The fight dynamic

I liken the common approach to martial arts training to looking at an elephant through a keyhole.”
Our points of view would differ depending on which part of the animal we saw. Seeing the trunk, we would think the elephant to be like a snake; seeing the legs we may think it to be like a hippopotamus, and so forth. As martial artists, many of us are faced with this selfsame problem. On our journey toward becoming more complete and effective martial artists, we need to step back from that keyhole, open the door and go inside for a better look. The aim of this brief article is to introduce the reader to a more complete picture of the fight dynamic.Let me put it plainly. A fight can often be broken down into three parts; the beginning (the scary bit), the middle (the hopeful bit) and the end (the rolling around on the pavement bit). No seriously; to broaden our understanding of the fight dynamic, it is absolutely necessary that we undergo training and practice in each of these disciplines: Pre-fight Skills – Post-fight Skills and Post-clinch Skills. Skill in one of these areas, does by no stretch of the imagination mean that we have some kind of ’skill by default’ in another. To be forearmed is to be forewarned -as they say!Pre-fight Skills: these are the set of skills that provide us with some sort of strategy before the fight begins; or at least, before actual blows are landed. In other words, those skills that allow us to handle the pressure as the situation is suddenly thrust upon us or as it is building up. It is while working on our ‘pre-fight’ skills that we will develop our ‘fence’- as Geoff Thompson has coined it. We will also develop our ‘initial shot’ and our verbal skills whilst working our pre-fight strategy.

Thinking about it is not enough, just as thinking about a right cross is not enough; we have to practice, and practice well if we are to become proficient and skillful at the pre-fight game. This is where we will also learn about adrenaline-dump; what it means to us and to our opponent. We should develop some management strategies and put them into practice. The pre-fight phase is where many, many fights are lost or won.
Best Bets: Geoff Thompson’s books and videos on – Fear – The Fence – The 3 Second Fighter – etc.Post-fight Skills: these are those sets of skills that by far, the majority of martial artists are constantly working on. That is, how to hit, kick, elbow, knee and head-butt along with how to not be hit, kicked, elbowed, kneed or head-butted. These are those skills that every martial artist, to varying degrees of effectiveness, practices and develops.
Unfortunately, they often do so, to the exclusion of both ‘pre-fight’ and ‘post-clinch’ skills; leaving them susceptible to a rude and painful awakening when their first real fight comes along. In short – post-fight skills are those skills you will need to employ if the fight has kicked off, you are still standing, as is your opponent, and you want to hit him more times than he can hit you.
Best Bets: Whatever you are doing can probably be made to work, if you train hard enough and actually hit things during your practice. If you are short on time though; boxing and kickboxing will provide you with the best return on your investment of time.Post Clinch Skills: these are those skills that you will need to have after you and your opponent have clinched or have hit the ground. Clinching and grappling, and this still seems to come as a bit of a surprise to the majority of martial artists, happens in many, many instances if the fight is of the no-rules variety. The problem that martial artists are confronted with is that they spend a lot of time sparring, and whilst sparring, no-one clinches, and they are understandably left with the impression that grappling just doesn’t need to happen if they don’t want it to.
Well; that’s because the other guy your sparring with, is probably playing the same game you are. Test it out; offer last weeks sparring partner ten bucks/dollars/pounds/reindeer or whatever you use to buy Geoff Thompson’s books with, to see if he can clinch you just once during the first 10 seconds of your next match. So you’ll lose your ten reindeer, and Geoff will miss out on another sale, but you will possibly have gleaned an important bit of info – yes, grappling is almost inevitable if your opponent wants it that way. So if you haven’t knocked your opponent out in the first few seconds of the fight, you are probably grappling by now!
Best Bets: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (no, I am not impartial)So there we are: Pre-fight ~ Post fight ~ Post Clinch … a little work on each of these areas will stand you in better stead, next time it happens ‘for real’. If I had to prioritise – and I only had time to work two of the three areas; for reality-based self defence, I would choose Pre-fight and Post-clinch.