tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39896615218433980002024-03-12T16:46:50.464-07:00The Academy: Personal Leadership DevelopmentThe Midwest Academy's Leadership Development Group relates thoughts and ideas on martial arts training, strategies for personal growth, and leadership development. These discussions are intended to be supplementary to our curriculum and, by their nature, are neither definitive nor comprehensive. All material contained herein is considered to be intellectual property and protected by copyright.David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-73855098391348350702018-02-05T13:56:00.005-08:002018-02-05T13:57:40.671-08:00Midwest Academy Leader-Cast Episode 1: What Does It Mean to be a Warrior?<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Midwest Academy's "Leader-Cast", a leadership development podcast, episode 1 is out...stay tuned for more...</span></b></i><br />
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<iframe data-name="pb-iframe-player" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/bkzuw-86ba0a?from=yiiadmin&skin=2&btn-skin=103&share=1&fonts=Helvetica&auto=0&download=0&rtl=0" width="100%"></iframe>David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-72856426738933874872016-06-21T19:51:00.000-07:002016-06-22T18:16:05.398-07:00Midwest Academy Soft Goods (Clothing): How to Order and Symbols Explained<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As the Midwest Academy continues to grow, certain tasks
that we used to preform “in-house” we have now opted to “out-source”. The ultimate
reason for “out-sourcing” these tasks is to ensure that we are optimizing
our time for the educational and training benefit of our students.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One task that we have recently “out-sourced” has been the
distribution of Midwest Academy soft goods (clothing). All clothing items will
now be available through an<a href="http://www.actionscreen.com/mama" target="_blank"> online “store”</a> that is accessible through the Academy’s <a href="http://www.themidwestacademy.com/" target="_blank">home page</a>. As opposed to the Academy storing and distributing gear, you will now order items directly from the printing/embroidery company. Those items will then be sent directly to your shipping address.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In addition, the Academy’s Leadership Development Group hoped to use this opportunity to briefly explain some of the logos used on our soft good to people unfamiliar with them:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lpzukmJhBtCPVYijdJ_ctDlG0oRIQ8QVQ81jnDS3sAfT1HS5udayc4hga5K2OKXHNpSr6KCD28RNKBOU9T9Qy-3G4Hs_ZFeNr6Yja2Dl3DDkgOvSBcyYC1ir4QwIC060aIruUZWa3XU/s1600/Complete+Gassho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lpzukmJhBtCPVYijdJ_ctDlG0oRIQ8QVQ81jnDS3sAfT1HS5udayc4hga5K2OKXHNpSr6KCD28RNKBOU9T9Qy-3G4Hs_ZFeNr6Yja2Dl3DDkgOvSBcyYC1ir4QwIC060aIruUZWa3XU/s200/Complete+Gassho.jpg" width="54" /></a></div>
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<i>Kanji</i> are the adopted logographic Chinese characters that
are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana and
katakana. Just like written English has various “scripts” (block
writing/printing, cursive, etc.), kanji also has various “scripts”. The kanji
that appears on Midwest Academy soft goods is a "cursive" script and reads as <i>Seizan Ryu </i>or “West
Mountain School”. “West Mountain” is a historical reference to the origin and
foundation of the primary Art that is taught and practiced at the Academy. A
more detailed explanation is available in our student manual. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The term<i> Ryu </i>refers to “school” - not in the sense
of a particular structure, but rather a philosophical root which governs the
overall learning, practice, and teaching principles and methods utilized by “West
Mountain”. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWKHDtER1eoQT6ZKq8tJR1lyNPHBZsC0-OnQd0Md8gLLNo6X-vq4iu6dQYzIOuIdeg16DzjF6HEnt8I2tX2H_qV_r8FU_dYggW30Q6ZpgphKQGC75-r8MC1aQ43QFRpDYUJRZRhRuPHA/s1600/SeizanMonuniform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPWKHDtER1eoQT6ZKq8tJR1lyNPHBZsC0-OnQd0Md8gLLNo6X-vq4iu6dQYzIOuIdeg16DzjF6HEnt8I2tX2H_qV_r8FU_dYggW30Q6ZpgphKQGC75-r8MC1aQ43QFRpDYUJRZRhRuPHA/s1600/SeizanMonuniform.jpg" /></a><i>Mon</i> or the crest is not unlike the Coat-of-Arms that once was prevalent and used by most Western families up until recent modern times. The Mon
is seal script derived from the kanji for “West Mountain”; this seal is essentially
the system’s “coat-of-arms”. It is sometimes referred to by Seizan Ryu practitioners
as the “grinning cougar” due to its similarity in appearance to the face of a
feline.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzc9jc9LBl72PvjRpDh8E1ySBhksFDzYVgoauT7uRH35HvuZDH9ms7zsOaUePsEhXh12bqcZdGjGAeVj7EyjCVW6UJB0jOWH8u-nPj6GfL59xfsey5MulOcO0nUK_uAlwp2oO-EyrJWFY/s1600/infrared-reverse-od-american-flag-with-hook-fastener.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzc9jc9LBl72PvjRpDh8E1ySBhksFDzYVgoauT7uRH35HvuZDH9ms7zsOaUePsEhXh12bqcZdGjGAeVj7EyjCVW6UJB0jOWH8u-nPj6GfL59xfsey5MulOcO0nUK_uAlwp2oO-EyrJWFY/s200/infrared-reverse-od-american-flag-with-hook-fastener.jpg" width="200" /></a>The “Combat Flag” or “reversed US Flag”, when used, appears only on the right
shoulder of some of Midwest Academy’s gear. It</div>
is an acknowledgement that much of
the teaching method specific to the Midwest Academy has been influenced by
various teachers’ experiences in the GWOT (Global War on Terrorism). That
collective experience and subsequent related experiences have played heavily
into the teaching approach of the Academy which emphasizes a utilitarian
approach for both the physical skills and the personal development aspects of
the art. Many people are unfamiliar with why the flag appears reversed. If one thinks of the flag, not as a logo, but
as a loose flag attached to an individual’s arm like a flag pole, then as the individual moves forward, the stripes will flow to the back (giving
it the appearance of being “reversed”).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0_Solj-KipCAwcEykpPjkqn6K82NEoDxtYJzj2h_NQm6gtSVJhUYMMWQpqYSfln3dpxCnSiseuVN5-jj07cJyOuGqsME8YugPovi877GlTnUkBfO5WTDWL10OJz-2t_hYS05gQlav_E/s1600/Seizan+Logos+038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0_Solj-KipCAwcEykpPjkqn6K82NEoDxtYJzj2h_NQm6gtSVJhUYMMWQpqYSfln3dpxCnSiseuVN5-jj07cJyOuGqsME8YugPovi877GlTnUkBfO5WTDWL10OJz-2t_hYS05gQlav_E/s200/Seizan+Logos+038.jpg" width="200" /></a><i>Sho-Chiku-Bai</i> or Pine-Bamboo-Plum is a 3 circle motif on some of Midwest Academy’s gear. This motif appears in traditional Japanese culture and is referred to as <i>Three Friends
of Winter</i>; each item is representative of strength, flexibility, and endurance respectively, individually, and collectively. The meanings are connoted as these plants are able to survive the adversity
of winter due to their intrinsic attributes. The Academy uses the motif as we believe the
greatest personal growth and leadership attributes often develop in the face of adversity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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LDG Triangle (see ordering website for logo depiction) – The Leadership Development Group (LDG) is a
subset of the Academy’s teacher cadre that specifically focuses on optimizing
opportunities for the personal development and growth of our students
throughout the course of their training. The triangle is symbolic
of interdependent strength as each side requires the others to keep its shape.
It also represents a compass needle pointing “north”; indicative of the
personal code and integrity we expect from our students and ourselves. The number in the center of the triangle is indicative of how many years the Midwest Academy has operated at its current location. This run will feature the number "10".<o:p></o:p></div>
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For more information on classes or to schedule a visit to the Academy, visit <a href="http://www.themidwestacademy.com/" target="_blank">www.TheMidwestAcademy.com</a> or call
(630) 836-3600. <o:p></o:p></div>
David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-23241950120372692002015-06-03T11:29:00.000-07:002015-06-04T09:05:52.738-07:00Knife Training: The Basics of Blade Design, Carry, & Deployment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<u>History of the Knife<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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The knife was humankind’s first tool and has been a part of
nearly every culture. As humankind's technological skills grew, the knife, as a utility tool, was replaced by
a number of other tools and machines; the blade, as a weapon, also became secondary
to ballistic weapons.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That said, the knife has remained with us, in part due to
its size and in part due to its adaptability; it is a good tool when we lack
better ones at that moment. As a weapon, it is still highly effective. In a <a href="http://themidwestacademy.blogspot.com/2014/01/padfocus-mitt-drill-challenge-tactical.html" target="_blank">previous article</a>, we described <a href="http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/" target="_blank">CSAT</a>
founder and SOFD/D (“Delta Force”) MSG Paul Howe’s theory of a layered offense:
the<i> layered offense training theory states that the system of fighting
with a rifle, pistol, edged/impact weapon, or empty hand should be fairly
uniform such that transitions in either direction are seamless, adjustments
from force option to force option are minimal, and training for each force
option is complimentary to the others</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the Academy,
our students' edged weapons education is rooted in Filipino
Martial Arts (FMA), Japanese and Chinese martial arts, and modern day
combatives training. Tactics and
techniques are continually vetted through traditional training as well as in the
modern/current application environment. As a result of these influences, Seizan
Ryu, the teaching methodology used at the Academy, has an advanced edged-weapons curriculum that is constantly evolving while the basic curriculum lays the foundation that has been proven effective through the generations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Understanding the Purpose of a Fighting Knife <o:p></o:p></u></div>
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One of our teaching tenets at the Academy is that ‘purpose
dictates process’; at a basic level, Academy teachers discuss the <i>purpose</i> of an edged-weapon as a starting point to edged-weapons training. While a skilled exponent can
use a weapon to create varying degrees of effect, the use of an edged weapon
should always be considered deadly force and the level of conflict resolution
required should be appropriate to using this level of force. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Our first definable
purpose for the edged weapon should be that it is capable of effectively
delivering this level of force</i> as efficiently as possible – the basic
assumption when one is resorting to the use of deadly force is that it is a
<i>defensive response</i> to deadly force <i>already</i> being used by the aggressor(s).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The use of tools for physical conflict resolution, like
the knife itself, is as old as human history.
Tools gave humans – anatomically poorly designed for physical survival
without claws, fur, keen night vision, etc. – an advantage over their base physiology. One of the primary limitations of any physical conflict resolution tool is that it has an optimal range of effectiveness.
The <i>edged-weapon</i> is most effective at what the Academy defines as “close
contact” range. <i>This provides our second definable purpose for the edged weapon: to provide utility at “close contact”
range</i>. </div>
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A study of human weapons reveals an interesting correlation between edged-weapons and range: as man evolved, larger edged-weapons, such
as swords – which could be effective at “mid-range” - developed since they had a decided "range" advantage
over the knife. A knife wielding
combatant would have to pass through “mid-range” (where the sword was
effective) to get to “close contact” range (where the knife becomes effective) - that gave the sword wielding combatant has an earlier opportunity (at “mid-range”)
to take action/seize the initiative. The
sword was also more efficient than the knife since its longer length leveraged
the user’s physical strength more effectively.
And while spears and bows were part of every culture’s fighting
arsenals, it was not until the advent of the firearm, which effectively
penetrated armor and did so from “close contact” to “non-contact” ranges, that
humans put down the sword in favor of the firearm. It is interesting to note, however, that while swords are out-of-the-norm, the
knife survived the transition to firearms.
While the sword lost some dominance at the “mid-range” when
compared to the firearm, the knife – to this very day - remains useful at “close
contact” range.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Building a Fighting Process<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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One of the greatest factors that influences the
utility of a “fighting” knife is its design. Today many people carry
folding knives, spring loaded/spring assisted knives, or specialty blades such
as the karambit or push knives, for example. While these knives have some utility, it is imperative to
remember that defensive/counter-offensive use is the primary condition of our
force application – that means that the defender has been confronted with
deadly force and is <i>responding</i> with deadly force. Knives that require high
dexterity movements <i>just</i> to bring them into the fight put the defender <i>further
into “reaction”</i> – in light of everything just mentioned, the Academy advocates the
use of a single-edged, full-tang, straight-bladed knife as a fighting knife.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After one decides on what type of knife one will use, the
next part of the “process” is to decide <i>how</i> the knife will be employed. The two
factors to consider are: how the blade will be gripped and which hand the
weapon will be used with. <o:p></o:p></div>
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At the Academy, our students build their basic edged-weapons skills around gripping the weapon in a “reverse/icepick” style grip with
the edge of the blade facing forward and the spine of the blade facing the
wielder’s forearm. The blade is also used primarily in the non-dominant hand
(blade in the left hand for the right handed practitioner, for example). There
are a number of reasons to use the blade this way, not the least of which is
that it allows the user to cut and thrust with the blade while also minimizing leverage
against the gripping thumb (the weakest part of the human grip). This grip also allows the knife wielder to strike and grapple without adjusting the weapon; where
firearms are concerned, it also allows the practitioner to employ a firearm
without discarding the edged-weapon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg475n3Jb3dv7vZrfuGe0iWBzHMgJK9nKi4k0mWN1Ror_lKysgd52sqEq-rtWWhyiiYuEdIZ6KGBQPnHx3QyVVB7WaAjiPl5zPq0Vn3WbMgVQ_BMWya-GvEJ-kLtPLTuyMT1WsSPiJ6GdQ/s1600/photo+%252856%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg475n3Jb3dv7vZrfuGe0iWBzHMgJK9nKi4k0mWN1Ror_lKysgd52sqEq-rtWWhyiiYuEdIZ6KGBQPnHx3QyVVB7WaAjiPl5zPq0Vn3WbMgVQ_BMWya-GvEJ-kLtPLTuyMT1WsSPiJ6GdQ/s200/photo+%252856%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CRKT Kasper knife mounted on a <br />
VTAC Brokos Battle Belt</td></tr>
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Knife design and employment method(s) dictate the
optimal location of the knife - location of the knife is the final part of the basics of edged-weapons utility. Since the directional draw is the most efficient draw stoke, at the
Academy our practitioners learn the advantages of storing the blade on the
non-dominant side hip with the edge somewhere between facing forward and facing
down depending on individual body types, clothing, and lifestyle requirements. The photo (right) shows a set up for a right-handed pistol shooter where the edged weapon is set to be drawn with the left hand into a "reverse" grip.</div>
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Under these conditions, the average practitioner can
deploy a blade and deliver deadly force <i>faster</i> than even with a firearm (or in
conjunction with a firearm if appropriate) as demonstrated by former Navy SEAL
and firearms instructor Kyle Defoor in this video.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Training Tips<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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At the time of this writing, I have been studying,
practicing, & teaching edged-weapons combatives for over 3 decades. One of
the most important training “tips” I can pass on to anyone who is serious about
improving their edged-weapons skills is to train with the weapon in the
non-dominant hand. In most training venues – martial arts, military, and law enforcement
– students train with both partners having weapons in their dominant hand (both
partners with weapons in the right hand usually); at the Academy, we call this
alignment ‘matched’ (training partners right-right or left-left). Very few instructors are versed,
knowledgeable, or skilled in the alignment we call ‘mirrored’ (training partners right-left or
left-right), however, if you consider that most people are right handed and
attack using their dominant hand, the most important training alignment to develop is with the defender using the blade left handed and the attacker attacking
right handed. Unfortunately, this alignment is usually neglected as it is the most challenging for instructors and students and least gratifying for their egos…but that's a topic for another
discussion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Contact the <a href="http://www.themidwestacademy.com/" target="_blank">Academy</a> for information on
viewing/registering for our Weapons Training Program.<o:p></o:p></div>
David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-71017175747860194522014-06-14T14:57:00.000-07:002014-06-15T08:35:51.420-07:00"High Utility" Firearms Drill Training<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anyone who has been around tactical community for any
length of time, be it as an operator, trainer, and/or leader, is likely
familiar with the <a href="http://www.vikingtactics.com/" target="_blank">Viking Tactics</a> (VTAC) 1-5 Drill. Sergeant Major (ret) Kyle Lamb, US Army
Special Operations combat veteran, author of “Green Eyes & Black Rifles:
The Warrior’s Guide to the Combat Carbine”, and president and founder of Viking
Tactics breaks down the essentials of the VTAC 1-5 drill in this video.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In this article, I will refer to this version of the VTAC 1-5 drill as the basic/base drill.</div>
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Industry innovators such as Travis Haley
underscore that there is a difference between rote drill training, and
understanding/developing drills at a “deeper level”. Travis Haley, US Marine Corps Force
Reconnaissance combat veteran, former CEO of <a href="http://www.magpul.com/" target="_blank">Magpul Industries Corporation</a>, and
president and founder of <a href="http://www.haleystrategic.com/" target="_blank">Haley Strategic Partners, LLC</a> demonstrates an advanced application
of the VTAC 1-5 drill in this video. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The purpose of this article is to highlight that trainers/operators/practitioners
need to understand drill training at a deeper level <i>in order to ensure a “best
fit” approach to training using the drills which facilitate optimal skill development within the
constraints of financial budgets and time.</i> At the time of this article, I have
over 15 years of experience as a trainer in the tactical community. Although the core curriculum I use is<a href="http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/" target="_blank"> CSAT</a> based, I do use and teach the VTAC 1-5 Drill as one of
the training platforms for myself and my fellow students/operators.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Three fundamental truths that I believe
trainers/operators/leaders need to accept when looking more deeply into drill
training are: <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->No single drill will provide repetition of all
the various skills sets required in any given operational environment;<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->Some of the various skill sets needed for the
operational environment are trained in direct opposition to each other; and<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>Optimal learning does not occur unless
trainers/operators/practitioners understand the inherent assumptions contained
within a drill’s practice method.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiu8dN-0ro1QidCrpCiAPpxPlMj3ocL7KXtSOt3LXa8PxHlW1nNr63p15QgL_Z415NTGtNlp_s3sd7-r7435qMMngkcJtOUO055SoefCLvcQmz8v0GGAPzav20xmfnoP2FffmogOD_WQ/s1600/Training+Ghost+061314+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiu8dN-0ro1QidCrpCiAPpxPlMj3ocL7KXtSOt3LXa8PxHlW1nNr63p15QgL_Z415NTGtNlp_s3sd7-r7435qMMngkcJtOUO055SoefCLvcQmz8v0GGAPzav20xmfnoP2FffmogOD_WQ/s1600/Training+Ghost+061314+01.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
To illustrate these points, let’s again use the base VTAC 1-5
Drill as an example. In the first video, we see the drill executed (15 rounds total on 3
targets) in under 3 seconds. Training the
drill using this method allows practice of many critical technical & tactical skills to
include: optimizing the manner in which the weapon is “welded” to the body,
optimizing the manner in which the shooter traverses from target to target,
& optimizing the manipulation of the trigger. However, in order to optimize the cadence of
the drill, shooters maintain their finger-to-trigger contact while traversing
target to target. When the actions
needed to perform the drill at the cadence demonstrated are extrapolated into
the application environment, an operator moving a weapon from one threat to
another with his/her finger on the trigger (potentially across
innocent/friendly persons) would be violating most tactical SOP’s. What SOP’s you ask?<i> Most shooters who learn
the “4 Firearm Safety Rules” learn that their finger is to be “off the trigger
until their muzzle is on the target”</i>; cases such as<i> Medina v. City of Chicago</i>
show that our legal system considers the placement of the<b> finger on the trigger</b>
when not shooting to be<b> “willful and wanton”</b> conduct. And since we perform in the manner that we
practice, practicing with our finger on the trigger will increase the likelihood
that we will perform that way in the operational environment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Does that mean that we should drop this version of the
VTAC 1-5 drill from our training curriculum? <i>Absolutely not! </i>It simply means
that trainers/operators/practitioners should understand that when they practice
the drill in this manner, they are training the optimization of aspects such as
weapon “weld”, traversing from target to target, manipulation of the trigger,
etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is incumbent upon trainers and leaders to develop
utility in their training drills that are consistent with their application
environments. These “higher utility/application
oriented” drill variants should be added into the curriculum.
<i>The variants should include the physical skills performance expectations
that we seek during application</i>: for instance, if we expect the shooter’s finger
to be out of the trigger during movement from one target to the next, we have
to incorporate that into the drill’s “language/expectations”. If we expect a follow through sight picture
on targets that have been engaged, we likewise have to set that into the drill’s
“language/expectations”.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In this final video, we look at a "utility/application
oriented" variation of the VTAC 1-5 drill.
In this version, some of the individual skills being trained include
finger off the trigger while traversing from target to target, follow through
sight picture prior to traversing from target to target, and a speed load
during the drill execution (intentionally set up by using a partially filled
magazine). Since we wanted to
incorporate the rifle reload skill, we set the drill distance up along the
method described in the previous video by Travis Haley. This is because of the tactical preference to reload the rifle
at longer distances while tending to transition to the pistol at closer
distances. Even under 10 seconds total
time, the trigger manipulation in the drill is less than optimal when compared to the base drill. So while this variation builds utility, for a shooter to improve trigger manipulation skills, the original VTAC
1-5 drill should be used. So here we see two inherent opposite methods needed to train two necessary skills for the operational environment: optimal trigger manipulation when engaging and finger off the trigger when traversing, as examples.<o:p></o:p></div>
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By constantly returning to the basic drills,
extrapolating the current needs of the operational environment, and
incorporating them into utility-oriented drills, we build a feedback loop that
deepens our understanding and continually builds our skills. <br />
<br />
Read more about<a href="http://themidwestacademy.blogspot.com/2013/01/high-utility-firearm-combatives-skill.html" target="_blank"> building utility</a>.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-17729842271569016042014-05-31T16:51:00.000-07:002014-06-03T18:27:22.728-07:00Emotional Resilience & Mental Toughness<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbV4CjR_R-nZQiH4IQd1DJdPi2JF8DX9h_sR1NOc-KJMNTKQQkCAo0rK5iSZkTmOORfffT6DD_Y9tHkg0GhRGGBNuQUl6mx_mhAHMK9hYa40DsBdBZ9h0Od2t8hucuWKc-Uv_RS2U2OA/s1600/Fall+7,+Rise+8+JPEG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbV4CjR_R-nZQiH4IQd1DJdPi2JF8DX9h_sR1NOc-KJMNTKQQkCAo0rK5iSZkTmOORfffT6DD_Y9tHkg0GhRGGBNuQUl6mx_mhAHMK9hYa40DsBdBZ9h0Od2t8hucuWKc-Uv_RS2U2OA/s1600/Fall+7,+Rise+8+JPEG.jpg" height="97" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">"Nana korobi ya oki" (Fall seven times, rise eight).</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In the nearly three decades that I have been a student
of the Warrior’s Path, I have had the opportunity to explore various
disciplines of Warrior training: as a combat veteran of the United States Army, as a member of law
enforcement’s elite special operations teams, and –at a core level – as a life
time martial arts student, practitioner, and teacher.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Warrior training has many tangible and obvious value
adding benefits that relate to self-defense, physical health/fitness, mental
acuity, etc. However, these are what
may be described as the “surface level” benefits of the discipline. While the training must be focused on these obvious aspects, much of the deeper value is hidden from the uninitiated eye. </div>
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The reality is that most student's of Warrior training, even most soldiers, will
never actually see "combat". Most law
enforcement special operations team members will never be in direct action
operations. And most martial arts
practitioners will never have to call upon their skills to defend
themselves. As a real-world illustration
of this point, our dojo, the <a href="http://www.themidwestacademy.com/" target="_blank">Midwest Academy</a>, is located in the greater metropolitan area of
Chicago, Illinois. 2012 FBI Crime
statistics show that the city alone logged 12,272 aggravated assaults (instances of people <i>trying</i> to kill someone) and 500
homicides (instances where people succeeded in killing someone). Despite these staggering
statistics which earned Chicago the moniker of “<i>murder capital of the nation</i>”, when
expressed as a percentage of the total population of the Chicago area, the
homicide rate is about 7.1%. That reinforces the idea that the significant
majority of the population, over 90%, will never be directly affected by violence. Since most people intuitively know that to be true, the obvious question becomes why one would expend the time and effort required of Warrior training.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Are there significant tangible <i><b>value adding</b></i> benefits that an individual develops through Warrior training <i>other</i> than personal protection? I certainly believe so. In fact, the privilege of assisting others in
developing these less obvious benefits of Warrior training was a critical
influencing factor leading to the inception of the <a href="http://www.themidwestacademy.com/" target="_blank">Academy</a>.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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This article briefly touches on what, I
believe, are two of the most valuable personal attributes that Warrior training develops in those who integrate the training into their lives. Those attributes can be described collectively
as <b><i>emotional resilience</i></b> and<b><i> mental toughness</i></b>.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Inferences to the tenacity developed by fostering
emotional resilience and mental toughness can be traced to Judeo-Christian
writings in the Old Testament of the Bible which states, “For the just man
falleth seven times, and rises again” (Proverbs 24:16, King James Bible); to
the teachings of Bodhidharma, founder of Buddhism, who taught followers to, “Fall
seven times, rise eight times” (Bodhidharma); and are even described in the modern
warrior ethos of our US Special Operations Forces when they commit that, “If
knocked down, I will get back up, every time” (Navy SEAL ethos). The point here is that we, as humans, learned a long time ago that emotional resilience and mental toughness were high value attributes to have/develop; and we know that they still are today.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While the Warrior’s Path <i>requires</i> us to be committed to
the development of solutions to life and death problems, the “test” for most on the Path does not appear on the battlefield, but rather presents itself through
the various challenges and hardships of life – the loss of one’s health, the loss of one's job, the
illness of a loved one, the constraints of time, money, energy and the effects on
one’s goals and life direction are but a few examples. Less emotionally resilient individuals, quite often, fall
into cycles of anger, hopelessness, and despair when facing these challenges. Many individuals lose momentum and give up hope for a better future, dreams of success, and direction for a better
life; instead they live a quality of life that is in proportion with their commitment
to “getting back up”. While getting knocked
down is less than enjoyable, "staying down" is commensurate with living in fear, with failure as a companion, and drowning in a sense of defeat. Staying down does
not require<b><i> courage</i></b> or<b><i> faith</i></b>; getting back up requires both. In short, while staying down is unpleasant, for the individual who has not developed emotional resilience and mental toughness, it is easier than getting back up and getting back to the challenge with a "can-do" attitude!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Emotional resilience and mental toughness, developed through Warrior training, allow an individual to “embrace the suck”; to get up, to lean back into the challenge
with either a more refined strategy for success, or with the sheer force of
determination to push through, or – more often – a combination of both. The attributes of emotional resilience and
mental toughness are not intellectual. They are visceral. They are a glint in the eye, a feeling in the gut. An individual cannot “pump up their psyche” in an sustainable way. Emotional resilience and mental toughness are attributes
that are similar to strength, flexibility, or endurance – qualities built slowly and purposely over the
course of time. Good Warrior training programs
have a level of emotional and mental challenge designed to push the
practitioner outside of his/her comfort zone; to challenge them to
push through discouragement, fatigue, boredom, etc. The deliberate adversity designed into Warrior training<i><b> is</b></i> the “work load” though which the “muscles” of emotional resilience
and mental toughness are developed. It is the
grounds upon which the trainee/student learns to exercise their courage and faith - the prerequisites for forging emotional resilience and mental toughness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The actual formula for developing these attributes is
quite simple. Get started (in a high
quality program). Lean into the
challenge. Embrace the suck. If/when knocked down, get back up, every time. And take quitting off the table of options.<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Nana korobi ya oki" (Fall seven times,
rise eight).<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-87883400686982501412014-05-04T16:47:00.002-07:002014-06-01T05:50:47.583-07:00No Contract Training<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><i>No Contract Training</i></b> is just one of the unique
characteristics of the Midwest Academy experience. Many people who visit a martial arts school or
gym to get information or to try out a training session spend much of their
time being bombarded by a “sales pitch” from the business’ staff.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While it is naïve to miss the fact that martial arts
schools and gyms need to make a profit in order to keep operating, you also shouldn’t
ignore that the reason most schools and gyms encourage a student to sign up for
programs such as 3, 6, 12, & 24 months, for
example, is because they know that the average student/trainee will lose
interest in a just few weeks’ time. The <i>training
contract</i> is there to ensure future cash-flow for the business (this is the same
business model that most health clubs operate on).<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the Midwest Academy, we have a different approach to
student selection and retention. We
screen and assess our prospective students during their initial conversations
and visits with us; we admit those who pass screening as<b> probationary students</b>
(probationary students<i> train tuition-free </i>as our guests) for a short period of
time until such time as an assigned mentor recommends them for<b> regular student</b> status
(recommendations for<b> regular student</b> status are made on a combination of
attitude, attendance, and demonstrated skill progress). At that time they are
given the option to take on<b> regular student</b> status at the Academy. In our experience, this selection process
eliminates the need for training contracts by ensuring a best-fit approach between students and the Academy.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>No contract training</b> means that students with poor
attitudes (which we rarely encounter due to our selection process) or students
failing to perform (again, another rarity since all Academy students are highly
self-motivated) can be removed from the Academy Student Roster at any time for
cause. Additionally, a student can opt
to stop training at any time of their choosing (<i>students who drop on request may
return, however, they must reapply through the Academy’s screening process</i>).<o:p></o:p></div>
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By operating the Midwest Academy in this manner, we
maintain our focus exclusively on the <i>quality of training that we provide</i> as
opposed to writing student training contracts, tracking contract renewals, etc…less
time in the office and more time on the training floor is value adding for
Academy students. Our confidence in the
Academy is confirmed by the near zero lack-of-interest-related-attrition rate at
the Academy (that means almost no one has ever quit because they just aren’t
into training anymore) – Academy students can leave if ever their interest
wanes,<b><i> but they don’t </i></b>because their interest doesn’t. And you won’t want to quit due to boredom,
stagnation, or a general lack of direction in your training either at the Midwest
Academy!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Contact us for more information at
<i><u><a href="http://www.themidwestacademy.com/">www.TheMidwestAcademy.com</a></u></i> <o:p></o:p></div>
David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-20756853040981128312014-01-26T15:05:00.000-08:002014-01-26T15:50:23.029-08:00The Truth About "Self-Defense" Workshops…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1e2sAz2g9g-MsCcXIq35s21EdUx-Yosv_DW6RV3ANZrOeswy1-zJpQyoQBmeDuIW2U3QgoLncNYrfpyR5M2eIKJuiYrEGFaTDY6eIOOPAIe3GRz6lUUAZb8v4FoFaQLXA9HdqPs0Fcyc/s1600/YPAC+SD+Workshop+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1e2sAz2g9g-MsCcXIq35s21EdUx-Yosv_DW6RV3ANZrOeswy1-zJpQyoQBmeDuIW2U3QgoLncNYrfpyR5M2eIKJuiYrEGFaTDY6eIOOPAIe3GRz6lUUAZb8v4FoFaQLXA9HdqPs0Fcyc/s1600/YPAC+SD+Workshop+5.jpg" height="197" width="200" /></a></div>
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I have been training people in physical skills since I was
15 years old – at the time of this writing, that’s 25 years of teaching experience. Some of the people whom I am privileged to teach are professionals who require physical skills as part of their
profession – military and/or law enforcement personnel generally. Others are physical skills/martial arts
students who have a <a href="http://themidwestacademy.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-professional-approach.html" target="_blank">professional approach</a> towards their own training.</div>
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This month, The Midwest Academy provided a 120 minute “Women’s
Self-Defense Workshop” at a fundraising event; we wish to pass along some of the general
lessons learned from that workshop. While conducting research into current “Women’s Self-Defense workshops”, we looked at many of the already existing training platforms and discovered they generally had the following aspects in
common:</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They advocate that a woman strike an assailant’s
“eyes, throat, & groin”;</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They advocate the use of elbows, knees, &
head butting; and</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">They presume a single male attacker as the only assailant.</span></li>
</ul>
In order to validate the workshop training, many of these programs dress the mock assailant in a padded suit and basically allow him one attack after which time he remains stationary and the student uses him as a “punching bag”. A significant number of these programs also have some "gimmick" that the course is based upon - for example, the 'high heeled shoe' as a weapon.<br />
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This is excellent <i>marketing</i> in that it allows people to
leave with a sense that they have some solutions with which to defend
themselves, but <i>is that really the case?</i> From an anatomical perspective, while these are "soft targets", the “eyes, throat, & groin” are the
<i>most instinctively & reflexively guarded parts of the human anatomy</i>. In addition, in order to directly strike these targets, the defender places herself directly in front of the attacker - a position that the
Academy refers to as “work-space to work-space alignment” – in this alignment,
the defender has no advantages and the position is most favorable to the
larger, stronger, & more aggressive person.
In addition, <i>the defender’s eyes, throat, & groin are as equally vulnerable
as the attacker’s</i>. Finally, as if that’s
not enough, the strategy advocated by these programs requires the defender
to be at a distance close enough to perform an elbow strike, knee strike, or head
butt (which, if incorrectly performed, can cause the defender to lose consciousness). And while those anatomical weapons are formidable by all accounts, even trained fighters do not stand and strike at that distance while in that position (work-space to work-space alignment). <i>The formulaic approach clearly has marketing advantages, however, it likewise lacks integrity with regard to the welfare of the student. </i></div>
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<b>The Truth…</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz24-O9oqeXkuUW1a46FOLw4lCOFIL-tKtvLle5Ci5aWzoUakvYAgYBW6SslC5GUnq57pTa7Xgg6YlP76P8WDQsh9NSpxGLkoAsNTkRQHbWDOfYTtlmahhMz8nsTlwSTalKHAu1ePv1LE/s1600/YPAC+SD+Workshop+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz24-O9oqeXkuUW1a46FOLw4lCOFIL-tKtvLle5Ci5aWzoUakvYAgYBW6SslC5GUnq57pTa7Xgg6YlP76P8WDQsh9NSpxGLkoAsNTkRQHbWDOfYTtlmahhMz8nsTlwSTalKHAu1ePv1LE/s1600/YPAC+SD+Workshop+4.JPG" height="175" width="200" /></a></div>
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Almost all of our attendees were likely surprised during the workshop
introduction where we simply stated that <i>they would not leave the workshop with
any applicable skills</i>. This is not a
reflection on our curriculum, teaching ability, nor any such factor – <i>the statement is based on an understanding of how humans create utility with regard to physical skills </i>– utility is the ability of the skill performer to effectively perform the
skill in the environment and under the conditions for which the skill is
designed. Utility is the process of
moving from a knowledge set – <i>knowing what to do given a set of stimuli</i> – to a
skill set – <i><b>doing what you know given a set of stimuli</b></i>. It is often described as the path from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence - we have previously made the skill building analogy with how one learns to <a href="http://themidwestacademy.blogspot.com/2013/01/high-utility-firearm-combatives-skill.html" target="_blank">drive a car</a>. How long does that take? There are a number
of factors some of which include: the existing skills of the learner, the
complexity of the skill being learned, the methodology being used to teach the
skill, the frequency in which the skill is practiced, & the intensity of
the training. </div>
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The two points, however, to always keep in mind when learning a physical skill are:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">No physical skill can be internalized
(unconscious competence) in 2 hours, 2 weeks, 2 months, or probably even 2
years; and</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">There is a direct relationship between practice
and skill development – the more you practice (assuming correct practice), the
better you will get.</span></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Anyone that tells you otherwise is doing you a disservice.</o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisETGS4BaEGUyYGxpObHb-2urWFVSNvPsB1QRgEKFqzEJAxLxlhD8U6SHzPkKJC_gm8RYr8o6xUjz1Is11Up3QQJhpNARfofkLkhF6uWlW-ryLniTwt4czwRlnxUhyAfFzedAI9x1NXqM/s1600/YPAC+SD+Workshop+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisETGS4BaEGUyYGxpObHb-2urWFVSNvPsB1QRgEKFqzEJAxLxlhD8U6SHzPkKJC_gm8RYr8o6xUjz1Is11Up3QQJhpNARfofkLkhF6uWlW-ryLniTwt4czwRlnxUhyAfFzedAI9x1NXqM/s1600/YPAC+SD+Workshop+1.JPG" height="200" width="182" /></a>It is not the Academy's position that there is truly a difference between “men’s self defense” and “women’s self defense”; there may
be a case for beginning the training process at different points as, based on empirical
data, men & women tend to be attacked for different reasons/purposes and thus are attacked differently. Most attacks on
women are initiated with some type of control as most women are attacked by
attackers that wish to control them. Most attacks on men are initiated with some type of strike or weapon since the objective is to remove their ability to resist the attack. However, eventually, regardless of gender, a quality training program must address all categories of attacks.</div>
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Therefore during this workshop we focused on a principle
based solution that achieved the following objectives:</div>
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</div>
<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRfs3vgURalG5EwSrqTjaTQnsfIPi42bOU_duJeZEkgN79zLH-1iX4bce1dcYgV3zRfWE-CzPicIwJIPOzYi_bnKSvO6Upb8SCYdgmrHGAipyJ1HQDS3-UCkPCp_tiwEyHx4APlTol5s/s1600/YPAC+SD+Workshop+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRfs3vgURalG5EwSrqTjaTQnsfIPi42bOU_duJeZEkgN79zLH-1iX4bce1dcYgV3zRfWE-CzPicIwJIPOzYi_bnKSvO6Upb8SCYdgmrHGAipyJ1HQDS3-UCkPCp_tiwEyHx4APlTol5s/s1600/YPAC+SD+Workshop+3.JPG" height="200" width="141" /></a>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Moved the attackers control further away from
the attacker’s body core (thereby weakening him) and closer to the defender’s
body core (thereby creating a relative <b>leverage advantage</b> in favor of the defender);</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Forced the attacker to maintain the control with
“limb strength” while allowing the defender to release the control with “core
strength” (creating a relative <b>strength advantage</b> in favor of the defender);</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Moved the defender into a “flank” position on
the attacker making it more difficult for the attacker to continue attacking and easier for the defender to strike, control, or escape (creating both a relative
<b>position & speed advantage</b> for the defender).</span></li>
</ul>
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<o:p> We used a few variations of the same attack, but the above principles and movements are basic solutions to almost any control from any position.</o:p></div>
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</div>
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</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRvnQ_CGhD7OC-_9XcfepCRdkMoruenrYiK0P0S4rSyUYoNzmNg6Ny70Y25wO-ovUdRkW_G8xJVGTx_gtDJqEkawN1PXswCimEFDx4f1fqlX2eGHwldrEb5oo_xdlMxyR2zZogx1kEQY/s1600/YPAC+SD+Workshop+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRvnQ_CGhD7OC-_9XcfepCRdkMoruenrYiK0P0S4rSyUYoNzmNg6Ny70Y25wO-ovUdRkW_G8xJVGTx_gtDJqEkawN1PXswCimEFDx4f1fqlX2eGHwldrEb5oo_xdlMxyR2zZogx1kEQY/s1600/YPAC+SD+Workshop+2.JPG" height="200" width="146" /></a></div>
<br />
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A final thought on the 120 minute workshop was that by using a
<i>principle based approach,</i> students were leveraging Hick’s Law to their advantage. Hick’s Law states that the greater the number
of options, the greater the reaction time needed to employ any of them. Since students essentially learned one
principle, their reactions will eventually be very efficient. We say “eventually” since it still requires
practice to internalize the mechanics of this principle.</div>
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The Midwest Academy's goal in providing workshops is to educate the public on the role of awareness in personal protection. With regard to physical skills, it is our objective to provide a<i> realistic overview</i> of what a <i>usable skill set<b> is</b></i> as well as to provide the foundation to <i>recognize what utility-oriented training looks like</i>. </div>
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For information on this or other programs offered by
The Midwest Academy, please visit our <a href="http://www.themidwestacademy.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.</div>
</div>
David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-8074492618937169602014-01-04T23:06:00.000-08:002014-06-01T05:50:21.725-07:00Pad/Focus Mitt Drill Challenge – "Tactical" Striking <div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
In December 2012, I was one of a few expert guests on a
radio talk show discussing “<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8WDVDjh4Xk" target="_blank">tactical training</a>”.
The show’s host asked for a definition of “tactical training” (the show’s
topic related to firearms training specifically and thus the answer provided was in terms of firearm’s mechanics and application - however the concept applies
more generally to all types of armed and unarmed combat sciences); while the
answer I provided of applying the basics which were mastered in a ‘flat’
environment (without all the dynamics of the environment of application) in the
‘application’ environment may not have understood by the show’s host, it was
agreed upon my fellow guest “tactical firearm’s training” experts. I found myself at a slight loss as to why the show's host, the president of a firearms training company himself, did not understand what, to me, was a simple response - however as I thought more about it, I began to realize that fundamentals practiced outside the "application environment" are conducive for repetition, but not for building problem solving skills. I also realized that most training is repetition oriented, but not problem solving in nature - so even long standing experts may not have a good understanding of problem solving if all they have focused their training core on is repetitions. And ultimately "tactics" are about problem solving tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving problem sets.</div>
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<br /></div>
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For the past several years, the Midwest Academy has taken
our TAB (Tactically Applied Basics) Module on the road to various training
venues – the training gap that the program addresses is simple, but extremely
relevant to the “application environment” and thus what makes it a “tactical”
program. That said, before we present you with
our challenge to add to your training regimen, let us offer you a succinct look
at the “why’s” involved:</div>
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<br /></div>
<u></u><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><u>"The Why's"</u></u></div>
<u>
</u><br />
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<br /></div>
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Most combatives (armed, unarmed, & even
firearm-based) are taught in straight line relationships. Some of the reasons for that are:</div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">It is easy to manage a group of students when
everyone is lined up the same way; </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">It also allows for a safe training
environment; and </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">It maximizes a training space. </span> </li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
These straight line relationships are what we at the
Midwest Academy define as “0% basics” – they are flat – there are no
deviation dynamics such as lateral movement, elevation changes, changes in
distance, etc., between the threat and
the defender. The practice of “0% basics”
is useful for the development and refining of mechanics that are fundamental to
whatever specific combative technique one is studying. For example, in a fistic strike, the
fundamentals likely should include the shift of the weight forward and down
combined with the alignment of the hip, shoulder, elbow, and weapon surface to
the target’s contact point. For a
firearm, fundamental practice may include establishing a natural point of
aim, proper grip, proper sight alignment, and correct trigger press. Both of these examples are the combat science
equivalent of learning to drive in the store parking lot after the store has
closed and everyone has gone home. It is
a needed building block that facilitates fundamental skill development, however
until one takes the vehicle to the “application environment”, the skills needed
for driving on a highway with merging and lane changing remains an elusive theory.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqragJk6W1jzXVr_w9Pz_0EhSR1WGO9yjS0ZadY1DmoA5xOKzTZG0CGpdXHahjuz8h8zjSYocjdg24E6mKPsUMMJiBj76jd4zpXWS5wur_bOh7Wk3O_d_yNKa5BReofj5WB9F4XFGnJrA/s1600/Fighter+J-Peg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqragJk6W1jzXVr_w9Pz_0EhSR1WGO9yjS0ZadY1DmoA5xOKzTZG0CGpdXHahjuz8h8zjSYocjdg24E6mKPsUMMJiBj76jd4zpXWS5wur_bOh7Wk3O_d_yNKa5BReofj5WB9F4XFGnJrA/s320/Fighter+J-Peg.jpg" height="131" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"0% Basics" or 'flat' fundamentals</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The TAB module draws from the teaching perspectives of the MOUT
(Military Operations on Urban Terrain) and SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) environments,
both of which initially focus on understanding the geometric angles
created by various doorways, room designs, building architecture, etc, and using that knowledge as a force multiplier in the action-reaction model (OODA Loop); in the case of the TAB Module, it is applied to the “tool kit” of the unarmed combatant (the base layer of the layered offense theory below). </div>
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This approach is dovetailed from the <b>layered
offense</b> training theory advocated by <a href="http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/" target="_blank">CSAT</a> Founder and SOFD/D (“Delta Force”) MSG
Paul Howe (ret) which I first learned as a young soldier and later refined under MSG
Howe’s instruction; the<i> layered offense training theory states that the system
of fighting with a rifle, pistol, edged/impact weapon, or empty hand should be
fairly uniform such that transitions in either direction are seamless,
adjustments from force option to force option are minimal, and training
for each force option is complimentary to the others</i>. Using this as the base development
perspective for the presentation of the TAB Module allowed myself and the other
Midwest Academy instructors to leverage our military and law enforcement special
operations backgrounds not to “bring Special Ops to the training floor”, but
rather to take the “<b>training floor into the application environment</b>”. The rationale for developing the TAB Module is based on our collective experience which confirms that the action-reaction model, which integrates distance, angle, initiative,
etc, works against the defender unless the defender learns how to maximize the
geometry of the urban environment.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bslSxgIQ4IUAcQZYqkcY9YR0dmULWx8sUG6XDWDvmG-URo4o7b8MxoaR6KsB9QR8Xb-uloH77WROZCNndTtf6n4xlIxiwGm3_HmCxzhhs9BYh253RtjAePc6ZvjzlvTAqRw8jtBJEBo/s1600/HASD+Seminar+Instruction+Pic+w+Immediate+Threat+Area+marked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bslSxgIQ4IUAcQZYqkcY9YR0dmULWx8sUG6XDWDvmG-URo4o7b8MxoaR6KsB9QR8Xb-uloH77WROZCNndTtf6n4xlIxiwGm3_HmCxzhhs9BYh253RtjAePc6ZvjzlvTAqRw8jtBJEBo/s320/HASD+Seminar+Instruction+Pic+w+Immediate+Threat+Area+marked.JPG" height="313" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A"corner fed doorway" - the black ring that has been added shows the area that the waiting attacker can immediately control placing the defender at reactive disadvantage if he does not understand how to maximize geometric angles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p> </o:p>This topic is both too broad and too deep to present in
this type of a format, however, if you have read this far, I think you get the
point of the “why’s”, so on to the “how’s”:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<u>"The How's"</u></div>
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<br /></div>
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Being introduced to the geometry of the application
environment removes some of the “neatness” associated traditional “0% basics”
in the “flat” environment. As combat
athletes, we normally train these basics on a fixed position target (such as a
heavy bag) or with a partner (such as with pad drills); in either case, we know
we are performing the basic, so we tend to pre-align in a manner that puts us “center
on” the target. Once you have a solid
understanding of your basics at this level (we suggest at least conscious competence), we encourage you to take the
following challenge:</div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGJ2p2fAu2t8Th_Z3uSqaknGpmmkjh5_2mhbqqbknPljx0rVxnvN-f5bMAxozzh5O0LjZR0-8HaaLnHzAMX9WtKT3lAV0yxW5jy07HICUKHphISLB6Cfw90Pd7kpsXmj0LpthWkiQIcM/s1600/Fighter+angling+J-Peg_crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGJ2p2fAu2t8Th_Z3uSqaknGpmmkjh5_2mhbqqbknPljx0rVxnvN-f5bMAxozzh5O0LjZR0-8HaaLnHzAMX9WtKT3lAV0yxW5jy07HICUKHphISLB6Cfw90Pd7kpsXmj0LpthWkiQIcM/s320/Fighter+angling+J-Peg_crop.JPG" height="173" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Instead of beginning “center on” your target, place the
target where you would have moved to evade the basic you are working on (see above diagram). In general, the targets would be outside the
left and right planes of your shoulders.
From here you will find that many of you will get tuned into the skill
set of smoothly shifting weight since you are required to initiate lateral
movement to put yourself “center on” the target prior to executing your basic. There are two basic methods of shifting and stepping
that you will learn by doing these “5% adjustments”:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Method 1 – the target is on the outside of the
direction of rotation of the lead leg (for example, defender is left foot lead
and the target is to the outside of the defenders left shoulder) – the defender
will need to un-weight the lead leg, move it laterally to the outside (and
forward if distance requires) with the rear leg moving laterally to the inside;
or</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Method 2 – the target is on the inside of the
direction of rotation of the lead leg (for example, defender is left foot
forward and the target is to the outside of the defenders right shoulder) – the
defender will need to un-weight the rear leg, move it laterally to the outside (and
forward if distance requires) with the lead leg moving laterally to the inside.</span> </li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Writing is not always conducive to describing human
motion, however, students at the Midwest Academy and other students that have
been introduced to the TAB Module incorporate these types of “fundamental”
evolutions to their practice with results that increase their agility,
adaptability, and the ultimate utility of their skill sets. If you train simply to "get in shape" with no regard for the application of combatives, the added lateral movement will give you a level of conditioning that few other training drills can provide. Finally, the understanding you gain by doing these drills will also decrease training/application injuries and increase the sustainability of your training by reducing "over extension" and working "outside your work-space" inefficiencies. </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We invite you to add these drills to your practice and let us know what you think. If you have any questions on how to
incorporate this into your own training or wish to learn more about ours, please contact us
at (630) 836-3600 or through our <a href="http://www.themidwestacademy.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.</div>
David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-28006518916847731122013-12-31T13:00:00.000-08:002013-12-31T13:00:45.183-08:00A New Years Message for 2014<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There is something about this time of the year that,
culturally, gives us pause for reflection on the year(s) past. For most, we make resolutions about how we
will live our lives going forward – what "new" decisions we will make and what "new" actions we will
take – in the New Year. As 2013 draws to
a close, most in our culture participate in this ritual.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Ironically, studies show that the majority of
people, by week 8 of the New Year, have given up in their efforts to lose weight, exercise, stop smoking, manage money, reduce debt, etc. Some have repeated this process so often
without success that they enter it expecting to fail - or, even worse, have stopped trying
to improve themselves altogether…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwVCRXAZOqqvzwZeL-CoHM5p9eD-07orAxSKk8ceHXkr_bKsmYnPDvUGsmlf_ixcXruuo4AA9P69I3H9nTTIgUp2zoYm67fPesjrBMV6Uxag5cwuJPMVR22nZ7WLEUmRi9C-jSCuJh3g/s1600/Hip+Throw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwVCRXAZOqqvzwZeL-CoHM5p9eD-07orAxSKk8ceHXkr_bKsmYnPDvUGsmlf_ixcXruuo4AA9P69I3H9nTTIgUp2zoYm67fPesjrBMV6Uxag5cwuJPMVR22nZ7WLEUmRi9C-jSCuJh3g/s200/Hip+Throw.JPG" width="160" /></a>In my role as a teacher at the <a href="http://www.themidwestacademy.com/" target="_blank">Midwest Academy</a>, I
sometimes humbly assist in mentoring students with changes they wish to make in various areas of their lives that are separate from the training floor. However, the lessons from training always become force multipliers in their personal success. As such, I often use the analogy of performing a throwing technique when solicited for guidance: When teaching classes on <i>nage</i> (“throws”), beginning level
students tend to see the initial-contact between <i>tori</i> (the one that performs
the “technique”) and <i>uke</i> (the one that receives the “technique”), and then see
the end-contact point when the throw is completed. <b><i>What transpires in between the 'initial-contact' and 'end-contact' is what requires
study, training, and practice.</i></b> <b><i>It is
elusive to their eyes primarily because all of the facets of success are not yet
understood by their mind</i></b> – as a result, beginners tend to “impose” their “will”
through the process of doing “too much”.
Too much strength. Too much
movement. Too much of effort. At times
they may be successful in producing the desired outcome (the throw) through the
incorrect process (too much strength, movement, effort, etc), but it is, ultimately, the proverbial
attempt to “put a square peg into a round hole” – it is <i>inefficient</i> and
therefore <i>unsustainable</i>. </div>
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Since we have had so much success using this analogy to mentor ourselves and others, and since it is the traditional time of the year when so many people make resolutions, we are sharing our thoughts here in hopes of facilitating someone's future success. The concept of <i>tsukuri</i> is particular to martial arts generally, and those that include throws within their curriculum specifically. The concept includes the creation of
space/spatial-distance which your training partner/opponent is forced to fill with their movement as a consequence of the limitations of human kinesiology and movement laws. Since <i>tsukuri</i> is <b><i>purposefully created</i></b>,
the filling of that space provides a <b><i>predictable opportunity</i></b> to gain an <b><i>advantage through synergy</i></b>; an opportunity that <i>tori</i> can exploit. We say that this
opportunity has synergy since it is the result of the <b><i>combined</i></b> movements of
<i>tori</i> and <i>uki</i> in contrast to forces working antagonistically. <i>Tsukuri </i>allows for the technique to be both
effective and efficient – it becomes a sustainable skill in that, when
correctly performed, works <i>all the time</i> and <i>every time</i> in a repeatable and
predictable manner.</div>
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One of the benefits of long term martial arts training is
that concepts such as <i>tsukuri</i> become intuitive to the practitioner. Skilled exponents of the arts, without being
conscious of it, extrapolate concepts such as <i>tsukuri </i>into all aspects of their
“regular life”. Oftentimes these internalized concepts influence their decision making process in ways that are difficult for them to articulate to the uninitiated, but nonetheless contribute to the soundness and success of their decisions and actions. For them effectiveness
must be married with efficiency - and the result is a sustainable and repeatable solution
or process.</div>
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Returning again to thoughts of the New Year, the staff at
the Midwest Academy offers this discussion from the perspective of our own life, training,
and teaching experiences. Our staff and students are encouraged to continually seek out opportunities for personal growth and to make quality of life changes that are good for themselves, good for others, and serve the greater good. In order to operate at that level, each of us is required to do the following: look for <i>tsukuri</i> –
focus on what you will gain by the new decisions and actions such that the “space”
for the old decisions and actions is removed.
If your resolution requires an investment of time, look at the totality
of your time to determine where you can create efficiencies in order to create <i>tsukuri</i> – a space
of time – for you to invest into your new decisions and actions. Focus on how the old decisions and actions
are holding you back and how the new decisions and actions will empower you - those dual focus points will go a long way to creating both synergy and personal momentum. </div>
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Finally remember that success is predicated on recovering from and learning from numerous previous failures – every time we perform a repetition of a given technique, there is
something we can learn from it that will help us in the next repetition. As long as we keep working at it with an eye
towards both efficiency and effectiveness, we will continue to improve in a way
that is sustainable. The advent of the New Year is a
great reason to make new decisions and take new actions, however, if you are not
immediately successful, <b><i>get right back at it; do not wait</i></b> for the next New
Year, next month, next week, next day, or even next minute! If you make that alone part of your core values, you cannot fail. It is what makes great teachers. It makes great technicians. It
creates good health. It creates
financial abundance. It is the cornerstone of an approach that improves the total quality
of one’s life.</div>
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“Some who has mastered an art reveals it in their every
action.” –Hagakure –</div>
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Happy New Year! May you be unstoppable in 2014!</div>
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- The Academy Staff - </div>
David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-18643425362668674242013-12-30T16:28:00.000-08:002013-12-30T16:29:32.043-08:002014: "Next Steps" Firearms Training at the Midwest Academy<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>2013 Midwest Academy Firearms Program in Review</b></div>
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In 2013, the Academy began teaching its CSAT (Combat
Shooting & Tactics) based firearms program to qualified civilians. CSAT is a system developed by retired Army
Special Operations Force/DELTA MSG Paul Howe who served as a team leader and
trainer in the Army’s most elite units; Paul is now heads CSAT, his own
training company. CSAT can be researched <a href="http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. For over a decade, David Hakim, a law
enforcement Special Operations Team Leader and Trainer to multiple teams and also the Academy’s Director, has been teaching this system to Law Enforcement
Special Operations Teams. </div>
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The Academy’s firearms training exceeded student's expectations by emphasizing the fundamentals of shooting (pistol, rifle, or both)
and applying these fundamentals tactically.
The student roster was diverse – men and women, some of whom had little
experience to current and veteran law enforcement and military special
operations personnel. A number of
students repeated the course for the experience and drill repetitions.<br />
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In Illinois, as we enter 2014, the state’s Concealed
Carry Weapons (CCW) program takes its first steps forward. The Academy is a strong supporter of the
Second Amendment and the responsible armed citizen. That said we have opted to stay out of the
CCW training environment for the following primary reason:</div>
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<i>Integrity</i> – all of the programs at the Academy are taught
by instructors who have high levels of personal and professional integrity combined
with skills that are rooted both in extensive experience and training. <b style="font-style: italic;">We have chosen not to lower our standards to that of the state's qualification: </b>of the 16 hours of CCW training required by
the state, the actual skill set of “shooting” consists of 30 rounds fired of
which only 21 have to be “hits”. Since
the shooting portion is un-timed, if it even took as much as 1 minute to fire
each round, the 30 minute range portion would still only be 3.125% of the total
training hours. The accuracy required under un-timed, non-stressful shooting is only
70% to quality. The remainder of the state mandated hours includes instruction
on topics such as liability, use of force, transportation of firearms in “gun
free zone”, and the like topics. <br />
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As the Director of the Academy’s Firearms Program, while
I do have an experience base that includes roots as a military combat veteran
and a veteran law enforcement special operations team leader; while my daily
experience includes carrying a weapon everyday for approximately two decades, it is
outside my experience base to opine on the ambiguities and statutory
contradictions contained within the current Illinois Public Act 098-0063 (Conceal
Carry Statute). Furthermore it is not in
the long term interest of the Academy's students to train to the sub-par standard of the state's program; we believe without additional training and dedicated practice, this standard will be counterproductive in the gravest extreme (see our previous article discussing <a href="http://themidwestacademy.blogspot.com/2013/01/high-utility-firearm-combatives-skill.html" target="_blank">High Utility Combatives</a>).</div>
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<i>We have, however, chosen to remain in our area of
expertise</i> – in this case the tactical application of firearms – <i>which we know at
a deeper level, and teach, using a superior-results-oriented method,</i> than any
other locally available teaching group (particularly those groups attempting to
be all things to all people). By continuing to focus on developing the optimal skill sets for our students, we believe that we can address the utility gaps inherent in the state's training standards as well as those created by opportunistic instructors that view the CCW training as another "money grabbing" opportunity.</div>
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The Academy encourages citizens of Illinois to seek out
and obtain their CCW certification/license, however, cautions to be wary of
instructors who stake their claims solely on NRA certifications,
reserve/auxiliary law enforcement credentials (even many active law enforcement
officers elect not to carry a weapon off duty and, thereby bring into question
the integrity of their “experience” on the matter), credentials that state that
they train law enforcement and/or military personnel, and anyone that
politicizes self-defense training related to CCW (enough said on that
sub-point). We offer the following
article as a guideline for finding an instructor: <a href="http://blog.wilsoncombat.com/ar-style-rifles/reality-check-with-paul-howe/" target="_blank">Finding Qualified Instructors</a></div>
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<b>2014 Midwest Academy Firearms Program Preview</b></div>
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In 2014, the Academy will continue to offer our CSAT TPO (Tactical Pistol Operator - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvN9nox4-GU&noredirect=1" target="_blank">Video Drill Demo</a>) and TRO (Tactical Rifle Operator) courses determined by logistics, but will also introduce a tactical firearms
program that meets bi-monthly at the Academy and is designed to be a <i>“next
steps”</i> program. It is the “next step” to
take after qualifying for a CCW license and, in the Academy’s tradition,
solicits the serious student of the firearm as opposed to “wanna-be’s with a
gun license”. The real world experience
that Academy instructors’ possess continually hones our curriculum and is
without peer in the region. However when
combined with the bi-monthly format of the training - training which includes quality
repetition, in-depth tactical study, and regular high-frequency practice
sessions - produces unparalleled tactical competency.<br />
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Some of the topics covered include: the best carry
methods for a CCW lifestyle, the most efficient and effective methods for
presenting and employing a firearm, weapon ready postures, tactical scanning
methods, tactical decision making, movement with a weapon, the effective use of
cover and concealment, tactical geometric angles, immediate “tactical casualty
care” (for yourself or another), identification to law enforcement, and case
study analysis on significant shooting incidents. All of the Academy’s firearms courses are
based on the CSAT methodology and, as such, the principles are conducive to both
on (live fire) and off (dry fire) range practice sessions. Like all Academy programs, the “next step”
firearms program is both cost and time effective. It requires, however, an
investment of effort and attention on the part of the students. </div>
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Qualified students will possess a valid Illinois FOID and
an Illinois CCW, or another state’s equivalent, or be Academy students screened
through our in-house process. All
Academy students, firearms students included, must possess a positive can-do
attitude and be dedicated to improvement. </div>
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For more information or to apply for training to the
Academy, please contact us at either (630) 836-3600 or <a href="http://www.themidwestacademy.com/" target="_blank">Visit Our Website</a>.</div>
David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-53828462971823933422013-01-01T22:14:00.002-08:002013-01-01T22:15:34.687-08:00"High Utility" Firearm & Combatives Skill Development<h2 style="text-align: center;">
“High Utility” Firearm & Combatives Skill Development</h2>
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<em>(Qualification Processes versus Holistic Skill Development Systems)</em></div>
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This article is the result of many conversations that I have had with people following a recent 2012 court decision by the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The court returned a finding that Illinois’ statewide ban on concealed carry (of a firearm) was unconstitutional. The court’s interpretation of the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution, with regard to this case, is that American citizens have the right to keep and bear a firearm inside as well as outside the home for purpose of self-defense. Judge Richard Posner is quoted as stating, “A Chicagoan is a good deal more likely to be attacked on a sidewalk in a rough neighborhood than in his apartment on the 35th floor of the Park Tower”. Illinois was given roughly 180 days to develop some provision for their citizens to now legally exercise this Constitutional right.<br />
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Numerous individuals and organizations contacted me following the court’s decision to discuss various topics related to CCW (the concealed carry of a firearm); conversations varied from simple inquiries as to licensing availability through the Midwest Academy, to more complex concerns such as the depth and quality of any yet-to-be-developed state curriculum. Most of these individuals and organizations that contacted the Academy/me did so due to the experience base here: few organizations are able to speak professionally from the perspective of military and law enforcement special operations veterans that have been an operators, leaders, and trainers in those venues. Of the few individuals that fall into this category, few also have nearly two decades of daily conceal carry, plain clothes interventions, and critical incident resolution experience. The preceding is not an attempt to impress the reader, but to <em>impress upon the reader</em> that the following is an experienced-based synopsis that has also been vetted in the “real-world”; it is not simply theory, conjecture, or opinion. What follows is a discussion addressing the five core components of “high utility” skill development as related to combatives: Skill Performance, Scanning & Decision Making, Tactical Integration, Medical Skills, and Combat Mindset.<br />
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<em>Skill Performance (Conscious vs. Unconscious Skill Competencies)</em><br />
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Training that licenses one to do something usually involves some process of qualification; however, in order to avoid the “minimum standards trap”, one must first examine if a “qualification” ensures that someone is “qualified” to perform the action in the venue of its likely application and under realistic conditions associated with the action’s utility. In other words, can a “qualification” incorporate the critical elements of the real world? The “minimum standards trap” is a recognition that many qualifications are designed, instead, to absolve an instructor/organization from potential liability. That is quite opposite to it functioning as a measurement of the degree of utility that an individual can apply a particular skill set with. In the field of combatives, regardless of the platform (rifle, pistol, impact tool, edged tool, or empty handed), the dynamics and variables involved defy the development of “unconscious competence” (for information on learning theory as applied to physical skill sets, see our previous 2010 article on <a href="http://themidwestacademy.blogspot.com/2010/01/as-outlined-to-in-last-article.html" target="_blank">Integrated Training</a> ) in an 8, 16, 32, or even 40 hour format. There is simply not enough time in those formats to perform enough correct repetitions, at an appropriate level of intensity, in order to build “unconscious competence”. Most “qualifications”, however, are structured around fixed time constraints such as those described. <br />
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In fact, it has been my experience in nearly 3 decades of combatives training, few people develop “unconscious competence” in physical skill sets due to the sheer time commitment required to perform the volume of repetitions needed. In addition, the magnitude of mental exertion required to perform each repetition correctly is beyond most exponent’s level of personal discipline; that is particularly true if they are “self-coached”. “Unconscious competence”, additionally, is not and end point; it is a continual process requiring regularly applied “maintenance repetitions” in order to keep the skill set from degrading or perishing altogether.<br />
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Does that mean that a skill that is not internalized at the level of “unconscious competence” cannot be used? Absolutely not. In fact most physical skill sets, in my experience, are employed at varying degrees of “conscious competence”. That means that some level of “thinking” through the “how” of some or all parts of “the action” occurs while executing the skill. What am I making that assertion on? Simply this: vivid analytical recollection of the specific mechanical aspects of a physical skill following its application indicate a conscious thought processes driving the skill set; hence the ability to recall it vividly. Conversely skills performed at a level of “unconscious competence” tend to leave only an intuitive sense that some parts of the skill set were applied. When combined with a practitioner’s knowledge of what mechanics “should have occurred”, that intuition is confirmed by the practitioner’s “general feeling/state of awareness” that the sequential mechanics did occur, but without specific recollection to “doing them” during the incident. Task specific action without cognition indicates that an “unconscious mind” is driving the skill set. As an analogy for the latter scenario, one can think of locking a door that one locks every day. Since the daily locking of the door is routine, it often occurs while thinking about something else. As a result, after a few minutes, one begins wondering if one locked the door or if the “memory” of locking the door was from a previous ‘repetition’ of locking that door. Since the locking of that door is habitual, most of the action is driven unconsciously thereby making conscious recollection of a particular ‘locking repetition’ difficult. <br />
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Let me offer a comparative analogy to help explain the above and demonstrate the “higher utility” that “unconscious competence” is capable of producing: think back for a moment to the earliest recollections that you have of driving an automobile. At that time, driving required all of your conscious energy. Even then the mechanics of the skill were not always smooth or correct as evidenced by the white knuckles and held breath on the part of your driving instructor (maybe on your own part as well). As you gained time (and repetitions) behind the wheel, complex aspects of driving become more familiar. For example, as a light turned from green to yellow to red, you applied the correct amount of pressure to the brake to gradually slow the vehicle in the appropriate amount of distance. By contrast, if some emergency that required stopping quickly presented itself, you applied the same braking action, but used different dynamics in order to effect deceleration in the distance dictated by the emergency. If you have been driving for any significant length of time, you may have had this experience at least once (or, maybe, more regularly): you drive a familiar route (such as between home and work, for example) and find yourself arriving at your destination without any significant recollection of the specifics of that particular trip. You may actually recall something else you were thinking about consciously, other than driving, during the trip: a phone conversation, planning for something you need to do, or evaluating something that happened, as examples. You may have no specific recollection applying the brake to stop at a given stop sign along the route, but if you press yourself to “remember”, having ‘practitioner’s knowledge’ that a given stop sign exists at a specific point in your route, you likely have in “intuitive recollection that is confirmed by general feeling/state of awareness” that you stopped for it. You would not, however, be able to mark on the pavement the specific spot where you began to apply brake pressure to decelerate the vehicle. That type of detail was outside your sphere of conscious awareness. One would say that a person driving at this level has “internalized” the mechanics of driving at a level of “unconscious competence”.<br />
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So what that all that mean? Driving at a level of “unconscious competence” does not mean that you are a “bad” or “distracted” driver. It means that, as a result of internalizing the mechanics of driving at a level of “unconscious competence”, the driving skill set has “high utility”. It has “high utility” in the sense that <em>the foundational mechanics can spontaneously produce correct action without conscious thought</em>. Take for example driving through an unfamiliar area while your conscious mind is focused on locating a specific address or street - suddenly a small child darts out between the front and rear bumpers of two cars parked on the side of the street that you are driving on. Without specific conscious thought directing the response, you adjust the speed and direction of your vehicle to either drive around the child, if he is close to the cars, or stop your vehicle, if he is more towards the street. This is not a “trained response” since you have never been down this street, under these lighting conditions, with these road conditions, etc., and practiced this evasive maneuver for these specific variables before. All those variables, as well as the totality of distance, speed, and directions were intuitively (without the conscious thought process) accounted for. The driving mechanics that exist at an “unconscious level” produced exactly the appropriate set of actions needed for this specific and dynamically occurring situation; the action co-developed with the situation as opposed to an “action-reaction” response. Therefore, since the action was co-developed, it developed spontaneously; the child did not reach an end point of movement that your mind then developed a response action to. As the child was moving, the driving inputs were being adjusted.<br />
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By comparison, newer drivers tend not to have their driving mechanics completely internalized. Thus, their driving skill set exists at some degree of “conscious competence”. Their skill set produces desired outcomes (safe driving) as long as the variables of a given condition do not change so dynamically that their conscious mind is not able to analyze the changes, identify the appropriate response, and translate the intellectualized response into the correct physical actions. When variables change too rapidly for the conscious mind adapt through analysis, we can correctly say that their OODA loop (the ‘Observe, Orient, Decide, Act’ model of perception, decision, and action) was compromised/overwhelmed. The data that was “Observed” and being “Oriented” to changed prior to a “Decision” being made (in a timely manner) and “Acted” on. To illustrate this, think of the ‘at fault’ driver following a car accident. This driver usually knows what could have been done to avoid the accident (such as slow down, speed up, turn, or some combination of those inputs) in retrospect, but in the moment, the driver was not able to create the process that would lead to the desired outcome (not having the accident). Does this mean that only inexperienced drivers have accidents? Again, not at all. However, insurance companies that profit through accurate risk analysis view less experienced drivers as being at greater risk of having an accident as compared to more experienced drivers. As a result, they charge greater premiums to offset the increased risk.<br />
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If both experienced and inexperienced drivers have passed the same “qualification” standards to drive, why would a statistical risk analysis differentiate the two groups? The less experienced driver with a new driver’s license has the same “qualifications” to drive a vehicle as the more experienced driver, however, the insurance company’s risk analysis shows that the less experienced driver is less “qualified” to drive safely than the more experienced driver. Even if the outcome of “safe driving” is produced by the less experienced driver, the insurance company still believes this driver to be higher risk because the “process” of driving is not internalized at a level of “unconscious competence”; the newer driver’s skill set has less “utility” than a more experienced driver in terms of producing the desired outcome (safe driving) in a dynamic environment. In our driving oriented culture, insurance companies typically lower risk premiums around 25 years of age – if the typical driver passes a “qualification” at age 16, the risk analysis shows that he/she is more “qualified” after almost a decade of regular repetitions.<br />
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Returning to the general topic of combatives, and specifically firearms, what mechanics does one seek to have “internalized” in order to create “high utility”? The short answer is all the mechanics related to the act/action of shooting. There are three general components to the action of shooting that all quality training programs identify and focus training on: the grip, the sight alignment, and the trigger press. Other factors such as posture, breath, etc are also trainable components of those three fundamentals – all of these should be internalized at a level of “unconscious competence”. The point of this article, however, is not to discuss “how” to shoot, but what core component skills must be developed to have a “high utility” shooting skill set. At a minimum, the mechanics of the Skill Performance (the grip, sight alignment, and trigger press) must be developed to a level of “unconscious competence” in order to create “high utility”. <br />
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I have spent a significant amount to time to demonstrate why “qualification” should not be equated with “high utility” skill development. My intent is not to discourage individuals from training programs that are “qualification” oriented, but to have them understand that a “qualification” is the beginning of a mastery process and not the end. Quality training provides avenues for further skill development beyond the “qualification”. <br />
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<em>Scanning & Decision Making (“Thinkers before Shooters”)</em><br />
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Once the conscious mind has been freed of the need to “create” the mechanics of action (since “action” is now performed correctly and without conscious thought), the energy of the conscious mind can be directed into a skill set necessitating analysis: scanning and decision making. Efficient scanning and decision making are required to create “high utility” combative skills and, in my opinion, are one of the most underdeveloped areas related to most firearms training programs. Scanning and decision making are essentially two different, but interdependent, skill sets; as mentioned before, however, this is not an article on “how to”, but rather a synopsis of “what are” the skill sets make up the whole of “high utility”. Therefore, I will refer to the scanning and decision making skill sets by their interdependent outcome which we will call “discrimination”. “Discrimination” in this context refers to being able to fluidly and accurately decide if something/someone is either a “threat” or “no-threat”. It also includes a method of using one’s body movement and eyes so that no areas of “the battle-space” that are omitted from one’s awareness.<br />
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Good discrimination relies on the ability to gather and process data in a dynamic environment. At the Academy, we use the CSAT (Combat Shooting and Tactics) method of Tactical Scanning in order to gather this data. It is important that the mechanical aspects related to the “Skill Performance” of shooting be supportive of the mechanical aspects used in the tactical scanning process; when the mechanics in multiple skill components support one another, synergy between skill sets is produced. The mechanics Tactical Scanning facilitate gathering multiple layers of data regarding a potential threat/unknown individual in the “battle-space” so as to make accurate decisions. The “discrimination” process results from the interplay of scanning and decision making on the following levels:<br />
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• Whole Body – the initial scan of an individual should take in the whole body view. Depending on the distance of the individual being scanned and battle-space lighting conditions, the operator may need to use the “rod cells” (peripheral vision) or “cone cells” (“focused” vision) of his/her eyes to capture the whole body view in an instant. In addition, the operator’s weapon ready posture must be internalized in a way that it does not obstruct the whole person view, but can be readily presented if a threat is identified. That means a compressed high ready or “sul position” are the two preferred methods for a pistol and a low ready (muzzle below the belt line)preferred for a shoulder mounted weapon;<br />
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• Hand-Hand – distinctly seeing both hands is critical to identifying “threat” or “no-threat”; a gun may be in one hand, but the other may contain a badge, for example. If one or both hands is being concealed from view, that also provides threat indication data to the operator (as concealment is not a natural part of day-to-day action);<br />
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• Waistband – this is the area that a weapon can most readily be deployed from;<br />
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• Wingspan – the ‘lunge area’ of an individual may contain “threat” or “no-threat” data such as a pistol or machete, for example;<br />
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• Demeanor – does the person’s overall conduct seem to indicate “threat” or “no-threat”. <br />
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Since discrimination is a conscious and continual process in the battle-space, it becomes a factor in limiting the speed of movement – one cannot shoot faster than one can move and correctly discriminate (think). Developing a “high utility” shooting skill set is contingent upon having proficiency in scanning and decision making. Synergy results when the Tactical Scanning and Decision Making mechanics are smoothly and precisely dovetailed with mechanics of Skill Performance at a level of “unconscious competence”.<br />
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<em>Tactical Integration (From the Range to Reality)</em><br />
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The next core component in developing a “high utility” shooting skill set is the tactical component. This component has had a significant volume written about it in the tactical community, however, this discussion can be facilitated by dividing tactics into “tool oriented tactics” and “movement oriented tactics”. “Tool oriented tactics” are the immediate action drills which have the purpose of keeping the tool useful during an engagement. Since these are actions intended to be performed during an engagement (when the weapon does not function correctly), these actions need to be internalized at a level of “unconscious competence” (along with the Skill Performance component) in order to create “high utility”. Some examples of these drills are ‘emergency/speed reloads’, ‘tactical reloads’, ‘multiple target transitions’, and ‘weapon transitions’. These drills are common to most firearm training programs.<br />
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As one begins to incorporate the core component of tactics into the whole of the shooting skill set, the quality of tactical training becomes imperative to consider; tactical training quality is often difficult to assess since most students of combatives are relatively inexperienced. It is often easy for an inexperienced student to mistake high speed “game training” for quality “tactical training”. Repetitions will result in internalized actions, however, if the internalized actions are simply “gaming” and not “tactical”, they could ultimately be detrimental in the application environment (during an actual critical incident). “Gaming” in this sense, is what results in many training venues when a desired outcome (such as lowering times, for example) supersedes a vetted process. Take for instance a drill that many shooting classes teach called “el presidente”: in this drill the shooter engages three targets in lateral succession traversing horizontally from one target to the next. The shooter then performs a reload, and then re-engages those same three targets in the same manner described. The drill is usually scored on some combination of accuracy and time; students can improve their scores by lowering their times. While this can be quality training, “gaming” of the drill can start to occur when a student stops using the weapon’s sights to dictate their cadence of fire (rounds fired without the reference of a sight picture cannot be accounted for in the real world), starts keeping their finger on the trigger while traversing from target to target (in the real world there may be innocents between threats and one does not want to sweep them with their muzzle while their finger is on the trigger), and by eliminating the practice of “follow through and cover” on threats that have been engaged (appropriate combat mindset cannot be developed when ‘hits’ on targets equate to an assumption that a threat has been neutralized). “Gaming” is not necessarily bad; games can teach us something as long as we keep them in their place in the application spectrum – many of us played Monopoly as children and learned something about money from the game, however, few of us would attempt to pay our bills with Monopoly money as adults. The tactical process that one seeks to have internalized at a level of “unconscious competence” should never be compromised in order to improve any measurements. As illustrated, one could develop bad habits such as not referencing one’s sights, sweeping the weapon across innocents with the finger on the trigger, and not following through on threats that have been engaged; these habits can be unknowingly introduced into a tactical skill set without the practitioner being aware of the negative potentials as a result of “game” training. Since these actions are unconsciously driven, it is not likely that one will be able to execute a different process during a critical incident. How you train will be how you fight.<br />
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“Movement oriented tactics” relate to understanding the geometry of the ‘battle-space’. Since most people live, work, attend school, shop, etc., in some sort of manmade structure, the most relevant battle-space geometry to study is that of the urban environment. Learning to make use of cover and concealment appropriately, assessing thresholds, entering and exiting rooms in the safest manner are some examples of skill sets related to “movement oriented tactics”. Quite simply these skills cannot be developed on a flat range and require a significant investment of time and diligence to develop “high utility”. Furthermore, experience based instructors tend to have the greatest knowledge with regard to “movement oriented tactics”.<br />
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<em>Medical Skills (Prepared to Survive)</em><br />
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Like the tactical component, the medical component is likewise multifaceted and has had volumes written on it. Again for this discussion on developing a “high utility” shooting skill set, this topic will be simplified into two basic components: “Pre-Combat” medical and “Combat Casualty Care”.<br />
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“Pre-Combat” medical is closely related to the mindset component of a “high utility” shooting skill set. Sometimes referred to as fitness or conditioning, pre-combat medical skills seek to provide health related synergies to the other core component skill sets. For example, the greater one’s level of cardiovascular health, musculoskeletal health, flexibility, etc, the better supported core components of a “high utility” shooting skill set will be that require those physical aspects. This has led to many trainers “gaming” aspects of “pre-combat” medical by adding physical stressors, such as exercise, into shooting drills; they are missing the point in my opinion. The idea should not be to train in a “degraded” “pre-combat” medical state by elevating heart rate, blood pressure, and exhausting musculoskeletal components. While conditioning is important, proper form should be the emphasis of “skill performance”; the emphasis placed in the “pre-combat” medical section should include techniques that slow heart rates, lower blood pressures, and conserve musculoskeletal components. The rationale for this is that we have already identified discrimination as the limiting factor in combatives training; physical exhaustion affects the reliability of the discrimination process. In order to increase its reliability, techniques for decreasing physical exhaustion should be dovetailed with the combatives techniques in a “high utility” skill set. Breathing techniques as well as “meditative” skills have been components of combative skills for thousands of years of human history; they are no less applicable in today’s battle-space and with modern tools than they were during their origins. A clear state of consciousness and relaxed-but-ready physiology should be part of “pre-combat” medical skills.<br />
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In today’s battle-space a significant number of casualties occur as a result of blood loss as opposed to instant incapacitation. Skill sets related to minimizing blood loss, such as tourniquet application, need honed. Combat casualty care may save the oneself, the life of another, or both; this skill set is the result of a “consciously competent” ‘blood saving’ skill set combined with an “unconsciously competent” combat mindset; it requires the proactive discipline of keeping the appropriate tools (such as a tourniquet) available and/or having the knowledge and means to improvise them. <br />
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<em>Combat Mindset (the Weapon is only a Tool)</em><br />
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To paraphrase MSG Paul Howe, retired Army Delta Force Team Leader & Trainer, combat mindset is a person’s ability to focus on a task, solving one problem at a time, while in harm’s way and facing overwhelming odds; it includes keeping one’s emotions under control and having a businesslike attention to detail such that one is deliberate, methodical, and prepared to survive in the accomplishment of that task.<br />
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The development of combat mindset requires a great deal of personal discipline as well as an investment into a paradigm that includes relinquishing of the luxury of being “situationally unaware” and “unprepared” for critical incidents. Combat mindset as related to a “high utility” shooting skill set, which is how this discussion began, requires consistent carry and placement of a firearm, magazines, and identification at a minimum. Since critical incidents, by their nature, do not provide forewarning, combat mindset requires maintaining a state of committed readiness as well as a residual awareness that is alert to early threat indicators. The earlier a threat is identified, the greater the options to avoid, minimize, or mitigate it before it becomes a critical incident. The greater one’s knowledge of the law is, the better one will be able to cultivate combat mindset; even amongst armed professional, ambiguity regarding laws governing force and self-defense is a dominant cause of hesitation in the decision making process that can result in creating an asymmetric environment in an aggressor’s favor.<br />
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Combat mindset is the single skill component that will not create utility at any level other than “unconscious competence”; it is also the component that is built through all the other skill sets by training them at a level of appropriate intensity and commitment. As “unconscious competence” develops in combat mindset, shooting skills will be but a single layer in a set of skills; one will realize that mindset is the weapon and everything else is simply a type of tool. As discussed with many of the previous components, much can be discussed regarding combat mindset as its own topic.<br />
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<em>Conclusion</em><br />
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This article was written to provide a “map” of sorts for anyone interested general combatives, shooting skill sets, or seeking a CCW. What has been outlined is a process of continual improvement in several skill areas (Skill Performance, Scanning & Decision Making, Tactical Integration, Medical Skills, and Combat Mindset) that require the use of both the conscious and unconscious mind in an integrated manner such that synergy is produced. Without skill set integration, complex problems will likely produce chaos in the same way as the inexperienced driver is less able to avoid the accident. <br />
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By being personally invested and committed to a holistic system, a “high utility” skill set, one through which the foundational mechanics can spontaneously produce correct action without conscious thought will be developed. Conversely, if one’s level of commitment is simply that of “qualification” – simply to purchase a firearm and take a “test” after 8, 16, 32, or 40 hours of training; to only carry the tool when one is “going to the city”; to sometimes carry it in a briefcase and other times leave it in the car, it is highly probable that any complexities during an actual critical incident will degrade the even minimal utility of any skill developed. In the latter case, much of the outcome of a critical incident will be determined by “luck” as it fills the void of skill. Therefore I would encourage anyone interested in combatives, shooting skills sets, or seeking a CCW to commit to building a “high utility” skill by understanding the depth of the process from the beginning and seeking quality training by high quality, experienced instructors. And then, of course, committing to do the homework.<br />
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David B. Hakim <br />
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<a href="http://www.themidwestacademy.com/"><em>www.TheMidwestAcademy.com</em></a></div>
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David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-70035476179964720942012-12-01T22:16:00.001-08:002012-12-01T22:16:40.925-08:00A Professional Approach <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A Professional Approach</h2>
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This discussion is about consciously adopting a particular mental approach towards one’s combatives training. The study of Eastern martial arts is seemingly steeped in paradox; most teachers cite some variant of the phrase that they ‘teach how to fight so that students will not have to fight’. Combative sciences seem intrinsically paradoxical to the uninitiated – full of seeming contradictions, not the least of which is the fact that martial arts (and all Combative sciences) developed as a means to protect life, but require the practitioner to develop the mindset and skill set to take life (should that be needed to protect life). However if we view combatives from their historical origins, then the real paradox may be the general approach towards their study by a great number of contemporary practitioners and instructors. Prior to the advent of gunpowder, TASERs, etc, these combative sciences provided the tools, techniques, and strategies to repel invaders, protect families, and maintain order. The paradox is that today, the vast majority of practitioners have a recreational approach to these sciences. Today individuals are training for fun, fitness, competitive sport, and a variety of other reasons. Parents even enroll their children in programs hoping that 2-3 hours a week of training will improve their child’s concentration, self-esteem, and promote ‘self-actualization’ (somehow counterbalancing the influence of the remaining 165-166 hours in the week).<br />
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While all these are potential benefits that can be realized through any quality training program, the Midwest Academy’s perspective is that these are only secondary or tertiary benefits of training. These lower order benefits of training can only be realized if the primary paradigm adopted by practitioner and teacher is a ‘professional’ one. A professional paradigm, in our opinion, has nothing to do with one’s method of earning a living; it does not require that one wears a uniform or carries a weapon under a governmental authority. It is simply the opposite paradigm of ‘avocation’; an avocation is usually something that one does for enjoyment such as a hobby. A professional paradigm requires that one makes a commitment to mastery through daily incremental skill improvement of fundamental core skills. In combatives training, it requires the understanding, acceptance, and adoption of the reason that these skills sets have been developed, honed, and handed down; without that understanding, it is difficult for a practitioner to differentiate between skills rooted in “gamesmanship” and those that are “utility oriented”. A professional approach is fundamentally process oriented; its core process is the refinement of fundamentals. Conversely, one approaches an avocation casually and often for enjoyment without regard to improvement. It is not that the professional paradigm is not enjoyable, however; it simply is that the purpose of practice is not for enjoyment. The professional paradigm emphasizes that the purpose of practice is the development of a process that creates utility; however, the Midwest Academy believes that those who adopt the professional paradigm have a process that ultimately leads to more enjoyment than the paradigm of avocation. <br />
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It seems contradictory to offer that something taken seriously can be more ‘fun’ than something taken lightly, but our experience indicates that in the practice of combatives science, this is indeed the case. I have been training military, law enforcement, and civilians in armed and unarmed combatives since 1988 – nearly 25 years at the time of this writing. In that time and through my experiences, it has become my opinion that one of the greatest impediments to building a useful skill set is ‘burn out’. While there is little standardization within the martial arts, I offer, as an example, this study because it corroborates my general experience in combatives training; an article titled Martial Arts in 1976 relates that 95% of all students beginning martial arts training drop out within 3-5 years and do so without being ranked as <em>yudansha</em> (‘black belt’) (Kroll, 1976). It is not my purpose to discuss the accuracy of that statement, but, in general my experience suggests that the majority of people who begin to study a combatives science generally stop practicing it with the time frame of a few months to a few years.<br />
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‘Burn out’ is often quick to set in as a result of repetitive training. Most trainers that earn their income by training become ‘entertainers’ of sorts in an honest, but ill-fated attempt to mitigate the ‘burn out’ factor in their students; the variations and strategies that many of these trainers advocate as a result of ‘entertaining’ their students tend to become complex, unsound, and are often founded in “gamesmanship”. The ‘burn out’ gets worse for the student who has neither mastered the fundamentals, nor can consistently apply the ‘entertainment-based-advanced’ skills; as a result of poor performance, the student spends less and less time practicing which, in turn, degrades any existing skills resulting in even poorer performance and increasing ‘burn out’; this cycle repeats itself until the student ultimately quits. Therefore it is our position that while it may appear as though repetitive training promotes ‘burn out’, the real catalyst for quitting is a lack of progress in developing skills that have utility; experience shows us that the repetitive training of skills which do have high utility produces positive results including a proper skill set, mindset, confidence and enjoyment of the process.<br />
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‘Burn out’ is a failure of the training process by trainers/instructors not investing the appropriate time and energy in their students to develop a professional approach to their practice. Unfortunately, many instructors/trainers themselves do not have this approach to their own practice; it should come as no surprise that their students would be lacking in the same area. A professional approach or professional paradigm commits to mastery through daily incremental skill improvement of fundamental core skills – this means that rather than increasing the complexity of applied skills as a way to create greater value in a combatives skill set, the professional’s approach is to increase the complexity of the environment in which fundamental skills are applied. Rather than practicing a specific skill in a specific environment until the student “gets it right”, the professional’s approach is to develop a specific skill in a specific environment and then increase the complexity of the applied environment until the skill fails. The failure point provides a place for a deeper analysis of the fundamental skill; it gets re-worked until it is useful, or proves it has no utility and is dropped from the venue of training tasks. One note on this idea: a quality trainer/instructor and a quality system have already been and are continually in the vetting process. The basic level student should not have to “re-invent the wheel” from day one; if so, that student is not learning fundamental principles, but rather teaching him/herself through trial and error. <br />
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Therefore we can assess that a professional paradigm for combatives training includes the following elements:<br />
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• <em>A commitment to mastery of fundamentals</em> – as discussed, mastery does not occur in a static environment. Fundamentals include principles, strategies, theories, and tactics as well as specific technical movements. Once fundamental are mastered, the complexity of the environment should be increased until a new failure point is discovered; this failure point provides a nexus for further study of the fundamentals where they are re-worked, modified, or honed until the failure point is bridged. For this reason, we believe that amateurs train until they ‘get it right’ whereas professionals train until they ‘get it wrong’; once it is ‘wrong’, the real learning begins. <br />
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• <em>Emphasizes an eclectic approach that is based in utility of process that create desired outcomes</em> – in short, no fundamentals that consistently produce utility in environments of continually increasing complexity are omitted from training, and no fundamentals that only create utility in specific or controlled environments are retained in the training process. A process based eclectic approach is not really a system of, “if it works, train it; if it doesn’t, drop it.” It is closer to, “if it always works, keep training it and vetting it; if it does not work or works occasionally, stop training it.” <br />
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• <em>Embraces disruptive technologies/strategies</em> that cause environmental asymmetries and modifies existing fundamentals or innovates new ones that are useful for managing new threat environments while still providing utility for previous threat environments. Small changes in technologies/strategies are continually occurring in the area of combatives, however, disruptive technologies are ‘game changers’; the advent of the firearm is an example of a disruptive technology in the area of combatives. However, even today many martial arts students are training in processes that assume an environment where the firearm does not exist. However, since it does exist, and there is no definitive “non-gamesmanship” way of knowing if an adversary has a firearm on their person or not during initial contact, to train fundamental strategies that do not account for the potential of a firearm ultimately places the practitioner at an even greater disadvantage should the presence of a firearm create an asymmetrical environment for that practitioner.<br />
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• <em>Concurrent development of skill set and mindset</em> – a professional paradigm does not assume that proper mindset will develop correctly as a result of well intentioned training. Mindset must be as consciously developed as skill set; mindset must be as systematically developed as skill set; mindset must create as much utility as skill set. The fundamental mindset to develop in combatives is a “combat mindset”. Paul Howe defines combat mindset as, “The ability for one person to go into harm’s way against overwhelming odds and focus on a task at hand – to solve one problem at a time” (Howe, Combat Mindset, 2012).<br />
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The adoption of the professional paradigm ultimately generates the greatest value to the practitioner by removing the paradox of “gamesmanship” and “avocation” from a science that originated, developed, and has been continually honed for as long as man has existed simply for its utility.<br />
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David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-83720326079841633672012-11-24T12:47:00.000-08:002012-11-24T12:47:14.854-08:002013 Class Schedule<a href="https://www.box.net/shared/te8cxs4aphqyhrhishdy" target="_blank">2013 Academy Class Schedule</a>David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-29852489892944081842012-10-08T18:18:00.000-07:002012-11-21T08:17:54.733-08:00Natural Point of Aim<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Natural Point of Aim</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24YOvWO98iIJt8wuFO7IMQ1EY7gWqyifz5XgScmPfakAzb8q7MeN3iSFIUSaObYnfoKj9AlsJ_OrRNZpgPisZlQS5NND2C9aygRX5q77fxm-jzjoJfy8uMQILNN8oKWO0JNIc6OcRjzU/s1600/CSAT+Paul+Running+Video+on+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 140px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 201px;"><img border="0" height="150" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24YOvWO98iIJt8wuFO7IMQ1EY7gWqyifz5XgScmPfakAzb8q7MeN3iSFIUSaObYnfoKj9AlsJ_OrRNZpgPisZlQS5NND2C9aygRX5q77fxm-jzjoJfy8uMQILNN8oKWO0JNIc6OcRjzU/s200/CSAT+Paul+Running+Video+on+me.jpg" width="200" /></a>Throughout my years in law enforcement special operations, I have had privilege of numerous opportunities to train under the tutelage of Paul Howe, a retired US Army MSG (Master Sergeant); he is a 20 year veteran with 10 years within Tier 1 Special Operations including time spent as a Team Leader & Senior Trainer within Delta Force. Now the founder/owner of CSAT (Combat Shooting & Tactics) in Nacogdoches, TX, Paul teaches military, law enforcement, and civilians using a unique methodology – one that has been built effectively on his years of operational/combat experience and distilled for simple efficiency through his years of teaching experience. The author of numerous professional articles and books including “Leadership &Training for the Fight” &“The Tactical Trainer”, Paul’s professional background also includes time as a sworn law enforcement officer as well as an academic master’s degree. His professional reputation has a pseudo-celebrity like air that precedes him due, in part, to the success of the Mark Bowden book turned Hollywood Film, “Blackhawk Down”.</div>
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I first met Paul in 2004 following a tour in Iraq. While prepping for the GWOT, I had attended some DOD funded CQB & vehicle combatives training taught by military contract training groups. Coming from a CQB-oriented background, I found that most of these contract groups with whom I had contact with spent a majority of their class in explanations or demonstrations as to ‘why they were better than you’ – as true or untrue as that may have been, each case varied, neither the explanations nor demonstrations focused on improving the student’s skills. During my first 30 minutes with Paul, when he had not used the word “I” continuously in the classroom portion of the course, I knew that this experience would be different from other contract trainers with whom I had worked with. <br />
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The first classes that I attended with Paul in 2004 were the tactical pistol operator (TPO) and tactical rifle operator (TRO) classes. I noted that Paul emphasized proper kinesiology and bio-mechanics with a firearm inorder to develop what he called a “natural point of aim”; a skeletally supported point of aim requiring no ‘muscling’ of the weapon. The use of these proper bio-mechanics resulted in the weapon naturally returning to this position (the natural point of aim), on target, following recoil. The manner in which he explained the mechanics of the natural point of aim were reminiscent of my most influential martial arts teachers’ explanations of the kinesiology of various techniques. Paul also emphasized that the correct mechanics produced accuracy and the repetitive practice of these correct mechanics resulted in the smooth application of them – that smoothness was speed. Here again was a parallel explanation with my martial arts teachers.<br />
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Since that time, I have attended numerous classes with Paul including classes on mindset, leadership, and tactics. I can say that the student-centric, self-paced progressive teaching methods I encountered in my first TPO & TRO classes were not an anomaly, but rather the standard in Paul’s method of CSAT. Since that time I have had the privilege to receive instructor certification as a CSAT Shoothouse, Tactical Pistol, and Tactical Rifle instructor. This past September, I was given the opportunity by the Academy to travel to CSAT in TX; I was again inspired by Paul’s quiet professionalism, his ability to demonstrate combat effective techniques at a moment’s notice, but, more significantly, as a student-instructor, I learned a deeper lesson in creating “a natural point of aim”. While calibrating the student-instructors during the week previous to us teaching, Paul kept reminding us to “get our minds right & our hearts pure”. After the training day I would reflect on that phrase as I cleaned weapons, gear, ate, and did PT – I probably heard that phrase everyday at CSAT. I began to realize that phrase described the ‘bio-mechanics’ that differentiate good teachers from great teachers. When your mind(set) is “right” and your heart (intentions) are “pure”, your “natural point of aim” as a teacher will be student-centric. This “natural point of aim” allows for the highest quality of transference of the curriculum between students and teachers. It also allows teachers to learn from the teaching process. I also realized that in 2004, while I was not able to articulate the difference between Paul’s training and that of other contract instructors whom I had trained with, this phrase described the essential difference. Paul has committed himself to developing a ”natural point of aim” not just as a combat platform, but as platform from where to teach, lead, and mentor others.<br />
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As the days in 2012 wane, the Midwest Academy’s Leadership Development Group (LDG), our teacher core, begins to plan the direction for 2013. The LDG symbol that was adopted earlier in 2012 was the triangle; it was symbolic of stability, mutual support, and forward progression. But as I examine it again, the triangle also seems to indicate a natural point of aim and I would encourage each member of the Academy’s LDG to commit to “getting their minds right & hearts pure” – a disciplined conscious journey rather than a static destination.<br />
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To further research CSAT, visit <a href="http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/index.html</a><br />
“A person who has mastered an art reveals it in their every action” – Yamamoto Tsunetomo from “Hagakure” – <br />
<br />David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-37840938770774751912012-10-08T11:49:00.000-07:002012-10-28T15:33:01.479-07:00Tactically Applied Basics<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Tactically Applied Basics</strong></div>
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In the various training and application venues that I have had the opportunity to be a part of be it in the martial arts, military, and/or law enforcement special operations, I have regularly heard the terms ‘techniques’ and ‘tactics’ used interchangeably by many instructors, students, and leaders. At the Midwest Academy, which is based in Seizan Ryu (“West Mountain School”) training and teaching methodology, ‘techniques’ and ‘tactics’ are related, but not synonymous terms. <br />
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For simplicity of this discussion, we can use the following definitions:<br />
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• <em>Techniques</em> – are how one does something;<br />
• <em>Tactics</em> – are why one does something.<br />
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Both techniques and tactics have a base ‘mechanical’ component to their study; at a basic level, the technical mechanics of empty handed combatives are focused in kinesiology. For example, some base mechanics of a proper forefist strike include making a fist, centering one’s weight, applying the power of the rotation of the body to drive the power of the strike, etc. <br />
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The base level of tactical mechanics is rooted in knowing the “rules of one’s game”; for example, exponents who train for grappling centric venues may develop tactics focused on keeping one’s center of gravity rearward (see Picture 1). Both these grappling players are more difficult to “take down” due to their low centers of gravity, but extremely vulnerable to being struck or flanked by multiple aggressors. Their tactics have the extreme vulnerability to being struck because in the rules of their ‘game’, striking is not allowed; and multiple aggressors do not exist in most gaming venues. Different ‘games’ have different assumptions to them; these assumptions drive the different mechanics that leverage the ‘rules of the game’. The result is the ‘tactics’ of that game.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiElkYwBryg5WS5IwPJBJ2C7wEVpiTdEAf6tiIRus15EfRG65puG0frWLhtuMzrBEjCrbKs6sa3xA9TMKqFnz5Ar01QI4lLLubBsUK58Zyh1r6X1LdLeqfBMLMKzWsA9Y89iHE2wsIAwU/s1600/JM-Holland-Grappling-150x150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiElkYwBryg5WS5IwPJBJ2C7wEVpiTdEAf6tiIRus15EfRG65puG0frWLhtuMzrBEjCrbKs6sa3xA9TMKqFnz5Ar01QI4lLLubBsUK58Zyh1r6X1LdLeqfBMLMKzWsA9Y89iHE2wsIAwU/s1600/JM-Holland-Grappling-150x150.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Assumptions, either explicit or implicit, are the basis of what we term as ‘game training’. Games can have some value; for example, many young people have played the board game Monopoly and learned some rudiments of finance from it. But not all who have learned its winning game strategy have gone on to become financial powerhouses in the ‘real world’. While the game can teach some aspects of wise financial leverage, and even though real money in the real world has some crossover to the game strategy, the removal of assumptions and controls in the real world creates an environment where real money and the game of Monopoly are divergent enough that their strategies of success are not identical. <br />
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Understanding that, the importance of knowing what “game” one is preparing for as a student of combatives becomes obvious. Seizan Ryu teaching philosophy states that purpose (the ‘Why’) of one’s training dictates the process (the ‘How’) of one’s training; defining the ‘why’ one trains is critical for increasing the probability of success in application. As a Seizan Ryu practitioner and teacher, the “game” that the system’s tactics are focused on is the “application environment”. The “application environment” in the Seizan Ryu system means any venue devoid of ‘game based rules’. The term “application environment” is used since any ‘non-game application’ occurs in this environment. The “application environment” is devoid of assumptions such as a single unarmed opponent, for example, and its unpredictability eliminates the ability to ‘peak’ one’s training to a specific date. As a result, the tactics have to be applicable across spectrums (environments such as open areas, buildings, homes, etc) and platforms (practitioner’s use of empty hand, edged/impact weapons, firearms, etc) with little to no deviation in mechanics. “Game” training can be used to hone a specific subset of one’s skills or develop a specific type of conditioning; these are force multipliers when combined with sound tactics, however, they are not substitutes for sound tactics. Sound tactics are a result of vetting one’s training in the “application environment”.<br />
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The Seizan Ryu Tactically Applied Basics module was developed to expand the awareness of martial arts practitioners regardless of their discipline and provide them with a base level of knowledge with which to vet their current training practices. Most training methods, be it martial arts, defensive tactics, or even firearms courses, have some basic inherent assumptions that allow students to improve technically; however, when not removed, these assumptions prevent growth tactically. This module was the result of attempting to bridge the gap between training methods that focus exclusively on techniques and to provide a format to address students’ needs to becoming tacticians. Bridging this gap is the only reliable method to increase the probability of success in the “application environment”. <br />
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As an example for this discussion, I have chosen to address one of the most basic assumptions in most training methods. In order to facilitate repetitive training (ultimately the most efficient way to develop one’s technical skill), the practitioner is pre-positioned in a manner that allows for efficient contact/execution of the technique being taught (see Picture 2). This position, however, is generally not “held” in the “application environment”.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuV8kV59jT3NdWhcBP5SFMvZmd0nGu7i3bcCaLBnxE8hWGHUPxOw-kAANuAHYl_Z0Fzaz0WoHont1Lz5ZMHqtYbtTVlIEiFxdGIlbVJUufdEP_WULDC4N5TEbsPeSvz9slBmGrbD4JQI/s1600/Fighter+J-Peg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuV8kV59jT3NdWhcBP5SFMvZmd0nGu7i3bcCaLBnxE8hWGHUPxOw-kAANuAHYl_Z0Fzaz0WoHont1Lz5ZMHqtYbtTVlIEiFxdGIlbVJUufdEP_WULDC4N5TEbsPeSvz9slBmGrbD4JQI/s200/Fighter+J-Peg.jpg" width="81" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture 2</td></tr>
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The Seizan Ryu Tactically Applied Basics module addresses the following training gaps:<br />
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• In the chaos associated with the fluid dynamics of the “application environment”, the ‘position of familiar execution’ (the relationship that most techniques are initiated from with the threat and defender directly facing each other – Picture 2) is rarely ‘held’ and requires the practitioner to have the ability to recognize or create it. The tactics of recognizing or creating this relationship require the mastery of their own fundamental mechanics. <br />
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• Since the urban environment is largely made up of structures, the application environment necessitates that one understand the geometric angles created by structures and the effect of those angles on threat identification, contact, and break-contact tactics. The science of geometric angles is most highly perfected by special operations personnel in the study of CQB (Close Quarter Battle); the extrapolated principles require an understanding of effective range of weapons (be they projectile, edged/impact, or hands/feet), action/reaction related to the OODA loop, and distance-time-angle relationships. <br />
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• Strategic advantage is gained through flanking an adversary; few combatives train initiation via flanking since the majority of training consists of defensive maneuvers against straight line attacks (see Picture 2). The result is that most practitioners tend to be less familiar with tactics related to establishing a flanked position initially since they do not get repetitions on the tactic.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>What Previous Participants Have Said</u></div>
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• “I found the verbal instruction combined with the demonstrations helpful for someone like myself (completely new to jujutsu) and I did not feel like a complete buffoon in the class.”<br />
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• “The concept of repositioning prior to striking and aligning the strike prior to letting the weapon leave the workspace is very powerful. I have extrapolated this into drills I use every day.”<br />
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• “It was useful to see how the skills we are learning are applied to a tactical environment. This gives me a better picture of what I can be working towards and with better picture of who this works…it was useful to see how the OODA loop applies.”<br />
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• “I enjoyed the 5% offset for the strikes and realize that there is a need to train on it. It is not something I’ve trained on extensively and I think it’s absolutely necessary to master.”<br />
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• “The constant attention to ‘aligning’ on the target was most useful. The phrase ‘address the attacker, address the weapon’ was a concise mantra for the training…from a teaching standpoint, reading about the OODA loop was helpful, but seeing it applied throughout the training brought more clarity. As an instructor, it helped me see the shortcomings of in how I teach.”<br />
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<a href="https://www.box.net/s/gnfpuql120kbr4rrz89i" target="_blank">November 2012 Tactically Applied Basics Flyer </a><br />
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David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-32166126462029065812011-12-31T20:22:00.001-08:002011-12-31T20:26:57.904-08:00Student Manual (Public Version)The Midwest Academy's Adult Information (MA-AI) Guide is a "student manual" of sorts. It provides new students with guidelines and expectations that add value to the Academy experience.<br /><br />We make available a Public Version of the manual by using the link below. While key information is withheld in the Public Version, we make it available as prospective students may find it <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">beneficial</span> in selecting a training program.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.box.net/shared/9txd9eu8ui5pslxlg5ib">https://www.box.net/shared/9txd9eu8ui5pslxlg5ib</a>David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-57051003514979396662011-12-31T10:01:00.001-08:002011-12-31T10:14:59.359-08:002012 1st Quarter GradingGrading will be conducted in January 2012. <br /><br />The Grading Seminar will be held on Saturday January 28, 2012 from 1300-1600 hours (1:00 PM -4:00 PM).<br /><br />The seminar will be focused on the topic of Edged Weapons and is open tuition-free to all Midwest Academy students as a means of making up missed class hours.<br /><br />Students eligible for grading, however, must submit their grading applications to the office by January 14, 2012; please check the student bulletin board for the eligibility list.<br /><br />Please note that 2012 brings a change in the Academy's grading policy in order to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">accommodate</span> students with various schedules. Seminar <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">attendance</span> is strongly encouraged by the Academy's Leadership staff, however, is not mandatory for grading. Grading eligibility is a result of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">attendance</span>, mindset, and performance assessments conducted regularly by the Academy's Leadership staff. Students eligible for grading, but unable to attend the seminar should notify the office to make alternate grading arrangements.David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-59484623631615412212011-12-31T09:25:00.000-08:002012-10-28T15:38:19.823-07:002012 Academy Class Schedule<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyXAbMvy6GiMzLjCQQo27qZo_yVedawRI-W2s4SWj2DgdyjRPnpUZOdTq7iBxyhchAbNXUazieoo1ZJsg6UnAvCcJSE4Gzc8SZcTP7PWXLZogM9jg9kFZ5YgsLuS1yop3OBJKHDFVWEo/s1600/Midwest+Academy+2012+Class+schedule.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 229px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692351943343353922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyXAbMvy6GiMzLjCQQo27qZo_yVedawRI-W2s4SWj2DgdyjRPnpUZOdTq7iBxyhchAbNXUazieoo1ZJsg6UnAvCcJSE4Gzc8SZcTP7PWXLZogM9jg9kFZ5YgsLuS1yop3OBJKHDFVWEo/s320/Midwest+Academy+2012+Class+schedule.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div></div>David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-77245344146184297872011-01-03T13:10:00.000-08:002012-10-28T15:37:28.990-07:001st Quarter 2011 Academy Schedule<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4piLiyQtVxw6rq11QYP6GwRqBDoi7CTqqBOYQ6_PsvD5_XyNX_cizIjWSXFdJ14sI1rgPr6HgxvONqUQKcD7X7VzEpoNo0ZcFA71lAOiYWD2NhrwCRDIjEBU0UN8_cC_OU2OlgIAo2mw/s1600/1st+Quarter+2011+Midwest+Academy+Schedule.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 209px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558072872248276274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4piLiyQtVxw6rq11QYP6GwRqBDoi7CTqqBOYQ6_PsvD5_XyNX_cizIjWSXFdJ14sI1rgPr6HgxvONqUQKcD7X7VzEpoNo0ZcFA71lAOiYWD2NhrwCRDIjEBU0UN8_cC_OU2OlgIAo2mw/s320/1st+Quarter+2011+Midwest+Academy+Schedule.JPG" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-24200132254783691632010-10-15T21:33:00.000-07:002012-10-28T15:27:25.809-07:00"Cold Bore" Shot“Cold Bore Shot”: Integrating <em>“Ju”</em> and <em>“Shin”</em> for more effective Life Management.<br /><br />During a discussion regarding some of the lessons learned over the last decade of special operations work, I was speaking informally with a few fellow special operations team leaders from various teams and the topic of the “cold bore shot” came up. For those unfamiliar with the term, in a firearms system, the “cold bore shot” is usually considered the “first shot of the day”. <br /><br />Following the "cold bore" shot, shooters may compensate for poor technique, poorly sighted weapon system, or both by adjusting their point of aim to change their point of impact (sometimes referred to as “Kentucky windage”). As a Special Operations Team Leader and Tactical Trainer, the “cold bore shot” gives me insight into the shooter at three critical levels:<br /><br />· Technical/Operational level – Is my shooter using proper technique? Does my shooter have a properly sighted (“zeroed”) weapon system?<br />· Tactical/Strategic level – Will my shooter’s first shot be effective or does it provide a marker from which to use “Kentucky windage”? In counter-sniper missions, hostage rescue missions, and urban operations, using ineffective marksmanship as a tool to “walk” one’s rounds towards the intended target is an unsatisfactory tactic with dire ramifications.<br />· Mindset/Leadership level – Is there something beyond the weapon technology or operator’s skill lacking such as will? In other words, do my shooters, even though they are trained to continue actions on the target until the threat has been stopped, see each and every round fired- from first (and particularly, the first) to last- as being significant with the potential to stop the threat, secure the objective, and complete the mission?<br /><br />These concepts have been reduced to a single phrase in Japanese martial arts that encompass the Operational, Strategic, and Leadership levels of analysis outlined above. This phase, <em>ichi-go; ichi-e</em>, captures the Zen essence of Japanese warrior training ideals and was popularized by Naosuke Ii in the 19th century work, <em>Chanoyu Ichi-e Shu</em> ( a text that describes the spirit of the Japanese Tea Ceremony as being one of “<strong>one encounter; one opportunity</strong>”). <br /><br /><em>Ichi-go; Ichi-e</em> (one encounter; one opportunity) is a principle which, when applied to one’s practice, becomes the foundation of proper mindsets/attitudes (referred to as <em>shin</em> in Japanese martial arts). <em>Ichi-go; Ichi-e</em> based practice guides the student to see each repetition performed as the only repetition while it is being performed. In other words, using the example of a fire and maneuver course on a tactical shooting range, if a first shot is not perfect, there is no restarting the course – one simply follows through making the next shot the “only” shot followed by the next and the next. Similarly, for a martial artist, if during the practice of a technique, one does not maneuver correctly initially, there is no “do-over”. One simply must make the next movement “the only movement” or adapt to a different maneuver that is appropriately linked to the first movement. With practice and proper attitude, operations, strategic and leadership skills grow interdependently; the proof is in the seamless transitions that allow the expert to seem as if mistakes are never made. A “mistake” is simply seen as an alternate problem solving point and the expert simply adapts appropriately and unconsciously (termed as unconscious competence - see previous discussions on <em>“Ju”</em>).<br /><br />This level of mastery is not only desirable at a physical level, but also (and probably more importantly) at a mental level; <em>Seizan-Ryu</em> teaching methods place a great deal of emphasis on the psycho-motor aspects of training that develop mental adaptability as well as physical skills flow. These methods are present at all levels of all training programs at <em>Seizan Ryu</em> Academies. The methods include systematic instruction that is exacting in its technical nature, but simultaneously conceptual in a manner such that the student absorbs the “whole picture” and understands the particular technical piece’s influence upon the “whole picture”. This type of training fosters a level of both skill and confidence that facilitate the resolution of complex problems in real time that occur in the various venues of life - from an urban combat problem on the battlefield to a supply-chain management problem in the international business arena, and everything in between; the “cold bore” shot is an analogy to the mindset of “one encounter-one opportunity”; that every action has significance and the potential to influence the outcome of given situation. It is one of the hallmarks of <em>Seizan-Ryu</em> students and, based on our students' feedback, provides some of the most positive impact in the area of life management skills for those students.David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-41067375817541140602010-06-11T16:32:00.000-07:002010-06-11T16:38:38.635-07:002010 Midwest Academy School ShirtsPre-order School T-shirts (See Student Bulletin Board at the Academy) - the 2010 design options are as follows:<br /><br /><ul><li>Black T-Shirts (Either Hanes Pre-Shrunk Beefy-Tee or Alo Men’s Performance Tee)</li><li>Red Seizan Ryu seal on the left chest on the front </li><li>Sho-Chiku-Bae above “The Midwest Academy” on the back. </li><li>All sizes available (add $1.50 for 2XL and $2.00 for 3XL)</li><li>Pre-order required, but please do not make payments until you receive your order.</li></ul>David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-63577301187965149912010-02-21T16:37:00.001-08:002010-02-21T16:44:07.385-08:00New School AnnouncementFollowing the New Year, the Connecticut Academy of Martial Arts (CtAMA) opened its doors to accept new students. CtAMA continues the growth and availability of quality instruction in art of Seizan Ryu Kempo Jujutsu. CtAMA's director, Jeremiah Minner, is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a veteran Naval Officer. For more information on this location, use the link at the bottom of this page.David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-43346319898427378172010-01-08T15:48:00.000-08:002010-01-08T15:51:16.472-08:00Leadership Development Group - January 9, 2010Midwest Academy students in the Leadership Development Group, we will be training on January 9, 2010 at noon.<br /><br />- DavidDavid Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-90746346791819690432010-01-03T11:05:00.000-08:002012-10-28T15:34:51.591-07:00Integrated Training ("Ju" Part 2)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Jr2mNUgCTDAc5JbaRLYinOQrV8DY2a0MrZUox76C1r10GMfAH23Fr502Qb32mc6DVrcDzcpoKtl6YiCF3f8GCWBahgNJ06hODAsUXp8hMBs5x2U1icJH8TsmRtSZsBQrv4-K1q5yAhk/s1600-h/Oliver_Chris_Dave_crop.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422595935679029506" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 261px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Jr2mNUgCTDAc5JbaRLYinOQrV8DY2a0MrZUox76C1r10GMfAH23Fr502Qb32mc6DVrcDzcpoKtl6YiCF3f8GCWBahgNJ06hODAsUXp8hMBs5x2U1icJH8TsmRtSZsBQrv4-K1q5yAhk/s320/Oliver_Chris_Dave_crop.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>As outlined to in the last article discussing “ju”, a certain environment best fosters the attributes of “ju” to develop. Recall from the previous article on the topic that we defined “ju” to include attributes of “softness” in the sense of being malleable, supple, and energetically efficient. We also stated that “ju” extrapolates itself into all areas of a practitioner’s life and is not just something that is temporal to the training mat. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Most writings at this juncture would delve into the aspects of learning basic movements and repeating them until such time as the ‘neurological pathways’ develop and the movement becomes ‘internalized’. For those who desire a greater understanding on the process of internalization, please refer to the work done by Bruce Siddle in this area; a working understanding, however, should include the basic process that memory is based upon the repeated firing of electro-chemical impulses within the neurological system. These impulses travel from nerve cell to nerve cell. When something new is learned, the sequence of cell-to-cell electro-chemical communication is not as efficient as it is after repetition and/or strong association. Myelin is a fatty protein which ‘coats’ the pathways between cell-to-cell communication; greater repetition or association results in a greater coating of myelin which, in turn, allows for the electro-chemical impulses to travel from cell to cell more efficiently and accurately (Siddle, 1995, pp. 25-30).<br /><br />The process of internalization and the training cycle is discussed frequently at the Academy, however, there are numerous other studies and writings that detail the training cycle that any serious student or teacher should become familiar with. The training cycle essentially describes these four general stages of learning/skill progression:<br /><br />· Unconscious incompetence – one is not aware of the gaps in one’s knowledge;<br />· Conscious incompetence – one is aware of the gaps in one’s knowledge, but not able to correct them;<br />· Conscious competence – one can correct the gap in knowledge actively thinking about it;<br />· Unconscious competence – the correction is internalized and no thought required to produce the correct result.<br /><br />Unconscious competence implies ‘mastery’ of a skill set (we place the term mastery in quotes since someone at this level generally understands that there is a daily routine or process that must be repeated in order to maintain the viability of a skill set – it is a journey and not a destination in both a physical and philosophical sense); one has repeated the skill until it cannot be performed incorrectly. If this process were singularly applied to each task in one’s life where mastery is desired, the sheer magnitude of a linear learning and internalizing process would prohibit the ability to either have any sort of life outside skill mastery or master more than a single set of skills. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Re-enter the concept of “ju”. "Ju" is reflected in the training structure itself for quality training programs. "Ju" allows for the efficient and simultaneous development of the attributes sought to be mastered. At the Midwest Academy, the attributes sought to be developed are analogized by the traditional Japanese motif of "sho-chiku-bae" or "pine-bamboo-plum". The motif represents the following attributes respectively (Mitose, 1953, p. I):<br /><br />· Pine (sho or matsuba) – strength<br />· Bamboo (chiku or take) – flexibility<br />· Plum (baika) – endurance</div><br /><div><br />The "why's" of the motif are detailed in the Academy's student guide; a brief summary, however, is that within the analogy, each of the symbols (pine, bamboo, and plum) even singularly actually represents all three tributes (therefore some Seizan Ryu schools use a single symbol to illustrate the entire motif as well); each one may have a more predominant trait, but upon closer examination, it is realized that each is a holistic compilation of all three attributes.</div><br /><div><br />The strength-flexibility-endurance analogy, like much in the martial arts, is intended for multi-layered development. In other words, it is not just the physical development of flexibility, for example, but mental adaptability as well. It is not only muscular strength, but strength of character that is developed. Endurance is not measured only by caloric burn at a given heart rate, but also by perseverance in the face of adversity. High quality martial arts programs functionally integrate the multi-layered development of strength, flexibility, and endurance. The integrated approach to training reflects the principle of efficiency that is connoted by "ju". Why is that important?</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Paul Howe, US Army Special Operations/Delta veteran, comments on the integration of training, "As I have gotten older and find myself spending a great deal of training time on the road, I have relearned the value of a daily training routine. Your mental state of mind whether stressed, relaxed, focused or sharp is up to you and probably the most important factor in developing and sustaining a routine…few combat systems complement each other. You can spend years leaning one stance in martial arts, then learn a new one for pistol, rifle, etc. Try and find one stance that will work for rifle, pistol, knife, hand combat, etc. This way, your platform will be the same for all systems and you will learn and establish it rapidly…you might have minor weight transfers, but as I said they will be minor. Core balance is core balance. In the end, if you can find one system that compliments each other, you will progress faster in leaning your tactical skills" (Howe, 2009, pp. 26-28). Howe’s comments can also be extrapolated to include the content of multi-layered development. Good mindset developed in training is not useful if it countered by poor mindset elsewhere. Emotional and mental development must be included within the training structure of the program, the culture of the venue, and atmosphere fostered by the interaction of the training group.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>As Paul Howe describes, integrated training allows superior results to be achieved more expeditiously than a linear training model. The Seizan Ryu students at the Academy begin an integrated training format from their initial training experiences. Because physical health/holistic fitness is a key attribute that any high level warrior discipline seeks to develop within its practitioners, the initial introduction to integrated training begins at a physical level. Various drills, solo and partner exercises develop the practitioner's physical strength, suppleness, and endurance simultaneously. As the physical exercises become more challenging, the student’s opportunity to develop emotionally and mentally begins to emerges as well. A high quality training culture with teachers skilled in student development can collaboratively capture this opportunity for high quality student development. Done correctly, this results in their physical confidence increasing and, in tandem, their social confidence and basic leadership qualities also begin to emerge; as the practitioner's set of tactical solutions expands, so tends their mental flexibility to do the same; it is not uncommon for students of warrior disciples to begin to see solutions in all areas of life – solutions that others overlook or often cannot conceptualize. Consider, for example, the amount of literature on leadership and personal development that has been authored by America’s military veterans within the last quarter century – their ability to seek overlooked tactical solutions has extrapolated into areas pertaining to business, politics, personal development, management, etc. Perpetual optimism and “can-do” attitudes become natural responses to life's challenges. The process of repetitive training to hone a skill set over time not only builds physical endurance, but also an internal sense of patience and perseverance that translates into an emotional tenacity. These are all objectives of the Academy’s training programs and our approach using integrated training allows for “ju” or efficiency to be the Academy’s training standard.<br /><br />I hope this brief message allows one to see that “ju” is not only a quality of technical skill, but a concept that our training structure is founded upon and a quality we sincerely hope allows our students to be efficient both inside and outside the dojo.<br /><br /><br />References<br /><br />Howe, P. 2009. The tactical trainer: a few thoughts on training and training management from a former special operations soldier. Authorhouse. Bloomington, IN.<br /><br />Mitose, J. 1953. What is self defense? kenpo-jiu-jitsu. 4th Ed. Kosho-shorei publishing. Sacramento, CA.<br /><br />Siddle, B. 1995. Sharpening the warrior’s edge: the psychology & science of training. 5th Ed. PPCT Research Publications. Millstadt, Il.</div>David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3989661521843398000.post-70774734317012121872009-09-14T15:26:00.000-07:002012-10-28T15:34:35.180-07:00"Ju" (Part 1)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhI7QIgOsY1C2kqhD6gVTpGzt5ZT7YUW6OqIxWpcDe_E6jSimKZY1sLlZJIxjf59LKmtBNJvlCFzisKkub_-SeM3aYlktHJhxmq8ebgxd6LVmW07xxaVlE7Udststvt7LpFYahu7p0rpQ/s1600-h/ju-jpeg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381453659420297746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 164px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 162px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhI7QIgOsY1C2kqhD6gVTpGzt5ZT7YUW6OqIxWpcDe_E6jSimKZY1sLlZJIxjf59LKmtBNJvlCFzisKkub_-SeM3aYlktHJhxmq8ebgxd6LVmW07xxaVlE7Udststvt7LpFYahu7p0rpQ/s320/ju-jpeg.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Due in part to the popularity of mixed martial arts events, jujutsu has become a word that most Americans recognize. Different images come to mind depending on one’s experience with the term. Some ideas come from spectators of mix martial arts events; others come from students of jujutsu that are at various points along their journey in the art. What does the term really mean? </div><div><br />In 1953 James M. Mitose wrote a book titled “What Is Self Defense? (Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu)”<a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3989661521843398000#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1">[1]</a>. The term “ju” is sometimes translated as “gentle”, but anyone who has seen or participated in a jujutsu training session would probably protest that connotation. If not "gentile", what does “ju” mean then? “The Modern Reader’s Japanese-English Character Dictionary” by Andrew Nelson received the 1969 Prize of the Society for the Promotion of International Cultural Relations award and translates the term “ju” to include, “softness” (Nelson, 1988, p. 645). </div><div><br />Does that imply that the technical skills of jujutsu are “soft”? For clarification on this, one can refer to The Wordbook of Seizan-ryu, a collection of kanji and translations specific to Japanese martial arts, which provides the following on the term jujutsu: “presumably, this term was originally meant to describe the art in contrast to ken-jitsu (swordsmanship), bo-jutsu (staff fighting), etc., that is, in general ‘un-armed’ fighting. This use of the word goes back at least to the late 16th century and Yagyu Munenori (and probably earlier). Much later, Kano-sensei glossed it to mean natural, efficient, ‘inadvertent’ movements and techniques, gentile in the sense that the art follows natural laws” (Roemer, n.d., p. 56). Perhaps one of the easiest definitions to digest, and use for the ideas that follow is that “ju” is, “soft, flexible, malleable or supple” (Pauley, 2009, p. 61).</div><div><br />Far from an etymological skirmish between various translations of the term, there are some common themes that unite these definitions. To begin with, there are the concepts of economy and naturalness that colors these definitions. There is also a an emphasis on efficiency without imposed effort or undue energy that is implied. Students of the martial arts realize that it is often difficult to articulate some of the terminology used within their studies as these qualities just mentioned are qualities of being or terms associated with an experience as opposed to analytical articulation for the sake of semantics. “Ju” is a quality that is requires a certain level of training, skill and experience in order to be present. In other words, a specific technique is not necessarily “ju” in nature simply because a variant or semblance of the technique exists within a jujutsu system’s curriculum. Furthermore “ju” is a quality that can be present outside the settings of a dojo. Personal development expert Anthony Robbins asks, “Have you ever had the experience of being on a roll, the feeling that you could do no wrong? A time when everything seemed to go right?...Maybe it was a time when you amazed yourself by doing something …” (Robbins, 1986, p. 35). </div><div><br />The experience that Robbins describes is something that most martial arts students can relate to. It is the moment when a particular movement feels effortless. As a teacher with over a decade and a half of teaching experience, the author personally enjoys the moment when a student completes a technique and remarks, “Wow, that was easy!”. That experience is the quality of “ju”.</div><div><br />The purpose of the next series of articles is to set the environment for these moments to occur with greater ease. “Ju” requires an internalization of the basics. Internalization is not a linear process. In other words the more you work on the basics, the better the basics get. One does not reach a destination point where one “has it”. And, like all physical skills, the basics are perishable as anyone who has had a lengthy break in training can attest to. The concept for students of all levels to remember is that the better the basics are internalized, the more smoothly they can be applied.</div><div><br />The concept just mentioned can also be extrapolated into all areas of life. This is a key perspective to adopt if one wishes to have one’s training positively impact one’s total quality of life. Every aspect of life, whether you define the role in terms of occupation (student, employee, or business owner for example), relationship (friend, parent, or husband for example), personal goals (health, finance, or time management for example) or any other way of grouping one’s roles and responsibilities, has a set of “basics” that, when internalized correctly, increase the efficiency of one’s efforts by corresponding to a natural order that produces a certain outcome. The value of internalized basics will be discussed in the next article. Until then, continue to train hard and enjoy the journey! </div><br /><div></div><div>References<br /><br />Colorado Academy of Martial Arts. (n.d.) Seizan-ryu Tangoshu “The Wordbook of Seizan-ryu”. Littleton, CO: Roemer, Roland S.<br /><br />Mitose, James M. (1980). What is Self Defense? (Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu)(2nd Ed). Sacramento, California: Kosho-Shorei Publishing Co. (Original work published 1953).<br /><br />Nelson, Andrew N. (1988). The Modern Readers Japanese-English Character Dictionary (26th Ed). Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo, Japan: Charles E. Tuttle Co. (Original work published 1962).<br /><br />Pauley, Daniel C. (2009). Pauley’s Guide: A Dictionary of Japanese Martial Arts and Culture. Dolores, CO Anaguma Seizan Publications.<br /><br />Robbins, Anthony. (1986). Unlimited Power. Fawcett Columbine, New York: Ballantine Books.<br /></div><div><a title="" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3989661521843398000#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1">[1]</a> Note to the reader – the terms “Kenpo” and “Kempo” as well as “Jiu-Jitsu” and “Jujutsu” illustrate the difficulty in romanizing the sounds of Asian languages. Kenpo and Kempo are the same terms as are Jiu-Jitsu and Jujutsu.</div>David Hakim, Director of the Midwest Academyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368722402181439314noreply@blogger.com0