Techniques, techniques and more techniques

Techniques, Techniques, and more Techniques!

A huge percentage of the time when people attend a self-defence class or see someone advertising their system as ‘self-defence’, the instructor bases the class on countless techniques — the killer move. That usually means a patterned sequence from a single, idealised situation (e.g. a front lapel grab or a bear hug). The training partner puts the attack on like a robot in a fixed position: no aggression, no movement, no emotion and extremely compliant. That leads the defender through a sequence of moves: “pull here, step through, strike there, then escape,” and off they run in that exact order — free and safe from the big bad bully. The scene ends; the final credits roll.

The student leaves the class with increased confidence and the mindset: “If someone grabs me at this exact place, I can do this move and destroy the bad guy — no one’s going to mess with me.” They might show friends and family: “Look at this move I can do if you grab me here.” The patterned technique takes over. A week later they learn another technique, this time from a bear hug, and the same thing happens: more confidence. This continues and continues.

The reality is physical violence is never black or white but endless shades of grey. Learning and perfecting patterned techniques can be extremely dangerous — with your robot training partner playing the attacker and ensuring you both stand in a compliant position while you turn into the new Lara Croft or John Wick.

But what if it’s your child with mental-health issues? What if it’s your grandad with dementia, grabbing your lapel and slamming you against a wall? Emotionally, would you want to smash the face of your mentally ill child or your grandad with dementia? These situations carry huge emotional ties. Ask yourself: does this fit in with the “technique of the week”?

Now imagine an attack where you need to perform the “move of the week.” Can you actually do it? I guarantee the attacker will not be standing in the perfect position where you can kick their groin and pass the next grade. No — absolutely not. It will be cold, vile aggression, up close, right in your face. Their adrenaline is up; so is their power, speed, strength and pain tolerance. It’s extremely dynamic. Their hands are crushing your throat, pulling or pushing you into a wall or a door. Your structure and balance are broken.

What environment are you in — a bathroom? A bedroom? On a staircase? Is the ground slippery? Are your kids witnessing this? Do you have previous injuries? Are the doors locked? Where’s the escape?

But wait — don’t worry, you have the move, the big game changer: THE TECHNIQUE. Except it’s not working. “My technique isn’t working.”

Weeks, months and years of technique-focused training can give you a false sense of security and confidence . This can — and probably will — cause a major freeze response if the technique doesn't work. As Rory Miller says, “time is damage”. Principle-based training goes a long way. As I said earlier, the variants are too big. Simple guidelines for adapting to endless shades of grey — stripping down techniques and pre-arranged patterns, and focusing on varied drills with resistance where the dynamics are ever changing using a small set of principles — help you adapt in stressful and dynamic situations, especially when it gets physical.

Important to remember: when stress and adrenaline kick in, your fine motor skills — i.e. clean, complex techniques — fade. That’s when gross motor skills and simple principles kick in. Also, physically we are all built differently: different sizes, different attributes, etc. It’s all about what works for you.

Sadly, in the industry, techniques make the money. Every grade has different techniques; every grade costs money. As Richard Dimitri says, many systems reshape reality to fit their syllabus, instead of shaping their syllabus to reflect reality. When you try a self-defence class or someone advertises a similar product, pay close attention. If they’re promoting “techniques, techniques, and more techniques,". Move on