanghai now became a highly valued and integral part of training for all British forces and Special Operations personnel.

The attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 coupled with the Imperial Japanese military’s coordinated assault on all American and British forces across the Pacific Rim pulled the United States firmly in this world wide conflagration. The United States was now fully at war with the Axis forces. Fairbairn, who was now in Canada, assigned to the infamous “Camp X” where he along with “unarmed combat” George de Relwyskow, a BRAZILIAN JUDO/JUJUTSU EXPERT, and Colonel Carl Eifler was ALREADY undergoing training here, was ordered to assist the U.S. government agency known as the “The Office of the Coordinator of Intelligence” the precursor of the OSS.
Eric Anthony Sykes remained in England and found the need for his services in great demand. He also found himself working under the auspice of the British covert force known as the Special Operations Executive.

The history of these men from the early days of Shanghai, up to and through the war years is an entire story unto itself and beyond the scope of this article. However it must be clearly understood that the contribution of these men had a profound effect and influence on close-combat methods, tactics, and techniques for decades after the war (Despite the often heard “argument” that we have somehow “evolved” beyond these methods.) They were however, certainly not the only experts involved in this field! One of many examples would be A.J. Drexel-Biddle who studied and trained extensively in boxing, savate, jiu-jitsu, swordplay, knife-fighting and various bayonet methods.

As the United States geared up for war, a major factor began to be publicized. Both here and in Australia, the press made a great deal about the superiority of the Japanese fighting man. Part of this was, to be sure, rooted in fact.

The Battle of Port Arthur, the turning point in the Russo-Japanese war, several decades earlier, had shown the world the tenacity and ferocity of the Japanese soldier, particularly in the area of close-in man to man combat. Much was made of the large Russian soldier finding abject defeat at the hands of his smaller Japanese adversary when engaged in hand to hand combat (hence a very obvious need for the creation of Sambo). It was here that Japanese Jiu-jitsu was given world-wide attention and notoriety in this regard. The Japanese conduct and performance of the war in China also demonstrated to the world a seemingly invincible and unstoppable force. Japan was a force that was brutal and deadly in the extreme.

As a result, much attention was given over to the training of United States and Allied forces in methods of personal self defense that would enable the average soldier to meet the Japanese fighting man on a somewhat equal footing. Every branch of the Armed Services began an intensive physical training program designed to meet these needs. Much of the expert instruction needed, particularly in the arena of close-quarters man to man combat, came from the civilian quarter as it still does today.

Men with tremendous and varied life-long experience in all forms of martial arts and self defense were tapped to create training programs that would give the Allied soldier sufficient means by which to engage their enemies at close-quarters. The Axis did the same of course, Japan being the obvious factor in this regard, but even Adolf Hitler proclaimed the absolute need for boxing and jiu-jitsu in German military training as it imparted courage and daring the average soldier to close with his enemy!

In the United States there were a plethora of varied methods and training systems. Any attempt to narrowly define the methods extant in this era is complete ignorance and foolishness! Though the contribution of Lt. Colonel Fairbairn is great, as is the influence of Colonel Applegate, there were dznes upon dozens of different close-quarters battle systems developed. From wrestling, boxing, savate, judo, jiu-jitsu, Chinese boxing, and even football and rugby methods were not only drawn upon, but entire self defense systems were advocated based on these individual methods. It may come as a surprise to many, but here in the Unites States, even Japanese Karate was used and found to be effective!



The Development of a Fast and Effective Self Defense Training System

The same problems still exists today, many unarmed combat courses are highly complex and technical. They are rooted in the favored methods of the men tasked with their creation. Wrestlers tend to rely on that method, Judo and Brazilian Jujitsu men on that system, Boxers on their expertise and so on and so on. Each method also can claim stunning success in actual combat! True after action reports showed that ALL of these methods had merit and COULD be used effectively in the rigors and stress of real battle.
However, as the war progressed two major factors began to influence and change these training protocols. One was the fact that more and more men from all sorts of varied backgrounds being were drafted into military service, the other was that as demands for more and more replacement troops began to rise the amount of training time became by necessity reduced and limited.

The approach that seemed most feasible and useful was one that combined the best or the most effective, efficient and quickly learned methods as well as those most well RETAINED! The rudiment basics of boxing and wrestling were made part of an overall general physical conditioning program and unarmed combat became a specialized block of instruction.

These courses in unarmed combat, hand to hand combat, combat judo and so forth again sought to COMBINE the most advantageous holds, throws, trips, locks, strangles, blows, strikes and kicks from all the varied methods available. The only truly limiting factor here was the time element.

Other considerations were also important. The O’Neill (another Shanghai veteran and ranking Judo Black Belt) method is a classic example of a system specifically tailored for both the training environment available as well as the nature of the combat engagement expected. There were even attempts made to instruct the military in actual Koryu (old school) Jujutsu systems here in the United States, however the most effective systems still sought to mix all the varied martial arts.

As the war progressed, more and more after action intelligence gathered from the reality of actual battle helped shape and determine training priorities. Many methods of close-combat began to be trimmed down to those fundamentals that proved most effective overall and most applicable to all trainees across a wide and varied spectrum of physical attributes and skill.

Col. Rex Applegate was perhaps the most vocal of these advocates owing to his exposure in the INFANTRY JOURNAL and the publishing of “KILL or GET KILLED”. He was not without his critics, as was Fairbairn.

Some courses were so short in duration that they involved ONLY SEVERAL HOURS of instruction. Others were quite involved and very complete in their syllabus content. Many are familiar with the Navy V-5 programs and the training at Fort Benning, but lesser known is the very extensive training at places like Fort Meade and at the Hawaii Jungle Warfare complex. Here at these locations conducted a very complete and mixed program of martial arts was taught. From the CIC training center in Chicago to the Army training camps in Colorado, from Parris Island to the Ranger/Commando schools in the Hawaiian Islands, from the training bases in England prior to D-Day to the “Killing” school in Palestine, the METHODS taught ran the full gamut of man to man tooth and nail close quarters combat. From the complex to the “instinctive kill” (a method designed to take full advantage of so-called natural “animal” killing instinct). ALL these methods, systems and approaches FALL under the definition of COMBATIVES! Even the OSS personnel training at Area B were shown the methods of SIAMESE boxing (read Muay Thai), western boxing, wrestling/grappling, French “foot-fighting”(including Assaut Vite savate), Indian Varma-adi/Varmannie, Chinese boxing, “Roman” boxing, Japanese Judo/Jujutsu and Karate, Siamese boxing, Burmese boxing-Bando, western fencing, Filipino edged weapons and any and all systems (including almost every weapon known to man) deemed effective in dispatching one’s enemies to the hereafter were studied, researched, implemented and trained! One WWII era United States hand to hand combat manual even makes reference to Indonesian methods!

This is the TRUE DEFINITION of SELF DEFENSE and COMBATIVES! This is the legacy of The Self Defense Company, Tekkenryu Jujutsu and The Self Defense Company Professional Instructors. Those who need to “pigeon hole” others into the box of only doing World War II combatives, well, applying the above definition based on the TRUE historical RECORD, then YES! We do follow the LEGACY of WORLD WAR TWO “COMBATIVES”!

The purpose of The Self Defense Company is to continue to teach and train the FASTEST, most EFFECTIVE and EFFICIENT means self defense to anyone regardless of experience, size, man or woman. No one should one without the means and the resources to protect themselves and their loved ones from harm.



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