Close Quarters Combat // Tzviel (BK) BlankchteinTrain as you fight
To be effective, the training of soldiers and policemen must be done with training conditions resembling the conditions the trainee will face in a real fight; a policeman or soldier will not have time to warm up and stretch before a real encounter; they will also not be fighting wearing shorts, T-shirts, and tennis shoes; the real fight will not stop when they feel pain or discomfort
“Train as you fight” — I am sure you have heard that line before. How many of you, however, truly adhere to this mantra?
Over the past decade I have worked with many military, law-enforcement, and security units worldwide. A few constants keep repeating themselves, and those who wish to train as they fight tend to train as they train.
When people are told they are about to undergo a physical training session (be it defensive tactics, conditioning, swimming, or other), they tend to show up wearing their PT attire. I recall one specific instant when I trained a military unit in Pennsylvania and the troops, training pre-deployment to the gulf, showed up in shorts and T-shirts. They were sent immediately to change into their combat gear. People who always train in workout gear will have no real understanding on how their equipment (uniform, vests, duty-belts, and weapons — to mention but a few) will affect their movement and ability to perform certain skills when the situation arises. Train as you fight!
Most people are taught from a young age that warm-up is essential for peak physical performance. Safety in training is always an issue, but how often does one get into a fight and has the time, before the fight, to get his body ready, physically and mentally? The answer is: Never. It is imperative, therefore, that warm-up should reflect skills and prepare one mentally and physically for a fight. Running, calisthenics, and stretching will get one’s core temperature to rise, but will not prepare one to fight. Movement drills, light grappling, and one-on-one strength exercises are a better choice. Train as you fight!
When training, especially when learning a new skill, people tend to repeat a movement over and over again. After all, it takes about 300 repetitions to establish the neuromuscular connections and make a motor-skill stick. The problem comes up when the trainee makes a mistake, stops the drill, resets, and tries again. All that teaches the trainee is that do-overs are fine. This is a luxury not available in combat. The trainee should continue the drill even if he made a mistake and correct it the next time around. On a similar notion, especially in these days and times when mixed-martial-arts are prominent and people train for submissions instead of self-defense, people get conditioned to stop applying pressure/pain/strikes when the opponent “taps-out.” There are documented events of officers gaining control
