tallgeese

I'm sure that all things being equal, none of us would want to take a life. However, given a situation where you have a legitimate choice to employ those tactics, the escalation probibly hasn't been up to us. The decision to elevate to those levels of force by our opponant. At this point, I can say that winning, surviving, what ever you want to call it takes precedence over everything else. Including preservation of life. It's easier to accept this fact now, when you have time to mull over the implications and their aftermath than at the time of the incident. Most research now indicates that acceptance of this fact, rather than reliacnce on non-lethal thought, helps one employ deadly force tactics at the time of the incident and helps in dealing with the incident afterwards. A bit off topic and I aplolgize, but there is a very strong arugment for accepting the outcomes of deadly force and mentally acclimitizing one's self to the idea of it. Whether it comes in the forme of a single stirke or series of movmemts.

Congrats, beast. Nice job.

today- 6, 2 min rounds on the mitts. focused on defense, combos and integrating takedown defense and countering with takedowns of our own (progressivley) 20 min instruction/review of basic positon rides and escapes 10 min same of hip heist to take back 3, 2 min rounds of roll from knees 6, 2 min rounds of roll from standing (i focused on my shots) 2, 3 min rounds sparring on feet to ground, then grapple only 1, 3 min rounds, add striking on ground 15 min of spontaneous knife v. stick training 15 min of spontanous unarmed v. knife

Yes, combat sports are a different set of circumstances. But they are sports derived from combat, which should say something. Technique is a valuable tool. It will ceratily enhance the capabilities of the big, heavy fighter. And yes, good technique can help to off set the natural advantages taht a bigger attacker possesses. I just think that the size factor gets down played too often by ma-ist of all varieties. That's all. Just because you hit an attacker in vital areas dosn't mean he's going to stop or that the tactic will be effective, even if it is deployed perfectly to vunerable. The ability of an untrained, heavy strong fighter to tackle and bear you to the ground should never be underestimated (which is why some form of grappling training is highly useful). This can present a seriois problem for any trainied fighter. Again, it's not that these are unsurmountable advantages, but they are advantages that deserve respect and realistic evaluation.

Welcome aboard!

Yup, size and strength are both attributes that can aid a ma-ist. They are the reasons that weight classes exsist in most all combat sports. Yes, form is important. And practiced skill and knowledge is probiblly the most important factor that goes into dramatically improving and building a fighter. Still, sheer mass and muscle is another attribute that feeds into every otehr aspect of your game. Definalty important.

Agreed. Which is why I think it's a good idea to practice as such from time to time. Also, I think it's a good idea for trimming down the duty belt as well. I keep alot of stuff in my car caddy that i can grab and pocket quickly. Let's face it, we're usually running for a while to get where we're going (I work county). That's way more efficient, to my thinking, than packing it all around all the time. My favorite example is carrying spray in my car instead of on me. 1) I hate it 2)any exposure turns me to a junior high cheerleader 3)it's an item i consider unessitial that just takes up room on my belt. That way I get stuff off that I don't need and am lighter. I try just the essintails. One set of cuffs, spare mags, radio, gun. that's it. It greatly reduces my carry load. In effect, it helps. It still dosn't solve the problem. Another thing that helps is if your dept., is progressive enough to let you wear nylon duty gear instead of leather. No, it dosn't look as good. I think form should come second to function. It's lighter and moves better while you're rolling around than does leather. Start putting these things togehter and you've gone a long way. But you are correct, still a major difference. Still requires some time spent training in the stuff. Which, brings me to another beef of many depts. Most of the DT training not realted to weapons retention is done in workout clothers and not full uniform. The vest alone changes t hings considerably. Practice like you play. At least every now and again.

It really depends per art, and then, to further complicate things, by school. With your athleticisim and mental attitute, you should do well. Be sure you don't over train and burn out. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Well, the ranking part anyway. You'll probibly get some sort of handbook when you start. It should have an outline of such things. If not, ask. People love to talk about their school and such. The answers shouldn't be hard to find. Good luck. Hope you enjoy it.

Can't say that I have, but let us know if they are worth picking up. Bushido man, yes, Jordan passed away. Before he finished the series no less, I had stopped reading it quite a bit before his last work. I hear someone else is finishing it off his notes and outline. Yes, the Eregon books are pretty good to, I like them at about the same level as I enjoyed the Harry Potter books. Haven't read the lastest yet, waiting for the paperback.

today- 3, 2 min rounds of mitt work. focus combo finishing with elbows. add knees to end. then holder grabs second knee and hoists for single leg/high crotch, trainee counters leg takedown and finishes with a takedown of his own. We made use of the rib guard as to really pound the knees in. 20 min of instruction/reps of a double legs. 6, 3 min rounds of free roll from standing. I took some extra time at the end to work reps on the double and single leg.

Night Owl, if you're interested PM me and i can give you my opinions of specific DT programs out there that I've seen or been involved with.

Alot of what dosn't work is, suprisining, mindset training that's given (again, there are exceptions, I'm talking generalities here). Most of your typical refresher class of cops don't want to be there and wouldn't be if they had their chance. Alot of them have the "just shoot it" mentality and refuse to accept that being better at hand to hand will be benifical, despite the fact they grab people every day to put cuffs on them. This attitude leaches into the training staff who just want to get done without getting beefed by any of the 20 year guys for ruffing them up. Not to mention, administrations are afraid of everything from lost time due to injuries and law suits for injuries, so they've already hamstrung their training department in regards to the intensity that they are allowed to bring to the line troops during their mandeated refreshers. That's the framework for the major problem that most departments face. Now we move on into the acutal systems themselves. Lot's of these are designed with really great moves, but they are complicated to learn and maintain, regardless of how they are touted. This means that students might get it for the tests, but arent going to maintain the skills for day to day use. I've seen plenty of programs like this based out of joint locking systems. On the other side, I've seen the "bottom denominator" kind of programs that don't offer any flexability to what they do and don't address major concerns cops should have. Get stuck with either of these at a department level and your in trouble from an operational standpoint. Now, no one does or can make work your program, so everyone starts pig pileing people and spraying everything in sight. So bottom line, more than any thing, it's a attitute problem on some ends and an intensity problem on the other. There are some bad programs but by and large it's the training methods that hurt cop training the most. Now couple this (poor methodology) with limited training time and you begin to see what can happen. Now, you asked what I've seen that worked well. I've had luck with small joint manip in certain settings. This is great for getting people out of cars and moving less than highly motivated attackers where you want them to go. I like getting bad guys on the ground because they are easier to cuff there and they are generally less dangerous there. Don't laugh, the full body tackle is a great option in most cases. I work from an underhook on my gun side quite a bit because I can set up good takedowns from there and still keep his hand on that side away from my gun. Above all, you've got to maintain control of the weapon. Sprawling has come in handy alot. Learn to counter off it. I have to give Tony Blauer props, his SPEAR tactic work wonders for clearing distance to get to a weapon. On a slightly related note, get used to stiff arming guys that you can't throw on ground yet to keep them at a distance. Those are just my personal observations. Your milage may vary. As for incorporating what you already do into you performance, just keep it within your use of force rules and general orders and you should be fine. Just don't cross out of those parameters and about anything will be ok at the end of the day. I've seen very few commanders who will care if you use "department approved tactics" to subdue an individual trying to fight you. Just be able to articulate you use of force decisions.

I agree, you can, and should do all kinds of this stuff for exactly the reasons you stated. A couple I use regularly are: From guard (being countered each time)- Sweep 4 (it's the one where you set up, I dont do many names) to Guittone to Single side weave to Kimura to Sweep 1 (succcessful) then either continue with a series from mount or switch Also from guard (again w counters)- Double Sweep 1 (scissors) to Serpintine arm bar to Arm bar to Triangle he counters and stacks tries to take side move to counter with new guard posture, Sweep 3 We also try to do them so that each individual switches so each have a training focus and an "uke" roll So, Start in guard and do the first series I talked about. This will put you in mount. Now, the indivudual on the bottom will effect a passing escape to half guard, transition to full guard and begin the sequence himself. We'll do this for a round or two. I think you should also do this sort of th ing from a standing small joint perspective as well just to get the idea of moving from position to position. For instance: From wrist grab, same side- Twisting lock from underneath (told you I didn't know Japaneese, I ceratinly cant spell it) to strike to fold into bent armbar, back to hand transfer and strike to standing kimura to roll to underhooking posture knee strike takedown via underhook You geet the idea. The think I try to do, espically standing but working from the ground as well is to incorporate strikes as the positions are moved thru just to engrane the "stunning" aspect of any confrontation. That being said, it's more prevelant in my stand up joint work than my ground drills.

I have to second for Mary Stewart's stuff. The Crystal Cave redefinded my conceptions of the Arthurian legend. Great stuff.

More training around weapons. I was slack on that this year a bit. More time spent on small joint work. Those are pretty much my ma goals.

I've seen the practice at training halls before. I ceratinly don't have a problem with it in that enviornement. Even if it does look silly. Personally, I'd worry about it shifting to easily. If it's worth wearing one, it's probibly worth wearing it hte whole time. Espically if your in a drill heavy group where incidental contact can happen with some regularity. I can see how it would get old in a traditional class. They can't be comfortable for forms and such.

Glad to have you with us. Welcome aboard. You'll find a few other leo types floating around as well .

So, I've got to work for a bit now with one of my Christmas gifts and am comfortable giving a final review of it. I got to add a training rib protector (not a sparring model but one used for training striking to the body) and a set of focus gloves to my personal aresenal this year. I hadn't used anything by the "Top Contender" label before, but had used some equivilant Ringside and Fairtex gear. Let me start by saying I t hink both of these items (regardless of the company that produces it) have a place on the shelf of any school that does strike training of any kind. If you havent' utilized either before, the rib guard is a heavily padded toros wrap that allows you to work heavy shots to the body without fear of hurting you mitt holder. It's versitlie and when pair with a pair of focus mitts can give you almost unlimted combination work options. The mitt gloves are streeamlined boxing gloves with a small focus mittt built into the palm. this lets you give your trainee a good attack without fear of catching him with the edge of the mitt. They are excellt "live" training tools. When paired, they are increadable. The Top Contender Rib protector was comfortable as far as the armor itself goes. And it was well padded both in the front and around the sides. The "plates" of padding we thick enough that even the seams at the articulations didn't present a problem when being struck. I has some beefey dudes working me over in this thing, who have good movement as well, and it absorbed the impact really well. On the down side, the straps were angle such that they do tend to rub at the neck after a few rounds and are really uncomfortable after a good solid time of being in the armor. Also, due to the havy bulk, it's a bit uncomfortable to be taken down in, but not dangerous. There is more bulk for the level of protection you get in this model than in other more expensive numbers, however, the price is about half, making it easy to overlook this minor inconviance. If I recall, it comes in around the neighborhood of $50.00. The exterior material was durable enough and the seams are done well. I think for most people who aren't training professionally at full contact levels, it should hold up really well for a long time. the buckels are the plastic thingies you see on everything these days and are no better or worse than you'll see elsewhere. Over all, it's a big win. The price and padding far outweigh the discomfort from the straps and bulk. Well worth the purchase. Next for the mit gloves. They had the same outer material as the vest and again, it seemed durable enough. There was adaquate padding for the job in the glove aspect and the mitt size was, again, adaquate. There are better models out there, no doubt. However, these came in at 30.00 retail. Making them about 20 dollars cheaper than equitable ringside products. The fit well enough on the hand and are stable. There is a small thumb pocket which keeps them oriented well enough. I used these pretty hard and while I could tell a slight performance difference from other brands, it wasn't enough to make me cringe. I'm happy enough with both in my training arsenal. Espically for the price and I'd recommend both products. The vest gets high marks, the gloves slightly less high, but again, very adaquate. For the price, average people training can't go wrong.

today- 4, 3 min rounds on the mitts, focus on defending then brining combos low. finish rounds with adding high power shots. rotating 1, min rounds (4 rotations) using golve mitts and rib guard. work on cover, jab high/low. add cross low, other body shots. next round finish high and finllay add take down set up. 10 min review on longer scarf instruction from last time 9, 3 min rounds of free roll

On the contrary, Michi, I think it's be interesting to see everyone's take and debate teh pros and cons.

A favorite topic of mine, I aplolgize if I cover ground that you've already explored... Of course, any list would be imcomplete with out Tolkein's books. Don't stop and Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. The Silmarillion is probibly my favorite book of all time. Right up there is The Children of Hurin. Both are tales of the first age of middle earth. The Silmarillion will take a while to get started in, but is well worth the trip once you're done. The Unfinished Tales, Lays, Shaping of 1 and 2 and the Lost Road are pretty much only for hardcore fans and not really on my "reccommended" list. It's alot of developmental stuff that you'll see better versions of in Silmarillion. The Narnia books, are good. Very classc. A favorite set that I like are by Glen Cook and are the Black Company books. There are sevral, they start with the Books of the North (a triliogy) and go to the Books of the South (two) and a novel called The Silver Spike. There are more that I'm working thru now, I'll let you know how they are. The first two sets are fantastic though. There are quite a few collections out there of Howard's Conan books. I enjoy them quite a bit as well. They are older and more of the sword and sorcery genera, but should't be overlooked. A few by Jordan are good as well. While we're on collections, I'd read some of H P Lovecrafts short stories. I know, he's a horror writer, this is true. But he treads on some ground that to me always read more like modern era fantasy than horror or sci fi. As far as fun adventure reads and not important works go, I'd check out the first Dragonlance saga. I think it's Dragonlance Chronicles. Dragons of Autumn Twilight, ect. There are very few flawed fantasy heros I enjoy more than Tanis Half-Elven. The rest of the series in this label become increasingly unreadable in my opinion. The second series, Legends, is really as far as you want to go. Also in the "fun for a weekend" read catagory are the first couple of triliogys by R A Salvatore in reference to his "Drizzt" novels. Again, we have a fun hero and some swashbuckling action. They are almost cloned from Tolkein at times, but they are fun. Try the Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and Halflings Gem. They are the best. There's a prequal series that's very readable, the best being Homeland. After that, they become a bit preachy and rehashed. They do catch their breath a bit towards the more recent ones and Salvatore definatly becomes a better writer. I still prefer the early three. Robert Jordan has some fine work in his Wheel of Time series. The first 4-5 books are amazing. There are a couple of good ones later, but you could pretty much stop reading at 5. The probem is, you're so sucked in you feel like you have to keep going. His cast list just gets out of hand and he starts to get bogged down in details after a time. I finally stopped caring what happend. So, there is some great fantasy there no doubt. Just be prepared to either stop early or sludge thru a bunch of charaters that you really don't care about to see how it ends. I'm waiting for the cliffs notes. However, the first few were so good I don't begrudge reading them. I'll stop now, that's probibly more than you wanted anyway. Good luck finding some you like.

I do see your point, Michi. But those fighters in mma or judo or bjj are are very good at what they do, and despite the regulation placed on them by their competitive area would probibly fare pretty well in street conflict against an attacker. Even if a bjj'er only utilized the takedown aspect of his game to gain time to escape it would be well spent training time. An mma guy, realizing the need to adapt to his opponant will certainly have the tools to move, inflict damage, and stay mobile. I'm not saying that any of these are or are designed to be pure in sd applications, I'm just saying that they do provide a good frame work. In part because they've adapted highly "live" training programs against resisting opponants. Now, take that same fighter and spend some time doing those "non-sport" movments. Eye gouges and such. And give him some framework with which to support weapons defensed from. Now you've got a pretty competent ma-ist from a street presptive as well. You can also look at sd systems built around similar "live" training principle, Krav and such to use a well known example. Again, sysems that don't utlize kata. They certainly havn't expanded or developed into sport application. Their biggest litmus test is how things work in a real enviorment. Because of these things, I dont' think you can say that kata is the core of what makes karate (or martail arts) more combative. There are plenty of ways to train combativeness without relying on kata. I'm not talking about breaking movments out of kata to use in isolation, sorry if I gave that impression, but utilizing movements of a combative nature in progressive training drills to make them accessable in high stress situatins. This includes their application (as best as humanly and gear allowed possible) against simulated attacks and during the course of sparring as well. So, it's not just taking sruff out and using it. It's about identifying practical tools, no matter where they come from, and training them in a progressive set of drills that are as alive in nature as possible and incorporating them into an overall defensive stratagy for you to use. I don't think kata is necissary for this goal, that's all.

crossfit: 20 mins of as many rounds as possible of- 95 lbs thruster x 5 95 lbs hanging power clean x 7 95 lbs sumo deadlift highpull x 10

I'll be the first to defend grappling training as part of a comprehensive response system. I spend alot of time doing, and competed in mma. I know it has a place. I will also note that it might not be the optimal tool in certain situation. Multiple atters come to mind, anytime I feel that I might need to quickly access a weapon is another. Granted, grappling training will only improve your odds of not getting put on the ground, which is again why i say you should be training in it. However, there are alot of times outside the ring that it might not be an optimal choice of tactics.

It could be that, the term. Or, it could just be a desciption. Mordern origin, designed with physical combat in mind. It's in the eye of the beholder and the proof is in what they're doing and it's effectivenss. I also don't have a problem with the "street effective" marketing label. As long as both are used when they should be. Lot's of time's I've found they are not.