Enviromental Impact
Sunday, 17 September 2006
What is the ideal environment for your martial arts training? Most of us try to have a wide-open space with a smooth, flat training surface. It is also nice to have that surface padded for takedowns and ground work. Is this the type of place that the typical street attack occurs in? Not at all. There are a number of environmental factors that can affect the way a fight takes place. Your physical surroundings, your clothing, and the clothing of your opponent must be taken into account. Most real fights occur in locations that are not spacious. You will probably have barriers, such as walls, poles, cars, or furniture to deal with. These barriers can be used to your advantage if you have included barrier training in your practice sessions. If not, they may be used against you. The most common barrier is the wall The best use of this barrier is to pin your opponent’s back to the wall so that he cannot move well. This is best done in the clinch. You can get to a position where he cannot maneuver or strike well, but you can. Typically this means tying up both of his arms, pinning him with your shoulder, while remaining in position to fire strong punches and knee strikes at him. Since he is pinned, he cannot generate much power with his knees. There is an art to getting someone against a wall and keeping him there, so you must train this to become proficient. Two very simple drills are as follows.First, start in the clinch with a partner, both of you standing a few yards away from the wall. Work in the clinch while trying to guide your partner’s back to the wall. He will try to do the same to you. You will learn how to push and pull with proper leverage and set-ups to get your partner’s back against the barrier while keeping from being pinned yourself.
The second drill is to start with your partner’s back against the wall. He does his best to get away from the wall, while you do your best to keep him there. Take turns so you get to practice escaping from being pinned as well. Doing these two simple drills will give you the awareness and skills necessary to use the barrier to your advantage in a real altercation.
Once you are comfortable with the wall you can use the position to take your opponent down. It is often easier to take an opponent down after pinning him to the wall because you take away his ability to sprawl. If you go for a double leg takedown when his back is against the wall, he simply cannot move his legs away from you. You can add takedowns to the wall games to round out your training.
Another environmental factor is the surface you must fight on. If you are lucky, you might be on a flat, soft surface as in a carpeted room. You may just as well find yourself on a sloping asphalt parking lot that is covered with pebbles and broken glass. If your main techniques rely on dropping to your knees, you may want to add a few more options into your repertoire. I know of a very good Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter who recently broke his knee after dropping down onto concrete to shoot on his opponent in a street fight. You might get away with pounding your knee on the cement a few times, but it would be wise to avoid the risk altogether if you can.
The sloping surface is important to take into account, especially for sweeps. If you end up on your back with the opponent in your guard, you might try your favorite sweep. Most people will tend to sweep to one side, rather than having both sides equally trained. But if you try to sweep an opponent to your right, and the surface is sloping upward to the right, it just isn’t going to work well. You want to sweep downhill. The same with standing sweeps. You need to be able to maneuver your opponent so that you can sweep downhill instead of fighting gravity.
Another major concern is clothing. You can use the opponent’s clothes against him. You can use the collar to choke and you can grab his pant legs to make takedowns and guard passes easier. He can also use your clothing against you, so you need to know how to defend against those same techniques. An untrained streetfighter will instinctively grab your jacket to pull you into his punches. You need to know how to deal with that situation. You can also use your own clothing to stop an attacker. There are several chokes that can be done with the aid of your own collar or sleeves. Shoes are another factor. Are your shoes slippery? Do they have a good toe and heel to make your kicks more potent? These should all be considered and practiced before you get into a bad situation.
The environment in a real fight is far different than most martial arts studio environments. I suggest you take some extra time to practice against the wall, in your street clothes, and outside on uneven terrain. You will be better prepared for a real attack should you ever have to defend yourself or loved ones.