Several years ago I figured out that there was a class of knowledge that I was overly dependent on Hollywood and TV for my instruction. Today, not so much. You can check the channel for details under Martial Ed. Here's an update.
I have begun to take lessons in street combat. There's not a more pleasant way to name it. I could call it martial arts, but I have come to a finer grained set of distinctions in the ways of fighting. For some time this area of expertise could basically be called 'krava maga', which I first encountered in NYC two decades ago. The magic of Krav Maga is that it's 'martial arts' plus guns, which is to say beyond 'this is the stuff they teach the IDF' it is not so much a sport, and not so much 'self-defense' as it is a method of being dangerous to those who would harm you in a no-holds-barred situation. I have entertained some brief fancies around sword canes and small knives hung around my neck. At one time I thought about enrolling in an edged weapons class at the [expensive] Emerson Training Center. In the end, I pick TaeKwanDo for a number of decent reasons. That lasted a good three months then my schedule changed. I couldn't remember the dance steps, but when I got a chance to do the Hapkido parts, I think I was pretty good. In fact, I'm sure that I was.
I missed the aspects of grappling and using the kinds of strengths that served me as a skinny kid. I've always had an excellent sense of balance and I did well in Judo the few times I did that when I went to day camp as a kid. I wore glasses, so I was never good at boxing, so I rushed my opponents and wangled them to the ground. I always felt comfortable with ground fighting. But I was lucky and never really had to fight that much once I turned 17. Only once have I been hit in the face since then - with some guy who thought he could jack me. Long story short, he hit me with a sucker punch and ran away. I know I can take a punch, but it has been a long time.
My life ideals lead me directly to Aikido and for a long time I have regretted not finding the right instructor. But all of the people I found around here in Southern Cal were more like ballet instructors than soldiers. I didn't and still don't want to hear about Eastern philosophies of harmony and balance. I simply want to become expert in understanding how to move my body and move other people's bodies under duress.
Somewhere in Palos Verdes is a warrior in Hapkido. I need to see if he still works at that park. That's the guy I want to be. Well, I want to know some of what he knows. In the meantime, I have found a warrior who lives a few blocks from me, and I am taking private instruction. In addition, I have rejoined my gym and have lost about 10 pounds from this year's peak. I have 20 more pounds to go to reach what I think ought to me optimum - around 190 pounds. Then maybe I can really improve my aerobic endurance.
Very much like the first time I started my circuit training, getting into what I'm learning now is painful. It's good to get hit. It reminds you of what's likely to happen. I'm pretty sure that I can keep my cool, and I hope that I start learning the paths. What I am learning is something specific to my arc which is multifold. Call it modified street Kali. It's CQ with sticks and edged weapons with some specialization for people who move slow, ie older guys like myself. I'm not so slow now, but in five years I may be. So I've got to learn something that will serve me into my 60s, not just give me the satisfaction that I can kick ass now. So I am learning to flow like water, but with the understanding that if I do not, then it's a fight.
"Then it's a fight" is something my instructor says when we find an opening in our techniques. So we started last week trying to adapt disarming techniques that we learned from a 1940s era video of the Canadian Army. As we watched, it looked goofy. As we put it to the test, the foot placements actually made sense. When you're trying to wrestle a bayonetted rifle from an opponent, you have to do it right the first time, or then it's a fight, meaning all logic flies out the window and you're situational mastery goes to zero. What's important that I'm learning is that you actually have to work against force, which is what 'martial arts' ballet does not do. You cannot perfect a combat technique without learning painfully what can go wrong. So there's definitely a fear factor in play here.
I would note that I'm finding a couple sources to be very instructive. One is Doug Marcaida. The other is MindSmash.
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