In many self defence schools, extensive sparring is a key part of preparation in learning effective fighting skills. The drills are aimed at replicating real life fighting as closely as possible.
Although training in as realistic fighting scenarios is key, effective self defence instructors are acutely aware of the limitations of this approach.
Real fights are nothing like the controlled distance and timing, step-by-step combinations of strikes, measured circling and movement and rule-based sparring session in the dojo. Nor is the clinical environment you’re in; free space around you, no barriers or obstructions, a flat and even surface, no defensive objects or offensive utility weapons to use and a nice temperature controlled atmosphere in which you've already warmed and lubricated your muscles and joints in, now moving around in your best grip training footwear and unrestricted clothing in.
In this article we will look at a couple of strategies to get out of a tricky situation when it’s turned or turning violent in real life; on the street, in your home or anywhere else you may face violence.
This is when you have no options but to deliver physical action. You’re either a fraction of a second away from being attacked or indeed, the attack is already underway and you’re on the defensive, having to react to improve your situation - or getting knocked out.
Neither are techniques, but rather a state of mind that’s translated into action.
This isn’t controlled sparring, to which you may have acclimated your mind and reactions to.
A good option to reverse a bad situation or to take initiative is to go ‘hot as fire’ on the opponent. This is ignoring his pressure or attacks, simply attacking back with 0-100mph aggression in an instant and taking the offensive completely.
You move and move forward with continuous, non-stop attacks, mostly infighting as you should get really close very quickly. Elbow strikes, head butts, bites, eye and throat attacks, shouting loudly into the ear and groin strikes are particularly useful options, then alternating with other hand strikes or closer range kicks as the opponent moves back and you follow into a closer position again.
This approach is non-stop, really aggressive and overwhelming. It isn’t sparring. It can’t be fully replicated through sparring. It’s aiming to subdue your opponent through pain, confusion and loss of balance, screwing up their ability to fight back by their mind or processing capacity being crushed, like a computer unable to handle a DDOS attack.
The key here really is overwhelming the opponents ‘software’, his brain, with so much pain and dynamics that his OODA loop isn’t functioning and responses back are reduced or non-existing. Additionally, you apply so much forward pressure to try and occupy the opponent’s brain with continually having to rebalance or reorientate itself. This works on the simply human psychological truth that the brain will switch to prioritise pain and rebalance, whenever these are presented to it. Other factors become secondary - such as attacking back. Continue until threat level is neutralised or exit route is found.
A great exercise to partially generate this situation in Krav Maga are short aggression drills against a group of aggressors with striking pads, either enclosing or cornering the practitioner with a lot of pressure and strikes, necessitating a very aggressive and violent response to free oneself. Do not stop until free. Training the mindset is the key here.
The ‘cool as ice’ option is a harder one. This is where your brain - maybe under unusual shock, adrenaline-flooding and under overloaded sensory pressure - and this is why it’s really hard - stays icy calm, moving as in an everyday training session, staying just out of range of the opponent and looking to find the opportunities to exploit only when they present themselves.
Keeping the right distance, breathing in a controlled way, moving with a combat style, striking when the opponent makes a mistake. This demands more. Good movement, excellent timing, controlled confidence and calmness of mind. Train for this, it’s a great skill to have. It’s also eminently interchangeable with the ‘hot as fire’ strategy - and you can switch into it on your command or if things go wrong. It will surprise the opponent even more.
You can do this in training (less mental pressure). Facing fear, possible injury or even death, when you also try to process every circumstance around the violent situation such as the opponent, other third parties, the environment around you, the legal implications around it, any weapons involved, your own psychological and stress responses, communication that may be taking place, the exit strategy, it’s a different ball game. (That’s why you need the ‘hot as fire’ up your sleeve).
It’s harder to replicate the physiological response of fear with an elevated heart rate, tunnel vision, sensory overloads without having experience. (And the experience is what we are training to avoid having). That said, some elements of your training environment can be adapted to it. Physical exertion prior to the drill it is one partial way. Training in unusual environments and light conditions are others. Changing the attack situation every time is another. The more you prepare your brain for the unknown and the fight, the more calm it will become. Still don’t rely on this ‘style’ exclusively. You never know how you will react in real life.
Which one is you? Hot as fire or cold as ice? If you want to be really good, train to master both. You then can try to control the temperature of the fight.