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By Bradley J. Steiner, American Combato
One essential concept that must be absorbed and obeyed by those who train for self-defense and close combat is that the development of single blow stops must never be the goal of training, nor must such ever be anticipated when engaging an enemy in hand-to-hand battle.
Partly for this reason we train our students to master attack combinations. Not only because every student will find some of these combinations (if not all of them) to be practical and natural for him to develop and apply, but also because by training in combinations of attacking actions the student absorbs the basic principle and method of sensibly combining all the techniques that he is taught.
This enhances his ability to follow-up, continue attacking, and be optimally effective in any combative engagement.
In the military, officers-in-training learn about “combat logic”. They must adhere to and apply combat logic in all of their exercises and war games.
Simply put, combat logic refers to the need to do theoretically in drills only that which would work and be effective in real combat.
For example: it would be possible (although combatively NOT logical) to count as a stopping hit to a tank a 5.56mm (about 0.22 in) round fired by a soldier during war games. In theory the soldier hitting the tank with a round from his M16 could have that hit counted as a “stop,” but it would be idiotic to do so, since no 5.56mm (about 0.22 in) round would even make the occupants of a tank realize that anything had struck the tank’s exterior!
In hand-to-hand combat TRAINING it is possible to assume that a particular blow will drop the recipient instantly upon contact. However, unless the blow being considered is a powerful hand axe chop to the windpipe or some equivalent death shot, forget such an assumption!
Reality—combat logic—demands that the resilience and the tenacity, as well as the possible physical hardihood of the enemy, be taken into consideration, and that a barrage of blows, continuing until the enemy is completely and decisively neutralized, be delivered.
Training in combinations is, we maintain, essential. Combinations need not be complicated and acrobatic as are some that we see in classical karate and kenpo demonstrations. In fact, such combinations are absurd and impractical for any application outside demonstrations and rehearsed, choreographed “fight” scenes on TV and on the silver screen.
We ask you to consider the very simplest of all combinations, and to begin including it in your own regular training: Repeat the same blow a second—even a third and fourth—time, in rapid, focused succession.
Here’s a good example: Kick an assailant in the testicles using a front kick. As he doubles over, kick him in the face with a second front kick. When he hits the deck, move in rapidly and kick him in the head with a third front kick.
Note: Obviously, this kind of action would be employed only in a life-threatening situation (i.e., home invasion, attacker armed, attacker much larger and stronger than yourself, etc.) but you should be able to see how effective it would be.
Another example is delivering the chin jab smash two or three times in rapid succession—all blows smashing into the adversary’s jaw. A knockout would be the likely result if three powerful, focused chin jabs connected like this!
We urge you to consider how simple and practical this type of combination attack can be. Nothing fancy or difficult. You simply employ the blow that you struck home with the first time, a second, third, and even a fourth time!
The hammer fist smash, the straight heel palm strike, several of the elbow blow variations, the knee-to-testicles, the uppercut punch to solar plexus, and the sidekick can all be readily employed in this manner to excellent effect in a wide variety of emergencies.
Simplicity in real combat is always important and desirable. This type of follow-up or combination attacking is as simple as it gets! And it’s almost certain that if the first blow you deliver lands well, then nothing will hinder a successive strike or strikes of the same kind.
Please do not dismiss this because of its ease and simplicity. In fact, precisely because of those things, and of course because this technique adheres beautifully to the principle of combat logic, we urge you to embrace it, use it, and value it as being practical for real world self-defense.