Hand To Hand aspect of self-defense

[F16mickey]

Since this is a gun oriented message board we tend to focus on the weapon as a means of self-defense. But what about hand to hand techniques? How many people here train for hand to hand confrontations? Are there any really effective martial arts or are they mainly just for show? In the Marine Corps we utilized LINE techniques is there any similar training for civilians?

[Michael Brown]

Since this is a gun oriented message board we tend to focus on the weapon as a means of self-defense. But what about hand to hand techniques? How many people here train for hand to hand confrontations? Are there any really effective martial arts or are they mainly just for show? In the Marine Corps we utilized LINE techniques is there any similar training for civilians?

Are you familiar with the new (relatively circa 2000 inception) Marine Corps Martial Arts Program?

If so, you have been exposed to a great system. There aren't many like it around.

Unarmed combat can be effectively grouped into three areas (with a certain amount of overlap in some)

Art-Oriented: This is the venue of most Asian martial arts. Generally westerners will find little benefit in terms of self-defense in these systems because they are not solely based on fighting. That said, every real good instructor I've met has some background in one of these systems.

Sport-Oriented: These range from point-fighting to mixed martial arts like the UFC or Pride. If you train at a place that is truly athletically oriented MMA, you are certainly developing better attributes than most people in art-oriented systems. The only weak spot of such a system is that it disregards the issues related to self-defense since MMA is essentially agreed-upon combat rather than a self-defense encounter.

For instance, I don't have any illusions about being to stand up to Chuck Liddell in an MMA bout. However chuck probably is smart enough to know that he shouldn't be fighting in the street since his training involves fighting in a ring against a single unarmed opponent rather than a possibly armed adversary with friends. In may work or it may not, but better to have addressed the issue in training.

Combatives-Oriented: This is a well-developed area as well and is probably the most practical type of system. It is uniquely western in nature and shuns many of the typical philosophies and practices of eastern martial arts. A good example of this type of system is Rex Applegate's Kill or Get Killed Manual.

It is characterized by context-oriented training wih well-thought out ideas on effective self-defense. Typically modern weapons are part of the curriculum. The downside to this type of system is that frequently its participants don't train against resistant oppnents because they deem their techniques "too deadly" to be used against a training partner.

I am of the opinion that any technique that can't be trained against a live adversary is probably not going to help much in a self-defense encounter.

I believe the best thing is to train in a combatives-oriented system that trains like an MMA gym with aliveness and full contact. That is what our group tries to achieve.

Just my take.

Michael Brown

[F16mickey]

Are you familiar with the new (relatively circa 2000 inception) Marine Corps Martial Arts Program?

I believe the best thing is to train in a combatives-oriented system that trains like an MMA gym with aliveness and full contact. That is what our group tries to achieve.

Just my take.

Michael Brown

No, I seperated from the Marines in 1996 but I have heard of it. I really wish they had someting like that when I was in. The Air Guard does'nt do any hand to hand training for us aircracft maintainers so this type of training I will have to get on my own time. If your group does this type of training I think I just figured out what to ask my wife to get me for Christmas. :)

[Michael Brown]

No, I seperated from the Marines in 1996 but I have heard of it. I really wish they had someting like that when I was in. The Air Guard does'nt do any hand to hand training for us aircracft maintainers so this type of training I will have to get on my own time. If your group does this type of training I think I just figured out what to ask my wife to get me for Christmas. :)

If you are in the Air Guard, talk to Sgt. Dave Reeder with the Security Police.
We do training for them regularly. You might be able to slip into a class.

We do this type of training regularly at the monthly classes. In fact, integration of H2H skills with weapons is the primary theme.

Michael Brown