BATTLEFIELD KALI IN THE STREET- TRUE STORY

[Burton]

Let me relate a true story that happened recently.  I have a long time friend and student who first trained in stick fighting when I taught the cooperative approach.  He stayed with me as I changed my focus to training those aspects that can be applied in full-speed sparring.  He has since become very proficient at stick sparring.
     On a winter morning he was driving his truck down a highway near his home.  He lives in a rural area, and there was snow on the ground and ice on the road.  The conditions were so bad that many cars had slid off the road.  The police made sure that people were driving safely by driving their patrol cars on the roads slowly.  My friend was following a police car when another truck pulled up fast behind him.  The driver came very close, flashed his lights and honked his horn.  My friend pulled over to the next lane.  The man changed lanes too, still flashing his lights and following closely.  Since he was near home, my friend figured that it was one of his friends playing a joke.  So he turned off a side street and parked.  The truck followed and parked behind him.  My student’s mood changed quickly when he saw a large man whom he didn’t know exit the truck with a large hand made wooden club in his hand.  My student reached under his seat for his metal extendable baton and waited.  
      As the man approached, my student thrust the door open, hitting the man in the forehead with the edge of the door.  The attacker reeled back, already bleeding.  My student stepped out, extended the baton, and immediately hit the assailant in the arm.  The shocked attacker dropped his club.  My student continued his attack, hitting to the arms and legs.  The attacker fell to the ground and curled up in the fetal position.  My student calmly got back in his truck and left.
       He called me with a few interesting observations.  First, he said that he was successful because he was mentally ready to fight as soon as the guy got out of his truck.  The large, armed attacker wanted to intimidate my friend.  Instead, my student immediately took control of the tempo of the fight and never gave the bully a chance to get started.  My student went right to work, never saying a single word.  I asked “What do you think would have happened if you had only trained the way we used to, with a cooperative partner?”  His answer was enlightening.   “I would have waited for him to hit me first.  Then he would have been in control.  Because of all the sparring, I knew that I needed to get the first strike in before he hit me.”
    Pretty interesting, isn't it?  Good thing he practiced realistic stick sparring and was mentally prepared.  It could have been a very bad sitution for him.  I'll bet that guy never tries that again!

[getgoin]

Cool story.

[NakMuay26]

Great story, Sifu Burt!

It's funny how realistic training helps situations of real combat so well.  Additionally, those people who decide to train realistically are more likely to be balanced induviduals like your student rather than act like an aggressive bully.

Ah, the benefits of personal growth.

[Burton]

So true.  Realistic training forces you to confront your weaknesses.  Then you decide to be humble and train to improve yourself or just quit.  Those who stay are usually good people.  Aloha!

[Bill Cogswell]

Great story! This also shows how great of a trainer you are, always adapting and changing your game to what works or what works better.

[Burton]

Thanks Bill,
   If your not improving you are getting worse!   Aloha!   Burton

[Cr8]

On the underground, some people said that this had nothing to do with Kali and that Burt's student just beat the guy up.  I totally disagree.  This had everything to do with his battlefield kali training.  First, he saw the club and was not afraid of it because of his weapon training.  Second, his training allowed him to be precise and hit at the arms and legs effectively.  Third, all the good stuff Burt mentioned

Train true,
Creighton

[Jeff Rockwell]

Good point!  Without his training, he probably would have gone straight for a headshot - potentially killing the guy if he hit him just right.  Thanks to his alive training and precision, he was able to render the attacker harmless without threatening his life.

[Little-Girly-Man]

My younger brother recently stared (informally) training jkd with a friend, who aparently trained under you- i will try to find out his name...

I enjoy my training (With Steve Powell in Manchester, England, see
http://www.jeet-kune-do.info ), especially as i started training just to get fitter and learn some discipline, physical control, and new stuff.
Steve has trained with so many people in so many different styles, that few classes are the same.

However, recent events have left me feeling less secure on the street and (having thought about some stuff that Rick Young said to us at a seminar), i want to start to train more 'realistically' with my training partner outside the gym.

Reading your page makes me jealous i cant train with you! But any ideas you wouldnt mind sharing for one on one drills etc would be very much appreciated.
I may post a new discussion with the same request, after i'v had a closer look through your Training Discussoins and your site in general.
I'v loved what i'v seen so far! Cheers

Chris

[Burton]

Welcome to the forum Chris.  Please ask any questions you like.  
    To reinforce what Creighton and Jeff said, my student purposely avoided the head strike because he didn't want to do severe damage.  That takes confidence and control.

[Little-Girly-Man]

i agree- avoiding the head strike is a very respectable attitude as far as i'm concerned- your student clearly did enough to keep themself safe, and had enough respect for his attacker to just disable him, rather than making him pay for what he did. I think the guy would definitely have learned his lesson!
I think this reflects very well on your teachings, and on your student as a person, and further contributes to my respect of jkd practitioners as a whole.