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 GUIDED CHAOS TRAINING TIPS #78
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ATTACKPROOF NEWS:

IN THE EYE OF THE STORM (The Attackproof Companion DVD Part 3)
**SEE REVIEW BELOW
It's finally here... 6 hours long, 3 discs--almost 3 times as long as either Part 1 or Part 2. It is UNBELIEVABLY comprehensive and should answer any questions you might have about Contact Flow and adaptive combat. Go to our SHOP PAGE for SPECIAL DISCOUNTS AND COMBO PACKAGES...

2007 SEMINAR SCHEDULE
Blast your skills into the stratosphere with intensive Guided Chaos training available nowhere else. These seminars are set; more may be added later. All seminars will be at Premier Fitness in Nanuet NY at 11:30am unless otherwise noted. Seminars are $75 payable with cash or credit card at the front desk ($50 for class members).

--Combat Boxing  8/25/07
--Women's Self Defense Seminar  9/30/07 (just added!)
--Combat Gun Seminar  12/1/07

WANT A SEMINAR IN YOUR AREA?
Hook up a group of  20 people and we'll bring our crew to you.

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Ari Kandel's Review of
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM

Well, I just finished watching "In the Eye of the Storm" for the second time through. It took a while. Six solid hours of instruction and demonstration take a while to get through, no matter how great your interest!

As long as it may take to WATCH the DVD, there's enough material in here for at least a lifetime of exploration.

And that, in a nutshell, is what "In the Eye of the Storm" primarily is: An audiovisual  library of ideas to explore and experiment with in your training. It's not all "just" about Contact Flow. The reality of homicidal combat, self-defense scenarios, fighting out of hostile crowds, dealing with various kinds of movement (e.g. from boxers and grapplers) and closing distance are just some of the topics addressed, both purposefully and in "golden nugget" tangents by John, Al and Matt.

Most of the video consists of private lessons, in-class demos and some for-the-camera explanations detailing dozens of Guided Chaos principles and ideas. I believe just about everything Guided Chaos in the book is touched on here (besides some weapons and groundfighting matters), plus additional concepts that are not in the book (e.g. "Oneness Hitting"). As usual, it's not a "step 1, step 2, here's how you do it" presentation. The point of Guided Chaos is that real combat is not like that. However, through their explanations and demonstrations, the masters convey an idea of certain "feelings" and "ways of perceiving" that you can experiment with and discover for your own development. While it's tough to say what's basic and what's advanced, as different people pick up different things at different times, the material runs the gamut from simple ways of easing a person into contact flow training (e.g. "fixed-step flow") to esoteric ideas that I've never seen anyone except the masters utilize, and which I certainly don't "get" yet--but which ironically make combat even more "simple" for those who DO get it. Repeated with some regularity throughout the video in otherwise disparate segments are the essential core ideas of Guided Chaos that you're lost without. This is a very good thing, as even in the future when you may be using the very well laid out video menu (with nearly 60 chapters) to re-watch a particular concept you're working on, the DVD won't let you forget to e.g. be 99% yin and unavailable even while you're experimenting with the deceptive idea of equal pressure.

Matt really outdid himself with the production and editing of this one. From the amazingly tightly edited introductory verbal and visual explanation of contact flow, to the extremely useful visualizations of everyday experiences to understand sensitivity, to the fact that he's integrated footage from the 1990's through literally a month ago (including footage from the often asked about "master classes"), well, it's easy to now see why for months Matt showed up late to class, eyes bleary from staring at video screens all weekend!

As with Guided Chaos itself, it's impossible to do justice to this DVD through mere words. So here are just a few reasons why you should get it:

--You want to get an idea of what contact flow can look and feel like at all different speeds and skill levels.

--You want to understand how contact flow is NOT combat, yet applies to combat.

--You want to know how to make your Guided Chaos sing against:

    a) boxers,

    b) grapplers,

    c) kickers,

    d) stronger people,

    e) taller people,

    f) faster people,

    g) surprise attackers,

    h) groups thereof.

--You want endless variations of the basic contact flow exercise to expand your attributes and training.

--You want to know exactly what Al means in his newsletters when he talks about stuff like "Ride the Lightning!"

--You want to see a man who looks like Santa Claus move like the wind, effortlessly demolishing bigger, younger, stronger fighters trying their best to "get" him.

--You want to see a man who looks like a Marine Corps recruiting poster brutalize mere mortals with terrifying efficiency.

--You want to see Santa Claus casually smack around the recruiting poster.

--You want to see how Guided Chaos masters work with various people of various skill levels in order to make them better--in other words, how to teach.

--You want to discover that the masters really mean what they say, for example when they discuss flowing so slowly that you can hardly see any motion--or so quickly that the human eye cannot follow even from a distance.

--You want to see how an experienced, natural martial athlete processes and quickly absorbs new information through interactive learning.

--You want to be privy to immensely educational scenes that even regular Guided Chaos students rarely witness: contact flow between the highest level masters of the art, complete with slow motion and commentary.

And finally:

--You want to take advantage of by far the best (non-human) Guided Chaos learning resource ever. By paying close attention to the lessons in the DVD, contemplating them, and exploring them in your ego-free partner training . . . you almost can't help but get better.

That's what I plan to do.

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YOUR QUESTIONS: "Going to the ground?" PART 2

A continuation of the discussion from our last Newsletter. Below is a link to a very interesting article sent to us by Steve P. His question about the article and John Perkins' response follows.

Going to the Ground: Lessons from Law Enforcement

Steve's question about above article:

John,

I always look forward to your perspective and responses.  Your experience and continuity, respectively, makes what you convey quite actionable.

Your articulation of gross versus fine motor skills is also quite telling.  That is, the use of choke holds and strikes versus joint-locking.

I'm curious, though, about your feelings regarding "Use-of-force."  Is it something for the LEO to strictly adhere to or only a ‘guide' in the field to allay litigation?

I had the privilege some years ago to be invited as part of my then dojo to participate as an instructor in Newark for the U.S. Marshall Service's "Empty hand confrontational police tactics."  Although I was a relative newbie back then I was still appalled by what some of the instructors were teaching many of the LEOs that attended who varied from the postal police, municipal police officers to correctional officers-it was more than enough to get them killed in the field.  As an example, there was an instructor (a purple belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu) teaching defense from a rear-choke hold on the ground while the perp's legs were wrapped around the officer's waist.  (It seemed quite silly at the time, especially to pre-suppose that an officer can find himself in such a dire situation.)  There was a CDT instructor I know, however, that did teach a ‘Y' strike to the assailant's throat.

At the time I was confused by what can be shown in terms of ‘use-of-force.'  I remember vividly on two separate occasions (at my dojo and at the US Marshall's Service) showing an arm control compliance technique after getting an assailant on his stomach that inadvertently (or purposely) could involve your knee dropping on the back of the assailant's neck.  I pointed out (as a personal disclaimer) to eschew causing any cervical damage with your knee, and both times I mentioned this (at my dojo with a couple of Newark police officers attached to a gang unit and at the US Marshall's), both times I was told: "Just show us what to do with the knee...it's how we write the report."

Granted, I realize that I was a product of a controlled environment and these gentlemen were engaged in real-life situations that didn't afford the predictability and relative safety I was accustomed to-and I never pretended to sympathize with them.  (How could I?)  I just identified and helped the best I way I could appreciating the context of the circumstance they'd find themselves in.

There is obviously a difference between self-defense and law enforcement apprehension/restraint.  Because I imagine there's a difference when proactively endeavoring to restrain and apprehend an uncooperative individual versus being on the receiving end of an attack that can lead to restraint.

Thanks!

JOHN PERKINS' RESPONSE:

Hi Steven,

  This is not new to me. The funny part is that the only way that most people think a LEO can deal with an attacker who takes him to the ground is through Jiu Jitsu techniques.

  I personally have gone to the ground quite a few times in my career. I was always thinking that the perpetrator will go for my gun. This allowed me to react not with grappling but with extreme striking or choking techniques. Often a good poke in the eye would render a potential killer harmless. A good slam or crushing grab to the testicles was also very effective. When there was more than one attacker I sometimes resorted to stabbing them with a sharp object. I used to carry a sort of pointy uwara stick which worked well. If you look in Attack Proof the fight in the Trio Lounge ended with me slamming a much bigger attacker in the temple with the but of my broken night stick. Getting control of the attacker's neck was also very effective. Just a good squeeze on the throat often got the bad guy under control.

I studied Judo and Jiu Jitsu for quite some time but found it too slow in getting the result that I wanted: Instant stop of aggression. I could not afford to have myself knocked out and loose my sidearm. When I had back up I would do a rear choke on a violent individual while my partners would hold his hands and feet. The idea of getting too close with some maniac bent on killing me and somehow relying on some grappling hold to work when his buddies are nearby or he may be armed is too foolhardy for me personally.

My idea of ground fighting is different and yes many fights go to the ground with LEOs especially when you have to cuff them and they resist. If there is minimal resistance usually a quick palm heel to the head would get the proper response from a resisiting subject but when they up the ante there is no time to play with an arm bar or other controlling or submission holds.

In Yonkers most of the bad guys ended up on the ground because they resisted arrest and were put there by the police officers to be handcuffed. Usually it took more than one officer to subdue a dangerous bad guy. If all a person knows is one methodology he will often tout it as the best without finding what may be a better way. If one is predisposed to grappling just look at some of the You Tube confrontations with police officers who go up against larger attackers. They usually get their heads handed to them. Locks and ground grappling goes out the window pronto.

  This is just my personal experience.

--JP

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EVERY SECOND YOU'RE LOCKED IN A GRAPPLING MATCH
WITH A STRONGER OPPONENT
EXPOSES YOU TO MORE DANGER...

FREE YOUR MIND TO FREE YOUR BODY:

GUIDED CHAOS GROUNDFIGHTING

...the ground fighting DVD's are out of this  world...Good idea
to have some MMA fighters on also to dispel some of
the grappling myths. I did what you told me to do with my
huge training partner and it worked, he was falling into strikes
left and right.
 
--Bob Miller, Corrections Officer
 

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