PRACTICE & TRAINING
Training also means knowing when not to act.
A violent situation can begin long before physical contact.
Recognizing something early, maintaining distance, leaving, protecting another person, seeking help or waiting can be more important decisions than any technique.
In some situations, physical action may be necessary. In others, it may make the problem worse.
That is why COMBATIVES practice involves awareness, context, decision-making and response. The physical component enters when the problem reaches that point.
Sometimes, the best decision is to leave. Sometimes, it is to wait.
WHAT WE TRAIN
Response begins before movement.
Training works with situations in which awareness, understanding and decision-making can change what happens next.
Physical response is one possibility. There are others.
01
Recognize
Observe behavior, approach, distance, environment, exits, people nearby and changes in the situation.
02
Understand
Try to understand the problem before choosing a response. Robbery, argument, threat, stalking and assault present different problems.
03
Decide
Act, wait, speak, leave, seek help, protect someone or simply avoid entering the confrontation.
04
Leave
Create distance, change position, find an exit and leave a situation before it gets worse.
05
Protect
The presence of a child, an older person, a family member or another vulnerable person can completely change the priority.
06
Respond
When physical contact occurs and action becomes necessary, movement, distance, resistance and adaptation become part of the problem.
BEFORE CONTACT
Many important decisions happen before an assault.
Training for protection also means working with situations in which there is still room to make a decision.
A change of position, a few meters of distance, noticing an exit earlier, ending a conversation or making a call at the right moment can change the problem.
DECISION-MAKING
The same response does not fit every situation.
The problem changes when intent, environment, the people involved and what is at risk change.
That is why exercises can involve different choices before any physical response takes place.
SCENARIOS
An exercise should allow more than one decision.
A scenario may begin with an approach, an argument, a threat, someone following another person, an agitated individual or a situation that has not yet reached physical contact.
The person needs to observe what is happening and choose a response.
In some exercises, moving forward may make sense. In others, leaving solves the problem. In others, waiting a few seconds changes everything.
WHEN CONTACT HAPPENS
The physical component still matters.
There are situations in which avoiding physical contact is no longer possible.
At that point, movement, distance, balance, resistance, space and adaptation take on greater importance.
01 Movement
Balance, direction, position and the ability to keep moving.
02 Distance
How much space and time actually exist to respond.
03 Resistance
What changes when the other person reacts, pushes, pulls, resists or continues the assault.
04 Environment
Walls, vehicles, corridors, flooring, obstacles and other people become part of the problem.
AFTER THE EXERCISE
The decision also needs to be reviewed.
The objective is not only to determine whether a technique worked. It also matters to understand what was perceived, what options existed and why a particular decision was made.
01
What was recognized before the situation changed?
02
What options were still available at that moment?
03
What led the person to act, wait or leave?
04
What changed when resistance, environment or other people became part of the situation?
05
Was there a simpler option with less exposure?
06
What should be tested again under different conditions?
COMBATIVES
Thinking is also part of training.
Physical practice remains important. But it makes more sense when placed within a larger problem: recognize, understand, decide and respond.
Sometimes the response ends in physical action. Often, it ends before that point.
Understand.
Decide.
Respond when necessary.