| The Fog of Fear | | | | duress--it is fallacy that you cannot perform anything |
| A person must understand that when attacked | | | | other than gross motor movements. If you are in a car |
| suddenly they will, in the vast majority of cases, | | | | accident and are still capable of moving you will be |
| experience all of the Tachy Psyche phenomena that | | | | able to operate a seat belt release and door lock to |
| has been often described by all of the experts on | | | | rescue a child from an exploding gas tank--and this is |
| close quarters battle. This is why I teach Point Shooting | | | | without training. Many of our students in the battlefield |
| before Aimed fire (this is a subject for a whole other | | | | and in the prisons and on patrol in the streets or |
| article). This is also why I teach the most basic World | | | | subways of NYC who have had various levels of |
| War II style hand-to-hand methodology for beginners | | | | training, were able to put most of the principles to use |
| and why we constantly drill extreme multi-hitting | | | | while striking or warding off an attack either bare |
| drop-step drills (using Guided Chaos "Dropping Energy") | | | | handed or with a weapon. |
| against one and multiple targets at warp speed with all | | | | If you have only a short time to train for self defense |
| of the distractions for sight, balance and hearing, | | | | then, by all means, basic WW2 close combatives |
| including being hit from all sides. | | | | training will be the easiest and best method to learn. If |
| This does not preclude training the development of | | | | you have some more time to train then you can add |
| internal concepts (as is found in arts such as tai chi, | | | | the Guided Chaos principles of balance, body unity, |
| bagu, hsing i and Guided Chaos) as many | | | | looseness, sensitivity and adaptability to your |
| orthodox-close-quarters-combat-only proponents | | | | combatives regimen. Remember---most of the Guided |
| contend. When you add the extreme balance, body | | | | Chaos strikes are taken from the basic atemi of Jiu |
| unity, looseness and energy sensitivity training of the | | | | Jitsu which all World War II combatives strikes derive |
| internal systems you will find that even in extremis you | | | | from. |
| will enhance your ability to carry out the basic hand, | | | | What You Can and Cannot Do |
| elbow, foot, knee, head, palm strikes to the most | | | | If you examine Guided Chaos closely you will find that |
| vulnerable parts of the attacker's body. | | | | the strikes are all simple. The big difference is that we |
| Can More Coordinated Movements Be Carried Out | | | | practice delivering them from as many angles as |
| Under Extreme Duress? | | | | possible no matter how awkward. You never know |
| Do you think that Barishnikov would slip and fall just as | | | | where or in what position you will be when a sudden |
| easily as an untrained man when running for his life? | | | | attack occurs. If you have the time to go into even the |
| Don't you think that a well trained circus performer | | | | most rudimentary attack position of Close Quarters |
| would be better able to evade and strike an attacker | | | | Combat that is fine. Sometimes even that is not |
| with whatever he could get his hands on? | | | | available so the ability to keep your balance and move |
| How many old folks were saved during falls because | | | | from no stance at all can be life saving. |
| they knew tai chi? | | | | While training Guided Chaos contact flow exercise (a |
| When I was 10 years old me and my friend John | | | | free-form, anything goes energy drill) it is important to |
| Sinatra were attacked by a huge mentally disabled 25 | | | | move slowly in order to develop all the above |
| year old psycho. He had us up against a wall while we | | | | principles. Remaining as relaxed as possible allows a |
| were wearing roller skates. He and his sick buddies | | | | person to practice and develop speed gradually until |
| decided to hit me and my friend hard in the solar | | | | you are able to move at blinding speed during practice. |
| plexus. My friend went down and I was knocked into | | | | After a long time even the more flexible strikes are |
| the wall behind me and remained unhurt because, | | | | ingrained. It also behooves a person to practice many |
| though I was literally crapping my pants, I fell into my | | | | scenarios which are reality-based so that some form |
| basic training and absorbed when struck. I didn't | | | | of mental preparation can be accomplished. |
| respond with a block or rely on "abs of steel" (which | | | | Fear and Adrenaline: Your Friends |
| wouldn't work anyway). I guess that if I had learned to | | | | Of course, the certain knowledge of a life and death |
| skate faster that would have helped also. | | | | attack cannot be simulated. Even after hundreds of |
| Is Relaxation Possible Under Duress? | | | | small and serious fights I still feel the flow of adrenaline. |
| When a missile goes straight at you and you get a | | | | Now I know not to fear the body sensations of |
| glimpse of it do you go into a spasmodic striking attack | | | | adrenaline and use the adrenaline to enhance my |
| of the object or do you evade it? If one goes toward | | | | strength and speed. It does not allow the most fancy |
| your head causing you to duck and the next one goes | | | | kung fu moves to work because they are based on |
| toward your head from a lower angle, don't you just | | | | patterned, choreographed motion and techniques. Your |
| drop to the floor? Yes you can and so will most folks. | | | | brain is not a computer that can pick the precise |
| Yes you are not completely relaxed but to accomplish | | | | choreographed response to a given attack under |
| the task properly you cannot tighten up and | | | | duress. It will freeze, just like a computer. However, if |
| accomplish the task at hand. | | | | you train free-form, spontaneous and endlessly |
| If during an attack you have a split second of time to | | | | adaptive movements that are enhanced by |
| evade the first blow, wouldn't it be great to have the | | | | movement principles that follow laws of physics |
| extra capability of balancing and returning to attack | | | | (balance, body unity, looseness and sensitivity) rather |
| your attacker? If you can't evade, wouldn't it be | | | | than limited, stylized, sportive or rigid techniques, your |
| advantageous to have a serious heavy root to attack | | | | nervous system can respond appropriately and |
| your attacker from for propelling yourself forward into | | | | creatively because it hasn't been locked into a specific |
| his face while delivering devastating multiple blows? | | | | pattern-response box. Its natural animal reactions will |
| Yes--you can simply practice close quarters combat | | | | then be enhanced by adrenaline instead of repressed |
| without practicing extreme dropping force or extreme | | | | by it via technique or rules-based sport training. You |
| balancing or having the ability to have your body | | | | learn to flow with the violence instead of against it. This |
| evade or absorb blows from close distance by feel. | | | | is why we call it Guided Chaos. |
| But these principles can be put into play under extreme | | | | |