Around 2011-2012 whilst in the Army I did maybe six months of Krav Maga with military instructors 3-4 times a week. I liked Krav Maga because to me it was very efficient, didn’t really have rules and deliberately endears the practitioner to not fight fair to gain the unfair advantage. An infantry soldiers’ creed is speed and aggression which I resonate with. Krav also built on my Military Seld-Defence exposure, which included everything from shouting to rifle muzzle punches and taking a sight picture. To be clear, this has nothing to do with sport or gentlemanly fighting at all. Krav Maga was conceived to defend against antisemitism in the 1930’s streets, then grew to be an unarmed combat option for Israeli Defence forces and other intelligence organisations afterward. Groin, eyes, throat, knees and other high pain areas are targeted deliberately for the quickest pattern interrupt to disempower an attacker from their intent. This can be escalated quickly on the battlefield and life and death situations. It can also be very bad for you in court if you over-step.
In Krav we learnt situational awareness as a near number one priority and would often deal with multiple opponents from different angles whilst trying to protect a VIP. I still remember my instructors speaking of Miyamoto Musashi, a two sword pioneering samurai who described dealing with multiple attackers as though they were fish on a trawling line, lining them up one by one. All whilst still being fully aware of what was behind him (I read his book of Five Rings). Years later this has been a hang-up for me, always considering a fight to never be one-on-one.
When the chips are down and your life depends on it, don’t fight fair if you want to survive. An opponent will choose when, where, how and any other advantage, usually taking the initiative on their terms. Pay attention to your spidey senses and act immediately – reaction is too slow and usually anticipated. There is nothing more savage than a man unafraid or a woman protecting children.
I have been doing cardio kickboxing and more recently MMA as well for a while now (6 times a week for several months and started a couple of months before that with one-on-one instruction). I often arrive early for the kickboxing class and have been watching the Brazilian jiu jitsu guys and girls train and roll around for maybe half an hour before each class starts. Until tonight I have had a closed mindset about learning sport jiu jitsu because of two main reasons. 1, you don’t really give your opponent an opportunity to disengage. 2, you are incredibly vulnerable to attack from someone else whilst engaging your opponent on the ground. Something that was impressed upon me from the Krav Maga days was exit strategy, situational awareness and making space. Also, that at attacker who is truly hellbent on causing you harm will only stop if you inflict enough pain on them to change their mind, or by you making them unconscious. Anti-social violence is the alpha hero chest beating (wanker), posturing to be the big man and typically choosing easy prey and generally has a way bigger bark than bite. Asocial violence is the psychopath who waits until the lights come on after last drinks call in a bar, then when the bouncer comes and puts his hand on him for ejection, pulls a knife and stabs the bouncer (see ‘When violence is the answer’ by Tim Larkin for more on that, also ‘The gift of fear’ by Gavin de Becker. Antisocial violence is much more common than asocial violence. Most of the time, acting first during a confrontation will save your life.
I think both of my two hang-ups are still valid, but tonight I have gotten a new appreciation of Brazilian jiu jitsu. An older gentleman who also participates in the kickboxing class has asked me a few times why I didn’t ‘roll’ in jiu jitsu whilst I was coming to the gym early anyway. I told him of my concerns and that I had a closed mindset about it and wasn’t ready. He didn’t push me or try to change my mind but later offered to have himself show me a few things. This would give me a taste of jiu jitsu and I should make up my mind once I had had a go he said. I accepted. He was very patient, gentle and listened. He used demonstration and trial (both excellent training methods) to alleviate my concerns. I used words to describe my worry of dirty (efficient) fighting whilst on the ground and in each instance, he showed me the counter in an effortless manner. The biggest thing I picked up was how quick he could dominate my space (where striking is nearly ineffective), inflict pain (measured and calculated in a new-kid friendly way) and make me tap. In a nurturing way, he rag-dolled me probably 20 times, again and again he had me very uncomfortable and giggling many times despite choking as a non-compliant contortionist. I was smiling and sweating. Starting on the ground he had me passive and submissive in ten seconds or less. He encouraged me to reciprocate, and I found I could achieve nothing, because I knew no jiu jitsu and he did. He also spoke of the community and bonding, fitness benefits, mental exercise, and fun it provided without trying to sell it or be pushy. I believe him and appreciate what he said.
So, through his generous gift of time, I have had my eyes opened to jiu jitsu’s efficiency in the inflicting of pain or making an opponent unconscious (choking out – not blunt force trauma from striking). Also there are no skinned knuckles for police reports or squaring up on cameras. I am sure that if I was to become a jiu jitsu student I would quickly come to my own ideas or learn about disengaging and knowing situational awareness.
A closed mindset has prohibited me taking action until now about a belief I had. But the adage, suck it and see rings true here, in my case – ‘we shall see said the blind man’. I will think more on it, but my mind has been opened to learning jiu jitsu. They say when the student is ready the teacher will appear. Thing is – I was already there!
I’ll be back.
BLACK SHEEP STRAIGHT SHOOTER
