Tim Larkin’s How to Survive the Most Critical 5 Seconds of Your Life is also fairly pragmatic regarding more intense and unexpected encounters (home invasion, assault, serial killers or other deranged individuals, etc) and also advocates role-playing and intense situation training.
My problem with understanding this is that practice is not the same as application. I’m a real good boxer when you box at 50% speed and power. But the closer and closer you get to 100%, the lesser and lesser blows that actually land and you get hit a lot more too. It’s real easy to dodge a punch coming at 50% speed and power. How do you practice a throat punch or a slap to the eardrum at 90%. You really can’t do it, can you? It is so hard to hit a precise target when you are going full speed and full power. Look, on the double end bag* I have incredible precision but it all but disappears when you are actually sparring full out. Two inches and speed and timing of a blow is so critical at full speed. How do you’ll accurately simulate real events?
*I can hit this double end big with lightning like precision and accuracy but my skill is reduced by 50% when engaging a real live person: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3MyZ9FXThY
You can easily train ear slaps to a partner holding a focus mitt no problem combined with trashtalking and pushing (give it a try next time at your gym, you can train at 90-100% strength on the pad). And KM regular trains burn out punching drills on tombstone pads and kick shields at 100% strength in every single class session. So it’s not like it’s a “theoretical” discussion. It’s a close as you can get without hurting yourself or your partner. Other parts of class are slower and about teaching techniques or situational awareness.
Also, the ear slap (to jaw or ear) as I’ve learned it is more/less an open handed hook to open up the fight, after that it’s running straights, knees, chain punches, whatever, and adapting to the situation (i.e. nothing fancy). Everyone agrees that fine motor control goes out the window fast. I haven’t seen anything yet that has struck me as completely impractical (some things do require more muscle memory training than others).
As a boxer you’d probably find a lot of self-defense classes interesting (a lot of parallels and a lot of new stuff like groundwork, weapons considerations, multiples, third-parties, etc). I’d encourage you to go observe or try a class or two in your area.
Of cos, surprise matters.
Also one punch can take you down quite easily, if it hits the right spot.
Sure, just because you took a first aid course your not suddenly a doctor med and do heart transplants. It takes training, lots of it and even then it depends on the person and circumstances.
Just taking a few self-defense classed doesn’t automatically transform you into a Navy Seal.
Yup, I was once attacked in a public space with at least ten others around, got hit or kicked? in the back of the head and all I remember is the left side of my vision going black and then I woke up on the ground being kicked by two teens. I started screaming and they ran, nothing was stolen from me because the grocery bags I was carrying were still in my hands(my hands involuntarily locked).
Bystanders all ran, no clue what it was about, even if I had a handgun it would have done no good at defending me.
If the answers to those questions are “No” and “No”, I’d consider that a satisfactory self defense outcome. To be specific, voice is a key self defense tool. Of course there’s also your psychological perception of the event, not to be ignored.
IMHO emphasis on martial technique runs the risk of losing sight of self defense fundamentals, i.e. avoiding death or injury as opposed to winning pissing matches.
Occasionally don headgear and mitts, but simulate 3-5 second fights, not sparring. There’s a feeling that sparring promotes the idea that you can dance back and forth, whereas a self-defense situation is more of a train wreck with both combatants moving into each other and a quick resolution. So I guess to answer your question, hitting the head is not considered that hard, and if there’s a miss it’s typically followed by additional strikes, elbows, groin shot, or whatever. No one is teaching 1-punch fights.
Not being critical of “sparring”, but noting that it’s used sparingly in self-defense. Being able to spar for 2-minute rounds or whatever is just not that useful. That said the feeling of getting hit (albeit with gloves) and being able to take a hit is fairly valuable.
Additionally, I’ve met many ex-bouncers teaching self-defense (see the Geoff Thompson books), so I tend to believe they’re not going to promote something they don’t believe in.
Maintaining a brisk walk, awareness of surroundings and protecting your personal space.
Handing over your wallet… jutsu
I’ve successfully used the last 2 techniques. My voice work has been limited to making conciliatory crowd noises when third parties were having a situation. Physical self defense techniques have been limited to childhood. I hope to keep it that way.
Oh yes the rhytm of sparring and the rhtym of fighting are competently different! that is true. glad to see you are simulating real world tactics. i was mainly talking about getting used to being hit and also being able to punch quickly.
