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Old 01-31-2008, 04:26 PM   #101
Kevin Leavitt
 
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Re: Is Aikido effective for police?

Dan wrote:

Quote:
There are still defensive tactics systems that claim to teach effective techniques using only the officer’s natural instinctive movements. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Almost no training necessary. You’d be out of business
I think you can distill stuff down and simplify things quite a bit. You can narrow the scope of the training to fit the situations that are most common.

For our soldiers, we stopped teaching joint locks, strikes, kicks, garotte chokes and all that stuff that traditionally was called "Combatives" or Jiujitsu from the 1940s - mid 1990s to 2000. not that it does not work, but that it is too specific and assumes away much that needs to take place prior to these things working. Translated: It requires you to spend alot of time learning things in order to make these seemingly simple, yet really complex in some aspects.

So, we re-looked at it, and found that basically you must work on the "macro" first. that is, "taking center", kusushi, establishing dominance...or what ever you like to call it.

So then you teach macro muscle memory, that is developing a spontaneous and instinctual response or flinch that falls in line with normal movements.

you then spend your precious practice time committing this to muscle memory until in becomes normal and instinctual.

High payoff, less time, natural movement or spontaneous flinch response.

On another note. I always talk to the guys that like to carry big knifes on the kit. I ask them why. Naturally they say so they have a backup if they need it. most do not actually practice using it.

So, when the fight goes bad...statistics show that they never think about using it because they had not ever committed to muscle memory drawing the knife over and over until in become instinctual.

Those same individuals might even have practiced some sophisticated techniques of slashing stabbing what not like kali or something.

However, not practicing reaching for it in their web gear. Feeling the pressure of it on their hip, the cordura of the sheath, the snap that you have to unfasten...the emotions that run wild in a fight...well I think you see the point!

Training properly can be done in the same amount of time that you commit to empty hand or close range combatives....IF you focus on teaching the right things. This translates into what many call ALIVENESS.

Teaching kotegaeshi, nikkyo, sankyo type techniques from a static position of training before you have learned the macro skills of body movement are a waste of time when you consider practical application for professional purposes, IMO.

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